Seems like everyone wants to move into the highest-end communities to avoid the “riff-raff,” but naturally their salaries can’t support their aspirations. So they gravitate to gated communities in the hope that if they have to live around the “riff-raff,” at least the gate will keep out “those people.”
(Substitute appropriate social / economic categorizations for “riff-raff” and “those people.” For example, a cosmetic surgeon might not want to live around to a mere internist, and would puke at the thought of a teacher or landscape contractor moving in next door.)
Of course their new neighbors have the same mindset and likewise consider them to be “riff-raff,” so you end up with a “community” full of people who are too good to interact with each other.
The process accelerates as prices drop … it was bad enough living among the “riff-raff,” but now “those people” can afford to live inside the gates.
I read some of these HOA rules and wonder what’s happening to our country. Things like a list of 20 “approved” plants by species, or mandating that garage doors be opened just long enough for vehicle ingress/egress.
