This is really neat...I've been working on the exact same thing in my spare time with the intent to learn the guts of blockchains. Our code is very similar, unsurprisingly. Mine is also Python but I'm running in with Serverless using Redis at the block store.
What I've found is that it's pretty easy to build out the basics, but then very complicated to cover all of the hard cases (specifically, resolving disparate chains between nodes). The deeper I dig the more appreciation I have out there for the "real" blockchain implementations and implementors.
I grew up in the South Bay, lived in San Francisco for many years and the East Bay for a handful of years...overall I was in the area for 36 of my 42 years. Late last year I realized the Bay Area has become too much...too much money, too crowded, too annoying, too aggressive, too dirty (SF at least). My wife and I sold our house, made a healthy profit and moved to Colorado.
While we can make all sort of arguments and analysis on the cost of living, what did it for me was exactly what you stated..."quality of life". Being in software many of us are fortunate enough to be able to live in the most expensive area in the country. However, it doesn't do a damn bit of good when you're miserable due to all of the traffic, crowds and annoying people who surround you.
Being a native I never thought I'd leave. Now, I'm confident I'll never go back...our quality of life is so much better here in Colorado. I would never suggest anyone move there unless they were single, in their 20's and in the technology space. For that group of people, it'd be a great experience. For us older family types, unless you're a total city person, the area sucks the life out of you.
Just allow room for different points of view. I grew up in Colorado and became suffocated by the intense desire for "quality of life" -- it felt like the only people that moved to Colorado to be the best at what they do were in extraction industries. After having left (fled) Colorado for school, I moved out to Silicon Valley 20 years ago, and have since settled in the East Bay (where we have three school-age kids) -- and I will live here as long as the industry's epicenter is here.
I think it's great that you're happy in Colorado, and there's certainly a lot to love about the state (go Broncos!) -- but definitions of "quality of life" vary, and some might actually include some of the things that you didn't/don't like about the Bay.
What I've found is that it's pretty easy to build out the basics, but then very complicated to cover all of the hard cases (specifically, resolving disparate chains between nodes). The deeper I dig the more appreciation I have out there for the "real" blockchain implementations and implementors.