NYC caters to the rich and the poor as far as housing options, but not middle class, do you agree? (different)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To my mind, kids sharing bedrooms, and especially sharing a room with parents is not middle class.
Correction then...I grew up upper middle class. We had a very tight close knit family. And I'd want the same for my family. Right now I have approximately 1800 square feet of living space and a back yard. More than enough. Only a worldly materialistic man would call that non-middle class, but its not about how much more money I make than you.
Also, I commute with my kids so that I get to spend some extra time with them in the morning and afternoon. Find a school for them that is between point A (home) and point B (work), with the preference being closer to point B in order to spend the most time as possible with them. Don't end up being one of those parents that end up going to work to get away from your kids, which is an easy trap to fall into.
Your post makes sense. But I think it all comes down to what one defines as middle class. Those of us who grew up middle class (however we define it) want our children to have the same or better life than we had, and that would not be possible if I had to take a job in NYC, since no matter what, it would require giving up something that I had with my family growing up.
They would also be getting something in return which is higher salaries and more career opportunities on average, and easier access to amenities like world class playgrounds, parks and museums while also spending enough quality time with their families. So no, it's not that they won't have a better life than their parents. Especially if they don't really want housing more than 1200 sqft.
I spend that time doing basically anything but working and commuting. Such as, eating dinner with my wife, exercising, watching TV, going on the internet, relaxing, sleeping, etc. And, after I have children, I will want to spend time with them, maybe help them with homework when they are school-aged. All things that I would have less time to do if I had a long commute. And, if my wife ever finds a job and isn't home all the time, I will have to help out more with housework, which again, I would have less time to do with a long commute.
I do all of the above even with my commute. To me it's not that hard. No judgement.
__________________
"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
I was looking at an "affordable" housing application today and it said you have to make between 31k and 35k and pay $900 a month in rent. I don't know, but maybe that is good.
I don't make between 31 and 35k, but I do pay $900 in rent. I make like 27k, before taxes.
From this thread, I think we've come up with the following conclusions:
1. Housing in NYC is very much biased in favor of the extreme rich and the extreme poor. Unfortunately, it is a vicious cycle; as the middle class in NYC gets smaller and smaller, the voters will unfortunately increasingly vote in politicians whose policies favor the extreme rich and the extreme poor, at the expense of the middle class.
2. Different people define middle class differently, mostly based on the lifestyle that they had growing up. Whether or not a middle class lifestyle is possible in NYC depends on ones definition of a middle class lifestyle.
Hi - someone from Chicago here lurking anyway, currently renting downtown and along the lake is average $1,400 to $2,100 for a 700 square foot apartment average.
If you could get a $1,600 700 square foot apartment in NY, would you think it was a great price or not? Just to compare the two.
Hi - someone from Chicago here lurking anyway, currently renting downtown and along the lake is average $1,400 to $2,100 for a 700 square foot apartment average.
If you could get a $1,600 700 square foot apartment in NY, would you think it was a great price or not? Just to compare the two.
Really depends. What NYC nabe would you consider to be most equivalent to downtown Chicago?
When you really think about it NYC does in a way cater to middle class residents, but that effort goes mainly to owners of one and two family homes, not renters.
Property taxes on homes in NYC are low, in some cases very low when compared to NJ, LI and Westchester. OTOH large multifamily rental housing is taxed under commercial rate and thus loses many of the benefits (slow phasing in of increases and so forth) that are enjoyed by the former.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
anyway, currently renting downtown and along the lake is average $1,400 to $2,100 for a 700 square foot apartment average. 
