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I was painting with a broad brush for brevity, but the general idea is Crime is a real issue not a just a dogwhistle even if the people of Downstare IL are not actually interesting in improving St Louis or Chicago
After living in Baltimore and debating with Baltimore people, and some of the things I see on this forum-- I've just come to the conclusion that people living in high crime cities and areas have a tolerance for a crime that is really really high. It's a serious issue that does affect many people indirectly. I'll never fully understand small cities that find ways to rationalize hundreds of senseless murders every single year in small municipal boundaries.
But this is America and we just saw 19 kids get shot to death during language Arts class and nothing will be done. People will still flock to shooting gallery states like TX because people just do not care about guns and corresponding gun violence.
There absolutely are still dirt cheap safe places to live in these cities though.
I mean, I live in Pittsburgh (#3 on his list) and although prices have gone up, you can still buy a home in a pretty safe (though unfashionable) part of the city for around $100,000 which is habitable).
For example:
Troy Hill - Working-class white neighborhood with modest gentrification. Marshall-Shadeland - Racially mixed, in slight decline, but not ghetto. Elliott - Working class white, a bit of an opioid issue in the area, but no serious violent crime. Beechview - A block away from light rail, and not far away from a local business district and the center of Pittsburgh's (small) Mexican community. Brookline - Completely safe cop/firefighter type neighborhood.
Millvale - Working-class white town gentrifying just adjacent to the city. Etna - Walkable working-class town just outside of city limits.
In many cases, they do. This is especially the case when you have the opportunity to be a homeowner.
Most people in renter-majority metros, like NYC, SF and LA, are not building up any equity and instead giving away all of their potential investment opportunity to their landlords each month. You're also at a much bigger risk as a renter to increases in cost-of-living, as you have no control over the cost of your rent. And if your landlord wants to increase your rent even higher than the usual, you have very little recourse.
That's a pretty huge difference in my mind.
I guess I better pack up my bags and move to Mississippi or Alabama or somewhere for the prospects of a better financial future.
There absolutely are still dirt cheap safe places to live in these cities though.
I mean, I live in Pittsburgh (#3 on his list) and although prices have gone up, you can still buy a home in a pretty safe (though unfashionable) part of the city for around $100,000 which is habitable).
For example:
Troy Hill - Working-class white neighborhood with modest gentrification. Marshall-Shadeland - Racially mixed, in slight decline, but not ghetto. Elliott - Working class white, a bit of an opioid issue in the area, but no serious violent crime. Beechview - A block away from light rail, and not far away from a local business district and the center of Pittsburgh's (small) Mexican community. Brookline - Completely safe cop/firefighter type neighborhood.
Millvale - Working-class white town gentrifying just adjacent to the city. Etna - Walkable working-class town just outside of city limits.
Very legit. I liked Pittsburgh on my one weekend getaway there, soo affordable and a 'reasonable' level of crime. Very beautiful too, wow.
I guess I better pack up my bags and move to Mississippi or Alabama or somewhere for the prospects of a better financial future.
The key is finding the sweet spot between good pay and affordable housing. Which is why your Charlotte friend is really missing the boat because he is in one of the sweet spots.
I have a friend in Charlotte who works for BofA making $10,000 more than me. He spends more on housing. More on transportation. The same amount on food.
He has more sq. Footage. I have less. But we both live in luxury apartments, same amenities.
He has a Tesla, I don’t have a vehicle But DC has great bike lanes and I live at a metro stop.
He goes out to eat, I have better options in DC and we spend the same money.
He doesn’t really live in a walkable area, I do.
He is constantly broke (literally making over $100,000 in charlotte living paycheck to paycheck)
Etc etc.
I prefer my lifestyle. But if I moved to a lower cost city. I’m going to want a car. Preferably niceish. It’d be nice to have a 2 bedroom place or even a home with a biggish yard. Maybe a pool?
That’s why “affordability” is so overrated to me. I don’t want a car. I don’t need more space than I have. Etc. Some people value bigger homes, yards, vehicles. Some prefer walkable sustainable communities
TBH $100k really isn't alot of money today. Adjusted for inflation that is really only about $65k in year 2000...but salaries have not adjusted anywhere near as quickly... I personally make more than $100k and could easily max my budget if I wanted to.
He’s spending more on an apartment because he has a larger apartment than I do in downtown Charlotte. And whereas my company subsidizes metro for me, he has a $40,000 vehicle (Tesla).
I have other friends still in Charlotte who have a nice large 3-bedroom townhouse which has to cost way more than my apartment. People aren’t spending less, they’re just spending it on bigger houses, etc. The cost of a nice car alone eats into a huge chunk of savings you’d get on housing versus relying on mass transit in NY/San Francisco/etc
Im just saying. If someone pound for pound had the same salary as someone from San Francisco, New York, etc. I wouldn’t be shocked in general if overall housing/transportation cost came out identical. People making 85,000 in Charlotte aren’t going to get a $700 Sq. Ft. Studio in a building from 1970 because it’s affordable. Or else people in these affordable cities would have huge savings relative to higher cost cities. I’m not sure that’s the case.
The thing is, people in these affordable cities that own homes likely come out ahead all else equal.
Imagine a couple that purchased a home in Columbus, Ohio back in 2010. This year they get a job offer in NYC. They sell their house and collect the net proceeds of about $200K. In this time period, maybe they built a savings of around $50K.
They are looking to purchase a nice townhouse in Brooklyn for around $800K. This couple can use their $250K for a hefty down payment.They are likely in a way better position than the majority of New Yorkers that have lived in NYC since 2010 (even with their higher salaries) because their loan will be much smaller and they also won't have to make any PMI payments.
I have a friend in Charlotte who works for BofA making $10,000 more than me. He spends more on housing. More on transportation. The same amount on food.
He has more sq. Footage. I have less. But we both live in luxury apartments, same amenities.
He has a Tesla, I don’t have a vehicle But DC has great bike lanes and I live at a metro stop.
He goes out to eat, I have better options in DC and we spend the same money.
He doesn’t really live in a walkable area, I do.
He is constantly broke (literally making over $100,000 in charlotte living paycheck to paycheck)
Etc etc.
I prefer my lifestyle. But if I moved to a lower cost city. I’m going to want a car. Preferably niceish. It’d be nice to have a 2 bedroom place or even a home with a biggish yard. Maybe a pool?
That’s why “affordability” is so overrated to me. I don’t want a car. I don’t need more space than I have. Etc. Some people value bigger homes, yards, vehicles. Some prefer walkable sustainable communities
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlotte485
I guess I better pack up my bags and move to Mississippi or Alabama or somewhere for the prospects of a better financial future.
Your posts have nothing to do with "affordability", and even less to do with this thread... It's obvious you didn't watch the video, but how did you post several times in this thread and still not even bother to read the TITLE of the thread?
I have a friend in Charlotte who works for BofA making $10,000 more than me. He spends more on housing. More on transportation. The same amount on food.
He has more sq. Footage. I have less. But we both live in luxury apartments, same amenities.
He has a Tesla, I don’t have a vehicle But DC has great bike lanes and I live at a metro stop.
He goes out to eat, I have better options in DC and we spend the same money.
He doesn’t really live in a walkable area, I do.
He is constantly broke (literally making over $100,000 in charlotte living paycheck to paycheck)
Etc etc.
I prefer my lifestyle. But if I moved to a lower cost city. I’m going to want a car. Preferably niceish. It’d be nice to have a 2 bedroom place or even a home with a biggish yard. Maybe a pool?
That’s why “affordability” is so overrated to me. I don’t want a car. I don’t need more space than I have. Etc. Some people value bigger homes, yards, vehicles. Some prefer walkable sustainable communities
But you have a choice. Everyone does not have the luxury to move where they want to. You are speaking from a place of privilege.
I guess I better pack up my bags and move to Mississippi or Alabama or somewhere for the prospects of a better financial future.
Your sarcasm indicates that you're having difficulty grasping the nuance of this conversation.
You do realize there's a whole spectrum of affordable places to live, right? Like, it's not between just New York City and East Jabib.
Point being, you're being needlessly dismissive. We live in a country where opportunities do abound in a multitude of places. You don't have delude yourself into thinking that living in only a handful of the most absurdly expensive cities is the only path to success.
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