Did the "California Dream" finally end this week after a long struggle? - Page 3

LA21st · #41 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 4:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by destroycreate

There's aways going to be huge drawbacks no matter where you go, just as there are upsides.

I left CA 6 years ago for Seattle because it seemed way cleaner, way less expensive, etc., but then as much as I loved it, it wasn't California. People were super insular and not as dynamic, there wasn't a ton to do for 8 months out of the year because of the constant rain, nightlife and food scene not nearly as good, and then it ended up becoming just as expensive (in fact Seattle rents are higher than LA for sure). I like the sexy factor and diversity CA offers me. I'm willing to put up with a lot of BS because there's just too much to offer me here.

Sure I could move to Houston and live in a mansion and perhaps have much more disposable income, but I'm not really into the Texas pride/more conservative culture that pervades much of that region. You win some you loose some, it's down to preferences.

Of course. There's definitely problems here. I wish the transit was better too and I miss the rain/thunderstorms at times.

The conservative culture on social media makes me want to stay far away from those places. I know it's not all conseratives, but jeez. It is bad.

LA21st · #42 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 4:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by destroycreate

I lived in Capitol Hill actually, but left for LA in 2018 so I never saw the ~shocking decline~ conservatives speak of. My friends who all still live there are totally fine.

Conserative views of liberal places are not rational, sadly.

Bob Belcher · #43 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 5:23 PM**

Crime soaring?

homebucket · #44 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 5:33 PM**

Obviously the "California Dream" is not the same as it was back in the 60-70s when it was cheap here. That's what happens when everyone moves here. Competition increases, land and housing becomes more scarce, and those that moved here don't want more people to move into their space and create more traffic and stuff.

That being said, there is no perfect place in the US. Despite all its flaws (fires, earthquakes, homelessness, sometimes overliberal for its own good), California is still a very desirable place to live, evidenced by the amount of people willing to pay such a high premium to live here, although it's now started to reach a tipping point. If money were not an issue, there's no doubt many people would stay, and many more would still be moving here.

JManc · #45 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 5:55 PM**

My mom's cousin moved to Sunnyvale in the 50's and must have paid $30-40k for his house. Worth about 2 million now.

homebucket · #46 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 5:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JManc

My mom's cousin moved to Sunnyvale in the 50's and must have paid $30-40k for his house. Worth about 2 million now.

How much of that is due to inflation vs value increase? Wasn't soda pop like 5 cents back then?

JManc · #47 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 6:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by homebucket

How much of that is due to inflation vs value increase? Wasn't soda pop like 5 cents back then?

I'm not sure what year he bought the house in but a $40,000 house in 1955 would be about $380,000 today. Not super cheap but downright bargain for California.

Acajack · #48 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 6:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LA21st

Conserative views of liberal places are not rational, sadly.

If I lived in the U.S. I would definitely consider myself a "liberal" according to you guys' definition, but I am not sure what you say is true.

No one is saying that Boston, Atlanta, Honolulu, Austin, Washington, Denver, Pittsburgh, etc. are a "mess" these days. And these are all very "liberal" cities.

TexasPlaya · #49 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 6:24 PM**

I think our aging population is a ticking time bomb that is preventing many states and municipalities from modernizing/upgrading.

The amount of government we have built on top of each other over the decades is crushing. Way too many mayors and bureaucracy.

Centropolis · #50 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 6:28 PM**

just a general comment: american culture is averse to class consciousness and discussion (both good and bad) but i feel like california does take it to the extreme. theres a tendency to equate middle class desires and expectations as being overtly political and the discourse spirals out of control from there.

JManc · #51 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 6:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

If I lived in the U.S. I would definitely consider myself a "liberal" according to you guys' definition, but I am not sure what you say is true.

No one is saying that Boston, Atlanta, Honolulu, Austin, Washington, Denver, Pittsburgh, etc. are a "mess" these days. And these are all very "liberal" cities.

Well considering just about every major city is Liberal or Democrat run, the argument that any city where democrats are in charge is a basket case doesn't hold water. I think San Diego has a Republican mayor but he's fairly moderate on social issues.

Buckeye Native 001 · #52 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 7:14 PM**

I think part of it stems from having governors of one party and mayors of another party. Illinois and California are probably the exceptions, but I've watched the mayors of Arizona's two largest cities continually butt heads with the governor and state legislature the past several months over everything from pandemic relief to policing. Ditto Georgia and probably Florida.

Somehow, amazingly, Doug Ducey has (or had?) a worse approval rating than Donald Trump.

LA21st · #53 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 7:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

If I lived in the U.S. I would definitely consider myself a "liberal" according to you guys' definition, but I am not sure what you say is true.

No one is saying that Boston, Atlanta, Honolulu, Austin, Washington, Denver, Pittsburgh, etc. are a "mess" these days. And these are all very "liberal" cities.

Well, some of those are in red states, so they're not as targeted. However, places like Austin are hated on or called a mess by conseratives on social media. DC and Denver are knocked, you just don't see it. Same for Atlanta, just look at the reaction to the protests in June. The only place that seems to be an outlier is Boston for some reason.

They don't seem rational because they're emotional driven (anger). They don't even try to hide it.

dubu · #54 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 9:41 PM**

i think california is better now, its more real and not all fake.

ocman · #55 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 11:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Belcher

Crime soaring?

Petty crime. Especially in the Bay Area. Car break-ins/theft. It's downright obnoxious and there's nothing we can or will do about it, because that would require us to reflect on how we enable it.

LAsam · #56 Posted **Aug 21, 2020, 11:35 PM**

My first question for the OP, or anyone else, is what exactly is the "California Dream"? I moved here from the Midwest for the weather (still great), scenery (still great), urban environment (only getting better over time), and economic opportunity to improve my lot in life (still exists). Given this, my perception of what the "California Dream" was still exists today.

LA21st · #57 Posted **Aug 22, 2020, 12:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LAsam

My first question for the OP, or anyone else, is what exactly is the "California Dream"? I moved here from the Midwest for the weather (still great), scenery (still great), urban environment (only getting better over time), and economic opportunity to improve my lot in life (still exists). Given this, my perception of what the "California Dream" was still exists today.

That's a great point. I wanted to move to LA when I was in the DC area. I came here on a visit, and loved what I saw. And that was when LA was more violent and had crappier areas near downtown. I don't think people realize or want to talk about the improvements in the area , they just want to talk about the negatives. When people in South LA talk about how things have gotten better, its a big deal. How was LA better in the 90s? Less homeless? What else was better? Honestly. Hollywood, downtown and Koreatown sucked and trying to rebound from the riots. South Central was a mess. Parts of the eastside were full of gangs. Now it's coffee shops and bars.

Also, it's strange a few posters are saying how bad the heat is, as if this is something we deal with all the time. It's just bogus information, from people who don't even come here. It's like me talking about Bosnia. The weather this year was FANTASTIC until early August.

Quixote · #58 Posted **Aug 22, 2020, 12:07 AM**

The “California Dream” is dead insofar as one has already convinced him/herself that it is. This week didn’t really change anything other than make what are already challenging times even more anathematic. There’s no denying the major livability issues besetting LA and the Bay Area, nor is there anything wrong with seeking a higher quality of life (whatever that means to you) someplace less expensive. But someone (theurbanpolitician?) said it best in one of the other “doom and gloom” threads: “too big to fail.”

Best of luck.

LA21st · #59 Posted **Aug 22, 2020, 12:16 AM**

I moved from Chicago to here for an opportunity. Everything else is cake.
But grass isn't always greener. There's always some kind of trade off. Always.

The biggest trade off for the Chicago-LA move is worse transit. Lack of centralized downtown is another. I bet people moving from SF/LA/Chi/NYC are going to places with less opportunity and everything that goes along with it.

dubu · #60 Posted **Aug 22, 2020, 12:34 AM**

not many cities are next to the ocean on the west coast, california could look like mexico and it would still be nice.