Best to live in the midst of the current chaos

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by dktshb

Fire season used to be seasonal in CA too and now it is pretty much year round. The fire season in OR will keep getting longer as the climate in the west continues to warm and dry.

Actually, this was the first year in awhile where there hasn't been a substantial wildfire affecting the Bay Area (yet). I remember a couple years ago the entire sky was red-orange for like a week from the Big Basin (CZU Lightning Complex) and August Complex fires. There hasn't been anything remotely close to that this year fortunately. Although to your point, we are likely to see more events like this in the future.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_California_wildfires

[eschaton]

To the extent there is any "crime wave" in the U.S. it's (like urban crime in general) consigned mostly to poor neighborhoods, particularly black ones. If you live in a gentrified white portion of a city it's unlikely that it's impacted you in any manner whatsoever.

There's also the issue of downtowns not having returned to their pre-COVID level of activity because folks are still working from home. In some cases this can make it seem like downtowns are more sketchy, because the homeless/addict/random creepy loiterer population is a higher proportion of what's left on the street. But I don't think in most cities the absolute percentage has risen.

In mixed-use, mostly residential walkable neighborhoods, there's been an almost total recovery to pre-COVID eras (minus the tighter labor market meaning lots of businesses still have shorter hours, and some that folded didn't return and are being replaced by chains).

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by JManc

Gas peaked around $7 here (premium grade) and has dropped down to about 5.50 (for the cheap stuff).

Speaking of chaos, hope you enjoyed your first earthquake! 5.1 at 11:42 am. Nothing too crazy but enough to get the blood flowing a little bit.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Nomayoplease

Alright my friends.., considering the economic crisis what is in your opinion the best city to live considering the following.
The capacity of the city to stay alive economically despite the current and bloomy future
The capacity of growth despite the negative macroeconomic scenario
Taxes and redtape ( obviously the less the better)
jobs
And of course it has to have things to do...bars, clubs, restaurants , parks etc

This narrative around "less taxes" always being better is a false flag.

How low can taxes go before you can't build the workforce that you need to drive innovation? Not all low tax jurisdictions have good public schools. In fact, many are atrocious. I'd argue Texas strikes a good balance in terms of public schools (though the taxes there aren't nearly as low as its reputation suggests...as property taxes are sky high). Tennessee and Florida are abyssmal.

If it weren't for their constant importing of people who were educated at tax payers expense elsewhere, they wouldn't be near the economic jauggernauts that they are. Also, Texas has the highest rate of uninsured people in the country.

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

No one considering Boise or New Braunfels as a place to live would be happy in New York or San Francisco, and vice versa.

Exactly. We don't need to interpret people moving as an indictment on the place they're leaving. Perhaps they want to try somewhere new, and more power to them.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Yes those prices in the UK are insane.

I pay just under 3000 USD a year for a mix of electricity and natural gas to heat and cool (AC) a five bedroom two storey 2300 SF house in a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers.

This also includes the energy for a heated outdoor pool from May to September and the charging of my electric vehicle.

I live in a 2,000 sf new build home in Philadelphia. My energy costs are roughly $200 a month in total. In hotter months, $160 of that is electric (AC) and $40 gas...in the colder months it essentially reverses.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Exactly. We don't need to interpret people moving as an indictment on the place they're leaving. Perhaps they want to try somewhere new, and more power to them.

besides, big cities like NYC, LA, SF, Chicago, etc. have ALWAYS chewed up legions of young people and then spat a certain percentage of them back out.

it's how the system works.

[Nomayoplease]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Idaho has higher crime than Cali. NYC is objectively a much better city than 10-20 years ago. And I'm not aware of any jurisdiction where shoplifting isn't a crime.

Sorry, but I believe you've fallen victim to political propaganda. You're parroting alt-right nonsense. Just add in some crap about BLM and transgenders.

Boise is more dangerous than the cities i mentioned? All the vídeos and what i personally saw in San Francisco was that also my imagination? Why are you so defensive??? BLM, Transgender, what are you even talking about... please refrain from posting on my thread. You are obviously trying to turn this into some left-right political debate. No thank you.

[iheartthed]

San Francisco actually does have a very high larceny rate -- one of the highest in the country. But for every other crime category it is average or low for major cities.

Murder rate tends to get the most attention in news reports, but larceny is what people will really complain about since it is what people are most likely to encounter.

[Chef]

Duluth, Minnesota is a good spot. It has low crime, plenty of fresh water, is inexpensive, is close to a lot of fertile land, and also natural resources, and is in a pretty location. I was talking to some people in the U of MN cold climate wine grape breeding program a few years ago and they suggested that the worst case scenario for climate change would likely turn Minnesota's north shore into prime vineyard land because of the maritime influences of the lake, and infertile southeast facing hillsides overlooking the shore.

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

besides, big cities like NYC, LA, SF, Chicago, etc. have [B]ALWAYS[/B] chewed up legions of young people and then spat a certain percentage of them back out.

it's how the system works.

Yup, nothing to see here folks lol

[Boisebro]

Originally Posted by Nomayoplease

Boise is more dangerous than the cities i mentioned? All the vídeos and what i personally saw in San Francisco was that also my imagination? Why are you so defensive??? BLM, Transgender, what are you even talking about... please refrain from posting on my thread. You are obviously trying to turn this into some left-right political debate. No thank you.

yeah, Idaho is one of the lowest crime states in the country, so not sure where that stat came from. Boise's crime rate is so low people think it's in Canada.

I like the Duluth mention, though having grown up not far from there, I can attest that the winters are brutal enough to keep me from moving back. Maybe global warming will make upper midwest winters more mellow, but by then I'll be taking a long dirt nap.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by Boisebro

yeah, Idaho is one of the lowest crime states in the country, so not sure where that stat came from. Boise's crime rate is so low people think it's in Canada.

I like the Duluth mention, though having grown up not far from there, I can attest that the winters are brutal enough to keep me from moving back. Maybe global warming will make upper midwest winters more mellow, but by then I'll be taking a long dirt nap.

I think one of the misconceptions of climate change is that global warming has become synonymous and interchangeable with climate change. What is more likely to occur is not just warming but also extremes. Places with rough winters are likely to see even harsher winters. We are going to see more drought but also more monsoons and floods. We may also see shortening of certain seasons. Like longer and colder winters and longer and hotter summers but shorter springs and falls. So it’s not like you can assume Canada is going to turn into Southern California.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Speaking of chaos, hope you enjoyed your first earthquake! 5.1 at 11:42 am. Nothing too crazy but enough to get the blood flowing a little bit.

I admit, it freaked me out a bit but...

[Boisebro]

Originally Posted by homebucket

I think one of the misconceptions of climate change is that global warming has become synonymous and interchangeable with climate change. What is more likely to occur is not just warming but also extremes. Places with rough winters are likely to see even harsher winters. We are going to see more drought but also more monsoons and floods. We may also see shortening of certain seasons. Like longer and colder winters and longer and hotter summers but shorter springs and falls. So it’s not like you can assume Canada is going to turn into Southern California.

absolutely, there's more to global warming than just temperature change. i've seen it in my lifetime. hurricanes and tornadoes are more frequent and more destructive, and precipitation levels have also been affected. for example, when i was a kid, it was a given that we'd have snow on the ground by thanksgiving, and feet of it by Christmas. now? there have been recent years where the snowpack is so low in January that people can't snowmobiles. that would've been unheard of 40 or 50 years ago.

but my point remains. I'd prefer a milder temperature Duluth to the one from my childhood.

[Boisebro]

Originally Posted by JManc

I admit, it freaked me out a bit but...

ah yes, one of my favorite memes:



thoughts and prayers to the owners of that chair.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by Nomayoplease

Boise is more dangerous than the cities i mentioned? All the vídeos and what i personally saw in San Francisco was that also my imagination? Why are you so defensive??? BLM, Transgender, what are you even talking about... please refrain from posting on my thread. You are obviously trying to turn this into some left-right political debate. No thank you.

Idaho has a higher crime rate than Cali and NY. I believe roughly twice the crime rate of NY. I don't know the crime stats for Boise, but half of the state is Boise, so it's very likely Boise has a higher crime rate.

And nope, I'm free to post on any thread, and I wasn't the one who brought up political nonsense. This thread's entire premise is alt-right nonsense.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by Boisebro

yeah, Idaho is one of the lowest crime states in the country, so not sure where that stat came from. Boise's crime rate is so low people think it's in Canada.

Again, Idaho has a higher crime rate than NY or Cali and isn't "one of the lowest crime states in the country". Whether "people think it's in Canada" (whatever that means) is irrelevant. Doesn't even make sense, as Idaho is heavily Mormon.

In fact, the only nonmetropolitan states with low crime rates are in New England, and blue (VT, ME) or blueish (NH).

When we extend the comparative analysis to overall safety, and not just recorded crime, rural America is, by far, the most dangerous part of America (due to all the other relatively higher dangers, like worse healthcare, higher rate of employment accidents, deaths from despair, vehicle accidents, etc.). Idaho is relatively safe compared to other low density nonmetropolitan states, but is nowhere near one of the safer states. I believe New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts are the safest states.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by Nomayoplease

chaos: War in Ukraine, Energy and economy crises in Europe, inflation in the us, colapse of Argentina and other South American Countries tension btw China and its neighbors . When i spent a summer at Columbia almost 10 years ago NYC was much better city in every single aspect,.. The same with L.A ( i am UCLA alumni) ...like i said it's not like L.A has turned into Mexico City but it is far from its glory days. The same with some of the other cities i mentioned. My friend who moved to Boise did so because he got tired of having his car messed with, tired of avoiding certain areas , tired of this new law that allows people to get away with shoplifting. Sorry Cali folks but politics has and is ruining your state. Maybe it is just me, someone said that NYC hasn't change, i respect his opinion. I respect everybody's opinion....maybe i am just disappointed with the world.

Alumnus. You are a UCLA alumnus. So am I, and we do not share the same opinion on the status of Los Angeles or that political narrative you're spinning. There were no "glory days" that were not also chaotic, per your definition of that word, and the city's rapidly expanding rail network holds great promise for the city's future.

Originally Posted by homebucket

Actually, this was the first year in awhile where there hasn't been a substantial wildfire affecting the Bay Area (yet).

Same for LA--so far so good. Knock on wood.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Again, Idaho has a higher crime rate than NY or Cali and isn't "one of the lowest crime states in the country". Whether "people think it's in Canada" (whatever that means) is irrelevant. Doesn't even make sense, as Idaho is heavily Mormon.

In fact, the only nonmetropolitan states with low crime rates are in New England, and blue (VT, ME) or blueish (NH).

When we extend the comparative analysis to overall safety, and not just recorded crime, rural America is, by far, the most dangerous part of America (due to all the other relatively higher dangers, like worse healthcare, higher rate of employment accidents, deaths from despair, vehicle accidents, etc.). Idaho is relatively safe compared to other low density nonmetropolitan states, but is nowhere near one of the safer states. I believe New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts are the safest states.

According to this link, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Maine are the states with the lowest rates of crime. Statistics about crime are notoriously unreliable, but Idaho seems to be a relatively low crime state.
https://247wallst.com/state/crime-in-idaho/
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta.../public-safety