Are Los Angeles's best days behind it? (San Francisco, Sonora: for sale, crime rate)

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by John23

You have to remember about the rest of the country (and why so many want to live in LA),

-A lot of states have bugs, weather problems, tornados, freezing winters, stuff you can't even imagine here. I wonder what percent of the country has to put on bug spray, vs LA.

-Many states are far less educated and there's less internal growth. If a factory goes out in Ohio or Pennsylvania, the whole town can be gone. 60-70% of the economic output is derived from only a few things. Then shops, businesses close, and you're on a downward spiral.

LA seems far better to be able to rejuvenate. Look at the growth just after the Northridge earthquake.

If LA is so bad, why does it keep attracting so many immigrants? It's funny how people with worst english skills than natives always want to move here.

Look how the LAPD has cleaned up since Rodney King. Where else in the country has that happened? Crime, police, politics go in cycles. I wouldn't worry too much about that.

The whole buying a home thing was distorted through politics and a big real estate bubble. Politicans got carried away with..."buy a home, buy a home". And the lending got stupid. You have to look at renting similar to other places...like nyc or san francisco.

-How often do you hear about defense contracts or aerospace anymore in LA? It seems like its shifted a lot towards media, technology, and other white collar professions. I bet in 20 years, people will still be saying the same things about LA.

Awesome post!

I am amazed that despite LA being one of the few major cities that experienced a major race riot in the last 25 years, it is amazing the physical shape of LAs notorious ghettos. Coming from the midwest, seeing large areas of South Chicago or Detroit that look like Baghdad/Kabul/Beirut it is amazing how resilient LA is.

I have spoken with people, being the 20th anniversary of the riots, I have heard people say that the one long term positive outcome of the riots, is that it really forced some major reform. And look at LA today, its one of the safer major cities in the country. Especially the police department (Racial tensions, and crime no doubt social problems that are interlinked).

LA does have one of the most diversified economies, despite state policies that are not the best for businesses. Media has been around obviously for 90 years. Orange County does have quite a major tech startup sector. Not quite Silicon Valley obviously but still impressive. And even though aerospace/defense is not quite what it used to be, companies like Northrop Grumman still have a HUGE presence, despite the headquarters moved. I spoke with a NG engineer, and he said, that most people did NOT want to move out of California when they moved the headquarters to the DC area. Many engineers, etc. insisted on staying put. The port is still one of the largest in North America. Being on the Pac-Rim, is Californias advantage, and taxes aren't going to change the logistics. (although the widening of the Panama Canal might given Houstons port a boost at the expense of LA).

There is an advantage of LAs multicentered nature, considering earthquakes. In fact, one of the many reasons why LA ( in addition to other things, like the fact that movie studios and airplane factories needed LOTS of land) became spread out. Its NOT because of cars, LA became sprawling and multicentering growing WITH the Pacific Electric.

People forget sometimes, that the states that have weathered the recession the best, have weathered for a very specific reason. Those states where real estate BOOMED also, BUSTED as hard. Why? States the BOOM with real estate are those that people actually want to move to. North Dakota weathered the recession, because of lots of oil with few people, and the fact that it did not boom, becore 2008, because NO ONE WANTS TO LIVE where winter temps get to 30 below.

I go hiking every weekend since I moved here eight months ago, and never once even thought about bug spray. During midwestern summers it is an absolute necessity if you go out into the woods. And DEET really is bad for you.

The reason why immigrants don't pay attention to what states neocons prefer, is because they are moving to fill business niches that they see opportunity in, not because they are want a house with a three car garage on an acre of turf grass.

Anyways, excellent post, thought I would just add on some.

[Elle Oh Elle]

Originally Posted by The Illusive Man

I don't know. I've lived in LA all my life and I find myself loving it more and more as days go by. This city literally has everything and then some. I haven't even been able to experience everything yet. I also see so much development going on almost everywhere. Best days behind it? I see the best days ahead of us. The future looks pretty bright and exctiting. Is LA perfect? No. No city is, but I definitely can't see myself ever leaving.

It's great that you love it so much but I don't think the last line is really accurate. People say the same even about rural towns in Arkansas, Texas, whatever.

[OyCrumbler]

Eh, a lot of the 90s were pretty terrible with plenty of traffic, some pretty bad smog (though somewhat better than the decade before), a huge earthquake, giant riots, and some fairly economically lean years.

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by Chicano3000X

In terms of development, LA's best days are ahead.

Exile the anti-density, anti-development neighborhood Nimby's and let those cranes rise to the skies! And allow those best days to return to L.A.!

[Chicano3000X]

Originally Posted by tijlover

Exile the anti-density, anti-development neighborhood Nimby's and let those cranes rise to the skies! And allow those best days to return to L.A.!

Hell yeah.


And to those getting the wrong idea. LA will not be NYC. I hope it will not be manhattenized in terms of culture and become sterile. Architecturally, I hope atleast spots like DTown and Hollywood will become huge dense hubs. Hell even glendale. They will never be NYC, that's not the aim. Just rival it in architecture.

[The Illusive Man]

Originally Posted by Elle Oh Elle

It's great that you love it so much but I don't think the last line is really accurate. People say the same even about rural towns in Arkansas, Texas, whatever.

That's your opinion. Mine is different. I've seen all of the projects and development in this city with my own eyes. If a city's best days are really behind it, there wouldn't be so many projects and investment. I like where the city is going and the expo line is awesome.

[TurcoLoco]

Questions like this one are very subjective indeed but furthermore, logically cannot be answered accurately unless you can see the future or have a truly functional crystal ball or a time machine.

Without knowing how LA or any place will turn out, how can anyone answer this type of a question? You can only reference what you know, seen, experienced, future has not yet come to pass.

[Senshi]

This is such nonsense. Los Angeles is putting together a world class mass transit system. Subways, light rails combined with rapid bus service makes the city more modern and livable than it used to be.

Imagine how awesome it'll be when the Expo goes to the Beach? When the purple line is expanded west?

LA has a great future ahead of it.

[oomph]

I just finished a month long journey in my truck through: Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas as far as Dallas because the cost of housing is so much less in all of these states. I returned to the city of angels , where I was born, and I'm going to stay at least another five years.

If you are looking for an alternative, I would recommend Austin, TX. Still you must be careful buying property in Dallas Houston Austin areas because the soil is expansive. Still if you have wanderlust and you dont want a culture shock from a progressive vibrant Los Angeles culture to something less, you cant go wrong with Austin. They are the heart of Texas, imo.

[Chicano3000X]

Originally Posted by Senshi

This is such nonsense. Los Angeles is putting together a world class mass transit system. Subways, light rails combined with rapid bus service makes the city more modern and livable than it used to be.

Imagine how awesome it'll be when the Expo goes to the Beach? When the purple line is expanded west?

LA has a great future ahead of it.

It does but damn, it's really gonna take a long time..

I sometimes feel bad for saying this. It's a little blasphemous, but sometimes I wish I was from NYC. But then I'd wish I was from LA..

Never satisfied..