Why does everyone want L.A. to be affordable?

[Chicano3000X]

Originally Posted by singlegirlinaz

When you say more people moving in would make it unbearable, what about now? Isn't LA already unbearable with the traffic congestion and crowded conditions?

I used to live there when I was younger and it's much more congested now if you drive. The nice thing is if you live right in the city you don't have drive so much but if you live in an outlying area where it's cheaper, there isn't a lot of transit options.

I see it this way, people who live in LA pay a premium for the higher pay, good weather, beaches, culture, and so much to offer. But an average person who works and has to commute every day in all that traffic might not think the premium prices are worth it so they often look at cheaper cities to live out of state like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake, or Denver. This causes LA to lose average people and then only the super wealthy can afford the high cost of things.

IDK about Denver or Salt Lake, but God help you if you end up living in Phoenix or Vegas. If summer is uncomfortable here, imagine in those cities? Lived in 29Palms. The desert is a pretty miserable place to live.

[Chicano3000X]

Originally Posted by Western Urbanite

I disagree--I wouldn't want to live in a previous time period, and love modern day LA, but America certainly had fewer competitors back then (which isn't a good thing from a global perspective.)

True, looking at old L.A., I see just straight up suburbs.

However old L.A. did have a huge rail system. Something that should have been updated rather than completely dismantled.

But yeah, old L.A. seemed more bland compared to now. I can't wait to see what my hometown will look like 30 years from now(if we dont get nuked first).

Starting with the Wilshire Grand Tower, I like where L.A. is going.

[victorhernandez]

Originally Posted by Western Urbanite

That's about $36,000 per year today, which is only $12,000 per year less than the median LA wage today. Therefore, home prices have increased relative to wages (because we just aren't building enough.)

That's what I thought. People keep saying homes were cheaper back in the days but conveniently forget that wages were also much lower. The LA area has never been affordable

[singlegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by Chicano3000X

IDK about Denver or Salt Lake, but God help you if you end up living in Phoenix or Vegas. If summer is uncomfortable here, imagine in those cities? Lived in 29Palms. The desert is a pretty miserable place to live.

Phoenix isn't all that bad, it's like a smaller less-expensive LA in some ways, growing fast and becoming more urban. Lots of people are moving to Las Vegas too because it's cheaper and there are some good jobs there, it's more than just a party and gambling town. See I look at other factors besides the summer temperatures.

The desert is miserable only from the end of May to about middle Sept. It seems to be non-stop heat during that time but the rest of the year is pretty nice. I don't like the heat either but people learn to deal with it and everywhere is air-conditioned.

There's things I like and hate about both Phoenix and LA. I used to really hate Phoenix when I was younger but it's grown and improved a lot since then. The way I see it, no place is a perfect utopia.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by victorhernandez

That's what I thought. People keep saying homes were cheaper back in the days but conveniently forget that wages were also much lower. The LA area has never been affordable

Houses on the Westside could be bought for low $300s in the late 90s now they are over $1 million .
Wages haven't gone up that much and economy was strong during Clinton years there was a tech boom going on . Stocks were going up like crazy .