Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > General U.S.
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-01-2007, 01:52 PM
 
Location: Heartland Florida
9,324 posts, read 26,684,824 times
Reputation: 5038

Advertisements

It's pretty amazing that these places still exist.

NYC
LA
San Francisco
Miami
Boston

Cities where you can never legally earn enough money for a decent lifestyle.


And some of the worst states
California
Florida
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York

Overtaxed, overregulated and contain overcrowded, corrupt cities.

Granted some of these places may SEEM like paradise, but without the backing of wealthy investors or breaking laws (or both) you could never earn enough income to survive. We live in the 21'st century, a global economy. None of these places have advantages as to resources, or inexpensive industrial space. How can they survive in the increasingly competitive global economy?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-01-2007, 02:42 PM
j33
 
4,626 posts, read 14,056,942 times
Reputation: 1719
define 'decent lifestyle' ... not everyone wants the big house and 2 cars and not everyone's idea of 'decent lifestyle' is about how much property and stuff can be amassed, but of what sort of social/cultural/lifestyle options are available out ones front door.

Last edited by j33; 05-01-2007 at 03:22 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2007, 03:17 PM
 
Location: The Bay State
332 posts, read 1,622,054 times
Reputation: 213
Quote:
Originally Posted by tallrick View Post
It's pretty amazing that these places still exist.

NYC
LA
San Francisco
Miami
Boston

Cities where you can never legally earn enough money for a decent lifestyle.
And yet a combined total of, what, about 20-25 million people somehow manage to live there. Are you trying to tell us they are all starving, homeless criminals? The facts seem to fly in the face of your "reality."
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2007, 03:39 PM
 
Location: Heartland Florida
9,324 posts, read 26,684,824 times
Reputation: 5038
It just seems strange that people willingly give up so many rights and freedoms to pile into a city, and then have to pay dearly for the privelege. I can't say it definately as I have never lived in those places, but the salaries don't justify the living expenses, or so it seems. People in the cities also seem stressed and angry. On the other hand they are healthier than in the deep south. Doesn't it seem like those cities should be less exxpensive, since the residents can't enjoy a decent home and have to sacrifice by living piled up like ants in an anthill?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2007, 03:54 PM
 
Location: Coachella Valley, California
15,639 posts, read 40,958,354 times
Reputation: 13467
I take it the original poster never attended college and has no graduate degree.

We're not all living in a piled up ant hill.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2007, 04:02 PM
j33
 
4,626 posts, read 14,056,942 times
Reputation: 1719
It is the same old thing over and over again isn't it? People who live in cities don't understand why everyone doesn't want to, and people who don't live in cities don't understand why anyone in their right might would want to.

Live and let live is what I say.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2007, 04:13 PM
 
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
1,153 posts, read 4,546,308 times
Reputation: 741
I prosper in NYC. You just have to give up aspirations of a house with a yard and a white picket fence. Let's not forget that New York is traditionally a blue-collar town, and still is in many areas.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2007, 04:20 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
413 posts, read 2,557,562 times
Reputation: 306
If you have to live in the above mentioned cities and be working class then yeah the lifestyle sucks/opportunities.

You probably make more at a supermarket in NYC per hour or as a waiter, but have to work longer hours and the lifestyle is probably rougher than making 8 dollars per hour at your local Food Lion in North Carolina.

Jobs in those cities are very competitive but theres a lot of elite jobs -- business, law, medicine - requiring top degrees for which people may even compete globally. Think of all the different industries in New York and the people that work there. Simply put they are among the best in their field. If you have your heart set on working there the competition may be brutal and it takes a special type of person who can drive forward with blinders on -- that sort of person we call Type A.

Do I consider life to be worth it in a place like New York or Miami where you fight to get elite jobs, work long long hours, and go through all the stress etc of living there? Absolutely not. But there are great opportunities there nonetheless.

Places like New York have a lot of global elite who buy places and live there too also wealthy investors who may be retired or have inherited money -- the only place to live to attend shareholder meetings and be an activist, etc.

Cities you will prosper in and have a more laid back, middle class lifestyle or without a college degree you won't feel so harried are cities with more equity as far as incomes and that aren't as elite. Examples:

San Antonio, almost everything in the Southeast, Arkansas, Delaware, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Kansas City, Tennessee.

People are looking for a good quality of life and when you are just able to work, not sweat it all the time, have your weekends to love and raise a family and do stuff, get a decent house (not a greedy sized 5 bedroomer unless you have a monster 8 person family ), enjoy the outdoors, and religion -- thats where you will find that quality of life.

Texas and the Southwest is particularly bothersome -- it has more of a boom-bust feel to it, water issues, rampant construction and rising prices, and did you know that they are considering converting Texas highways into big tollways -- $53 from Dallas to San Antonio -- that would be absolutely nuts.

Choose states where the Republican party is alive and well and people want modest, good quality lives.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2007, 04:22 PM
 
Location: Jersey City
7,054 posts, read 19,242,346 times
Reputation: 6911
Quote:
Originally Posted by j33 View Post
It is the same old thing over and over again isn't it? People who live in cities don't understand why everyone doesn't want to, and people who don't live in cities don't understand why anyone in their right might would want to.

Live and let live is what I say.
That's exactly it. A distant relative visited from down South last year and he was amazed at what I pay in rent for my apartment. "But you don't have any land!" he said. My thought, "what the hell do I need 'land' for??"
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2007, 04:53 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
413 posts, read 2,557,562 times
Reputation: 306
Quote:
Originally Posted by tallrick View Post
It just seems strange that people willingly give up so many rights and freedoms to pile into a city, and then have to pay dearly for the privelege. I can't say it definately as I have never lived in those places, but the salaries don't justify the living expenses, or so it seems. People in the cities also seem stressed and angry. On the other hand they are healthier than in the deep south. Doesn't it seem like those cities should be less exxpensive, since the residents can't enjoy a decent home and have to sacrifice by living piled up like ants in an anthill?
Whats wrong with the Deep South buddy??

People in big cities and the North get heart disease from the stress
Deep South from diet

People in Deep South have better lifestyle over all -- if theyd eat less fried stuff and less of a traditional diet, walk more and get more exercise then they'd be healthier than northern city people.

Umm cities are not less expensive cuz the catch 22 is thats where people have a lot of jobs. Yeah they do sacrifice a lot. Thank god for city slickers cuz I don't want to choose to live like that
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > General U.S.

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top