Whats so great about Los Angeles on $40,000? (San Francisco, Orange: sale, loans)

[UB50]

Originally Posted by TriciaK57

The average Florida metro city's crime rate, unemployment index is lower than Los Angeles.

Florida's crime rates in most metros is much higher than comparable areas of California if you try to compare areas of similar population with other areas of similar population. Just for the heck of it, try finding a city in Florida with a comparable crime rate to Glendale (population 200,000). I'll bet you can't find one!

[UB50]

Originally Posted by TriciaK57

The U.S./Mexico border (California, Texas, Arizona) is the primary point of entry for cocaine shipments being smuggled into the United States.

Florida is also a primary point of entry for cocaine shipments. As you mentioned, Columbian drug lords do the most business in cocaine and Florida has a huge community of Columbians. A lot of legitimate businessmen (including one of my elderly relatives) get into the drug trade in Florida because it is easy money. I've known several people who have been sent to prison on drug smuggling charges -- none of whom has served more than 4 years -- so the risks for smuggling are not very big.

Cocaine comes in via boat and small plane and the state has been nearly helpless to stop it. Once drugs get to the Bahamas or other Caribbean islands like Aruba, it's easily transported to the USA. Florida has a lot of private airstrips and, as you know, a gazillion boat docks.

From the DEA website: In 2005, 6,038.9 kgs of cocaine were seized in California. Florida had 10,508.1 kgs seized.

[Need_affordable_home]

Originally Posted by Cost oF Living

American Dream #1-Owning A Home-Not possible in Los Angeles
American Dream #2-Becoming Rich-Limited Possiblity


Whats so great about Los Angeles on $40,000?

Nothing. I believe $40k there is below poverty. Not sure what poverty starts at, perhaps 50k a year salary? Over here in s. Florida, poverty is 30k a year and I agree because I did the math and I would need to make over 30k a year just to afford a mobile home and make ends meet.

[frogamigo]

Originally Posted by BlinkingBlythe

I heard Baghdad has great balmy weather too.

LOL.

"Good" weather is subjective. I'd hate the weather in Southern California, let alone all the other stuff I'd have to put up with.

[artichoke63]

Maybe, maybe if you are in your early 20s and want to come here and party, it's worth it. But at $40K a year, you'll have to struggle. Personally, i really don't want to live with roommate. I don't want to live amongst the gangs in Korea Town just to afford a place to live. I'm getting out of here as soon as I can. I've lived here for years. It used to be affordable but with this housing boom, rents have gone crazy. I pay $1650 a month to live in squalor. Forget it.

[thebordella]

Just to add another perspective to this discussion, slightly off the $40K topic...

I currently live in upstate (central) New York in a small college town. It is a very progressive/liberal place with a small but active community and much natural beauty. In contrast, I grew up in suburbs outside NYC and know all about mega-development, traffic, etc. Plus, I know New York City itself very well.

I have had an interest in the LA area for professional reasons. I certainly don't pretend to have the thorough experience of other posts who were raised who have lived in LA for many years. I have visited a number of times.

It's funny how different some perspectives can be. In an earlier post, Sonrise says "it's not even that pretty. it is desert after all."

When I first visited the LA/SoCal area, I was blown away by its beauty. The desert/semi-arid landscape is stunningly beautiful. If you simply focus on the large amount of development, you're describing any large metro area. I was struck by how much more than that there is to meet the eye in the LA area.

But, semantics. People seem to use the term "LA" differently. As an outsider and a newbie, LA is a vast array encompassing both the very bad and the very amazing. My sense is that locals make finer distinctions -- I've seen some posts say "the beach cities aren't LA" -- but whatever, to me, it all is. Obviously, one's experience there is going to vary significantly depending on where and how you spend your time. Kind of like, oh, anywhere else, but in LA, probably moreso.

Smog: My trips to LA have all been in the summer. I could see some smog in the air. I expected to walk around choking and catching my breath. Didn't happen. To be honest, I did not feel anything unusual about the air at all, except the comfortable temperature and sweet smells of eucalyptus. Living in the east, we are very familiar with humidity. A humid day here in the summer is much, much worse than any smog I experienced in LA. The humidity is denser, is far, far hazier, and is so much more stifling the difference is incomparable. I was not "impressed" by complaints about smog.

Weather: LA residents are so spoiled by their climate that they seem intolerant of even minor variations in temperature. One week I was there, a heat wave settled in and pushed temperated into the mid to upper 90's. I also spent a week in Burbank in August when temperatures hit about 105 during the day. I can't count how many locals complained about these temperatures. To me, this weather was fantastic! A little hot, yes, but invigorating. You can't handle temperatures 20 degrees above average? We have 100 degree days here in New York. We also have 0 degree days. It is 16 degrees right now. A few days ago it was -9 degrees in the morning.

We flew a red eye back from "hot" California to DC. Arrived in Dulles at 6AM. Temperature around 65 degrees, humidity over 90%. I sweat more in the five minutes it took to load our luggage into the car in DC than in a week in LA. People who don't understand humidity really, really need to experience it to know what they're getting into.

Costs of living: LA housing is super expensive. Can't argue with that. When you're looking to flee to more affordable places, just be sure to do all your research. In my small upstate town, real estate prices are 1/4-1/5 that in LA. That's good. But there are hidden costs to consider. You think your property taxes are high? Our property taxes on a $220K house practically double the monthly mortgage. Our annual tax burden is about the same as on a $900K house in LA. And just to add to the fun, we have no municipal water, sewer, or garbage pickup (private contractor).

Utilities in LA must include A/C, of course. Can you beat the over $700/month we have to pay in the winter for heating oil? Yes, that's OVER $700/mo on a 2500 sq. ft. modern-built house "bargain" priced at $220K. Remember that heating oil, taxes, none of this builds equity. When the temperature is 10-15 degrees outside, you can be the oil furnace will be burning up your cash 24 hours a day.

I'm not suggesting that the above factors make this a terrible place to live. Just that, when you dig deep, there are tradeoffs and challenges to contend with everywhere, even places which look "idyllic" on paper and, like this town, are often rated among the best places to live based on database computations.

Traffic: I've driven extensively in all the major east coast cities - NY, of course; Boston, DC, Atlanta, etc. I was prepared for the worst on the freeways of LA. My reaction now? Meh. There is a lot of traffic in LA. A lot of volume throughout the day. So much worse than major metro areas in the east? I can't see how. For all their supposed ferocity, LA drivers struck me as rather laid back, for a major city. You get your ricers and your speeders, of course. But the landscape allows for lots of lanes. You want an obstacle course? Try NY metro highways -- constrained by limited space, bottlenecks over countless bridges and tunnels, constant lane closures, construction, jersey barriers, potholes...no comparison. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't want to commute in 90 minutes of traffic everyday in LA nor anywhere else. If you can't setup your life a different way, it's not worth it. My point is, these complaints I read about LA are big city complaints. They are not unique. If you want to compare LA to Greenville, SC, you can make the same comparison about NY, DC, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago -- you're not complaining about LA, you're complaining about life in a major metropolitan area. Perfectly valid. But it's apples and oranges.

In my small town, we have none of the LA/"big city" problems. No traffic. Minimal crime. Good schools. Many people love it. Tradeoffs -- limited things to do. Limited opportunities. The local economy is strong and stable bolstered by strong higher education, but the region surrounding these 10 square miles continues to slide down a 4+ decade economic tailspin with no hope for a turnaround. The geography is beautiful for a few peak months, and then a frozen tundra the rest of the year. Must drive several hours to reach any larger city; limited and expensive air service. And keep in mind -- this is a vibrant, successful small city. I'm not talking about a one stoplight town.

To get back on topic, my guess is that $40K in LA won't go very far and one's life will be very limited. That's no fun, not there or pretty much anywhere. But what I've seen in LA and what I expected to see really have been worlds apart. I've seen a relatively comfortable place with plentiful wonderful natural resources, plenty of elbow room, tons of interesting cultural opportunities, a virtually infinite supply of global culinary experiences, and an awesome variety of activities within a small radius, both geographically and culturally.

I've yet to see anywhere quite like it, but that doesn't mean LA is the right place to live for everyone. Maybe it's not for me, either -- I haven't figured that out yet, which is one reason I visited these forums. But those who think that SoCal is the "armpit of America" as I've seen people say really need to get out more -- to BIG cities. Comparing LA to Greenville, SC is ridiculous and defies logic. You want to leave a big city for small one? Go for it. Perfectly valid life choice. They'll be happy to have you. They don't get many imports -- that's why they're, you know, small.

[Need_affordable_home]

Let me correct some of what you said. Smog is a big deal, it causes lung cancer and some people with asthma cant breath in that polluted air.

Crime is way out of hand even for a city that size, its full of gangs.

The weather is allright but the summers suck. Maybe if you lived in the coastal areas your summers wouldnt get above 80 but inland the 100 degree heat is hot enough to kill. Ive been to Las Vegas and it was terrible! And I live in south FL and the heat+humidity is miserable!

LA can have bumper to bumper traffic, maybe you havent stayed long enough.

I dont know why you are paying $700 a month for heating. If you reduce the temperature to 65 degrees indoors your costs should be more like $250 like everyone I know pays that much or less. I would never pay $700 a month for heating

How many mills/percent is your property taxes vs. LA? Dont forget to compare insurance, HOA and maintainence too.

[marilyn220]

Hi PJam, as a born and bred New Yorker currently living in LA, I need to address some of the things in your posts.

People complaining about Southern California, specifically LA, yet they mention NYC, Philly, Florida, etc etc etc You must never have lived in NYC to think it's cheap. And if you did live cheap, you lived in areas that are known as "ghettos"

New York, mostly Manhattan and those neighborhoods in the outer boroughs closest to it have become very expensive. But even so-called ghetto rents are not cheap. You can't get ANYTHING in NYC for less than $800, unless you can sign up for Mitchel-Lama Housing. Which as you know has a very long waiting list and an extensive background check. Also, the further away from Manhattan you live, the more affordable the rent. There will be a mix of poor AND middle class in those areas.

And you don't buy a house in NYC...... Heck you can't buy a house in Northern NJ anymore either. A small 1500 sq ft ranch home will run you over $600K with property taxes over $15k in many places around NYC.

Agreed. Not worth it. Why anyone wants to own a house under these circumstances is beyond me. Houses today are modern day prisons that the consumer purchases for themselves. You can't make a move, unless the "house" wants you too. You're essentially it's "*****" and there's not a darn thing you can do about it, unless you sell it (and good luck with that in this current anti-seller housing market). If you lose your job and can't pay the mortgage, you're financial/credit life is destroyed. Forget about filing bankruptcy. The new law signed last year has made it very difficult to do. Many Bankruptcy attorneys are leaving the specialization and Bankruptcy judges are pissed that their judge "powers" have been limited. Thank you President Bush.

THe cost of living in NYC is higher then that of Los Angeles.. So this theory that everything is around NYC is nice, but you need to make more money living in NYC then you do living in Los Angeles.

Agree, sort of. When I first come to LA three years ago, it WAS more affordable than NYC, but that's changing now. The jobs that pay decently in Los Angeles is far and few between, because NO ONE LEAVES THOSE JOBS. They will stay in those positions forever, unless they have a hook up for another well-paying position somewhere else. At least in NYC, people do bounce around to make more money and you don't necessarily have to know someone in the company to get the job like you do in LA. The phrase "It's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know" is very prevalent here.

That and the fact that if you can't handle the attitudes in California, you are never going to be able to handle the in your face F-OFF attitudes of living in NYC or surrounding areas.

The attitudes of LA people don't bother me. Believe it or not, LA people don't confront you head on in ANYTHING. Doesn't matter what it is or the situation. If a neighbor has a problem with you, instead of knocking on your door they'll leave you a note. WTF??!! If you have a problem with me TELL ME!! The only time a note is acceptable is if YOU ALREADY KNOW ME. That way, I can get an idea of the attitude behind the note. There have been other instances of things I found bizarre, but I don't feel like listing them right now. What I do find scary, is that if someone doesn't like you here, you'll never know until it's too late. I prefer the in your face confrontations of NYC. At least you know who your enemies are.

Yeah places like Nashville, Tn and Greenville, SC are nice but the fact is there are not as many jobs in places like that compared to a NYC... But you also have to realize states like SC, Alabama, Mississippi, and so on also have half of it's citizens living in trailers not because they make good money, but because they are extremely poor states with very few job opportunities for most people.

100% agree with you here! *Giving high fives and big claps!*

I put a couple of posts in the Tennessee forum asking about the employment situation there and what types of jobs were available. You can go check for yourself, I received so few replies and nothing that narrowed down to what people did for a living for them to be so happy to live there. One poster got mad at me and accused me of wanting people to "hand me a job". I was like "Are you crazy?" It seems that anything asking about employment is a "touchy" subject which tells me that the type of job "I'm looking for" is either far and few between or doesn't exist in most parts of the state.

Yet, there are tons of posts about how "happy" everyone is to live there, that they're glad they moved to the state, it's the new Eden, yadda, yadda, yadda. Puhleeze! If you deviate from the "I Love Tennessee" mantra, you'll get cut down, have your post closed or it will become abandoned. At first, I was thinking of moving there, but since I can't get a straight answer about the job situation, I've decided against it. All I know is that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

[dusesean1986]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

The attitudes of LA people don't bother me. Believe it or not, LA people don't confront you head on in ANYTHING. Doesn't matter what it is or the situation. If a neighbor has a problem with you, instead of knocking on your door they'll leave you a note. WTF??!! If you have a problem with me TELL ME!! The only time a note is acceptable is if YOU ALREADY KNOW ME.

I've gotten alot of those same notes.

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Nothing. I believe $40k there is below poverty. Not sure what poverty starts at, perhaps 50k a year salary? Over here in s. Florida, poverty is 30k a year and I agree because I did the math and I would need to make over 30k a year just to afford a mobile home and make ends meet.

I think $40,000 hits just below the poverty level. The LA Daily News or LA Times did a special on it last year. I'm going to try and find it, but it discussed Southern California's "Hidden Poverty" and how both the state and government refuses to change what constitutes as poverty for each state. I think the government judges poverty by "rural" state standards, not big city.