Will Gentrification, high housing prices eventually wipe out the poor and middle class? (Los Angeles: middle-class, real estate)
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As a young person, and one that wants to start a family soon, I know I will never be able to afford to buy a home in CA, yet alone in San Diego. It seems like as the years go by, prices for homes just keep accelerating yet the wages for jobs aren't keeping up with the cost of living, the majority of our urban core has been heavily gentrified and white washed, minorities keeping being pushed out further and further away from the city. Suburbs are still very expensive out here, every area of San Diego is slowly getting more expensive, even in the bad parts, the homeless population keeps getting worse, the city cares more about downtown development and building luxury condo's for the rich, rather than trying to build affordable housing.
I see the California catering and being the land of strictly the wealthy in the coming years. Even 20+ years ago, a working man, blue collar type could somewhat afford a home here, but not anymore.
Every year one needs to make more and more money just to keep up with inflation of everything, yet employers refuse to increase pay in many segments of employment, so what are people supposed to do? Whos to blame here?
It's like if you are a teacher, and you haven't had a good raise in 5 years, say only 2% which is nothing, housing prices and inflation goes up 10% or more, who's fault is that? One will say, "Well you should look for a better paying job, or switch school districts", but the real blame is on the city government, state government for not allowing more housing development to help reduce housing cost. So in a sense, the state is outpricing even the middle-class households that work hard and are doing all the right things. A neighborhood that was once say poor to middle class is now upper middle class due to people having to leave because they simply can't afford their rent or mortgage anymore, and the ones that have professionals careers, replace them.
It has really gotten out of control, and I honestly don't know how the service sector workers are able to make ends meet or are even able to afford rent. Sure the economy is great in CA from the latest statistics, but the continued increase in housing, and cost of living in general, I feel we might have a massive exodus of poor to middle-class residents fleeing the state in the next several years, and we wont have as many people being able to work at your local Starbucks, retail store or your favorite taco shop because nobody will be able to afford to even live in the immediate area.
As for gentrification, with the increase of redevelopment in cities like L.A., S.F., Oak, S.D. eventually all poor minorities will be extinct from the inner cities and it's downtowns. Sure some like this that are pro gentrifiers, but the downsides and negatives is that the culture will be completely whitewashed, water down, corporate, trendy lame businesses, breweries and coffee shops on every freakin corner that doesn't promote high paying jobs, only more low paying service ones and bland architecture as more older buildings are being demolished, soon we wont recognize the old city and most of its history will be destroyed.
San Diego is a perfect example of this, this city is quick to tear down anything that is old or blighted, rather than trying to save some older buildings for history purposes, they want them demoed as fast as possible, you can see the changes in our downtown. I hardly recognize the place anymore, everything that is old will soon be no more.
What can be done to save the middle class in CA, as the poor are already screwed? Is there any hope? Or is CA eventually going to be the land of the rich and upper middle class only? The economy can't sustain that.
As a young person, and one that wants to start a family soon, I know I will never be able to afford to buy a home in CA, yet alone in San Diego.
The first thing you need to do is come to grips with reality and determine what it is you can reasonably hope to afford and where. Sure everyone "wants it all", but sometimes it just isn't possible. There are decent and affordable areas still in CA that are perfect for people like you. If you know where to look. Problem is you don't want to look there. You want to be where everyone else is, which is the crux of the problem. Sometimes success comes not from being one of the pack, but by being one who isn't afraid to 'go against the grain'. Look at homes in some part of the Central Valley (Tulare/Visalia/Clovis) for example. Yes, they are heavily stigmatized. Most likely from people who have never even been there. There are some very, very nice neighborhoods and homes in all of those areas. Get past those stereotypes and focus on who gets the last laugh. Your friends may mock you for living in Visalia. But while they are shelling out $1700 for a crummy studio apartment every month, you are spending $1500 on a sparkling four bedroom house on a quiet street with a big back yard, perfect for raising your future family.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdlife619
It seems like as the years go by, prices for homes just keep accelerating yet the wages for jobs aren't keeping up with the cost of living,
This is happening everywhere, so it's not just limited to you. It's crappy. It's unfair. It makes it harder. But it's reality. Deal with it. Come up with a workable plan. Grousing about it on an Internet forum isn't going to magically summon the sympathy fairy and magically double your income while simultaneously halving home prices. Get those ideas out of your head now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdlife619
the majority of our urban core has been heavily gentrified and white washed, minorities keeping being pushed out further and further away from the city.
You say that like it's a bad thing. I for one welcome the idea of being able to drive a Downtown street and not having to worry about someone taking a random potshot.
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Originally Posted by sdlife619
Suburbs are still very expensive
Quality always is. Always has been. Always will be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdlife619
out here, every area of San Diego is slowly getting more expensive, even in the bad parts, the homeless population keeps getting worse, the city cares more about downtown development and building luxury condo's for the rich, rather than trying to build affordable housing.
Then re-evaluate your priorities and take stock of your realities. Sometimes the person that needs to change-meaning move-is you. The world ain't gonna do it for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdlife619
I see the California catering and being the land of strictly the wealthy in the coming years. Even 20+ years ago, a working man, blue collar type could somewhat afford a home here, but not anymore.
Again. See above.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdlife619
Every year one needs to make more and more money just to keep up with inflation of everything, yet employers refuse to increase pay in many segments of employment, so what are people supposed to do? Whos to blame here?
Seriously? You really are young if you're just now figuring all this out. Again. Complaining about it isn't going to solve anything. You're right. That's exactly how it is and there are people double or triple your age also getting economically skewered. Come to think of it, probably 80% of Americans are having struggles like this in one form or another. Welcome to adulthood in year 2017. Now where's the rent money?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdlife619
It's like if you are a teacher, and you haven't had a good raise in 5 years, say only 2% which is nothing, housing prices and inflation goes up 10% or more, who's fault is that? One will say, "Well you should look for a better paying job, or switch school districts", but the real blame is on the city government, state government for not allowing more housing development to help reduce housing cost. So in a sense, the state is outpricing even the middle-class households that work hard and are doing all the right things. A neighborhood that was once say poor to middle class is now upper middle class due to people having to leave because they simply can't afford their rent or mortgage anymore, and the ones that have professionals careers, replace them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdlife619
It has really gotten out of control, and I honestly don't know how the service sector workers are able to make ends meet or are even able to afford rent. Sure the economy is great in CA from the latest statistics, but the continued increase in housing, and cost of living in general, I feel we might have a massive exodus of poor to middle-class residents fleeing the state in the next several years, and we wont have as many people being able to work at your local Starbucks, retail store or your favorite taco shop because nobody will be able to afford to even live in the immediate area.
What they've always done. Moved up. Or moved out. Taken on roommates, cut unnecessary and frivolous expenses, gone to school, gotten promoted, My first job was a boxboy at Trader Joes. I've also delivered pizzas, served fried chicken, dispatched carpet cleaners. Now I manage logistics in the energy industry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdlife619
As for gentrification, with the increase of redevelopment in cities like L.A., S.F., Oak, S.D. eventually all poor minorities will be extinct from the inner cities and it's downtowns.
No they won't. When it comes to survival, they'll eventually figure all of this out. The smart ones will make it. And the others will just disappear. Either way, it's a win-win for everyone else.
I can't go on. The rest of your post is largely a repetitious regurgitation of the same 'woe-is-me' consternation you've already spewed. I know my replies come across as stilted and perhaps even pompous. That was on purpose. A young person like yourself, espousing those viewpoints needs a hard dose of brutal reality. Not a sugar coated fluff piece that just repeats the same gripes that offer few or no practical, workable solutions.
What can be done to save the middle class in CA, as the poor are already screwed? Is there any hope? Or is CA eventually going to be the land of the rich and upper middle class only? The economy can't sustain that.
The unfortunate reality of today is that a bachelors degree is equivalent to what a high school degree was. A masters is what a bachelors used to be. This is only going to get worse as time goes by: blue collar jobs are increasingly being automated. In ten years, truck drivers will no longer be necessary. It's happening.
Education is the answer and no other developed country makes it as hard to get a good education as the USA does with student debt.
Not sure what the previous poster meant by stop voting Democrat. I think Bernie has some good ideas about healthcare, and education. There will be people who are displaced, and it's already happening, and we can't just forget about them.
San Diego is a great place but unless you are in the STEM field, or have a remote job, it's not a great place for employment. If you have the qualifications for a knowledge based job, get yourself to the Bay Area or even Los Angeles to start out and then move back once you have established yourself. So many people do this and it is an increasing option in knowledge based economies which keeps prices high. In addition, San Diego is one of the most real estate constrained places on Earth (desert to the east, ocean to the west, Mexico to the south and LA to the North). It will always be desirable and will always be expensive.
The unfortunate reality of today is that a bachelors degree is equivalent to what a high school degree was. A masters is what a bachelors used to be. This is only going to get worse as time goes by: blue collar jobs are increasingly being automated. In ten years, truck drivers will no longer be necessary. It's happening.
Education is the answer and no other developed country makes it as hard to get a good education as the USA does with student debt.
Not sure what the previous poster meant by stop voting Democrat. I think Bernie has some good ideas about healthcare, and education. There will be people who are displaced, and it's already happening, and we can't just forget about them.
San Diego is a great place but unless you are in the STEM field, or have a remote job, it's not a great place for employment. If you have the qualifications for a knowledge based job, get yourself to the Bay Area or even Los Angeles to start out and then move back once you have established yourself. So many people do this and it is an increasing option in knowledge based economies which keeps prices high. In addition, San Diego is one of the most real estate constrained places on Earth (desert to the east, ocean to the west, Mexico to the south and LA to the North). It will always be desirable and will always be expensive.
Bernie has no good ideas. Absolutely none. The guy is also a massive hypocrite, owns 3 houses, pays a 13% tax rate, and the guy will babble to anyone who will listen about "the rich not paying their fair share" while he sits in his 3rd house on the lake.
You think education is bad now because of the massive cost and debt required? Bernie would make that problem 10x worse. What do you think the net effect of giving away $40,000 a year to everyone who wants to go to college? That's just another method of inflation just like all of these FAFSA loans that have inflated college cost to these astronomical heights.
Voting democrat and buying into these socialized methods of fixing problems is exactly why guys like you end up getting priced out of homes, and graduating with massive debt.
There's already so many threads on Gentrification, couldn't you have pulled up one of the older threads?
I personally would love to see all of LA County get gentrified and all the ghetto people pushed out to Victorville, Palmdale, Lancaster, Barstow, Mexicali
As a young person, and one that wants to start a family soon, I know I will never be able to afford to buy a home in CA, yet alone in San Diego. It seems like as the years go by, prices for homes just keep accelerating yet the wages for jobs aren't keeping up with the cost of living, the majority of our urban core has been heavily gentrified and white washed, minorities keeping being pushed out further and further away from the city. Suburbs are still very expensive out here, every area of San Diego is slowly getting more expensive, even in the bad parts, the homeless population keeps getting worse, the city cares more about downtown development and building luxury condo's for the rich, rather than trying to build affordable housing.
I see the California catering and being the land of strictly the wealthy in the coming years. Even 20+ years ago, a working man, blue collar type could somewhat afford a home here, but not anymore.
Every year one needs to make more and more money just to keep up with inflation of everything, yet employers refuse to increase pay in many segments of employment, so what are people supposed to do? Whos to blame here?
It's like if you are a teacher, and you haven't had a good raise in 5 years, say only 2% which is nothing, housing prices and inflation goes up 10% or more, who's fault is that? One will say, "Well you should look for a better paying job, or switch school districts", but the real blame is on the city government, state government for not allowing more housing development to help reduce housing cost. So in a sense, the state is outpricing even the middle-class households that work hard and are doing all the right things. A neighborhood that was once say poor to middle class is now upper middle class due to people having to leave because they simply can't afford their rent or mortgage anymore, and the ones that have professionals careers, replace them.
It has really gotten out of control, and I honestly don't know how the service sector workers are able to make ends meet or are even able to afford rent. Sure the economy is great in CA from the latest statistics, but the continued increase in housing, and cost of living in general, I feel we might have a massive exodus of poor to middle-class residents fleeing the state in the next several years, and we wont have as many people being able to work at your local Starbucks, retail store or your favorite taco shop because nobody will be able to afford to even live in the immediate area.
As for gentrification, with the increase of redevelopment in cities like L.A., S.F., Oak, S.D. eventually all poor minorities will be extinct from the inner cities and it's downtowns. Sure some like this that are pro gentrifiers, but the downsides and negatives is that the culture will be completely whitewashed, water down, corporate, trendy lame businesses, breweries and coffee shops on every freakin corner that doesn't promote high paying jobs, only more low paying service ones and bland architecture as more older buildings are being demolished, soon we wont recognize the old city and most of its history will be destroyed.
San Diego is a perfect example of this, this city is quick to tear down anything that is old or blighted, rather than trying to save some older buildings for history purposes, they want them demoed as fast as possible, you can see the changes in our downtown. I hardly recognize the place anymore, everything that is old will soon be no more.
What can be done to save the middle class in CA, as the poor are already screwed? Is there any hope? Or is CA eventually going to be the land of the rich and upper middle class only? The economy can't sustain that.
This will happen.
The idea that education will help is basically nonsense. It will help some and the rest will be pushed out as there are not enough jobs for those with such degrees even now AND the hiring of H1B foreign workers is replacing US citizens with degrees even in the good fields.
As a young person, and one that wants to start a family soon, I know I will never be able to afford to buy a home in CA, yet alone in San Diego.
Move inland. I could never afford a home in Monterey (could barely scrape together the 20% down after over ten years of saving let alone make the mortgage), but in the Sacramento Valley I could pay cash for one with what I had saved. Yeah, it might not be the narrow coastal strip of "California" that you want, but its still in this state. You can't always have what you want just because you want it.
Move inland. I could never afford a home in Monterey (could barely scrape together the 20% down after over ten years of saving let alone make the mortgage), but in the Sacramento Valley I could pay cash for one with what I had saved. Yeah, it might not be the narrow coastal strip of "California" that you want, but its still in this state. You can't always have what you want just because you want it.
The idea that education will help is basically nonsense. It will help some and the rest will be pushed out as there are not enough jobs for those with such degrees even now AND the hiring of H1B foreign workers is replacing US citizens with degrees even in the good fields.
H1b's are a huge problem, and in my view should be eliminated, but at least for software, the education system in India is just better than here and far more affordable. I will also correct myself: Education in the right areas will help. It is way too easy to get a degree in something incredibly useless and graduate $100,000 in debt.
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