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Seeing the Wealth Leave California, Firsthand

Posted by Abaco 7 years, 11 months ago to Economics
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This past weekend I went over the Sierra to visit my brother and dad in the Reno area. I’m the last family member left in California. As I’ve mentioned here, I’ve noticed the decline in California. The poverty is just creeping through previously nice areas. We’ve got the tent cities, boarded up houses, crime, etc. In my recent visits to the Reno area I couldn’t help but notice the construction. They are building new developments as fast as they can over there. The homes are being filled by Californians escaping our state. Being an engineer, I’ve noticed that the quality of the homes being built are much better than what was built around my area when we had our building boom in the 90s.
We are a golfing family so we are interested in communities with easy access to golf. The very old course, Washoe Golf Course, is in the SW corner of Reno with an older neighborhood built around it. A year ago, nice homes there could be had for $300K. Now, they’re around $500K – a huge increase in price is occurring as housing costs in “the World’s Biggest Little City” are actually now higher than what we find in our area in California. All this has been a little surprising to see.
But, the big surprise was Sunday when I took my family to watch the PGA Barracuda Championship at Montreux Golf Country Club in the hills south of Reno. I grew up in, arguably, the richest part of the S.F. Bay Area. But, I was shocked at the homes in Montreux. They were absolutely amazing. As we drove out my wife and kids asked me to drive around the community more just to look at the homes in that beautiful place in the pines. I felt like one of the Beverly Hillbillies driving through. I paid extra to park inside the community for the tournament and when the lady at gate greeted us on the way in I said, “Do you allow pickups in here?” and we all laughed. I think what I saw was clearly a representation of wealth that’s left California. It was really something. It’s not like the Reno area has a history of tons of high-paid employment opportunities. This is obviously wealth removed from California in order to keep it safe. It was really an eye-opening weekend…

All Comments

  • Posted by freedomforall 7 years, 8 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I think "we" should leave them instead. "They" like the Dark center meddling in everything. "We" don't. Let them have the federal government and the federal debt.
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  • Posted by BeenThere 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    They move to other states, then start supporting and voting for the same irrational ideas and policies that created the very reason they left CA. Irrational is as irrational does. (CA native now in the NW)
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  • Posted by hvance 7 years, 10 months ago
    Even if Abaco moves to Reno to a house of equal value he will save 12% on his state income tax. That's not chopped liver and the construction will be better in all likelyhood due to the house being a new home. Move East young man, move, but only 1 state away.
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  • Posted by mccannon01 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    LOL! Yes, that is funny. I've actually looked in ponds and drainage ditches as I walked around parts of the island hoping to see one and never did. Much of the swampy areas around it are salt water swamps and I don't know if 'gators like them or not. Saw some big snakes, though. Mostly black snakes that are harmless to people. I keep saying the "island", which it is but it's huge and you never know you're on an island when you're on it. It's connected to the mainland by two causeways.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I lived in the Clearwater area for 15 years. I saw gators all the time on the University of Florida campus. I remember shining a light on a lake and seeing countless gator eyes. In high school I remember walking by them at the park and not thinking anything of it. Now that I'm back in my home town in WI and at an older age, though, I wonder what I was thinking as a teenager walking by them without any regard. They could have attacked me.
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  • Posted by JuliBMe 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    LOL, we visited Florida in 2001 for a wedding. Stayed in both Clearwater and Orlando put opted to see Kennedy Space Center for a day instead of DisneyWorld. I went to Epcot in 1983 (Navy boot camp trip before graduating) right after it opened and I've been to Disneyland here numerous times. On the later trip, we saw an alligator twice in the wild. Once when driving down to Clearwater and once near Jacksonville as we were driving to leave the state for South Carolina. What are the odds? We see two on a five day trip and you see none in 30 years! LOL
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  • Posted by mccannon01 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Nicely put, evlwhtguy! I'm Upstate NY born and raised, but I'm no socialist/commie tax and spend Yankee. I'm of the mind "Just think of how much more I could do if taxes were a lot lower!". I'm grossly outnumbered and out voted here in the Peoples Republic Of New York. I'm surrounded by idiots that made HRC a senator and the Evil Hag never lived in the state before! I need to get out of this place and the wife has finally agreed so we're looking. Western NC or SC, where I have many friends, both seem appealing. Maybe SC so I can vote for Trey Gowdy, LOL! I also have relatives in Maryland (almost as bad as NY) and Florida (Hot summer) and Arizona (don't want to live in a desert). Oh well...
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  • Posted by mccannon01 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Just sold a nice family property on the beach side island in New Smyrna Beach (just south of Daytona) for $300k. Five minute walk to the beach. Probably worth a lot more but it was a private sale just to move it. Never had a flood problem on that property (high ground with excellent drainage) and never saw an alligator on the island in all the years I've gone there (about 30). Now I also have a relative that has a place outside of Titusville near Cape Canaveral. No flood problem there, but he did see an alligator in a pond near his house a couple of years ago, but hasn't seen it since. If you're thinking of Florida jbrenner's advice about East Central is very good. Beautiful, if you don't mind warm summers. Not much worry of flood and not overrun with 'gators.
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  • Posted by term2 7 years, 10 months ago
    California is the land of the hillary supporter, and should be shunned. Last time I went there about a year ago I was reminded of the hollowed out oak tree in AS. There was a lot of wealth in california, but it had an empty feeling to it.
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  • Posted by term2 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    When I was in college in the 60's, cadillacs cost about $5k. Now its way over $50k. That means the dollar lost more like 90% of its value My dads house in the 60's cost $33k in NJ. Now that house is way over $300k.
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  • Posted by JuliBMe 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    California girl here, not tolerant of sub 65-degree weather! The north is beautiful with wonderful wildlife. However, they are areas, in my opinion, that are good for visits only. NOT year round living! :-)
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  • Posted by scojohnson 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I grew up in Minnesota, and I'm an elk hunter... northern latitudes are required. I spend a lot of time in BC and Alaska actually.
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  • Posted by JuliBMe 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I like heat much more than cold. I like NO state taxes, too! You can have the northern climes! Brrrrrr!!! :-)
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  • Posted by JuliBMe 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    LOL! My schnauzer mix is high-pitch yappy but only when "strangers" come onto our property.
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  • Posted by Flootus5 7 years, 10 months ago
    The Reno area is booming. They are connecting the USA Parkway from I-80 south to US 50 which will connect the Carson City - Dayton - Silver Springs much closer to Reno - Fernley areas which are exploding. There is a ton of commercial construction going on including that Tesla facility.

    This all just adds to the horribly distorted demographics that now constitutes Nevada. Between Vegas, and the Reno - Carson areas being overrun by newcomers, the rest of us in rural Nevada are hopelessly outvoted. What used to be a wonderfully free and libertarian based culture in this State is gone. My corner of the state in Elko County is still strongly conservative, but hopelessly outnumbered by Clark and Washoe Counties. This is a growing embarrassment, with voting for Harry Reid for years then Obama, Hillary, and now a democrat controlled legislature, and a lame duck rino Gov Sand-no-balls. I just filed the first time paperwork for the new Nevada Commerce Tax for my new business two weeks ago. Something the rino state legislature and rino Governor gave us in 2015.
    The Sierra Nevada still is a rain shadow but is no longer the people shadow it used to be.
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  • Posted by Wgingram 7 years, 10 months ago
    Well.... Californicate wants to leave the United States. Let them. WE DO NOT NEED THEM.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The Forgotten Man (and woman) also have to procreate at a greater rate than the brainwashed city dwellers and invading hordes of immigrants from the 3rd world where traditional American limits on government are unknown. Otherwise the ignorant savages will outnumber them at the polls even in rural areas.
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  • Posted by EdGoldstein 7 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I have lived in a small beach town for 50 years through many hurricane scares. There was not the loss of a single home to a storm during that time. However most of those homes are gone. They were torn down and replaced by piles of concrete condos. The statistics show it is about 70 years between hurricanes hitting a specific beach.
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