while the salaries may be relatively low, is it hard to find a job in the LA area?...
Depends on the market, your skills, what you are willing to negotiate. There are a lot of physicians there, but who knows...maybe there is room for more.
Especially if ugrad, med school, and residency were in the midwest far removed from CA... It seems to me that there is an over abundance of physicians in CA.
There are too many plastic surgeons and dermatologists in LA. There are not enough physicians in rural central California; its a big state and there are a lot of places which are underserved.
lets say I land an anesthesiology residency at Henry Ford Hospital (one of the nations best hospitals)
As an aside, where did you get that idea?
Not a knock on HF but don't believe those "100 Best Hospitals" banners you see flying around. I'm sure its a fine institution, but one of the nation's best? HIGHLY debatable (and for what? What does "best" mean?)
.... as compared to a relatively small hospital in Small state X. While, I am attracted to the relative small hospital in small state x because of the friendly atmosphere and low-stress life, I decide to attend Henry Ford (which I will not like when I'm there because of Detroit, cold weather, overworked residents) just so that I can put on my resume that I trained at Henry Ford. Will going to Henry Ford (because of its reputation) for training dramatically improve my chances of landing a job in CA as compared to going to the small hospital in small state x
HF is not considered some high powered institution that will turn people's heads. More than likely you will find that Californians, outside of those educated in the midwest, will not know where HF is, nor of its reputation. Will if DRAMATICALLY improve your chances? No...very little does. Will it improve your chances? Who knows...perhaps, but again, HF is not a program whose mere mention of the name engenders a glistening glow over your application.
I dont mind living another 3 years of my life in torture, if it will help me get a job in CA. Any advice would be helpful.
Dude...residency is busy. Where you live is not really that important. I saved so much money my first year because I had no time to spend it. And while Detroit might not be your favorite city, "torture" is probably exaggerating a tad.
What is the fascination with California? You're not from there? Why the strong draw?
My advice is that no one can tell you what the market will be like in a few years, especially in an unknown specialty. Maybe you're a fantastic guy who charms everyone he meets and will get offered any job he wants. Maybe you're lucky and just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Or maybe you're average and sometimes you luck out and sometimes you don't. There is no way to tell you how to get a job in California. Probably the easiest way is to do residency there as it will put you in the position of hearing about jobs firsthand.
Also, is there a huge demand for anesthesiology in CA. I know EM is always in demand, but could not get any info about anesthesiology
Huge demand? Probably not.
I know you don't want to hear it, but perhaps you should choose a specialty that interests you rather than one that you perceive as somehow increasing your chances at getting a job.