I’m a Brit currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I left the UK at age 22 to do a doctorate at a government research lab in France. Although I’d been perfectly happy in the UK, I realized that the place where I’d spent the previous four years (Oxford) could get rather self-absorbed; the temptation to stay around there was a little too strong, and I didn’t want to end up as one of those people who arrive at age 18 and never leave. So, I applied to the French Government for a scholarship, and off I went.
In France, I fell in love with an American and we moved in together; her work permit ran out at around the time I was finishing up, so I applied for postdocs in the US and got one in Washington DC (my GF found a job in Philadelphia, and Amtrak got a lot of business from us on Friday and Sunday evenings for the year before she moved down to DC). So, in answer to the OP’s question of how I ended up in the country in which I now live, cherchez la femme.
Eventually - newly single again - I set up a small business with a colleague who had moved to Northern California. Although it wasn’t necessary to be in geographical proximity, I decided that I needed a change of venue. I’d traveled extensively throughout the US, and chose to move out West. The final choice came down to Seattle or San Francisco, and SF won out.
Although I’ve never loved a city as much as I love San Francisco, I think it may be getting time to leave. I’m now single once more, and am in a situation where I can’t get affordable health care coverage due to well-documented spinal problems. This wouldn’t be an issue in most European countries, so it may be time to start on a new adventure. Not necessarily in the UK, however: I’m good with languages, and may find my calling on the Continent again.
I’m not a US citizen. If a viable Universal Health Care program were implemented, I’d consider applying, although I’d never be flag-wavingly patriotic because that’s really not my style.
Although I hang out with a lot of people who aren’t originally from around here (not hard in the SF Bay Area!), I don’t seek out Brits in particular. I’m pretty comfortable with anyone who’s traveled, and especially with those who have lived – or are living – abroad (from their perspective). I was never overly nationalistic growing up, and never really supported any local sports teams, so don’t feel a need to fly the flag or act particularly British. I still like pubs and prefer British-style beers to lagers, however.