A weekend topic starting with the Washington Post. “After steadily growing for a decade and a half, the District of Columbia shrank this year by around 20,000 residents, or 2.9 percent. The sharp drop in the District’s population was no surprise to local real estate professionals. ‘In moderate and higher income households, you don’t really see as many people leaving the area as you see them looking at slightly different neighborhoods,’ said Harrison Beacher, the 2022 president of the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors. ‘People were unwilling to pay as much for a tiny box.’”
The Daily Gazette. “U.S. Census Bureau estimates released this week show the slowest one-year population growth ever for the nation and indicate New York lost more residents than any other state. New York state’s population is estimated to have declined by 319,020 or 1.6% in the year. New York was second after California for largest number of people moving out of the state, an estimated 352,185.”
“‘Population growth has been slowing for years because of lower birth rates and decreasing net international migration, all while mortality rates are rising due to the aging of the nation’s population,’ said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau.”
From Swarajya. “New York’s population has now fallen below 20 million people to 19.8 million. The exodus from New York appears to be a part of long-term trend. According to estimates from the Census Bureau, 126,355 residents left New York between July 2019 and July 2020. Over 1.3 million residents have fled the state between 2010 and 2019.”
From NewJersey.com. “The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the state’s population dropped by 12,613 people between July 2020 and July 2021. ‘It’s an indication that New Jersey has to be concerned about housing costs, economic opportunities in the South compared with economic opportunities here,’ said James W. Hughes, dean emeritus of the Bloustein School of Planning and Policy at Rutgers University. ‘It also reflects declining immigration. Immigration had been our growth locomotive.’”
From KPBS. “The California Dream has long enticed people to the Golden State. But that dream could be waning. ‘Every region in the state has had entrances go down by anywhere from 25 to 45%, but we’re seeing that it’s especially pronounced in the San Francisco Bay Area,’ said Evan White, executive director of the California Policy Lab and co-author of the study.”
“San Diego County is no exception. Since the start of the pandemic, San Diego County saw a 39% decrease in the number of people moving to the region from out of state since before the pandemic. From July to September 2021, 30,000 people left San Diego for another state. Only 14,000 people moved in from another state.”
“Vanessa Houston, a renter that was forced to relocate from her El Cajon apartment, is one of the thousands that decided to leave San Diego for the East Coast. ‘I am leaving California because the price of living is very expensive,’ she said, after weeks of looking for affordable housing.”
From LA Progressive in California. “If you read the LA Times or imbibe mainstream media news, you have been treated to endless stories about smash and grab robberies of up-scale stores, as well as follow-home robberies. Meanwhile, only a few blocks away from several floors of DA’s offices, former LADWP General Manager, David Wright, pleaded guilty to Federal corruption charges. In doing so he followed the same path as former LA City Councilmembers Jose Huisar and Mitchell Englander, and current Councilmember, Mark Ridley-Thomas. Englander is already is in prison, Huisar is awaiting trial, and Ridley-Thomas has also been indicted on Federal corruption charges.”
“Needless to say, white collar crime is rampant, but of little concern to most prosecutors and local law enforcement agencies. Prominent on the laundry list of white collar crimes are stack and pack cons, a slang term for the consequences of unplanned increases in residential densities. Assisted by State laws and local up-zoning ordinances, stack and pack projects are unmonitored and disconnected from the official planning process.”
“By evading adopted planning laws and regulations, the perps can quickly case a neighborhood; acquire choice residences through third parties; evict low income tenants and demolish their affordable housing; build expensive, energy-intensive in-fill McMansions and apartments on the cleared lots; and then hightail it out of Dodge with their profits before local infrastructure fails and homeless tents become too visible. If this sounds like a scaled-up version of smash and grab robberies, you might be right, except that the haul is much larger.”
“To add insult to energy, these white collar grifters adorn themselves in the purest of motives. They claim they are building low-income housing, addressing the climate crisis, increasing transit ridership, fostering inter-generational wealth, and reversing racist housing practices. Even though their cover stories are patently false, the mainstream media uncritically repeats them.”
The Asheville Citizen Times in North Carolina. “For a couple of decades now, Asheville has been the champion of ‘best of’ lists from national publications and marketing outfits lauding the area’s natural beauty and livability. But this week? Not so much. In a Dec. 14 article titled, ‘The best and worst places to live if you only care about money,’ National Public Radio’s Planet Money notes that our fair mountain town did not fare well in a recent Stanford University study about livability and income. In fact, Asheville made three highly unfavorable lists.”
“Planet Money’s Greg Rosalsky is quick to point out, ‘There’s obviously much more to the value of living in a place than simply the size of your paycheck minus the cost of stuff you buy. Like the cultural scene, the opportunities for your kids, the crime rate, the quality of schools and bars, the proximity to hiking trails or surfing spots and so on.’”
“While Asheville has no surfing, other than unemployed people on friends’ couches, it is known for its natural beauty, a moderate climate, proximity to national and state parks, vibrant dining and beer scenes, and an overall quirky vibe. And people keep moving here in droves, whether for retirement or work.”
The Arizona Republic. “Surging housing prices, poor air quality and other big city woes have turned metro Phoenix into one of the nation’s worst destinations for retirees, according to a new report. The Valley of the Sun was renowned as a retirement haven. But among the 150 most populous U.S. metro areas, Phoenix now ranks 140th, just 10 spots from the bottom and ahead of only Albuquerque, New Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and eight cities in northern and central California. San Juan finished last.”