People leave pricey California in droves

[ringmastery]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/20040627/ts_latimes/catchingawaveoutofpriceycalifornia

AUSTIN, Texas — Soaring property values in California have made many homeowners there rich — and many real estate agents here delighted. In an exodus that some demographers say could reshape the American landscape, young professional families are increasingly fleeing the exorbitant coast for Austin, Dallas or San Antonio, for Atlanta, Denver or Phoenix, for Charlotte, N.C.

They're selling their cramped "starter homes" in California, some worth $500,000 or more, and buying luxury homes, for cash, in the nation's interior.

John and Nicole Hutmacher will be moving here this summer, leaving a tract home in a jam-packed subdivision in Santa Rosa in Northern California for a 3,000-square-foot estate on an acre in a gated community overlooking central Texas' rippled hills. They'll have enough money left over to buy a boat and a pickup, even to see the world.

"We wanted to do more with our money than pay for a house," said John Hutmacher, 27, an engineer who can work from anywhere in the country. "We want to travel. Eventually, we want to have children." In California, he said, "we couldn't afford to.

..

Gallagher, a 36-year-old software engineer, plans to move to Denver this summer with his wife, Lora, and their three young children. They expect to sell their "very, very average" 1,400-square-foot home in Chino Hills for at least half a million dollars. Considering they bought it six years ago for $175,000, they'll reap quite a profit.

So Gallagher doesn't much care that he hasn't found a job in Colorado. "We'll be able to buy a house in Denver for cash and have so much money left over, I won't have to work for a year or two," he said.

[Sugarbleus]

1. I live in an expensive area of Calif. I have been seeing

on the news, reports in real time of people giving up their homes to move elsewhere for just your point.

I see for sale signs everywhere. The homeowners claim that even though they work for good wages and have done so for years,their wages haven't gone up nearly as fast as the cost of living so they have no choice.

The reports went on to state that the only people coming in who are able to afford buying up these expensive homes being sold are the SUPER RICH. They claim these folks will be using these new aquires as summer dwellings etc.

There are many Calif.'s who are not rich, who do not own property that are leaving as well. The same reason applies---COST OF LIVING. Food, gas, insurance, permits, clothing everything is much more expensive, not to mention lack of quality jobs in remoter areas.

[physioex]

2. I am in one of those cities where people in Cali are moving to...

The problem is that Californians come with all the money and drive up property prices. That leaves an increased cost of living for people with less money (like me).....

[Sirveri]

3. MWHAHAHA! Feel my pain!

I live in the SF Bay Area and I made 13,500 last year.

own a house?! HAHAHA!!!! Now we will spill our problems upon the rest of the country! Prepare to feel our wrath! Good Riddance to the yuppies, maybe if enough of them leave I will actually be able to afford a home here!

[Sugarbleus]

10. LOL...that's what I was hoping but like I said

the people in my area: Monterey Bay Area: are saying that the people moving INTO this place and buying up these properties are Enron types...the SUPER RICH. Yikes, I don't know what that will mean but I don't like it.

Our area went from a retirement/tourist town(smattered with artists and hippies) to a middle income/yuppie town....now it's going to be inhabited by the SUPER RICH? Not good. I want our nice laid back coastal paradise back!

[ringmastery]

13. think selfishly

your house is going to be worth mega-bucks in a few years.

[Sugarbleus]

15. nice try but, I'm a renter .... :( eom

[ronatchig]

4. As New Right's tax policies,

take effect this trend will sweep the nation. No tax on capital, no tax on estates, no tax on manufacturers, no tax on corporations, results in taxation further and further down the economic food chain.
State income tax, property tax, and license fees all increase. The bottom tier pays more for less service while wealthy are subsidized to the point that they receive money from the tax base.

Here in N. Carolina if you earn more than $3600.00 you pay tax. If you own a cardboard box to live in you owe tax on it. If you own a factory and make millions usually you pay no tax.
A much fairer system than progressive taxation if ya got millions.
Otherwise you have the constitutional right to SHUT UP ya LIBERAL crybaby.
OK sarcasm light off

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. And THAT, ladies and gentlemen,

is why Texas will turn pink soon, if not blue right away. Our Rockwall County democrats group went from 20-30 attending meetings to voer 65 recently.

Coincidence? I asked several people. They were new to the area. From where? Why, California!

New demographics. I still have hope.

FSC

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. But will conservatives take over CA??

[fudge stripe cookays]

7. I kind of wonder about that too....

but at least it will help us to stave off the hostile attacks from everyone (including DUers) about Texas.

There's an intereting article in the newest Texas Monthly called something like," Everyone Hates Texas. Should We Care?"

I almost choked on my gum when I read that. Um...not only "yeah," but "HELL YEAH" we should care!!!

FSC

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. Wow, I am surprised that article was published. Good sign

that it was, though.

[Sugarbleus]

14. I think they already snuck in through the back door!!

I've been watching my community go from ultra liberal to split with ultra conservatives.

I'm almost CERTAIN it started in the area churches. I used to go to church and remember business people there talking about "taking (city name) back from satan"................ stuff like that. Most of the people attending churches in this area are business owners so they hold some sway economically. Not totally, thank goodness. But it's all just too sickening. Perhaps, with an American Regime change, the attitudes will change in my area and the conservatives will pack their bags and move on..... One can only hope.

[Longhorn]

11. I don't know about that.

This is not the first time we've had an influx of Californians in the Austin area and it seems like we get mostly conservatives out of the deal.

[sandnsea]

18. NO!!!

Do not make that mistake. For every Democrat there's 3 Republicans. Don't let everybody think all the new people from California are Democrats! That's what happened in Montana and now you've got locals voting Pub against the Californians, who are actually Pub, so you've got a solid Pub state and it'll be tougher to change because the new and the old are both voting Pub!

[fudge stripe cookays]

20. This from someone with

"Democrats are Doomed" in their sig line?

You may be a complete defeatist. I am not. There are definitely Repubs in with the deal when Californians move, but the Dems are not doomed. Have you heard any results from F911 at all?

Your signature is really offensive.

[sandnsea]

21. Tell the doom & gloomers

That's there because I am sick and tired of reading posts every day about how horrible the Democratic party is and how horrible Kerry is and how their candidate is the only one that can save the ticket, bla, bla, bla. When there's something a little closer to unity on this board, I'll change my sig line back to what I had for almost a year:

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Be Relentless NO Surrender

But that doesn't have anything to do with what I saw happen in Montana. The new people were Orange County Republicans, the old-timers thought they were elitest nimby Dems, so now BOTH groups vote Republican.

[Ernesto]

9. Well now I'm 58 & a Ca native

I've been hearing this crap my whole life.... Funny thing, our population just keeps on growing.

[nansocal]

16. I agree with you.....

I am also a california native and have heard all this same stuff before, yet in time they will (unfortunately) be back. I don't mind people leaving. Now maybe they will stop building in every corner of the state.

[FlemingsGhost]

12. Influx of Californians to Portland, Oregon.

Oh, goody! Now maybe we can have a third rate "actor" as Governor, too.

Good luck finding a job, folks.

[Mizmoon]

17. The job scene was my thought too

Unless these people start businesses in their new communities, they may find themselves in trouble 10 years down the road. Let's hope that they do start businesses because that would be good for the old timers and the newbies.

[Deja Q]

19. Thank Enron. Oh, this guy realizes he'll likely lose his IT job too?

Outsourcing. The media hypes it up, as if expecting the people will rise up against the corporations who are raping them of their lives.

Governor Groper* has a bigger problem on his hands than he'd thought.

May the trend continue, what good comes out of California anyway? (hopefully my friends over there can get out especially...)

Make California a convict state, block the exits, and move all the corporate and political wretches into it.