There is a certain “carrying capacity” here. Our resources are finite (water, infrastructure, land, clean air/ability to handle pollution, etc.). My DH is a third-generation Californian, and my parents moved here in the 1940s (dad) and early 1950s (mom). There was, in fact, much more room here, and it was totally possible for a middle-class family to live a decent life in a clean, safe neighborhood with a single earner (even one without a college degree!). We had lots of open space, even during my childhood, and we could get around fairly easily without too much traffic.
I understand your feelings, but my comment about the birth date was was really to go back before you and your family arrived. The real “natives” were run off a long time ago, much earlier than 1940. So they could say your ancestors (if they were here) destroyed their quality of life, couldn’t they?
