Californians Are Fleeing The Golden State At An Alarming Rate

Since you don't believe anything that I say, what's the point in my responding?

All I can say is that I lived it, I lived in the apartment complex where my neighbors were crammed 8-10 in a one bedroom. They were all still there when I left. The apartment manager expressed her dismay at having to keep them, but the owners didn't want the legal battle of evicting all of them. I already told you the areas where I've lived in California, but since you didn't bother to read it before, I'm not going to post them again. I think it's really sad that you can post a line by line response, yet somehow not read most of what I have posted.

How did I know that multiple families were living in houses around us? I lived next to them...I asked them. You don't. You live in Central California, right? Somewhere far removed from LA, anyway. If you haven't lived it, don't tell me that it could never have happened. No, we didn't sell our house for $375,000. Why is that so hard to believe? Since you seem to doubt every single thing I say, what's the point in even having any kind of conversation? Call me a liar, but no matter how many times you say it, I still won't be. Everything that I said has been personally experienced by me, from illegals' wages to converted garages to dj'd parties at 4:00 in the morning.

You never did say what cushioned, segregated enclave you live in, Joe. Gee, I wonder why you've never experienced crime? Could it be that you, like my parents, bought your home long ago when dinosaurs still roamed the earth? They're in a nice situation in California, too. At least until the have-nots start eyeing what they've got and do away with Prop 13. If BustaMecha gets in, they're probably going to leave, too.

FYI, I was born and raised in Southern California. So were my parents. I spent my whole life there, went to college in California, everything. My whole family is there. I thank God my parents took me on vacations to other states so that I could see that things are not the same everywhere. We agonized over leaving the state we both had called home for our entire lives, but we knew and had seen for ourselves that it could be different outside of California. Our quality of life has improved drastically since leaving, and I am really glad we left. I feel truly sorry for anyone in a similar situation to ours who is scared to leave the state. I will shout it from the rooftops...It's NOT the same no matter where you go. It isn't the same for us. It's different. And it's *better*.

As to illegals following me to Indiana...I will take a few carloads here over the masses swarming in to California.

By the way, I am not a guy. I know I have mentioned that I have a husband before. Of course, since you don't actually bother to read most of my posts, you wouldn't have caught that.

I feel I know apartment life in southern California as well as anyone and you are wrong.

I know that you don't know it as well as I do, at least not in the poorer areas, since I lived there, with them, for a year and a half before I escaped. I was just out of college and didn't know much about renting an apartment. It wasn't only my apartment, either, it was all around. The management lady complained to me about how she couldn't get them out without 6 months of court battles. The school I taught at was originally built for 400. There were 1200 students at the school. And there were no busses. Not one child was bussed. Do you know how far elementary school kids walk in LAUSD. It's less than a mile. So, in Van Nuys, in a square mile, there were 1200 school aged kids. This was not a high-rise area, the apartments are all those small 1960's style things with the big courtyards and stuff. I asked my students how they lived. Almost all lived with at least 6-8 people in their apartment (max was 10), and I know that most of the apartments in that area were one bedrooms, since I looked at them. My students did not get evicted throughout the school year, so evidently my own property manager's frustration at being stuck with the crowding was not unique.

Maybe you have apartment experiences in better areas? Even a few miles can matter a lot. Van Nuys/Tarzana is not considered terrible...it's not downtown. Canoga Park and Reseda are worse. Woodland Hills is right next door, yet nicer and didn't have the same crowding problems as the other cities, mostly. It was also a third more for rent there, which was why I did not live there.

I will shout it from the rooftops...It's NOT the same no matter where you go.

Relax, I truly enjoy your drama and exaggerations. Take a deep breath, and feel safe in Indiana.....Don't worry, we'll hold off the hords here and keep the rest of the country safe. It's OK.

Take care. :o

The point is that what you see in Van Nuys is the exception rather than the rule. Sure, there's the Van Nuys (Canoga Park/Reseda was actually pretty OK based on visiting people I know in the area) experience, much like there is the Santa Ana experience or the "Gateway Cities" experience (a broad swath from Huntington Park to Norwalk, with all the little corrupt cities).

But contrary to popular belief, the majority of houses being sold to people today are being occupied by single families. Some neighborhoods, like mine, are actually gentrifying, meaning that home prices are going up and better educated, wealthier people are moving in. And I live out in the Inland Empire.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.