Opinions on the I.E. (Los Angeles, San Jose: condo, house, layoffs)

[SoCal Bottom Rider]

If the IE is 'going back to basics', for me that means going back to being a blip on the radar for SoCal circa 1998. Nobody wanted to invest in the IE during the pre-bubble days. It was just not lucrative. Why build malls and new homes for people that could not afford it? But things changed. Then the bubble happened and the developers saw the cash open up. Suddenly these people had lines of equity and cash-refis. Then then the music stopped. Time to go old school. Conservatively priced pre-bubble homes for a majority blue collar folk.

[that1guy]

Originally Posted by SoCal Bottom Rider

That's interesting about the growth of 4 year degrees in the IE. Where do you get those statistics? I have been out here for over 10 years and wife and I have a degree but the majority of our neighbors have just a HS or a few years of comm. college education. Mostly blue collar jobs.. RE, construction, retail, etc..

Sorry for not answering...but comparing the Census numbers...Riverside County circa 2000 was 16.6% and in 2005 was 21%...this was a 5% total gain. This is compared to LA county +3% (24% 200 to 27% 2005) , OC +4% (30% 2002 to 34% 2005) and SD +3% (30% 200 to 33% 2005). So yes, part of it is because of the lower percentages...which equates higher gains. Also the LA times reported that the IE added more high tech and biotech jobs as compared to OC, LA, or SD. Both the central valley and the IE were the two fasted growing white collar regions. It does make sense. The IE currently ranks 7th highest concentration of high tech jobs in the state with over 21,000 high tech jobs. The IE is the second fastest growing tech area of California.

Inland Empire California: January 2007 | InlandEmpire.US

Just as long as people get over the new is right mentality...then the IE will be great. I beleive that Orange County is good, but not great. This is because of a fake sense of urbanicity. The IE can be hip if people decide to embrace the historic roots as a major California region (Riverside at one point was California's third largest city and Moreno Valley/Redlands/Riverside region had the highest family income at the turn of the last century). So if we can have more liberal policies (foster an environment that young educated people in college are attracted to) that can let breathing space for the many universities and colleges in the region (more bar zoning, more live music venues, municipal muesums to enable young artists to be exprssive, Greek house zoning, public transportation from bars to dorms and student communities, etc.)...then we will flourish.

[chuck22b]

Originally Posted by that1guy

Sorry for not answering...but comparing the Census numbers...Riverside County circa 2000 was 16.6% and in 2005 was 21%...this was a 5% total gain. This is compared to LA county +3% (24% 200 to 27% 2005) , OC +4% (30% 2002 to 34% 2005) and SD +3% (30% 200 to 33% 2005). So yes, part of it is because of the lower percentages...which equates higher gains. Also the LA times reported that the IE added more high tech and biotech jobs as compared to OC, LA, or SD. Both the central valley and the IE were the two fasted growing white collar regions. It does make sense. The IE currently ranks 7th highest concentration of high tech jobs in the state with over 21,000 high tech jobs. The IE is the second fastest growing tech area of California.

Inland Empire California: January 2007 | InlandEmpire.US

Just as long as people get over the new is right mentality...then the IE will be great. I beleive that Orange County is good, but not great. This is because of a fake sense of urbanicity. The IE can be hip if people decide to embrace the historic roots as a major California region (Riverside at one point was California's third largest city and Moreno Valley/Redlands/Riverside region had the highest family income at the turn of the last century). So if we can have more liberal policies (foster an environment that young educated people in college are attracted to) that can let breathing space for the many universities and colleges in the region (more bar zoning, more live music venues, municipal muesums to enable young artists to be exprssive, Greek house zoning, public transportation from bars to dorms and student communities, etc.)...then we will flourish.

Wow, your totally right that1guy... thanks for the info... I totally forgot about the cybercities report. I also saw something about the City of Riverside giving tech workers that work in tech signifcant mortgage and fees discounts.... and parts of the cybercities report mentions high-tech AND engineering.

Inland Empire California: Riverside Offers Technology Employees Incentive to Buy Homes | InlandEmpire.US (http://www.inlandempire.us/news/2007/01/riverside-offers-technology-employees.html - broken link)

Highlights from the report:



What Does High Tech Mean for the Inland Empire?

• 25,900 high-tech workers in 2006 (44th ranked cybercity)
• 12 percent job growth between 2005 and 2006 (1st ranked cybercity)
• High-tech workers earned an average wage of $57,200 (58th ranked), or 65 percent more than the Inland Empire’s average private sector wage.
• High-tech firms employed 24 of every 1,000 private sector workers in 2006 (59th ranked cybercity)
• A high-tech payroll of $1.5 billion in 2006 (50th ranked cybercity)
• 1,700 high-tech establishments in 2006 (39th ranked cybercity)

The Inland Empire’s National Industry Sector Rankings:

• 17th in electronic components manufacturing employment at 2,900 jobs
• 30th in engineering services employment at 6,500 jobs
• 30th in telecommunications services employment at 6,200 jobs
• 06/23/08 - Riverside-San Bernardino High-Tech Industry Adds 2,700 Jobs

-chuck22b

[orangeapple]

Originally Posted by sheri257

---
Originally Posted by chuck22b
Weather isn't dramatically different in the IE compared to inner LA/OC or Burbank, etc.
---

LOL ... Ok Chuck ... if you say so.

It's not in many parts. The IE is two large counties...so the weather varies a lot.
The south west corner of Riverside (Temecula area) is very mild compared to weather in most of the US. Summer in daytime is 85-95 degrees max (higher than that is considered a heatwave...temps in the 90s occur in maybe 8 weeks of the year), & at night that can drop nearly 30 degrees. Winter daytime temps are around 65. That's pretty pleasant by most people's standards. So you run the a/c in the daytime in August & July....big deal.

[SoCal Bottom Rider]

Hey guys (ladies)

I have worked in the IT field for over 10 years and have lived in the IE for over 10 years. I have combed the employers all over the IE. I had to, being in IT you are prone to layoffs! The inland empire can not compete with the OC and LA when it comes to IT ONLY job opportunities. They pay less for starters.

[chuck22b]

Originally Posted by SoCal Bottom Rider

Hey guys (ladies)

I have worked in the IT field for over 10 years and have lived in the IE for over 10 years. I have combed the employers all over the IE. I had to, being in IT you are prone to layoffs! The inland empire can not compete with the OC and LA when it comes to IT ONLY job opportunities. They pay less for starters.

Basically the point of that1guy and myself is that the Inland Empire can sustain, and has in fact fostered growth in tech and white collared jobs.

The report is a counter argument against those that said that the IE is too "blue-collared" and unattractive to create these kinds of jobs, attract these kinds of people, and foster an environment for these kinds of companies.

The fact that it's less expensive (pay less, cost of living is less, development/building cost is less), is actually a benefit for those companies looking to start-up or move out here.

-chuck22b

[dude25]

Originally Posted by chuck22b

Wow, so insightful.

you don't live in my neighborhood, city

[that1guy]

My point was not to say that the IE is like OC or LA, but rather we are not some backward hick region. Socal, my bro works as an executive in the IT field, I do also have A LOT of insight into the field. I have friends that work IT in the IE, my neighbors work in IT in the IE...so again LOTS of IE IT!!! Abbott expanded in Temecula, not IT, but biotech. IT layoffs are ALL over. I mean you industry, you heard of what happened to the OC office of Micron, right? Well, let's just say that it wasn't pretty. Part of the reason that they went under was their overhead on the rent on their office.

Actually, why can't the IE compete with LA or the OC? If the OC competed with LA (which many people felt that it would remain suburbia forever, now with highrise condos being built in Irvine), then the IE can to. Yes I undersand the whole ocean arguement...but economics plays a greater role. Had it not, then IE would not have seen the gains in the first place. Another thing, while San Jose was losing jobs, the IE was GAINING jobs in IT. So it was competing against SILICON VALLEY!!! A much bigger fish than LA. LA has a relatively small (in terms of percentage) IT sector.

Also the focus was on white collar jobs in general using IT jobs as a sort of bellweather. \

In closing, due to proximity to urban areas, viable clean living areas, cheap rent, great univerisites, the IE is a very good place for businesses.

[SoCal Bottom Rider]

'In closing, due to proximity to urban areas, viable clean living areas, cheap rent, great univerisites, the IE is a very good place for businesses.'

Save your breath. I totally agree. My point is..it has not happened and we have been trying since the Ontario airport opened up! I don't see it happening now in a recession. The window of opportunity is shut..for now. I guess for now us IT guys have to focus on nabbing an IE-IT job that pays OC and LA salary. The be me!!!

[Forever Blue]

I've only lived in 2 cities my entire life: LA & RC, where I am now. I wasn't old enough to drive when I lived in LA, so my perspective is a little different. I like LA. There's more to do there, but it's a lot more congested (traffice & people). I like RC better. I've lived here 20 yrs now. It does get pretty hot in the summertime though low to mid 90s.

RC's cost of living is very high.