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Yeah, please elaborate. When you say LA being the best city in the nation in every category "by far", well that's purely opinion. I sure wish I could see the amazing that LA supposedly offers.
Weather, culture, entertainment options, vibrancy, history, sports options, whether pro or collegiate + rich history, higher education opportunities, entertainment industry, night life, great neighborhoods, food options, theme parks, hiking trails, combination of city with nature, meaning I can be in downtown LA in 20 minutes in one direction and in nature in 20 minutes in another direction if I decide to head to somewhere like Topanga Canyon, beaches. The list goes on and on. I just love this city. Been to other places and nowhere compares. It's just not the same. I always find myself wanting to come back. This is where I want my home to be forever. Can't see myself anywhere else. Just can't.
I agree. I think there is a lot to like in L.A...but there is quite a bit to dislike too. It's very much based on opinion. Also something like public education isn't really a concern for someone that doesn't have kids , but if you do and just can't afford private school that is a HUGE concern. General affordability is also a big issue especially if you wish to own your own place. It's quite difficult for many people especially with the recent run up in prices.
I agree it's all opinion though, there are some people that even if they had tons of money and could live anywhere in L.A would just not want to. Just like some people view NYC/Manhattan as paradise, but others can't stand it for various reasons.
To judge if we are past the heyday , you'd have to ask if there are more negatives today versus pluses.
This is definitely an opinion too. The cost of L.A has gone up a lot. Homes on the westside for example have gone up about 300% since the late 1990s. Rents have gone up pretty significantly too, but perhaps not as much.
Has there really been much value added to justify the price increases should be the question.
We don't live in a world where money doesn't matter. When you are buying or leasing any product (real estate), one has to ask about the value they are getting.
Personally I would say that things haven't gotten better to justify the price increases.
Is L.A really so much better now than it was in the late 1990s? Has the 'value' in enjoyment gone up 300% or 3x as much for most people? For people that have actually lived here a long time I'd find it hard for them to argue that it has..
I can agree. I does feel as if things have gotten better in several ways, but the price of housing is out of hand in some areas. One of the greatest improvements though has been in the exception community college system. I love being able to upgrade my skills with the various certificate programs each school in the LACC offers at such a low price. It gives me advantages and I see it in the amount companies are willing to pay me. Many cities just do not have opportunities such as this at the cost.
Yeah, please elaborate. When you say LA being the best city in the nation in every category "by far", well that's purely opinion. I sure wish I could see the amazing that LA supposedly offers.
Weather, culture, entertainment options, vibrancy, history, sports options, whether pro or collegiate + rich history, higher education opportunities, entertainment industry, night life, great neighborhoods, food options, theme parks, hiking trails, combination of city with nature, meaning I can be in downtown LA in 20 minutes in one direction and in nature in 20 minutes in another direction if I decide to head to somewhere like Topanga Canyon, beaches. The list goes on and on. I just love this city. Been to other places and nowhere compares. It's just not the same. I always find myself wanting to come back. This is where I want my home to be forever. Can't see myself anywhere else. Just can't.
I'm happy to be moving to LA soon. Yes, there are other places that I like, but for some of the above reasons, LA's a good place for me now. And I'm just OVER my hometown NY. Over. You could pay 4k for luxury housing in Manhattan right across the street from the HOUSING PROJECTS. The bad areas in LA are clearly defined, in NYC, far less so.
I agree with this. The first heyday was when land and houses were cheap enough attainable for people who had ordinary jobs/professions, and that even on the Westside near the beach. It's a sort of old-timey nostalgic dream--you could have your own detached house with orange trees in your back yard.
Now we're heading into a different kind of heyday. Life here will become more like it is in SF or NYC; housing and rents will be expensive, although rent stabilization will grow even more entrenched than it is thereby affording some relief. We'll complain about tiny apartments or condos at ridiculous prices, but bite the bullet because we'll have awakened to the fact that commuting 80 miles a day is a fool's choice. Life will become more about public spaces than private ones. During the first heyday we ravaged the public transit system, now we are rebuilding it to prepare for the next one. Those who define quality of life as the number of square feet and acreage they live in will not be happy here; those who define it as the availability of amenities and attractions accessible by foot or by transit will be.
I think the biggest change in the last generation or so is that the abandonment and repurposing of districts has stopped. "Mini-downtowns" like Sawtelle, Palms, Culver City (I know, not really L.A. but still), Santa Monica (ditto) will stay as they are, pretty much. Some buildings may be replaced with bigger, taller structures but, unlike most of the 20th Century, they won't be torn down to make way for parking lots. There will be no further massive Bunker Hill type urban renewal projects making whole districts "the same as the ground", to paraphrase the German expression. You could say the cityscape has become stabilized. When I first became interested in this, around 1976, a 90-year-old building inspired awe because such a thing was so rarely seen. I'm not sure there even were any except around Olvera Street and the Plaza. In 2013 you can find buildings from the 1910s and 20s in most of the commercial centers around town. In a way we're about where NYC was 100 or 120 years ago.
I don't think LA will ever come a NYC.
The core part of NYC, Manhattan is a tiny island. Its pretty dense. But a lot of people who work in Manhattan don't live there. Los Angeles has no central city as job centers can be found around the region. Manhattan is the job center where people commute from as far as two hours away, either by car (yes, people in NY do drive to work) or by train.
I agree with this. The first heyday was when land and houses were cheap enough attainable for people who had ordinary jobs/professions, and that even on the Westside near the beach. It's a sort of old-timey nostalgic dream--you could have your own detached house with orange trees in your back yard.
Now we're heading into a different kind of heyday. Life here will become more like it is in SF or NYC; housing and rents will be expensive, although rent stabilization will grow even more entrenched than it is thereby affording some relief. We'll complain about tiny apartments or condos at ridiculous prices, but bite the bullet because we'll have awakened to the fact that commuting 80 miles a day is a fool's choice. Life will become more about public spaces than private ones. During the first heyday we ravaged the public transit system, now we are rebuilding it to prepare for the next one. Those who define quality of life as the number of square feet and acreage they live in will not be happy here; those who define it as the availability of amenities and attractions accessible by foot or by transit will be.
.
All that glitters is not GOLD. Yes, there are many people in Manhattan that pay say 4k a month in rent. Believe it or not, there are many people in Manhattan paying only 400 dollars a month or so in rent . How can that be? NYCHA (New York City Public Housing Authority) is the biggest public authority in the country. Oh, we have other government subsidized housing. Mitchell Llams, 80/20s, Mixed Income Housing, LAMPS, and that's not counting those who have some sort of welfare voucher.
Basically, how do you think people behave when you build these tall, dense buildings full of such people? I'll give you a hint. Horribly. Massively loud music. Violence. Massive alcoholism and drug addiction. Its a myth that Giuliani and Bloomberg somehow erased all crime from NYC. We have far more generous welfare benefits than California, so in effect drug addicts and alcoholics historically have moved to NYC to get on welfare. A cop told me a few years back that 1/7th of the city was on public assistance! And that's not counting those on other forms of governmental assistance.
Trust me, people in LA, you would never want your city to become New York. For those who like NY, you can come here. Frankly, I'm happy to be bailing out of town.
Yes it's pretty crazy . I'm sure the subsidized housing issue is even crazier in NYC . Different reasons for this of course .. NYC is an older city.. Lots of larger dense housings projects while la is more spread out . You don't really find the situation of a public housing project across from 4000 apartments .
So many people on public assistance , which was supposed to be a temporary solution not a permanent one.
I've never lived in NYC only visited .. But I don't really get the desire to live there given the high costs .. Seems like it's only good if You have a Wall Street job or are able to benefit from the subsidized housing situation.
I know that this is a reason many New Yorkers stay . If they got rid of the public housing/subsidized housing and rent control then prices would go down . Supply and demand
It's no coincidence that la , NYC and San Francisco has strong rent control laws and super high rents .
I don't view the logic behind these housing projects that allow people to live in prime real estate for free or a fraction of the cost .
When middle class people that work full time can't afford an area they have to move .
There is plenty of housing in this country in certain areas. Places where you can rent or even buy a house for $400 a month.
Public housing was a well meaning idea that turned into a disaster .
Weather, culture, entertainment options, vibrancy, history, sports options, whether pro or collegiate + rich history, higher education opportunities, entertainment industry, night life, great neighborhoods, food options, theme parks, hiking trails, combination of city with nature, meaning I can be in downtown LA in 20 minutes in one direction and in nature in 20 minutes in another direction if I decide to head to somewhere like Topanga Canyon, beaches. The list goes on and on. I just love this city. Been to other places and nowhere compares. It's just not the same. I always find myself wanting to come back. This is where I want my home to be forever. Can't see myself anywhere else. Just can't.
OK, well that's strictly your thoughts. Your original comment was extremely self-centered.
OK, well that's strictly your thoughts. Your original comment was extremely self-centered.
Why did you come to LA in the first place if you dislike it so much. It can't be that difficult to get a job out NYC right now can it? If you're not happy, go to where you're happy. I refuse to live in a place that doesn't make me happy. Never understood why LA haters continue to live here if they dislike it so much. There's plenty of other cities in the nation. Take the negativity elsewhere.
Why did you come to LA in the first place if you dislike it so much. It can't be that difficult to get a job out NYC right now can it? If you're not happy, go to where you're happy. I refuse to live in a place that doesn't make me happy. Never understood why LA haters continue to live here if they dislike it so much. There's plenty of other cities in the nation. Take the negativity elsewhere.
I will be leaving LA, but my comment wasn't taking my dislike of LA to account. My issue was your comment saying LA is "the best city in the nation in every category" like it's some kind of fact. LA works for you, that's cool. But it's really behind other cities in America, and it's hard to ignore that.
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