07 Sep Why Your Assignees May Just Want to Relocate to Northern California

They’re all phenomenally rich, world-famous, infinitely talented. Mark Zuckerberg, Clint Eastwood and John Lasseter all share one thing in common. They live in Northern California. Your talents or assignees may want to relocate here as well. Anywhere else and these famous could be mobbed, but NorCal is their home, sanctuary, and the place where they recharge and still do business. Your talents may also like it to live here for the same reasons.

Who would think one of the richest people in the NorCal is also one of its most down-to-earth billionaire?  Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, goes to work in his trademark hoodie and sweater, eschewing designer brands. He reportedly drives a $30,000-worth Volkwagen, not a Tesla or any of those luxury cars. He married the love of his life, Priscilla Chen, in a quiet ceremony in their Palo Alto home, and on their overseas honeymoon where they did stay in five-star hotels, they had a McDonald’s  lunch or dinner as part of their itinerary. What Zuckerberg is big on is privacy. He’s bought real estate around their million-dollar property and re-designed the landscape. And aside from the state-of-the-art smart security systems guarding his mansions, 16 bodyguards reportedly rotate in shifts to protect him and his family 24/7.

Clint Eastwood

That imposing figure, Eastwood would be recognizable even if he was not famous, but the actor turned legendary award-winning director likes how Carmel, where he became its mayor, affords him the privacy he needs.  He fell in love with the city back in the 1950s as a young actor trying to make his mark in neighboring Hollywood. He has made the city his home. He likes that he can fly in through his helicopter without the pomp of celebrity.

People recognize him every time he walks their streets, but  they keep a safe, respectable distance. As its former mayor, he will always be part of their bigger family. He still takes an active part in their cultural scenes like the Carmel Art and Film Festival. And to relax, he plays a mean round of golf at the Quail Lodge and the Tehama Ranch. He says his life in Carmel is “paparazzi-free,” and he would not have it any other way.

John Lasseter

Pixar studio head and digital animation director extraordinaire John Lasseter only has a short one-hour commute time from his home  in Sonoma County to his office in Emeryville, Northern California. It is said he promptly leaves the workplace at 6 p.m. every evening. The man has redefined children’s entertainment and built a $10-billion empire, thanks to Steve Jobs’ support and confidence in him as they turned Pixar to become the game-changing animation studio that it is now.  He made box-office history with films like “Toy Story.”

The affable Lasseter wears his sunny disposition on his sleeves–literally. He loves  Hawaiian shirts (he supposedly has more than 100 of them). He is also known to be a team player, just in case you’re thinking of moving to NorCal and working for the director.

He makes the occasional trip to Disney Studios, which bought Pixar, and critics and public alike are wondering if he’ll restore it to his former glory. To Lasseter, boosting Disney stock may go beyond business. Watching his first Disney film, “The Sword in the Stone,” inspired him to become an animator. But if anybody can pull it off, this Northern Californian, now named as his generation’s Walt Disney, is certainly the man for the job.

All of these famous like Northern California for offering them privacy without leaving California altogether. They also live just within hours of Los Angeles where at least two of them — Eastwood and Lasseter — need to keep up appearances as well.