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People fleeing megacities in 21st century, Los Angeles not only city with high cost of living, low wages, bad economic condition, terrible traffic, high home prices
I've been reading this forum for quite a while, and, largely, it is depressing. One would get the impression that LA is hell on earth, and that people are fleeing.
So, out of curiosity, I've spent the last week or so reading the forums (fora?) of the other major cities in the US, and I've found that every large city's forum is very similar: traffic, schools, cost of living, can't get ahead, need to be rich to make life livable, yadda yadda.
I'm oddly reassured.
A hypothesis: many (most?) people just aren't cut out for 21st century megacity life. Many people shouldn't try to live in the megacities and should instead try to find a smaller communities that are a better fit.
LA has its problems, but, it is not a unique in having problems.
This country has been sold out from under us, and in the big cities is where it shows itself first and most. When I lived in New York I used to think the Empire State Bldg. should have had a giant blinking neon $ sign on the top of it, it was so obvious at every moment how the pursuit of the almighty buck dictated our lives. But truth is it's becoming more and more evident in the small towns too. Big deals between, big government and big business, for some reason don't seem to get much play in the media or to garner as much interest with the general public until the effects come to bear, when there's another school shooting, when we find ourselves stuck in a war for profit, when our gasoline doubles then triples, when our elderly can't afford their prescription drugs, when health insurance becomes inadequate but at the same time a luxury, when a shack in borderline L.A. neighborhood goes for $700,000, when every man woman and child is not asked, but told, to fork over three grand to bail out the same greedy bastards that got us into this mess in the first place...
The quality of life in this country is about a third of what it used to be and it shows no sign of improving. The worst of this just hasn't hit the small towns to the extent it has the mega-cities ... that could explain how the worst president in our history was reelected, by voters that preferred to focus on gay marriage and abortion rights than the hijacking of America by the elected officials and fat cats on Wall Street or K Street, and the killing thing, the most frustrating thing for all us urbanites, doesn't matter where, in L.A., NYC, Chi, Atl, Philly, etc, have to live with the harshest fall out of their wrong-headed votes.
The high cost of housing in LA is simply a by-product of capitalism, there are always going to be people who have a lot of money to invest and for a long time now LA has been a great place to invest in real estate so when you have very wealthy people buying up numerous houses as investments this is what happens. Its just a fact of life if you want to live in a highly desirable area that it may be impossible to buy a house, I still think it can be worthwhile to live where you want though and deal with the high cost of living, I've been visiting a lot of different areas outside of California lately because I was considering moving out of state but I understand now why California is so expensive, there is nowhere else in this country that comes close to the things it offers, a "shack" in LA just might be better than a mansion in the Midwest or a Great Plains state or Texas or wherever. There is something about California that I think brings out the best in some people and the more I think about it the more it makes me want to continue living in my home state no matter how high the cost gets. In so many areas of the country people are content to just go to work, come home, watch tv or whatever and do it day after day, maybe go to a "big box" store on the weekends or the local mall. But in southern California there is so much more to do and you can be outside everyday of the year, go surfing, go up to the snow in the winter and so much else I know it sounds corny but California really does have a lot to offer that other areas don't and sitting in a large house in the middle of nowhere wouldn't make me happy.
This country has been sold out from under us, and in the big cities is where it shows itself first and most. When I lived in New York I used to think the Empire State Bldg. should have had a giant blinking neon $ sign on the top of it, it was so obvious at every moment how the pursuit of the almighty buck dictated our lives. But truth is it's becoming more and more evident in the small towns too. Big deals between, big government and big business, for some reason don't seem to get much play in the media or to garner as much interest with the general public until the effects come to bear, when there's another school shooting, when we find ourselves stuck in a war for profit, when our gasoline doubles then triples, when our elderly can't afford their prescription drugs, when health insurance becomes inadequate but at the same time a luxury, when a shack in borderline L.A. neighborhood goes for $700,000, when every man woman and child is not asked, but told, to fork over three grand to bail out the same greedy bastards that got us into this mess in the first place...
The quality of life in this country is about a third of what it used to be and it shows no sign of improving. The worst of this just hasn't hit the small towns to the extent it has the mega-cities ... that could explain how the worst president in our history was reelected, by voters that preferred to focus on gay marriage and abortion rights than the hijacking of America by the elected officials and fat cats on Wall Street or K Street, and the killing thing, the most frustrating thing for all us urbanites, doesn't matter where, in L.A., NYC, Chi, Atl, Philly, etc, have to live with the harshest fall out of their wrong-headed votes.
Yeah, the 2000's have been tough, and it may get tougher into the 10's from all the damage that has been done by our leaders that many voted for for the wrong reasons. With L.A., it is a fun city to visit, but I'm not sure about living there. The cost of living is the main factor. However, the expansion of the Metro Rail has alleviated the stress of driving on the freeways and roadways. I would much rather take the Red Line to Hollywood and Highland than drive down Hollywood Blvd. Also, the crime rate in 2008 is at a 40 year low despite the economic hardships, unlike during the early 90's recession when L.A.'s crime and violence was at its peak.
America and YES I Said it can blame its damn self for these ills. When will we wake the fu$%^ up! We voted this mess in office and now we are reaping what we have sown. In 2004 I was saying when Ohio starts loosing thier houses and watching their cars and furniture picked up, when they are eating box macaroni and cheese every night they can at least look into their kids eyes and say "well we stopped the gays from getting married!" This IS ALL the fall out of their own dumb ass voting.MY GOD I didn't like John Kerry but do you REALLY think we would be in this mess had he or AL GORE WON? I am just waiting to see what these how this country will do THIS time around? Don't mean to get off the subject but why in the HELL would we put the same damn party in that fu#$% this thing up?! If dummies do that again then we will see things even worse big, small city it won't matter the quality of life will be totally gone! I must admit I don't feel sorry for anyone whose quality of life has gone in the toilet IF they voted for George Bush...twice...like a fool! You created it all!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ExPit
This country has been sold out from under us, and in the big cities is where it shows itself first and most. When I lived in New York I used to think the Empire State Bldg. should have had a giant blinking neon $ sign on the top of it, it was so obvious at every moment how the pursuit of the almighty buck dictated our lives. But truth is it's becoming more and more evident in the small towns too. Big deals between, big government and big business, for some reason don't seem to get much play in the media or to garner as much interest with the general public until the effects come to bear, when there's another school shooting, when we find ourselves stuck in a war for profit, when our gasoline doubles then triples, when our elderly can't afford their prescription drugs, when health insurance becomes inadequate but at the same time a luxury, when a shack in borderline L.A. neighborhood goes for $700,000, when every man woman and child is not asked, but told, to fork over three grand to bail out the same greedy bastards that got us into this mess in the first place...
The quality of life in this country is about a third of what it used to be and it shows no sign of improving. The worst of this just hasn't hit the small towns to the extent it has the mega-cities ... that could explain how the worst president in our history was reelected, by voters that preferred to focus on gay marriage and abortion rights than the hijacking of America by the elected officials and fat cats on Wall Street or K Street, and the killing thing, the most frustrating thing for all us urbanites, doesn't matter where, in L.A., NYC, Chi, Atl, Philly, etc, have to live with the harshest fall out of their wrong-headed votes.
I moved to L.A. a year ago and was prepared for the worse based on this message board but I'm glad to say I don't regret the move. The most accurate information you get here is on the cost of living. I mean $150K for a family of 3-4 will feel like minimum wage compared to the lifestyle you can get elsewhere. Anyone moving here should keep this in mind when negotiating their salary. Anyway, L.A. has tons of things to do. However, I do think people underestimate the things you can do in other cities. I have lived in several cities like Atlanta, Dallas, Miami. I know they aren't considered "mega-cities"; however, there isn't anything I couldn't get in these places that I have in L.A. that I actually enjoy (not a beach person and mountains are just ok) except maybe seeing celebrities; although, I saw some in all of these places because I always lived in and frequented pretty nice areas. I think if you can, you should try to live in multiple cities. You learn to be flexible and enjoy what life has to offer. You can also accelerate your career growth and salary.
Problem is most don't realize urban regions are all big, complex places....
Most economically powerful regions like LA, NYC, SF and Chic have a higher cost of living but also have greater economic opportunities for well-educated, smart, industrious people....but have a rather low std of living for many with skills entailing low-paying jobs....for low-wage jobs, places like Dall/Hou/Atl/Phx prob make more sense....
Most of affluent in major regions live fairly close to their office, esp in the decentralized LA/SF regions (many have easy, <20min drives to office; many live and work in BeverlyHills, or live in Woodside and work in MenloPk)....and in NYC/Chic, many of the affluent are workaholics who live in leafy suburbs (Greenwich/LkForest) 30-40mis from MidtownManhattan/Loop, but drive into City to arrive at office by ~6AM, when fwys are fairly empty....and most high-income guys can be fairly productive during their drive, working Bluetooth to catch up w/colleagues and clients in other time zones...
Know many smart, affluent guys who wouldn't live anywhere else but LA's Westside....only comparables are SiliconValley, NYC and Chic....NYC and Chic have awful weather (and worse traffic)....SV is an arguably better place on wkdays w/many smart people; similar weather; and fastest urban fwys in world, but LA is a far more enjoyable wkend playground, w/many rather talented young women who immigrate from all over US/RoW....and they keep making new models every year
Unlike some posters, I don't see it as an either or proposition. Some people seem to think that if a city isn't LA or NYC, its a podunk little town with one Walmart and nothing else. I too need many of the things available only in a city but that doesn't mean I need to live in the middle of a 10,000 square mile sea of concrete to get it. There's plenty of good sized cities in this country that have 99% of what people need in their daily lives but with less of what makes overgrown messes like SoCal unpleasant.
Well said! What you just described is the all too common ignorant "bi-coastal" mentality. Unfortunately I can't give you any more rep points today.
Yeah, the 2000's have been tough, and it may get tougher into the 10's from all the damage that has been done by our leaders that many voted for for the wrong reasons. With L.A., it is a fun city to visit, but I'm not sure about living there. The cost of living is the main factor. However, the expansion of the Metro Rail has alleviated the stress of driving on the freeways and roadways. I would much rather take the Red Line to Hollywood and Highland than drive down Hollywood Blvd. Also, the crime rate in 2008 is at a 40 year low despite the economic hardships, unlike during the early 90's recession when L.A.'s crime and violence was at its peak.
Probably because many of the poor people in L.A. have been driven out by the high cost of living (the homeless obviously excepted), to the AV, IE, and other states.
L.A. was still a reasonably priced city in the early '90s - really, all through the 90s - so it was easier not only for decent working class people but for the scum of society to find places to live in neighborhoods that would be totally unaffordable nowadays.
TBF, the Valley went in the opposite direction....
I moved to L.A. a year ago and was prepared for the worse based on this message board but I'm glad to say I don't regret the move. The most accurate information you get here is on the cost of living. I mean $150K for a family of 3-4 will feel like minimum wage compared to the lifestyle you can get elsewhere. Anyone moving here should keep this in mind when negotiating their salary. Anyway, L.A. has tons of things to do. However, I do think people underestimate the things you can do in other cities. I have lived in several cities like Atlanta, Dallas, Miami. I know they aren't considered "mega-cities"; however, there isn't anything I couldn't get in these places that I have in L.A. that I actually enjoy (not a beach person and mountains are just ok) except maybe seeing celebrities; although, I saw some in all of these places because I always lived in and frequented pretty nice areas. I think if you can, you should try to live in multiple cities. You learn to be flexible and enjoy what life has to offer. You can also accelerate your career growth and salary.
Well said
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My god someone speaking the gospel truth!
