American climate migration is underway

[Ford_Prefect]

10. IN the North West we're already seeing the effects of this. One effect has been radical reduction in affordable housing.

Last edited Sun Apr 14, 2024, 09:38 PM - Edit history (1)

People currently moving here have the means to afford higher cost housing so the market has gone there. This has several effects on affordability. One is that lower cost housing is being bought off the market, whether it is rental or owned, and being renovated to sell upmarket to the new arrivals. Another is that as more housing is built it is aimed at the new arrivals at mid to upper middle prices, or more. A side effect is that not only do folks who need less expensive housing to rent, or buy, have nothing available in the local market, traditional options such as low rent houses or trailer parks are being removed from the area by developers who can afford to buy them out for projects and to build more expensive homes.
Another significant effect is that rents for housing or for trailer lots has gone up remarkably.

Another effect has been the cost of living for everyone here has gone up as more people move here. One feature which has not been addressed is that the environmental refugees do not realize that we have fire seasons and drought on a regular and increasing basis. The more of them moving here put pressure on the limited water supply along with turning precious open land into housing tracts as well as adding to the already questionable septic load on the land and rivers. It does not help that the County Commissioners were elected with the substantial backing of Developers, real estate firms, and banks who see planning and zoning of any kind as a threat to "their" profits.