When I moved from California to a place with seasons I became way less slack with getting tasks done (because winter was coming) and had a personal shift relating to time, tasks, work versus enjoyment (I need to make work more productive because I need to enjoy my tiny amount of summer days, I can't just say 'I'll go do that later' because later will be the wrong weather). Notably this did not involve me changing race.

Or just take today. It feels amazing/invigorating, because the weather is finally nice, there are flowers and beauty all around (after months and months of cold and dark and grey). Life is experienced differently when you have dramatic seasons. I never really had that to such an extreme in Santa Cruz. But Santa Cruz allowed me to be way more chill and aware of myself instead of my environment (it's hot, I can do this later when it's not hot, I'm not dumb, I'll do this later versus 'this has to be done now no matter what turn off attention to what your body is telling you' be it chopping wood in 100f+ heat or shoveling snow in -20f). I think this is why the German/Swiss zombie stereotype is (you have to have less response to negative feelings, winter doesn't care) versus the loving/connected southern zone stereotypes (you aren't going to freeze if you don't get this done so you can care about other things). All with zero race in the mix.

California was attractive because it attracted talent. Most of the people that I grew up with were like me, way more chill than the average person irrespective of their race, in fact the slacker surfer stereotype has traditionally assumed a white guy.