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The West seems to have the worst homelessness in the country as well as having the lowest penetration of air conditioning (only about 65% of homes and that's including window units!) and aside from the BosWash the highest cost of living in the country. Of course the large number of poor Hispanic immigrants might skew things but in general the economy is dismal in Western states with the exception of the technology industry in northern California and Seattle.
Driving through the small towns in the West you get the idea that you're going back in time 60 years. I'm sure the same is true in places like Texas and Nebraska but the difference is those places have assets such as oil and agriculture. The West on the other hand is mostly desert and conifer forest and the forest is largely off-limits as an economic resource.
The South on the other hand has some extremely poor areas in Appalachia and the hinterlands of the Deep South yet the "New South" has a lot of wealth and the COL is low. The downside is that benefits in the South for jobs are horrible and pay is often lower.
Homeless come because the weather tends to be temperate.
Air conditioning isn't needed in many places (especially along the coast, or anywhere west of the Cascades along I-5 from Eugene northward).
I beg to differ, pretty much anywhere in California aside from right by the beach you're gonna be miserable in the summer without air conditioning and I'd say in July and August/early September the same holds for the Willamette Valley. Seattle is probably mild enough that AC isn't necessarily though. If anything I'd say places like Bend would be more livable without AC because the summer minimums can be downright cold. And of course Arizona, Nevada, Utah, etc are anything but mild or temperate climate-wise as these states have blistering hot summers and in many areas freezing cold winters as well. AC is more essential in most of the West compared to the upper Midwest and most of the Northeast.
I beg to differ, pretty much anywhere in California aside from right by the beach you're gonna be miserable in the summer without air conditioning and I'd say in July and August/early September the same holds for the Willamette Valley. Seattle is probably mild enough that AC isn't necessarily though. If anything I'd say places like Bend would be more livable without AC because the summer minimums can be downright cold. And of course Arizona, Nevada, Utah, etc are anything but mild or temperate climate-wise as these states have blistering hot summers and in many areas freezing cold winters as well. AC is more essential in most of the West compared to the upper Midwest and most of the Northeast.
This pretty much covers your 65%, however. Many homes in Denver don't have A/C (including mine) and I'd imagine the same would be true for SLC, Boise, etc. I know many homes in Portland and Seattle don't have A/C, and my former home in Spokane did not either (which can get quite HOT during the summer). Keep in mind, the West doesn't have to contend with humidity.
Heck, growing up in So. Cal, me and many of my neighbors didn't have A/C, and we were in the Inland Empire.
Actually, I think my boss and I had a conversation about it (he lives in Portland). He was inquiring about purchasing a house there, and they shunned him like they only wanted to talk to him if he was already from Falls City.
I don't know if you can say the west is POORER than the South when COL is considered, but it's certainly no more affluent overall.
I've known many people who've moved from the Southeast to California for higher-paying jobs, only to have a lower standard of living. On the flip side, I've known many people who've moved from California to the South and ended up with a MUCH HIGHER standard of living. In fact, I think that's pretty much the norm.
When comparing the economies of different parts of the country, I think people generally fail to grasp just how dramatically different the cost of living is from one region to to the other ... and how that impacts everything.
I beg to differ, pretty much anywhere in California aside from right by the beach you're gonna be miserable in the summer without air conditioning and I'd say in July and August/early September the same holds for the Willamette Valley. Seattle is probably mild enough that AC isn't necessarily though.
Some people don't mind heat as much as you do. The heat there is less humid and night cooler, homes can cool down. The hottest parts of the west aren't the most populated parts. I noticed stores that do have A/C tend not to set them as cold as back east, probably the lower humidity levels doesn't make people want cool as much.
The South on the other hand has some extremely poor areas in Appalachia and the hinterlands of the Deep South yet the "New South" has a lot of wealth and the COL is low. The downside is that benefits in the South for jobs are horrible and pay is often lower.
LOL - there are plenty 6-figure plus jobs with full benefits and relo packages going around in the Deep South. Makes for good living in small town USA a, lots of transplants but let's keep that a secret.
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