Shoveler, I haven’t yet read your article but will surmise that those “happiest young professionals” are no doubt TV residents with kids who are commuting 50+ miles one way to work every day. They are on the “happiest” list because they got their requisite 4/2/2.5 *newish* house in TV for half (or less) the price of what it would have cost them in coastal counties. If they purchased their “bargain TV home” in recent years, these (Gen Y?) “happiest professional” parents haven’t yet resided in TV long enough to realize the degree of daily grind they got themselves into due to the dearth of well-paying white-collar jobs in the IE.
“Young professionals” and “students” are two different animals. Recent CA HS grads who grew up in CA’s coastal counties generally do NOT want to attend an inland CA public university campus UNLESS they are not accepted at their (choice) more coastal-situated campuses.
In other words, UCM, UC Riverside, San Bernardino State and Fresno State are likely the last-resort in-state campuses for all resident-freshman applicants but those who plan to drive to said campus every day from a parent’s home (those HS grads who grew up in the same county as the inland campus).
This may be slowly changing due to the highly publicized Riv and Stockton BKs revealing to the public just how overbuilt these areas got in recent years and thus how cheap the housing there is. ESPECIALLY when a studio or one BR apt near Long Beach State is now a ridiculous ~$1500 mo.
