L.A. is the most unaffordable city in the nation for buying OR renting! (San Francisco: lease, car insurance)

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by UKWildcat1981

I agree with Nightly Sparrow it has to be higher. California has a lot of homeless for a few reasons. One the weather is near perfect year round to live outside and not as hot and humid as Florida. It is so damn expensive in California to buy a house or rent that you could lose your job and be homeless if you couldn't find another job in a year or two. California is a socially liberal place where anything goes... that favors the homeless population they have more social programs in California than any other state. Its sad that there would so many homeless people in Skid Row and in the Hollywood and East Hollywood sections of LA. Its sad we don't understand mentally illness in America as much as we should. Have a blessed day.

Many homeless are not mentally ill. This might have been true back in the day, but no longer.

[Aldous9]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

Do you mean SOUTHERN california, because I'm sure the homeless in the entire state approaches the 1 million mark.

Also, I realize that people like to play semantics when it comes to what classifies as 'homeless' in this state, but sleeping in your car, going to the gym for showers and change clothes for work is considered homeless too.

There aren't even a million homeless in the whole country. The latest figure is roughly 600k homeless in the USA on a given night. And yes that includes people sleeping in their car. It's still a lot. But you would be better off with your argument if you didn't exaggerate the situation.

[Aldous9]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

Many homeless are not mentally ill. This might have been true back in the day, but no longer.

How do you know this?

[user_id]

Homeless people tend to concentrate in areas that get a lot of traffic, are desirable, or have services for them which may give the impression that homeless people are more common than they are in general. Also just because someone is out asking for money doesn't mean they are homeless.....some people do this opportunistically.

What I always find strange about the local homeless people here is that they tend to be overweight, shaved, have fairly clean cloths, etc.

[jm1982]

Yeah I know what you mean , I see quite a few of these as well .

When jobs are paying $10 or less per hour

Panhandling doesn't seem like too bad an option for some people.

On Sunset near the freeway entrances in Brentwood id see people giving them money all the time .

They can prob make more in a couple hours at rush hour than a lot of people make all day..
Plus it's tax free money too .

Of course not all homeless panhandle and not all panhandlers are homeless .

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

Do you mean SOUTHERN california, because I'm sure the homeless in the entire state approaches the 1 million mark.

Based on what?

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

To clarify: California has about 136,000 homeless persons. It may seem like more...

That's because homeless people are in your face, being very visible, while people who are not homeless are at home. (Or working. Or golfing or at the beach. Just not in your face.)

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

Do you mean SOUTHERN california, because I'm sure the homeless in the entire state approaches the 1 million mark.

Not even close. As was posted above, it's around 131,000. California homeless population drops 3.7 percent - San Francisco Business Times

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by CaliInChappaqua

NYC salaries are not higher than LA's, in my experience. The cost of living in NYC metro is much, much higher than in LA, unless, of course, you are only looking at the westside -- then it's just higher. Even then, electricity, gas, and food will be much cheaper in LA. The only thing that costs more in LA is water. Even labor in LA is cheaper ... a bit contradictory as I'm saying that NYC wages aren't higher. What I'm getting at is that babysitters, repairmen, etc are much more expensive. As are nursery schools, daycare, and property taxes (income taxes are about the same). The subway isn't that cheap -- $2.50 per ride. If you live in the suburbs, commuter Rail is several hundred dollars, and then there is paid parking at the train station. LA has greater bang for the buck and much better weather, culture, food, outdoor opportunities.

Excellent points. I grew up in NY and was shocked to learn it costs something like $10 now for the honor of crossing the GW bridge.

You can do much better in LA.

Have friend of the family whose daughter took a job in Manhattan after college and of course had to live in Manhattan(Queens was beneath her).

She has a very good paying job but shares a 5th floor walk up with two other young women that is a one bedroom, sounds like something out of 1952.

In LA she would have one roommate living in a two bed/two bath apt. Or could even afford a decent one bedroom on her own.

I think what is driving this thread is the high cost of buying a home in the LA area, not the day to day living expenses. Rent is lower in LA, utilities are lower, food is less, entertainment costs less, and there are plenty of high salaried jobs.

As was mentioned for those who choose to smoke(hard to believe people still do) but the even the cost of a pack of cigarettes in NY is almost 3 times as much than LA.

Not everyone(and especially younger people) want to own a home.

And as you mentioned the weather, NYC is unbearable through most of the summer with the humidity, fall is nice, and than you're into winter.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

NYC is composed of five boroughs - Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island (<<no one cares about this one). The difference between LA and NYC is that the closer you are to Manhattan, the HIGHER your rents will be, unless you live in the projects or rent-controlled/stabilized apartments.

Everyone can find affordable apartments in the outerboroughs, but transplants don't want to live in those areas, so they will sacrifice living in a $3k or more dump just to say they live in Manhattan. Transplants are also afraid to challenge their landlords or the property management on anything for fear of being told to "leave". NYC landlords are the WORST and they love "newcomers", because they know they're afraid of everything and can be pushed around. The stuff they do to them, they wouldn't have the guts to try with a NYer, because they know the tenant would laugh in their face, take it to the housing court and the judge would rule in their favor, because the landlord (as usual) is being a jerk.

LA, on the other hand, is really a collection of separate cities and counties masquerading as one main city under the Los Angeles County umbrella. Each city has its expensive and less expensive parts. I consider the city of LA, the areas from MacArthur Park driving up Wilshire Boulevard until you enter Santa Monica. It's weird, because I don't know to really classify it. You can find apartments for under $1100, but most people don't want to live in those areas, because they're not the "nice" showboat areas. Well, continue to showboat, get in deep debt worrying about getting your utilities cut off just to impress people who aren't worth it.

I just took a list on Craigslist for roommates wanted in Queens in Flushing and Woodside, they're asking on average around $700. That is the same as you would in LA to share a two bed/two bath unit.

And as far as "showboating" goes I think you find more of that in NYC.

Not so much with the natives, but with the transplants who come to NYC to work.

I just mentioned a young woman who is a friend of the family living/working in Manhattan in a one bedroom walkup that she shares with two other girls, just so she can say she lives in Manhattan. The young lady is from down south and lived in a small town, but living in a more affordable area like Queens is a "no no".

The high price of thinking you're SJP in "Sex in the City".