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Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

nytimes.com

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Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#71

Post by perrylaj »

Thrymr wrote: post #35
ktothemc wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They do. http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/10/silicon-valleys-real-estate... From a broad climate change perspective, is it really so good that SF and New York are contributing to faster population growth in the South/Southwest, where water resources are more scarce? And cities are less dense, facilitating more driving and consumption of gas?

> in the South/Southwest, where water resources are more scarce? As opposed to the SF Bay area, which has convenient fresh water resources... dependent on dwindling snowpack in the Sierra Nevadas.

Just made the trek over 50 to NV last weekend and was shocked how little water was flowing in the 'rivers' in the Sierra Nevada. We (CA) are going to have to get serious about alternative water sources, as the groundwater is going to deplete just as fast as the snowpack at the rate farmers are drilling wells.

If we were smart, we'd drop the delta tunnel idea and start investing in desalinization plants, at the very least investing in some test sites using some of the newer desal technologies which are showing promise.

That said, the situation is far worse in the Southwest. They don't even have desalinization as a viable option.

More on the original topic, I am sensing an increase in entrepreneurial/tech activity in the Sacramento area. No idea if any of it has come from the bay, or if it's all home grown. Haven't found anything stating one or the other, curious though, as startup and living expenses are about half of what they are in the valley.

Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#72

Post by perrylaj »

autism_hurts wrote: post #2

A little reminder that we sometimes forget in the San Francisco Bay Area -- there are plenty of other, really wonderful places to live. People here will rattle off weather, jobs, activities (outdoors) -- but the reality of the situation is that there are plenty of incredible places to live in the US, where you can make within 10%-20% of your Bay Area wage with 30%-40% or more less housing costs. Even a place like LA…

I wonder if I am a minority that puts a high value on the California climate? All of the cities listed are great. I lived in Portland for 3 years and loved the city, Seattle was great too. Spent time in TX and Chicago, though not years. Great towns, but I feel like I'll keep coming back to CA for the weather.

Portland was far too dark and dreary for 9 months of the year. TX was too humid, and Chicago too cold/windy in the winter. Sure, each of those areas has a 'great ______ season', but coastal California weather is nice for 9 months of the year (give or take ) whereas the others are nice 3.

Not to say I won't leave again (Denver seems like some place I'd like to pitch a tent for a while), but I always miss the weather when I leave.

Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#73

Post by perrylaj »

clarkmoody wrote: post #57
xvedejas wrote: post #55

I moved from the suburbs of OKC to California three years ago. I personally am extremely happy with this change, but I won't go into details here. What I do wonder: OKC has lots of issues with sprawl. How will this influx change things? Is it possible that the city will become more compact and urban, or will it continue the current trend of expanding the city so that every house is on at least a half-acre of land? I…

If OKC follows the pattern of Houston, then some high-density housing will go in closer to downtown and other job centers, but for the most part, the sprawl will continue. Developers in NW Houston are putting 3500 sq ft homes on 0.25 acre lots, and the sprawl shows no signs of stopping. (low interest rates, cheap land, willing commuters)

Sprawl seems to be the norm everywhere outside of the east coast. Portland OR, Sacramento, Dallas....

The peninsula can't sprawl much, but the east bay is puking the same hideous boxy track houses on tiny lots all over the hillsides of Fremont, Hayward, Dublin and far beyond.

Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#74

Post by cpursley »

yardie wrote: post #32
vlucas wrote: post #28

This is awesome news for me. I currently live in the Oklahoma City area, and have for the past 11 years after moving here from the Bay Area, and am heavily invested in the local tech community (I founded http://okcjs.com and organize http://thunderplainsconf.com among other things). The tech community here is better than it has EVER been and awesome things are happening here, but of course it's all relative - it's st…

I'm actually impressed. Most of the news I hear out of the midwest is how the libertarian movement has stripped most municipalities of money to make any improvements.

Improvements to what?

Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#75

Post by bsilvereagle »

nilkn wrote: post #46
fludlight wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eventually you will run out of available, qualified local talent and you will need to hire someone from a coastal tech hub. Only most Californians/New Yorkers don't want to move to Salt Lake City, or Oklahoma, or Houston, or anywhere else in the middle. The flag is the same but the culture is drastically different.

Regarding Houston, it's among the fastest growing cities in the US. People are moving there in droves from the coasts. It's also not even remotely as cheap as a lot of people think.

When you get south of Houston into the Clear Lake region Houston living gets much cheaper - but you run the risk of everything being obliterated by a hurricane.

You have to remember that lot of inner Houston is funded by oil money, so people are willing and capable of spending quite a bit of money on housing/meals.

Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#76

Post by bsilvereagle »

rglovejoy wrote: post #63
nthj wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know Google, Facebook, Apple, and others have been visibly increasing their presence in Austin. Apple was putting up offices across the street from my old apartment complex, and the scuttlebutt was they were adding 4,000-some-odd-employees here over the next few years.

Google has an office here in Austin, but it's mostly for sales and marketing. Apple's campus is going to be for sales and customer support, not product development.

I saw the complex right across the parking lot from a Qualcomm office and thought it was going to turn into a mobile headquarters, oh well.

Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#77

Post by bsilvereagle »

andrewem wrote: post #43
nthj wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know Google, Facebook, Apple, and others have been visibly increasing their presence in Austin. Apple was putting up offices across the street from my old apartment complex, and the scuttlebutt was they were adding 4,000-some-odd-employees here over the next few years.

What parts of Austin are those big companies located in? (When I left Austin in 2007 Google had just announced an office, which they closed a couple years later.)

Typically Round Rock, or right between Austin and Round Rock on 35.

Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#78

Post by dubfan »

humanrebar wrote: post #42
vlucas wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, the climate is not that great - we have both extremes (really host in the summer, and snow/ice in the winder), and I do really miss the beach - that is the #1 thing I miss about CA. Central Oklahoma is also fairly flat, so if you like mountains in the distance and a little colder climate, Boulder may be more your thing. The key for me is how much impact I can have here. I feel like Boulder already has a lot…

You left out being in Tornado Alley and otherwise nasty storms.

And fracking-induced earthquakes.

Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#79

Post by ams6110 »

thrownaway2424 wrote: post #27
thetrumanshow wrote: post #6

Man, I feel like I'm going to be really negative, I hope not, but here goes: OKC is undergoing an oil boom, the secondary effects of which are being reported in this article (IMO). My advice: come live in Oklahoma or Kansas if you actually like it here and want to be here for a long time, because when the boom dies, you'll find it harder to leave. Opportunities abound on the coasts. Texas, well, Texas is always a gre…

Being from OKC and with plenty of family still left that I still visit frequently, I can say I heartily endorse moving there if, and only if, you: 1) Can tolerate daily encounters with racist and homophobic statements and words like nigger and faggot being thrown around by ~everybody. 2) Think it's funny when the local paper actually uses the word "Osamacare" in print. 3) Enjoy minor earthquakes.

I don't think there are more racist/homophobic people in the midwest than anywhere else. But since you are in less of a bubble of progressive/hacker culture you might encounter them more often.

Re: Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities

#80

Post by dubfan »

jzimdars wrote: post #24
thetrumanshow wrote: post #6

Man, I feel like I'm going to be really negative, I hope not, but here goes: OKC is undergoing an oil boom, the secondary effects of which are being reported in this article (IMO). My advice: come live in Oklahoma or Kansas if you actually like it here and want to be here for a long time, because when the boom dies, you'll find it harder to leave. Opportunities abound on the coasts. Texas, well, Texas is always a gre…

There is more to it than than just oil. OKC didn't go nuts like much of the country did during the real estate boom and likewise we didn't get our asses handed to us when the market dropped. We saw moderate gains followed by moderate loss. That's a big reason why OKC has maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country throughout this financial crisis. IMO this is a reflection of a culture that's a litt…

> the other guy always lets you go first at a 4-way stop

You say this like it's a good thing...

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