My daughter left when she graduated from SLU in 1997, said she would never return to live in LA. She went on to grad school in Birmingham, AL, then Providence, RI, then took a job she really loves in Seattle, WA. She still says LA is the last state she would wish to live in.
It really does matter what you want to get out of living here. I love this stupid place, but it is a **** hole! I despise the littering here. This place is full of dirt bags in that regard. But there are a lot of reasons to stay too. If I just worked here (as in not a business owner), and didn't have family I would probably leave too. Or at the very least get as far away from other people here as possible. There are great folks I know, and then there are just plain garbage people too. Like gumbo!