Sunny San Diego

[bearishgurl]

[quote=FlyerInHi]This is the new American home 2016 by the national association of home builders.
It doesn’t have a lawn, fake Tuscan curved double staircases, ionic or Doric columns,
Corinthians elements, paladian windows, raises panel doors, or such imitation elements of the past.

Indoor-outdoor living is built into the design.

http://www.tnah.com/showpage_details.aspx?showpageID=32195%5B/quote%5D

Looks like a small subdivision or spec-home development wa-a-a-ay outside of LV, FIH. I watched the video showing all the extra steps they’re taking for energy conservation.

I just wonder if this type of “smart home” could pencil out for developers in CA (assuming they already owned their subdivision land). The difference in unimproved lot prices (w-a-a-ay out there in Clark County?) is likely $6K-$30K per lot versus ~$110K per lot in CA inland counties and up to $400K per lot in CA coastal counties. Could CA developers get their price after going thru all this extra work for each home? Maybe, depending on where the subdivision is.

The problem is that there really is little to no subdivision land left in CA coastal counties.

[spdrun]

The kids in these MD and VA towns are typically bused to school with their stop situated on a two-lane country road.

Rural America is a shitty place to raise kids. Older “streetcar suburbs” and small towns are much better in this respect.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=spdrun]

The kids in these MD and VA towns are typically bused to school with their stop situated on a two-lane country road.

Rural America is a shitty place to raise kids. Older “streetcar suburbs” and small towns are much better in this respect.[/quote]I tend to agree with you. I remember the Manhattan mom (can’t remember her name, though) who put her nine-year-old? son on the subway by himself and I believe he even had to make a transfer to get home. She was accused of child neglect (I think CPS investigated), even though the kid knew how to safely negotiate the subway and all the people on it just fine. IIRC, she was one of the founders or early adopters of the concept of “free range kids.” Had this happened back in “my day,” no one would have cared or reported the incident.

I personally believe that kids do better in life when they are forced to learn the ins and outs of their home turf at a young age … that is, provided their “home turf” is relatively safe.

The parents who move their kids to the exurban countryside (outside Wash DC) are obviously seeking to raise them in a “bubble.” It isn’t foolproof because many of these kids undoubtedly grow up with a sense of entitlement and can’t “envision” themselves living in anything less than the (expansive) family home they grew up in. Also, some of them are unable to assimilate and conduct themselves properly after accepting admission a large public university.

Small towns are good because they have a diverse group of longtime residents of all ages in them who hang out in public during the day and watch out for local kids walking in and out of stores alone, etc.

It helps that everyone pretty much knows everyone else i most of these towns.

I still think most of the public HS’s in suburban/exurban Wash DC are excellent for college prep. I’m assuming the reason is because all the high-level Federal Gov’t employees and contractors buying residences in these areas have always demanded high performance in their public schools … and received it.

[flyer]

As far as people’s preferences concerning where they live–I think a lot has to do with family ties. Apart from all of the obviously great reasons for living in San Diego, one of the major factors for us has been staying close to our families.

Both my wife and I are natives, with lots of family here, so that is another reason we’ll probably never leave. I can understand how people who don’t have that situation might prefer living elsewhere.

BG, as you said, it’s true that most people who have a long history in San Diego are pretty much set for life here. Those we’ve known who have had to leave were more recent arrivals.

In recent decades, San Diego has become a much more financially challenging place to live and to retire, and I think that will probably continue to be the case going forward.

[ctr70]

I actually found San Diego’s weather really boring. I lived in SD for 7 years and now live somewhere with seasons and much prefer it. All that sun also makes it so brown and dead looking so much of the year, with so few native trees and no real rivers or natural lakes. I prefer a more green landscape, green grass, with nice freshwater lakes, rivers, etc… Snow can be very pretty too.

[flyer]

Understand how you feel ctr. SoCal weather can be boring, but, since we have many other more important reasons for being here like family, business interests, as well as our love for the ocean and moderate temps, it works for us.

When we yearn for seasons, we spend time with friends and family who live elsewhere, and really enjoy that also.

That’s the great thing about our country. A short trip can provide just about any climate change one might desire.

[NotCranky]

[quote=ctr70]I actually found San Diego’s weather really boring. I lived in SD for 7 years and now live somewhere with seasons and much prefer it. All that sun also makes it so brown and dead looking so much of the year, with so few native trees and no real rivers or natural lakes. I prefer a more green landscape, green grass, with nice freshwater lakes, rivers, etc… Snow can be very pretty too.[/quote]

For the 20+ years that I lived in the city I never was bothered by the brown season. It’s covered pretty well with artificial landscape.
Now that I live in the foothills it is kind of a downer every year, periods of drought can get ugly, plus the rattlesnakes come out and on any given day there can be a massive conflagration.

[The-Shoveler]

TX and ND etc… are having a really hard time economically these days,

Would not be too surprised to start seeing a lot of returning ex-Socal people.

[spdrun]

Let’s hope they’re too broke to even move and stay put.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=The-Shoveler]TX and ND etc… are having a really hard time economically these days,

Would not be too surprised to start seeing a lot of returning ex-Socal people.[/quote]

I think only the roughnecks are having a hard time. But that’s because they bought large SUVs and trucks, and spent large during the good years. They would’ve saved their money if they were fiscally conservative.

People in Austin, Dallas and Houston are doing fine especially if their houses are paid off.

[The-Shoveler]

It’s not just the Oil patch, all those manufacturing Job’s that left the state are in jeopardy as well from what I understand.

TX seems to be taking it on the chin.

[FlyerInHi]

Vegas is now my primary residence and I love the desert. I like the view across valley to the mountains. Luckily I get to be in San Diego quite a lot, so it’s like I never left. (But in Vegas there’re lots of california refugees who hate it here and wish they could go back home. That’s because they couldn’t afford a big stucco house in CA). Maybe I love Vegas because I can leave whenever I want.

But, generally, I like sunny climates with wide open skies. Doesn’t matter if I have a big house or small apartment. In fact, I prefer condo living.

Wet, rainy, snowy, cold areas are just too much maintenance even in terms of personal clothing. You need to allocate time and brain space to looking up weather and worry what to wear. You have to dry your clothes, shoes, and clean your home of the dripping moisture. No thank you.

Oh, I love the snow too for skiing purposes. Utah has the best conditions. Further north and you get more inclement weather.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=The-Shoveler]It’s not just the Oil patch, all those manufacturing Job’s that left the state are in jeopardy as well from what I understand.

TX seems to be taking it on the chin.[/quote]

What would be the advantage for those manufacturers to return to CA? Stay there if energy is cheap.

[The-Shoveler]

The manufacturers won’t but the people may.

When in trouble head back to base camp.

I would say TX is a lot like Vegas in that regard, few CA residents probably ever really wanted to move there in the first place.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=The-Shoveler]
I would say TX is a lot like Vegas in that regard, few CA residents probably ever really wanted to move there in the first place.[/quote]

That’s because people want everything and can’t adjust to their circumstances. They want the best neighborhoods, the biggest houses, the nicest cars and so on.

It’s a 2 bedroom condo in San Diego or a 3000sf house in TX. Take your pick. The returnees would be miserable unless they suddenly make more money in CA. Unless you go hungry or lack shelter, the unhappiness comes from within.

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