How can Santa Maria change to be a wealthier city? (Long Beach: insurance, houses)
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Status:
"sun, suburbia, and surfing :)"
(set 22 days ago)
Location: Pismo Beach, CA
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How can Santa Maria change to be a wealthier city?
I am wondering can happen to change this community. I know some cities have changed in the past years to be better cities. Look at Oxnard, Long Beach, Santa Rosa, etc...
Santa Maria is in a very wealthy county and is stuck with a farming economy, but I feel like Oxnard, Santa Maria can attract some good companies. Santa Maria has a very nice area on the south section. Santa Maria is growing fast, and I want the area to grow to be something nice.
The mall in downtown, is adding a movie theater. But downtown needs some more help.
Santa Maria is in a very wealthy county and is stuck with a farming economy,
Stuck with a farming economy? It's a very good thing when an area can produce something of value!
I lived in Santa Maria a very long time ago - for a year when I was a part of PCPA Theatrefest - and I loved it. But it is kind of off the beaten track, and it's not directly on the coast, so I can't see that it will ever attract really wealthy people - unless they are connected somehow to farming or ranching.
Are you sure you aren't biting the hand that feeds you to be dismissive of the farming/ranching economy?
Status:
"sun, suburbia, and surfing :)"
(set 22 days ago)
Location: Pismo Beach, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bouncethelight
Stuck with a farming economy? It's a very good thing when an area can produce something of value!
I lived in Santa Maria a very long time ago - for a year when I was a part of PCPA Theatrefest - and I loved it. But it is kind of off the beaten track, and it's not directly on the coast, so I can't see that it will ever attract really wealthy people - unless they are connected somehow to farming or ranching.
Are you sure you aren't biting the hand that feeds you to be dismissive of the farming/ranching economy?
Santa Maria hit 100,000 population recently. It's going to hit 125,000 and then 150,000 population. The city has to come up with a way to create high paying jobs and that is by getting a large strong company like Kaiser Permanente or some technology companies.
The city doesn't need to get rid of farming, just not increasing the farming land. There is plenty of land around the farms and near the airport for Santa Maria to grow.
When the city gets money, it can start to revitalize the downtown. Get some better stores and restaurants in the mall, and revitalize a part of the downtown.
Location: San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties
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I am not sure the kid knows how wealthy Santa Maria is. The direct value of Agriculture in northern Santa Barbara is about $700,000,000. The indirect economic benefit is much more than that. Santa Maria and Northern Santa Barbara County is very wealthy.
Status:
"sun, suburbia, and surfing :)"
(set 22 days ago)
Location: Pismo Beach, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia
Why would a high tech company make a major investment in an area full of farm workers? Who'd fill those high tech jobs?
Well first off, there are four major tech companies already located in Santa Maria and there might be more. But these are the ones I know of:
Zynga (which makes the Facebook games)
Bonipak
C & D Zodiac
Den Mat
Also, the hospital just expanded. This is good!
Something that could accompany the hospital is a large health care provider like Kaiser Permanente or a pharmacedical company.
And Santa Maria is not all full of farm workers. That is a big stereotype. Santa Maria is 60% caucasian, 50% hispanic (the census numbers includes undocumented residents) and then a small population of pacific islanders african americans and Asians and other ethnic groups.
The wealthy educated part of Santa Maria is along Broadway and College Drive.
Also, Hancock College is one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation selected by Obama's adminstration. And I will testify to that! The people at Hancock have helped me grow as a person, and grown academically. And the people of Santa Maria Valley are some of the friendliest in California.
Also, Orcutt and Nipomo have some extremely wealthy neighborhoods. Some wealthy families who live in Arroyo Grande, Nipomo, and Orcutt and commute to work in Santa Maria.
Santa Maria first needs to get one other large major employer, and then secondly revitalize the area around the mall. Heck, even Salinas has a better mall. More population in Santa Maria and a movie theater will help the mall.
Status:
"sun, suburbia, and surfing :)"
(set 22 days ago)
Location: Pismo Beach, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by .highnlite
I am not sure the kid knows how wealthy Santa Maria is. The direct value of Agriculture in northern Santa Barbara is about $700,000,000. The indirect economic benefit is much more than that. Santa Maria and Northern Santa Barbara County is very wealthy.
Most farms money does not go to it's workers and does not go directly back into the economy.
Farming does have it's positive effects, but you need more than a city than farming.
Location: San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the city
Most farms money does not go to it's workers and does not go directly back into the economy.
Farming does have it's positive effects, but you need more than a city than farming.
Huh, I suggest a basic economics course.
Labor is the greatest cost to a grower, the wages paid go directly into the economy.
The dollars generated by a farms most assuredly do go directly back into the economy. Every grower buys a wide range of products from nuts and bolts to tractors to fertilizer to pesticides to out houses to irrigation pipe to trucks to hoes, the list is far more extensive than I posted here.
The workers spend their wages on housing, food, gasoline, clothing, entertainment. There are roughly 25,000-+ workers, most with families, much of that 100,000 population is directly connected with agriculture. The education of those children requires many more teachers than if there was no agriculture, those teachers also spend their dollars in the community, the same effect occurs in nearly every economic sector.
Let me give you another example. Our home ranch, pays local property taxes, 5 people live on it, purchase clothing, food, entertainment etc locally. There are 7 vehicles on the ranch currently, all use fuel, purchased locally, use maintenance facilities locally. There are at this moment 3 tractors, all purchased locally, implements purchased locally, (ever price a tractor?)
This ranch is just one of ours, and is just one of hundreds in the Northern Santa Barbara County area.
Santa Maria is a town of 100,000 people because of farming. There is no other industry of significance in the town.
Don't guess, research your topic before you post. Your understanding of Agricultures contribution to the economy appears to be minimal.
Status:
"sun, suburbia, and surfing :)"
(set 22 days ago)
Location: Pismo Beach, CA
3,112 posts, read 3,999,864 times
Reputation: 572
Quote:
Originally Posted by .highnlite
Huh, I suggest a basic economics course.
Labor is the greatest cost to a grower, the wages paid go directly into the economy.
The dollars generated by a farms most assuredly do go directly back into the economy. Every grower buys a wide range of products from nuts and bolts to tractors to fertilizer to pesticides to out houses to irrigation pipe to trucks to hoes, the list is far more extensive than I posted here.
The workers spend their wages on housing, food, gasoline, clothing, entertainment. There are roughly 25,000-+ workers, most with families, much of that 100,000 population is directly connected with agriculture. The education of those children requires many more teachers than if there was no agriculture, those teachers also spend their dollars in the community, the same effect occurs in nearly every economic sector.
Let me give you another example. Our home ranch, pays local property taxes, 5 people live on it, purchase clothing, food, entertainment etc locally. There are 7 vehicles on the ranch currently, all use fuel, purchased locally, use maintenance facilities locally. There are at this moment 3 tractors, all purchased locally, implements purchased locally, (ever price a tractor?)
This ranch is just one of ours, and is just one of hundreds in the Northern Santa Barbara County area.
Santa Maria is a town of 100,000 people because of farming. There is no other industry of significance in the town.
Don't guess, research your topic before you post. Your understanding of Agricultures contribution to the economy appears to be minimal.
Farming alone is not going to solve Santa Maria's problems. It needs another large employer. A strong economy has a diverse economy.
A large insurance provider or a pharmaceutical company to accompany the expansion of the hospital is our best bet.
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