Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry to hear that your peers were not much fun growing up. If it makes you feel any better, I felt the same way, living in Ohio. It seems like you must have had a very expensive apartment indeed. There are 3 bedroom standalone homes available for rent in Cupertino for less than 4,000 a month... like this one: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/4287573131.html
That's crazy... I guess my parents got ripped off, then. :/
Neighborhoods matter a lot, as well as school districts. Your old apartment might have had a super awesome school district, or been walking distance to an Apple building, or something. I'll stop speculating :)