NFL legend says hes ditching his Tennessee ranch for California before issuing stark warning about the Golden State

NFL legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist Jared Allen is trading life on his Tennessee ranch to return to his California roots, bucking the ongoing migration wave of residents leaving the Golden State.Allen, 44, acknowledged that relocating back to the West Coast is an unusual decision amid widespread complaints over affordability and taxes.But for the former pass rusher coming back is about giving his children the same formative experience he had while growing up in Northern California.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story “I’m one of the rare people moving back to the state of California,” Allen said.“I grew up here.

I grew up in the Bay Area, and I have such fond memories of California, and I want my kids to be able to experience the California that I experienced growing up.”Allen spent his childhood on a cutting horse ranch in Morgan Hill, beginning his football journey in Gilroy Pop Warner before starting at Live Oak High School.Following an off-the-field disciplinary incident where he was expelled for selling stolen yearbooks, Allen transferred to Los Gatos High School for his senior campaign.While there he cemented his trajectory toward college and NFL stardom, capturing first-team All-League, Defensive Player of the Year and All-Central Coast Section accolades.Recalling his youth, Allen described an active, vibrant outdoorsman lifestyle that shaped his career.“We used to get up and be skiing up in Tahoe in the morning, be back in Santa Cruz fishing in the evening,” Allen said.

He added that he wants to raise his family around “go-getters,” “doers” and “innovators” who believe “anything is possible.”However, the nostalgia that brought Allen back home came packaged with a blunt warning about California’s escalating cos...