Forget California: Now it's Florida & New York sending the most transplants to Austin! (Houston: lofts, neighborhoods)

[JH6]

We moved here 4 years ago from Western New York for jobs.

I generally like it here, but would like to move to Arizona some day.

I will gain a ton of experience and education at my job.

Glad I bought that house 3 years ago, as it has gone up a ton in value.

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by COCUE

That's somewhat of a simplistic argument. Do you imagine that in all these so called "global cities" that everyone is wealthy or part of the aforementioned "creative" class? This is not a new phenomena. It's always been like this. Sone people are wealthier than others and there's no point stressing myself about that. There are millions of families that make average or below average household incomes in those cities and somehow manage to take care of families and all that entails. Perhaps the difference is that they don't believe that they somehow are entitled to live a stone throw from wherever the center of the city is. They find a location that checks most of their boxes including budget and live their lives and bring up their families and are happy. For instance in London, based on the London underground tube map ( google it), there zones 1 - 6 within greater London, in very simplistic terms, zone 1 is the most expensive and our progresses from there ( of course, there are some uber expensive enclaves in the outer zones but this is a good proxy).Based on that, i would imagine that if i were to move to London with my family as we are today, i would probably not be looking for a house in zone 1 or maybe even 2 in some parts, probably be looking for 3 if we want to be closer in our perhaps 6 of we want a more suburban life or perhaps outside London for more laid back life and take the train in to work.

I'm intimately familiar with 3 of the 4 cities you mentioned above and know a ton of families like that and they are doing okay with their choices

Then why are people moving to developing south from the coasts? Cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas and Austin are just some of the cities that offer low cost big city amenities and comparable salaries that provide for a better standard of living. They know that their money goes further than in NYC. What you can an entitlement I call people searching for better purchasing power. The other cities have a lot of wealthy individuals that move there and drive prices up and cause a lot of over gentrification.

People do okay with their choices much like people in Mexico City still do ok. You basically do what ya gotta go no matter what. That doesn't make it grand living. Some people are able to make any city work for them but while some family making 60k might have a better quality of life in LA per se, they still in my opinion have a lower standard of living, ie homes, amenities, savings or whatnot due to the loss in purchasing power. Especially since LA has the worst disparity between wages and rent/housing costs. So what good is it to crack 50-60k in an overcrowded city with a lack of affordable housing, high rents, really stagnant wages that don't keep pace with COL, low job growth and high unemployment? Not to mention taxes are higher.

So what is it that is so hard to follow with what I'm saying. You can make due all you want in a high cost city it just ain't gonna compare to someone who's making the same in lower cost city. Most of the time the answer I get from detractors seems to be that there are things they value more than a big house and that's weather, more city amenities and a more liberal environment. Ok, well then those are measure you can't really quantify in dollars and cents, they're just wiling to pay more for a different lifestyle, a lifestyle that's mostly afforded to those who can afford the high costs. They call it having a different value system or adjusting their thinking or whatnot, I call it lowering your standard of living.

[COCUE]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

Then why are people moving to developing south from the coasts? Cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas and Austin are just some of the cities that offer low cost big city amenities and comparable salaries that provide for a better standard of living. They know that their money goes further than in NYC. What you can an entitlement I call people searching for better purchasing power. The other cities have a lot of wealthy individuals that move there and drive prices up and cause a lot of over gentrification.

People do okay with their choices much like people in Mexico City still do ok. You basically do what ya gotta go no matter what. That doesn't make it grand living. Some people are able to make any city work for them but while some family making 60k might have a better quality of life in LA per se, they still in my opinion have a lower standard of living, ie homes, amenities, savings or whatnot due to the loss in purchasing power. Especially since LA has the worst disparity between wages and rent/housing costs. So what good is it to crack 50-60k in an overcrowded city with a lack of affordable housing, high rents, really stagnant wages that don't keep pace with COL, low job growth and high unemployment? Not to mention taxes are higher.

So what is it that is so hard to follow with what I'm saying. You can make due all you want in a high cost city it just ain't gonna compare to someone who's making the same in lower cost city. Most of the time the answer I get from detractors seems to be that there are things they value more than a big house and that's weather, more city amenities and a more liberal environment. Ok, well then those are measure you can't really quantify in dollars and cents, they're just wiling to pay more for a different lifestyle, a lifestyle that's mostly afforded to those who can afford the high costs. They call it having a different value system or adjusting their thinking or whatnot, I call it lowering your standard of living.

It's not hard to follow your argument. It's pretty simple. Where i disagree with you is just where you seem to believe that there is a common yardstick for measuring this elusive "standard of living" ask things being equal. I just believe that just because i don't share the same yardstick with someone makes their yardstick invalid. It's valid for them even if it's not for me. And that's okay. This is where we differ. There are so many considerations for so many people beyond incremental economic value once the basic needs are met ( note I'm not talking about a family that can't put food on the table here). Yrs, your money goes a lot further in lower cost areas.. Everyone knows that..Actually, my husband and i moved from the bay area just last year for similar reasons among others. With exactly the same income in CA vs Austin, believe we live a lot more comfortably but i also know that it's been "easier" for us to move than some of our friends because we didn't have roots there.. Believe no matter, how much i felt i was being priced out of the peninsula, if my family was on the area, i would stick around and perhaps move further south out to the east bay. I wouldn't change me and my children's ability to be best family for a lower cost location.. That is just one consideration. I imagine there are myriad reasons for so many others including basic great if the unknown but i just would not imagine that their reasons are not valid even if i can't relate.

Anyway, that's me tapping out here in this topic.

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by COCUE

It's not hard to follow your argument. It's pretty simple. Where i disagree with you is just where you seem to believe that there is a common yardstick for measuring this elusive "standard of living" ask things being equal. I just believe that just because i don't share the same yardstick with someone makes their yardstick invalid. It's valid for them even if it's not for me. And that's okay. This is where we differ. There are so many considerations for so many people beyond incremental economic value once the basic needs are met ( note I'm not talking about a family that can't put food on the table here). Yrs, your money goes a lot further in lower cost areas.. Everyone knows that..Actually, my husband and i moved from the bay area just last year for similar reasons among others. With exactly the same income in CA vs Austin, believe we live a lot more comfortably but i also know that it's been "easier" for us to move than some of our friends because we didn't have roots there.. Believe no matter, how much i felt i was being priced out of the peninsula, if my family was on the area, i would stick around and perhaps move further south out to the east bay. I wouldn't change me and my children's ability to be best family for a lower cost location.. That is just one consideration. I imagine there are myriad reasons for so many others including basic great if the unknown but i just would not imagine that their reasons are not valid even if i can't relate.

Anyway, that's me tapping out here in this topic.

I never said that those reasons for wanting that different lifestyle were invalid, just that it's not necessarily practical and thus I would hate for all cities to become that. I like living in LA but I also like the idea that I don't have to stay here my whole life. That I could move to a comparable city with a nice salary and be able to afford a home on a hill next to the lakes without having to be in the .001 percent. I know it's getting pricey in Austin but I know not to get a mansion directly on the hill with a lakeside view, I meant on a hill next to lake, meaning a short drive.

I would hate to know it's LA or the sticks. I'm glad Texas is around to offer a poor mans California.

[CT_ATX]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

I think you're missing my point. When I said worldly I didn't mean multi cultural. I love the diversity. What I was talking about is that a lot of these "global" cities tend to be hubs for the wealthy and the so called "creative class"...

What is the creative class? That's a new term for me.

[theone33]

Originally Posted by CT_ATX

What is the creative class? That's a new term for me.

I think adults who still get an allowance so they can pursue their art and hipster lifestyle in a "cool" city.

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by theone33

I think adults who still get an allowance so they can pursue their art and hipster lifestyle in a "cool" city.

It's a term coined by the Atlantic Monthly. It means upwardly young professionals in the STEM and arts fields. They like gentrified neighborhoods and trendy areas.

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

It's a term coined by the Atlantic Monthly. It means upwardly young professionals in the STEM and arts fields. They like gentrified neighborhoods and trendy areas.

Judging by real estate prices, I'd say a lot of people do.

[homeinatx]

Originally Posted by CT_ATX

What is the creative class? That's a new term for me.

Here is a reasonable starting point:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_class

[CT_ATX]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

Here is a reasonable starting point:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_class

Thanks. I guess my membership card must have gotten lost in the mail.