Posted on 07/23/2020 6:41:03 AM PDT by cuban leaf
I moved from Seattle to a "hobby farm" in rural Kentucky nine years ago. Two years ago, my daughter and her husband followed me here and bought a spectacular home east of Louisville for around $600k that would have cost millions in King county, WA. They were able to come here because his job allowed him to Work From Home (WFH) full time - and still earn Seattle wages.
I've said for years that once technology allowed the concept of WFH to reach critical mass, we'd be seeing our cities drain into the burbs and rural areas of the nation. Little did I know the catalyst would be not technology, but a ginned up over-response to another flu pandemic scare.
But here we are.
And now my other daughter and her husband, who were solidly planted in Seattle because he owned his own business, just visited her sister. They were blown away by the people, the environment, and the prices. Even though they were here during the most miserable hot and muggy weather that we can have, they said it was completely acceptable. Now they are looking for a home here.
But why can they do it? Because all of his employees are working from home now and he's seeing no drop in productivity. And now he doesn't have to be the "first to arrive and last to leave" at the office, which actually frees up a lot of his time.
But wait, there's more!
He was here in Kentucky looking to hire some more WFH people. He said he has hired his last Seattle employee because they are simply too expensive. He will not let any of them go, but when one goes, he will replace them with an equally qualified candidate from a "lower tier" market, like Louisville, Nashville, etc.
But wait! There is even more!
I've been trying to get electicity to my new building here in Kentucky, but there is a huge construction boom going on right now and electricians are swamped. Even the local Lowe's has actually run out of some construction materials like 2x4 studs. And to drive the point home, when I called the local electrical inspector, he confirmed that there has been a boom going on since late last year but it really ramped up after the lockdown started.
But here's the interesting part and what inspired this vanity:
I told the inspector my theory about the pandemic causing WFH to boom and that I expected it to impact the rural areas of Kentucky. His response was that it is already happening in our rural county. He went into detail about all the inspections he's been on and the reasons for them - people from cities moving here permanently. He spoke of old buildings being revamped and new electric requiring inspection, new construction in the sticks, etc. He then went on to discuss his predictions that mirrored mine: We're going to see real estate price hikes in these rural areas as more and more city dwellers realize what we have out here and couple that with their newfound (and in many cases, permanent) ability to WFH. It's changing our culture.
And if they are moving here, they are leaving somewhere else. I believe we are seeing a fundamental shift in the living arrangements and lifestyles of the American public similar to what we saw when our boys returned from fighting in WWII. It's going to leave a mark.
But this time it's not suburbs. I believe it will be many, many new cities around the nation with populations under 100,000 within their outlying areas. The needs and culture of the inhabitants will be fed and supported by "quaint" downtown cores for personal contact with other residents, and the internet and companies like Amazon to meet their general shopping and other needs. And they will work for companies all over the world, but never leave their small town except when they want to.
I like working from home from the neighborhood tavern.
Our son sold his West Seattle house and moved to Port Townsend.
He said he’d gotten tired of stepping over sleeping bums and their poop...
Great! </sarcasm>
I’m not saying it about you and yours, but most of those fleeing places like Seattle will defile their new homes by electing Democrat bastards.
Oh great. A bunch of know-it-alls who elected themselves into unliveable cities.
‘migration’?
Ya think?
I planned on spending a week in Seattle last month to visit relatives. The day before we left, my 90 year old father had an episode in a hardware store and three days later he was put in hospice. Three days after that he died. I extended my trip to three weeks - all the while WFH.
My wife and I suddenly realized that we could do road trips all over the country and I could do my 8 hours from the hotel room and the hotel lobby (using VPN through their guest wi-fi). And our relationship was solidified on road trips).
This is truly life changing for us. The only thing I need to be careful about is gun posession reciprocity, etc. in each state we plan on visiting. In this current environment there is no way I’m not going out unarmed.
Some are like me - staunch conservatives that left the city because they had had it with the liberal policies and their voice not mattering in elections.
But yeah, some are liberal.
Yes, some will. But the first to leave are “mostly” people like me, who are quite conservative and were looking for an excuse to leave. :)
I read an article a day or two ago where houses in NC are listing and selling the same day due to the this migration. Definitely booming in Central FL. I am astounded by the level of homes being built in much more rural settings.
Some? Libs get elected in droves for decades.
These folks are going to bring money, and where there’s money there will flock the political lice who will start lecturing us how we’re doing everything wrong.
No thanks.
Exactly! My 19 yr old daughter is doing college online, I’m wfh for the foreseeable future and my wife can run her biz from the road.
We’re working toward downsizing and becoming nearly full time RV’ers.
My name derives from a Huguenot settler in New Netherlands in 1664. His descendant, my great-great-grandfather, commanded a police precinct during the 1863 New York Draft riots. All my siblings live in New York City. I left New York over forty years ago, and have never looked back. I like suburban and rural New England.
People who work for a living have to be crazy to live in New York. When I went to my high school 50th reunion a couple of years ago almost none of the people I graduated with lived in the City, and only a few even lived in New York State. Quite a diaspora.
We’ve been displaced by AOC and her cohorts.
Good bye.
Heh. My daughter that moved here moved from a place a couple of blocks north of Ballard’s Market street.
Same thing: The bums. And the parking. Etc.
I lived in the seattle area for 46 years and bicycle commuted downtown, the U district and Bellevue. In the 9 years since I left, the things that drove me away have gotten significantly worse. I do not miss that place at all.
LOL!
So..... I don’t think that this is an accidental result of the current climate. Who benefits? Does this crush real estate values in the urban areas? Does it create super-slums?
If they bring their leftist beliefs and voting patterns they will destroy the rest of the country. I find myself getting furious when I see cars with California license plates and Bernie Sanders or Obama bumper stickers.
“Yes, some will. But the first to leave are “mostly” people like me, who are quite conservative and were looking for an excuse to leave. :)”
The overwhelming majority of urbanites are rats. Are the Dems smart enough to make all this happen on purpose? Force urbanites out into the wild where they will foul red areas by voting blue?
I don’t know if the Dems are that smart, but the result will be brilliant for them.
We’re working toward downsizing and becoming nearly full time RV’ers.
Swarms of locusts.
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