By Elyse Umlauf from duPont REGISTRY Homes.

California wins again--for the seventh year in a row--as the state where most people would like to live.  That’s according to an October 2010 Harris Poll in which it asks respondents, “If you could live in any state in the country, except the state you live in now, what state would you choose to live in?”

Echo Boomer and Gen Xers are especially enamored with the state and those demographic groups rank California as their number one spot, found the Harris Poll. Baby boomers (aged 46 to 64) also love California, ranking it number three, with Hawaii and Florida being their first picks.

Such news likely is no surprise to California real estate practitioners, who see people regularly enticed by the state’s gentle climate and sun-drenched beaches.  The luxury landing pads available in California are abundant, whether they’re historic beachfront properties, sleek contemporaries, golf properties, or stylish urban retreats.

See such properties on the pages of this issue that are dedicated to the ever-alluring golden state.

The architect for a Tiburon, California, house wisely saw a site that demanded something special. As a result, the design exploits the astounding views that, according to Karen Hardesty, capture the essence and joy of Tiburon living.

On one side, the graceful curves of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the hills of the East Bay, and water traffic of commercial and pleasure vessels are visible. The other views reveal hills, trees, coves, and beaches.

And though the 5,924-square-foot property features high-end details, such as stone, granite and art glass, there’s nothing in the house that shrieks for attention. “It’s elegant, understated, and it’s not a house where you walk in and say, ‘Look at those moldings,’” comments Hardesty, who with Chelsea Hardesty, both of Frank Howard Allen REALTORS® in Tiburon, is colisting the property. “There’s nothing that detracts from the house’s setting. Everything is designed to enhance it,” she adds. Sleek, contemporary, and fresh would all be appropriate adjectives to describe the six-bedroom house.

The property is marked by clean lines and curved design elements that echo throughout the space. Rooms, including dual family rooms, are oriented to walls of glass, and the property’s outdoor decks extend the home’s livable space.

Karen Hardesty points to the master suite as especially attractive and calls it a retreat. For one, it’s secluded from the main areas of the house and it has a sitting room, a dressing room, and access to an outdoor deck with a private hot tub. And the bedroom, itself, features two walls of glass.

The more public areas of the house are ideally suited to entertaining, and the two Hardestys got a firsthand look at how well the property works for guests when they threw a soiree, featuring jazz and champagne, to introduce the property when they listed it. There was an “ooh-aah” sense among guests as they entered through a stone walkway and immediately caught the captivating views.

Additional outdoor features include dramatic night lighting, a sports court and parking for eight cars. In addition, six houses in the neighborhood, including this one, share use of a dock.  The neighborhood, itself, is characterized by large wooded lots, open space, parks and the beach. And though it’s only a 15-minute jaunt from the Golden Gate Bridge, Karen Hardesty says the house makes you feel like you’re worlds away, thanks to a bucolic setting that is populated by oak trees, flowers and meandering paths.

A turn-of-the-century, grand estate in Montecito represents a notable departure in architectural style from the tile-roofed, Mediterranean-style homes more typical in this region of Southern California.

Find California properties on duPont REGISTRY Homes.