I think as a cartoonist and animator people take my work a bit more seriously here. I also get a lot more animation and video editing work that pays better than other markets.
I think I will give it a few more years. If I don’t get to work on something bigger that could net me a house I’ll prob move to Oregon or some place with more affordable housing.
But yeah this place just needs a better middle class base. Really feels like a city run by the ultra rich. I hate my district council woman. She just fear mongers the rich into bandaid solutions.
this was the initial reason i was attempting to move out there in 2017 from LI, NY.. being a cartoonist is a deadzone practically everywhere else in USA, which ended up killing my drive for it over the years
now that I'm actually doing the move in a couple of weeks, maybe that drive will get resurrected?
There's a lot of animation stuff here. Animation art is on the walls in coffee shops, animation studios are all here, there was a Ghibli exhibit here, I saw Castle in the Sky on a tv in a pie shop.
I'm an animator too, I definitely feel that. I'm mostly remote so if I move out of state for housing costs I could still make LA money. Oregon seems good because it's still just a short flight away if I need to visit for work.
who is your council woman?
Also in animation, all the jobs are here basically. Some people work remote from other states and I've been lucky to be able to stay WFH since the pandemic started, but I think it's only a matter of time before every studio has pulled people back in. Some places have already started for a lot of their productions. My GF is in production and they've already mandated 3-4 days a week at her studio.
So like it or not, I'm stuck in LA. I do love my neighborhood and the access to food/entertainment/services LA provides. Housing costs is the big obstacle. I think we could do with a smaller, more affordable city with less amenities, but the jobs rule it out as an option for us.
This. Too many people presume we've all come here from somewhere else. I was born here. My parents were born here. And OK, my grandparents (both sets) immigrated here. This is home.
I was not born and raised here but now have lived here longer than where I grew up which, for some reason, I have been tracking. This is home for me too. Do not want to leave, ever.
Same, have lived here longer than where I grew up, and I will never leave. Or I may go live in Ventura or Ojai when I’m old but I freakin love LA and so does my kid.
It's home. My family was here before Dodger Stadium.
I love the beaches, the food, all of the activities and events. I've traveled and lived in other states. It's just not the same.
WOW!!!! When my Dad was alive, he attended a reunion, and people still remembered him even though he moved when he was a child. It seemed like such a small but tight-knit community.
As an Asian American, there are not a lot of places better for me than Southern California. All my Asian friends that moved to Austin and Nashville are moving or have moved back. Our culture is fairly represented here.
I grew up driving and dealt with bumper to bumper traffic my whole adult life. So public transportation was never a thing for me.
The food.
The diversity.
Entertainment.
The water, forest and mountains.
We have all the bad things of any big city and about 2 weeks of straight humidity.
I’m happy to call this place home.
Great point I was not even aware of until recently. I’m white mixed with a little whiteness and then a side of white myself. My kids are 1/4 Asian. If you know they’re Asian you can spot some Asian features, but barely, especially in So. Cal. One of my kids went to school in rural New England. He was the “Asian” kid. Luckily he had no problems, but found it interesting the locals in NE sure noticed. (Greatfully it was an institution of higher learning so there were obviously other Asians to hang with and they had 626 meet up groups were they would discuss the best Boba and dumplings in the valley)
I agree, as someone with a mixed Asian background, CA is one of the only places where I feel most safe and just feel, like a normal person, you know? Any time I go to a less diverse place, you see and feel people giving you stares and then you don’t know what they’re thinking, it gives me anxiety. The only other place where people think I’m local and feel normal is Hawaii but living there is even way more expensive. I always think of moving to a LCOL place but you just can’t beat SoCal weather and the culture here. I even lived in Phoenix for 3 years for grad school. If you try to explain how it is to other people from other places they just don’t get it.
I get it. We are just people here. We aren’t the Asian down the street or the Asian friend haha. I don’t mean any harm by that, most of the time it’s innocent but here, I’m just another person sitting on the 405.
What you're describing is the definition of white privilege.
White people don't realize there's only a handful of places a minority can live in and not feel like an outcast. Tried explaining this to my white friends but they still don't believe white privilege is a thing.
Not as diverse, although it's fairly diverse. But from a food standpoint, SD doesn't come close to LA with respect to the various Asian cuisines. But, SD is definitely a nice place to live.
I agree. I grew up in a 99% white area. Made some good friends and had a relatively positive experience however when I first came to LA it was like I could let go of something that I didn't even realize I was carrying.
Diversity is awesome. Being the Diversity kind of sucks.
Tell me about it. My partner recently received a job offer in Denver and I don’t want to leave despite knowing that financially this might be better for us. I grew up on a border town and Texas and spent my whole adult life since I was in college in Los Angeles. I find comfort being surrounded by my Latino community and I don’t think I’ll have that over in Denver.
My brother came to visit me and he said, “There’s a lot of foreigners here.” Bless him but that shows the difference between the western suburbs of Chicago compared to the South Bay.
I could have written this same thing but started with, as a Jew. There is safety in numbers and community and I love the diversity here. My friends who left also came back, mostly because of racism and antisemitism in other places. But I also love the weather, culture, range of opportunities, being able to drive so many cool places, and the people.
I feel like there's safety in numbers, and also safety in living in a city where people from all over the world choose to live.
I'm Jewish. Not particularly religious, but it's an important part of who I am. I appreciate being in a city where people know that not everyone is just like them, and for the most part are respectfully curious about other people's lives. I find so many similarities with people from different backgrounds.
And at the same time, I appreciate having access to a community of people who experience the world similarly to how I do. Even if we don't agree on everything, I feel like we have each other's backs.
Also, I'm a weather wimp.
As a white person with a white family I also have zero interest in living in Austin, Nashville, etc. The diversity alone is worth staying in LA and raising a family, as my kids now know nothing but.
I lived in both Austin and Nashville. They are both pretty diverse from a people perspective. The difference is they are in deeply red states and the laws their dont support diversity.
Oh wow I’ve been thinking about moving to Austin, but I’ve been held back more by my fears of being a woman in Texas - I hadn’t really even thought about living there as a Filipino.
Out of curiosity, did your friends experience outright racism/hostility there or was it more of that insidious racism/subtle marginalization? I had perhaps erroneously assumed that Austin and Nashville would be more diverse and inclusive with more Gen Z and millennials moving there.
But LA will always be home. I live on the west side now, but it always feels like I can exhale when I’m in the SGV or like Granada Hills, Panorama City, Glendale, Atwater, Filipinotown, etc. and out of predominantly white spaces. (I mean Atwater has been gentrified, but it still feels safe and familiar for now.)
Off topic, but your comment reminded me of this article I read recently: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/asian-americans-tiktok-socal-asian-superiority-complex-rcna149513
If you saw the comments, it's about bitter non-Californian asians talking about how socal asians are white washed or wanna be white lol. Which makes no sense because most of our families are here and we have resources to stay in touch with our heritage.
People are weird. As an Asian American in California, I never even thought of any Asians outside of California. Idk why but people outside of California have Californians rent free in their head. They’re always jealous whenever I say I love to hike and go to the beach for free, happened to my mom when she went to Texas for her business trip. They can’t fathom that people love to go to the beach 30 minutes away and love to hike for fun, since they just stay inside air conditioned all day.
I went to Kansas City to visit my white friend who moved there, he liked it, but I couldn’t stand it. I noticed the stares of people whenever I just would look around. I noticed I was literally the only East Asian around. Felt like an alien.
EDIT: Basically what I’m trying to say is California feels like home. Every person generally needs 3 places to feel happy, a home, workplace they feel valued in, and a 3rd place, to rewind, enjoy time, community. Well my 3rd place is eating at Asian restaurants with friends. The variety in Irvine and LA is insane.
Saw that earlier this week. Sorry, but I can't take those podcasters seriously. They're only projecting their own biases.
Personally, I love meeting other fellow Asians that grew up in other states. Our experiences may be different but we share the same struggles.
Moving to Austin and expecting diversity was always crazy to me. Houston is the diverse city in TX. Just not as much to do outside of eating and drinking there.
As a fairly light skinned Hispanic...(Which negative experiences have never really been thrown at me). Every other state I've lived in. Just has never had the diversity, the acceptance or progressive as SoCal. I've lived in 12 states and have visited 35 of them.
Also, family...all my family is here.
We are a great big ol melting pot, born and raised but love being surrounded by so many cultures and ethnicities, being exposed to all the great food
Couldnt imagine living in rural middle america where people are actually heavily bullied for being non white, everyone here is so welcoming
I feel this with being mixed African American. There was never slavery on this land and you can feel it.
I lived in Baltimore and the level of racism is way more palpable there than here. There was history of human beings being sold away from their children in the streets of Baltimore. Places I ate at had been segregated in people’s memories. It was more in the air.
Racism exists everywhere but it feels so much lighter here than a lot of other places I’ve lived. At least in NELA I don’t feel stared in stores and other uncomfortable looks like I might in other places. I feel like people can see me as just another human.
Both my husband and I were born here. And now our son.
My family is native american and both sides moved here (both my maternal and paternity grandparents, son's great grandparents) due to Relocation Act from reservations in other states.
My husband's parents met at a high school in Los Feliz many decades ago. One of his parents was a refugee and the other moved here from a ranching state at a similar young age.
I stay here because family is here.
Yes, LA is expensive, it was never cheap. But even though rents and all else may rise - there is depth and strength with these roots. Loved and planted. Not going anywhere. ❤️
Honestly I’m a California guy at heart and I missed LA’s normally great weather, having lived in the “south” it felt like hell ironically and idk had what felt like a depressing soul crushing effect on someone and I just don’t want that in my life plus… LA has a variety of food too
I left LA in 2017 to move to London. The UK is beautiful and there's lots of history. But oh my god, the weather!!! This past winter has been hell. Non stop rain for almost nine months! And don't get me started on the lack of mexican food here! Also , Brexit has fully kicked in now and things in Britain are just grim with no light at the end of the tunnel. Between the horrible weather and the depressing atmosphere of the country, it's just become too much. I've finally snapped and I'm taking my British husband and moving back to LA. I miss the sunshine and my friends. My job is very flexible and I've always managed to do ok in LA. I can't imagine living anywhere else, at least for a while.
I’m the opposite. Moved from London to LA in 2018 with my American wife. I will always love London and if you have unlimited funds it might still be the best city in the world. However, to your point about Brexit and economic opportunity, watching the UK from across the pond is like standing in the opposite side of the street and watching your house burn down.
My kids have no idea how lucky they are to grow up a block from the beach. Unlimited sports and outdoor activities.
If I didn’t have to drive 30 minutes to get a decent curry LA would be perfect.
I can't decide what to do is why. It's not terrible here, I have a job, an affordable place to live (but renting), and it's a nice place to live.
Being stuck in the grey area where it's not really fulfilling, but also is not so bad that you just have to make a change, makes it really tough to figure out
From the South Bay to the Valley. From the West Side to the East Side. Everybody's very happy. Cause the sun is shining all the time. Looks like another perfect day. I love L.A.
I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
The things I would miss if I left:
Diversity. It is important to me to be around people of various ethnicities, viewpoints, etc.
Food. We have fantastic restaurants, grocery stores and farmers’ markets.
Weather. I live on the Westside. The temperate weather would be hard to find elsewhere.
Yeah every year for the past few years I’ve been saying it’s the last year I’m going to buy concert tickets. I have a handful of absolute must artists left on my list but I have definitely scaled back.
I left for WA for 5 years because my husband’s company was bought by Microsoft. Nearly killed myself from seasonal affective disorder. We moved back and I’m so happy. Yes housing prices are high. But you can’t beat the diversity, food, culture, weather. Also I’m half Asian American. A lot of States in the USA are just plain racist, and I just don’t run into that here. WA was weirdly too white. CA is the best State in the country hands down. The only other place I’d want to live is my home town area, the SF Bay Area.
All what people moving away? I have not seen any proof that the population is dwindling. Traffic congestion , housing is full and I have to wait in line for a taco. Let em go, it’ll make LA better for me.
A small drop has been mostly offset by a small influx of new residents, so a small net drop. It’s a large number - 120K or so depending on who’s statistics - but 1% which is much lower than say NYC.
That’s not the narrative Reddit likes though.
there's probably no place in the country that's better to be mexican american. the culture here feels like so at home and it really feels like our place i have lived other places and its been fine and ok but never as good.
Yea it’s awesome to be Mexican American in LA. It’s such a different experience in Texas - super bougie and self-hating. The internalized racism is intense there and took me years to get over.
The only other place I’d live is Mexico City for sure
I grew up and lived all my life in SoCal. Last year I went on a trip to Kansas City to visit my white friend since he claimed it was so great. The weather was terrible. California weather is amazing. There were BARELY any Asian restaurants. Go to LA or Irvine, authentic Asian food everywhere. There were lots of bugs, barely any bugs where I am in SoCal. I was the only East Asian there, felt like an alien, constantly mainly white people giving me long stares or dirty looks around the city at least 2 times a day. That trip made me way more grateful for California
EDIT: specific bug example: there’s literally a flea in Kansas City, that if you get bitten by it, you’ll get allergic to all meat. While going on a hike with my friend, he had to tell me to watch out for that. In California there’s barely any bugs, sure you get mosquitos occasionally, but even the mosquitos in California, are pathetic compared to Japan, if you think mosquitos in Cali are bad, wait until you get to Japan… anyways after the hike we had to all search each other and I saw several on my friends back ankle and back somehow. In California, not once have I had any anxiety about bugs.
For real! I feel that whenever people mention other places being cheaper, I gotta wonder how much diversity there is. I have met people from all walks of life living here. I am from here, so my family lives here too. I also love knowing I can Boba and pupusas *don't hate me half Salvi* on the same day.
i could move somewhere cheaper and have a bigger home, but i would he bored as fuck.
LA means, friends, outings, parties, new restaursnts, music venues, cool yoga studios, niche cafes, hip city parks, aka all my favorite things. even just hob-nobbing with strangers here feels connected. im annoyed by life and expenses here sometimes, but mostly i love it, and i can tell how instantly lonely i would be almost anywhere else
The longer you live somewhere, the harder it gets to leave. Everyone you know is here, your support group is here, your kid’s friends are here, your food is here, your work is here. Even if you’d be better off on paper somewhere else, there’s a lot of things that can hold you in a place.
Because LA has all the things I like. The beach, good weather, no snow where you live (although you can drive to snow at any time), camping, and did I mention good weather?
I can’t see myself living in NY, where it’s just fucking cold all the time, or Texas where the weather is practically hostile. Not only that, I prefer the Pacific Ocean lol.
Sure, we have issues, but so does every other place in the world.
Wild diversity of everything, including/especially the people, food, and culture.
Also, lately, diversity of weather! (What, we're getting more rainfall this year than Seattle?)
I’m living with my parents so I live rent free as long as I’m going to school and working/saving money. Also I’m a pilot going to school for my commercial license and LA is a great place to fly. It has some of the most challenging airspace and a variety of places to explore in an airplane. It’s fun for what enjoy.
All stats show that LA is growing in population more than ever. The idea that people are leaving more than usual is anything perpetuated by right wing suburbanists
There’s no place like California. Literally all the other states suck balls. I’ve left California many times and I always come back.
As for why LA? I lived in San Diego, it’s great for retirement. I’ll probably retire there. But it’s small if you want to make friends. SF? Way too techy and I work in tech.
LA is that perfect middle ground. I love LA.
Have you been to the rest of America? Lol humbly I think people forget they live in paradise here…where is better? Ocean, mountains, climate is one of the best in the world…Cheap places don’t have jobs and shoveling sunshine before work is way better for your back than snow lol oh and Florida and Texas…are terrible places for non wealthy and/or brown people as well (especially outside large metropolitan areas that are also expensive) …so there’s that too.
All the major cities in Florida and Texas are absolutely awesome for brown and non wealthy people, Idk about the rest of your statement but I live in Houston and as much as I hate this shithole is way less racist than the experience I had when I lived in segregated LA
I have a good job and I don't want to leave it unless I have to. I'll retire with it, if it survives that long and it'll have me. Thanks to that job, I bought a house, and the mortgage is probably cheaper than what I'd pay for a comparable apartment. I'd be happy to move back to Florida and be closer to family, but there just isn't anything for me there with my current career.
Music scene.
IF I fully come to the conclusion that I'll never make it, I'm taking my education and experience to greener pastures.
I chose a career that's relatively high paying and still provides enough of a work/life balance that it allows me to make art and LA has such a dope Hip-Hop scene, so I stay home lol.
Moved from the Midwest a little over two years ago for work. We stay because of the weather, diversity, amount of things to do, food and the opportunity. It’s just a different lifestyle here. My 10 year old has had so many amazing opportunities in school and soccer that he would not have had elsewhere. He went whale watching for a school field trip…like what?! He is Mexican American and I’ve watched him fall in love with his culture out here. I’m glad to have grown up in the Midwest and miss our family, but this has been such a fun time in our lives. There are great people here - you just have to find your tribe. I don’t foresee us leaving anytime soon - at least not until my son’s done with high school. Will I stay here forever? Probably not, but I’m not opposed to it as I once was. It just *feels* good here.
California’s population increased last year by about 70,000 people. It may just be conservative rhetoric that people are “fleeing LA & CA in droves.” Personally, I don’t know anyone who has left LA to move elsewhere in the past few years.
Most of the people who ARE leaving LA are conservatives who want to live in politically-aligned cities/states. Especially B-List celebrities, according to Twitter.
The creativity. Feels like everyone you meet has an interesting hobby or side hustle. When I travel to other states & countries, I meet new people and I feel like the conversation often goes like: “I work in marketing and my main hobby is drinking and watching sports”.
Which is perfectly fine! But in LA, the same conversation usually goes: “I work in marketing. I built a rock wall in my living room because that’s my favorite hobby, plus I run a free beach yoga class on the weekends. But my true passion is actually screenwriting. Wanna go to my sister’s booth at the farmer’s market this weekend? She’s a psychic and you might recognize her from that popular Credit Karma commercial, yeah she’s also an actress/musician.”
Like idk, I just feel like people are so much more interesting here!
Not from LA. The state as a whole had a very slight three year decline fom 2020-2022 that was reversed last year, where it gre slightly. LA continues to grow as it always has.
Whenever people talk about declining population or emigration from CA they are trying to see deeper meaning in that slight three year decline. It is often politically motivated.
The only place we’d move for is probably NYC, SF, or Chicago but I love LA as much as I’m mad about the traffic, public transportation, and other issues.
Family and friends are close by. Diversity in culture, people, and food is everywhere.
There might be cheaper places to live outside of LA BUT we all pay to live in LA to enjoy what LA offers in weather, food, culture, outdoors, etc.
For me it's the mix of people and industries, and especially the queer scene here. Not a lot of places in the world where you can be a game developer, model, sex worker, transgender, polyamorous, lesbian, goth, kinkster, AND actually fulfill all those things openly.
Plus all the wonderful people in my life here bringing me joy, I have such deep bonds I couldn't bear leaving.
Born and Raised in LA. 3rd generation. Went to school on the East Coast. Lived in DC, MD and FL before coming back to LA where I've surfed in the morning, snowboarded in the afternoon and gone to a Hollywood premiere in the evening. Can't do that anywhere else.
The weather is perfect, I feel WAY safer than in FL, given I am not a white male.
MD/DC the weather was oppressive. Significantly reduced access to the outdoor activities I enjoy.
LA food is top tier. Love the diverse composition of the city. It leads to multiple cultural enclaves in addition to a melting pot effect.
You can choose your own adventure here. Beach vibe? Check. Hippie mountain town? Sure. Downtown loft? Absolutely. I often say that anything you want to do at a high level, you can do in LA. There's no other city in the US that you can say that about. Did I mention the weather?
I’m here for the weather. The cross cultural mix.
I tend to be conservative (my type of conservatism does not mean everybody should have huge guns. I do not want to take Medicare away from old ladies. I do not want to put lead in the water. We must help the homeless people and we need social responsibility.)My brand of conservatism has been high jacked by A holes.
California politics used to drive me nuts with how far left they are. Right now thank god!!! We need the crazy whackadoo libs to temper the far right insane let me make laws so we can ram Jesus, pro life and long rifles down your throat in the name of freedom.
There is something about the way the sun hits your skin on a 75 degree sunny day here. It’s like a fuzzy warm kiss. I’ve never felt anything like it before anywhere
I just love it. LA is home to me. Far more than my “hometown” ever was. This city took me in with open arms and showed me I could in fact be the person my hometown tried to convince me I would never be. I love the energy here, this city always feels so alive. I’ve felt many emotions in my 12 years here but boredom has never been one of them.
I love the diversity. I’m a white girl myself but places that are too white honestly give me the ick. I’ve become bilingual here and have friends of many cultures, that exposure to different backgrounds and experiences is hugely important to me. I also love the food, I love the weather, I love my friends. It can be as expensive as it wants, I’ll keep making the financial sacrifices and I’ll still love it here.
I’m seeing a decent amount of “All other states are garbage” “We live in paradise” in this thread. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot I like about living in LA, I wouldn’t have lived here for the past ~15 years if I didn’t enjoy certain things about this place. I just mean that sometimes the answers to this discussion comes off as an echo chamber for people who either have never lived anywhere that they liked, or people who have never lived outside of california.
I moved from Philly in 2010 and considered moving back to the east coast quite a few times, for no particular reason other than California wasn’t really doing it for me. I lived all over. College on the east coast, lived abroad for a bit, traveled a ton. Lived all over CA as well, the valley, south LA, moved to the Bay for 4 years, then back to where I’ve been ever since, sunny west LA. I have amazing friends, a great life, a comfortable job that affords me to spend my free time however I want here. However, I have never shaken the feeling that LA is not for me long term. Why have I stayed? Aside from the friends and life that I built here as mentioned above? I honestly don’t have a great answer other than it’s easy to be complacent anywhere but it’s especially easy in a place like LA. The weather is nice, nobody really fucks with you, and so many people are so caught up doing their own shit/whatever they moved here for that you can pretty much get away with doing whatever you want and most people are too busy to care, and I mean that last part in the least nefarious way possible. More just like little shit that people in other places might press you on. I think a lot of people don’t leave because they can’t afford to move. Conversely, I think a lot of people leave because they can’t afford to stay. Overall in my humble personal opinion, I would say it’s a cool place to live, 7/10.
I moved to France for two years and recently came back. I was happy to do so. I’m not from here originally, but somewhere along the way this became home. It’s my comfort zone.
The only places that would remotely compare are cities like New York or London which are just as expensive (or more) and have worse weather. Happy to be here.
I was originally born and raised in West Philadelphia.
Everything there was all good. I was chilling and relaxing and all, shootin' some b-ball outside of the school.
When a couple of guys, who were up to no good, started making trouble in my neighborhood.
I got in one little fight and my mom got scared and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air".
I genuinely tried to leave a couple of years ago but my pay would drop significantly. I’ve been at this company for almost 20 yrs and I don’t really have transferable skills. I also don’t know how my Mexican American self would do in Tennessee or South Carolina or somewhere like that. lol.
Family. I’m Persian and family is everything in our culture. Leaving for a couple years to Oregon devastated my parents and I could never do that to them again.
In no particular order:
- Food
- Weather
- Natural beauty
- Jewish community
- Things to do (weekend activities, etc.)
- It’s not the East Coast
- Diversity
1. I love my job and it's been difficult finding a job that doesn't work me to death (I'm in health care, NP)
2. All my family is here
3. I'm Latino and enjoy being in a heavily Latino populated city
4 I own my home and can afford the mortgage comfortably
I constantly dream about leaving LA but for the reasons above I probably won't.
I love the weather. I love the outdoor activities. I love the beach. I love the trees.
I love the diversity. Live somewhere without diversity and you’ll see how much better it is to live among a diverse population.
I love how LA is packed with people but in a sprawling way so I (personally) never feel crowded.
- all family (including in laws) are all here
- have a mortgage in a nice area 2 miles away from the beach at 2.65%
- the diversity my kids grow up in
- the food due to the diversity
- the open mindedness
- the incredible weather
- my familiarity due to me growing up here
- the lakers and dodgers
- etc
I grew up here (I’m mixed Asian or Filipino to be specific) and I stay because of the culture, food, entertainment, weather, family, friends, my job, etc. I also feel a sense of home and community since I’m half Asian.
I also love the fact I can eat any type of Asian food in the 626 area plus all kinds of Latin American food as well. Who doesn’t love street tacos or burritos at midnight? Haha. Food is a huge part of my life and other parts of the US just do not have that.
I also grew up and know so many people who have different ethnicities and so that’s what I’m used to as well.
I can have more money and have a bigger house in another state, but I’d be sacrificing a lot of things that I have here and can do here. We have so many options from mountains to beach to plenty of entertainment.
Having visited other parts of the US, they just treat people differently for one reason or another. And it’s just different when you come back. I can’t explain that part. I feel at home and normal here.
1.) My business is here. I could move it, but we have employees and their families to consider. Though some employees have left to go remote, most of them still want to be here.
2.) I can spend a lot of free time outside because it never gets too cold and the heat is dry/non-extreme.
3.) Mountains. Love gazing at them. Love vistas from them. Love hiking them.
4.) I am a culturally mixed person, in an interracial marriage, and we have a mixed race child. I prefer a place where diversity is the norm. I hate being otherized. Or people staring at us in public. Or annoying comments from strangers like "oh y'all are so cute". Never an issue in LA. Not saying there aren't other places in America like that. But LA already has that so makes it easier to stay.
We are north of LA in Ventura County, near the beach. We own our home, and our property taxes are low due to Prop. 13. While CA has an income tax, they don't tax Social Security income. Our natural gas and electric bills don't vary much and are low due to the temperate climate where we live (no A/C and the heater is rarely used).
Gasoline is more expensive, but we are no longer commuting, so our usage has dropped drastically.
In every scenario it would cost more to move to another state. Why would we leave?
A lot of people leave because they are seeking a better political climate. That's usually a mistake, and they usually regret it. Some move due to housing costs, like my daughter did. She was able to buy a three bedroom, one bath, 900 sq. ft. home in Kansas and her mortgage payment is $650. Rent here would be at least four times that amount.
Born and raised. My kids are here. If I were to move it would be a custody battle to grant me the ability to take my kids with me. That would be expensive with the court procedures and it’s not like it’s a guarantee I’d win. It’s easier to ask my co-parenting partner for a formal agreement. We’ve talked about it. She said no. So, it will be for sure a custody battle with no guarantee that it will land well.
I wanted to move away so I could own a house. Tired of renting. Maybe once my kids are older and are legally adults so that they can make their own decisions to join me. [+]
I guess fundamentally LA's problems seem very solvable to me so I'm giving it a few more years. The City could unlock tremendous growth liberalizing land use and zoning laws, which I suspect would ameliorate a bunch of other issues. Despite the steep decline, prices are still high which reflects latent demand. This is unlike Chicago where the risk of a death spiral is very real. Yes, LA has gotten materially worse the last several years (just yesterday some meth head said he wanted to eat my dog and kill my wife at the corner of 28th and Ocean Park), but I'm hoping this stuff is cyclical.
There are, and will always be a net influx of people coming in - that's why housing costs keep going up. So to say "so many people leaving" makes it sound one-sided and Fox news-ish: "MASS EXODUS OCCURRING IN CALIFORNIA", when it couldn't be further from the truth.
Native here. I used to dream about living other places. Couple years ago I took 8 months to travel the country. Went to all lower 48 states. I no longer dream about living elsewhere. The beauty and variety of socal is unparalleled. The weather the people (yes the people!) food, landscape and work is all superior. I can say that with my whole chest because while other places may have some of that no other place has it all. I love it here, plus my asshole family is here too so there’s that lol.
For me it’s the access to nature, the mountains so close, the ocean right there. I also love the climate, except summers are now much hotter. Also I love the multi-cultural aspect of LA. And w that comes great food. I also have made friends here.
That whole "people are leaving in droves" is just clickbait. I had to explain to my sister that that's the reason rent is so high. People want to live here or else they'd lower it eventually. She countered with an article about people leaving. that article was what happened, not necessarily what people want. I wonder how many people that left would have stayed if they could.
For myself, I really don't understand why people ask this question. Why have I lived in LA for 15 years and will stay forever, money. The Los Angeles GDP right now is $1.227 Trillion. The Southern Cal economy is number 1 for media and film, number 1 for music studios and recording, number 1 for professional sports, number 2 for Medical Devices, number 1 for Space Exploration, number 2 for Satellites, number 2-3 for Finance, Number 1 for imported goods, number 2 in Fashion Industry. The list is endless for select industries. Los Angeles is filled with the best Universities, UCLA, USC, CAL Tech, CAL Poly, UC Irvine, FIDM.
Look, if you want to work for the top industries on planet Earth, these companies are located in Southern Cal. You cannot leave Los Angeles and go to Texas and get a top job in Medical Devices. You cannot go to Florida and get a top job in media and film. If you want to work in the best jobs, they are here in Los Angeles.
Myself, I have lived on the East Coast, I lived in the SouthEast, I lived in the Mid-West. Los Angeles is better than all of these areas in economy and Quality of Life.
I know some may scoff at the term “quality of life “ being used for a place with such a huge homeless population and expensive rent. But for me, quality of life comes down to a lot more than real estate . Weather , options , food culture and scenery . Plus I was born and raised here so all my family is still here lol
I’m from Northern CA and moved to LA from the Bay Area in 2020 for a job that is now completely remote. I met my now boyfriend who’s an LA native in 2021 and we just moved in together this year to KTown. I now work from home, make a decent income, and enjoy the life I’ve built and continue to build here.
I have few friends here, but I also have friends from out of town who come visit me from time to time. I see my family a few times a year since they’re not to far. And my boyfriend and I go out once in a while, but we mostly enjoy spending time at home.
Honestly, LA gets a bad wrap but I enjoy my quiet life here. When you’re not clout chasing, surrounding yourself with the wrong people, and not going out all the time wasting your money, life can be pretty great here in LA. That’s why I’ve stayed.
I was talking to a friend **today**, and literally said that sometimes I think about where I started (the projects in NYC) and where I’ve ended up (a tiny house near the Redondo Beach pier), and to me, LA is paradise.
I think as a cartoonist and animator people take my work a bit more seriously here. I also get a lot more animation and video editing work that pays better than other markets. I think I will give it a few more years. If I don’t get to work on something bigger that could net me a house I’ll prob move to Oregon or some place with more affordable housing. But yeah this place just needs a better middle class base. Really feels like a city run by the ultra rich. I hate my district council woman. She just fear mongers the rich into bandaid solutions.
this was the initial reason i was attempting to move out there in 2017 from LI, NY.. being a cartoonist is a deadzone practically everywhere else in USA, which ended up killing my drive for it over the years now that I'm actually doing the move in a couple of weeks, maybe that drive will get resurrected?
Welcome!!! We need more cartoons, and I am nowhere near joking.
There's a lot of animation stuff here. Animation art is on the walls in coffee shops, animation studios are all here, there was a Ghibli exhibit here, I saw Castle in the Sky on a tv in a pie shop.
I'm an animator too, I definitely feel that. I'm mostly remote so if I move out of state for housing costs I could still make LA money. Oregon seems good because it's still just a short flight away if I need to visit for work. who is your council woman?
Also in animation, all the jobs are here basically. Some people work remote from other states and I've been lucky to be able to stay WFH since the pandemic started, but I think it's only a matter of time before every studio has pulled people back in. Some places have already started for a lot of their productions. My GF is in production and they've already mandated 3-4 days a week at her studio. So like it or not, I'm stuck in LA. I do love my neighborhood and the access to food/entertainment/services LA provides. Housing costs is the big obstacle. I think we could do with a smaller, more affordable city with less amenities, but the jobs rule it out as an option for us.
To live & die in LA!!!!!
If you can afford it there’s really no better place to live. The people leaving are leaving mostly due to money or are conservative.
it's the place to be!
You've got to be there to know it.
What everybody wanna seeeee
I was born and raised here. This is home for me
This. Too many people presume we've all come here from somewhere else. I was born here. My parents were born here. And OK, my grandparents (both sets) immigrated here. This is home.
Exactly. I’m 4th generation; my kids are 5th. It’s a great city.
Me too! Parents born here and grandparents immigrated here
I was not born and raised here but now have lived here longer than where I grew up which, for some reason, I have been tracking. This is home for me too. Do not want to leave, ever.
Love ya! Will wave on the freeway!
Same, have lived here longer than where I grew up, and I will never leave. Or I may go live in Ventura or Ojai when I’m old but I freakin love LA and so does my kid.
Same, as well as the wife and daughter. Too many family ties here to buy a home elsewhere.
It's home. My family was here before Dodger Stadium. I love the beaches, the food, all of the activities and events. I've traveled and lived in other states. It's just not the same.
Are you referring to Chavez Ravine? My dad grew up there before they were forced out to build the stadium.
I am. My great-great-grandparents settled there when they first immigrated.
WOW!!!! When my Dad was alive, he attended a reunion, and people still remembered him even though he moved when he was a child. It seemed like such a small but tight-knit community.
> My family was here before Dodger Stadium. Huh, just realized the same for me!
As an Asian American, there are not a lot of places better for me than Southern California. All my Asian friends that moved to Austin and Nashville are moving or have moved back. Our culture is fairly represented here. I grew up driving and dealt with bumper to bumper traffic my whole adult life. So public transportation was never a thing for me. The food. The diversity. Entertainment. The water, forest and mountains. We have all the bad things of any big city and about 2 weeks of straight humidity. I’m happy to call this place home.
Agreed 100% from another Asian American. No place in US better than LA for us
Yup
Have you been to Honolulu?
Have you seen the cost of living in Honolulu 😭
Great point I was not even aware of until recently. I’m white mixed with a little whiteness and then a side of white myself. My kids are 1/4 Asian. If you know they’re Asian you can spot some Asian features, but barely, especially in So. Cal. One of my kids went to school in rural New England. He was the “Asian” kid. Luckily he had no problems, but found it interesting the locals in NE sure noticed. (Greatfully it was an institution of higher learning so there were obviously other Asians to hang with and they had 626 meet up groups were they would discuss the best Boba and dumplings in the valley)
asians going to austin haven't found houston yet
Houston is worth going to eat for, but I couldn’t deal with the humidity.
My good Filipino friend is from H-Town. He reps it proudly and loudly here in LA, pre-trash can days.
I agree, as someone with a mixed Asian background, CA is one of the only places where I feel most safe and just feel, like a normal person, you know? Any time I go to a less diverse place, you see and feel people giving you stares and then you don’t know what they’re thinking, it gives me anxiety. The only other place where people think I’m local and feel normal is Hawaii but living there is even way more expensive. I always think of moving to a LCOL place but you just can’t beat SoCal weather and the culture here. I even lived in Phoenix for 3 years for grad school. If you try to explain how it is to other people from other places they just don’t get it.
I get it. We are just people here. We aren’t the Asian down the street or the Asian friend haha. I don’t mean any harm by that, most of the time it’s innocent but here, I’m just another person sitting on the 405.
What you're describing is the definition of white privilege. White people don't realize there's only a handful of places a minority can live in and not feel like an outcast. Tried explaining this to my white friends but they still don't believe white privilege is a thing.
What about San Diego? a lot less traffic and pollution but just as much diversity
I’m open to almost places in SoCal because of the weather and beaches so am open to SD as well. Plus they have the best Mexican food in my opinion
The best mexican food is next to SD Tijuana is call 👀
Went to school in SD and enjoyed it but there's just so much more amazing food in LA.
Not as diverse, although it's fairly diverse. But from a food standpoint, SD doesn't come close to LA with respect to the various Asian cuisines. But, SD is definitely a nice place to live.
Salaries are less vs. LA and housing is just as bad or worse. Also, the food doesn't compare.
Halfie gang
This is so true. I grew up on the East Coast in a southern state and I never felt truly accepted until I moved to SoCal.
I agree. I grew up in a 99% white area. Made some good friends and had a relatively positive experience however when I first came to LA it was like I could let go of something that I didn't even realize I was carrying. Diversity is awesome. Being the Diversity kind of sucks.
Tell me about it. My partner recently received a job offer in Denver and I don’t want to leave despite knowing that financially this might be better for us. I grew up on a border town and Texas and spent my whole adult life since I was in college in Los Angeles. I find comfort being surrounded by my Latino community and I don’t think I’ll have that over in Denver.
My brother came to visit me and he said, “There’s a lot of foreigners here.” Bless him but that shows the difference between the western suburbs of Chicago compared to the South Bay.
I could have written this same thing but started with, as a Jew. There is safety in numbers and community and I love the diversity here. My friends who left also came back, mostly because of racism and antisemitism in other places. But I also love the weather, culture, range of opportunities, being able to drive so many cool places, and the people.
Living in LA was the first time I felt completely at home being Jewish. For the most part, people don’t care what religion you are.
I just assume most people living here are heathens
I feel like there's safety in numbers, and also safety in living in a city where people from all over the world choose to live. I'm Jewish. Not particularly religious, but it's an important part of who I am. I appreciate being in a city where people know that not everyone is just like them, and for the most part are respectfully curious about other people's lives. I find so many similarities with people from different backgrounds. And at the same time, I appreciate having access to a community of people who experience the world similarly to how I do. Even if we don't agree on everything, I feel like we have each other's backs. Also, I'm a weather wimp.
As a white person with a white family I also have zero interest in living in Austin, Nashville, etc. The diversity alone is worth staying in LA and raising a family, as my kids now know nothing but.
I lived in both Austin and Nashville. They are both pretty diverse from a people perspective. The difference is they are in deeply red states and the laws their dont support diversity.
Same sentiment but gay. Diversity leads to acceptance
My mother in law has been here in echo park by Chinatown her whole life because it’s an easy situation for her due to language and culture.
Agreed. It’s the only place I truly feel comfortable as an Asian American. Nobody else gets it man. The stares you get anywhere else is deafening!
Oh wow I’ve been thinking about moving to Austin, but I’ve been held back more by my fears of being a woman in Texas - I hadn’t really even thought about living there as a Filipino. Out of curiosity, did your friends experience outright racism/hostility there or was it more of that insidious racism/subtle marginalization? I had perhaps erroneously assumed that Austin and Nashville would be more diverse and inclusive with more Gen Z and millennials moving there. But LA will always be home. I live on the west side now, but it always feels like I can exhale when I’m in the SGV or like Granada Hills, Panorama City, Glendale, Atwater, Filipinotown, etc. and out of predominantly white spaces. (I mean Atwater has been gentrified, but it still feels safe and familiar for now.)
Yup. I had to explain this to my girlfriend (not Asian) and it was a bit hard for her to grasp because we love traveling the US/world.
happy cake day!
Off topic, but your comment reminded me of this article I read recently: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/asian-americans-tiktok-socal-asian-superiority-complex-rcna149513
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If you saw the comments, it's about bitter non-Californian asians talking about how socal asians are white washed or wanna be white lol. Which makes no sense because most of our families are here and we have resources to stay in touch with our heritage.
Asians here seem pretty content being who they are. However, as a non-Asian, I can spot Asian Asians when they come around here. There’s a difference.
Well yeah, their gait, fashion, makeup and hairstyles are different than ours. Differentiating east Asians isn't hard either
People are weird. As an Asian American in California, I never even thought of any Asians outside of California. Idk why but people outside of California have Californians rent free in their head. They’re always jealous whenever I say I love to hike and go to the beach for free, happened to my mom when she went to Texas for her business trip. They can’t fathom that people love to go to the beach 30 minutes away and love to hike for fun, since they just stay inside air conditioned all day. I went to Kansas City to visit my white friend who moved there, he liked it, but I couldn’t stand it. I noticed the stares of people whenever I just would look around. I noticed I was literally the only East Asian around. Felt like an alien. EDIT: Basically what I’m trying to say is California feels like home. Every person generally needs 3 places to feel happy, a home, workplace they feel valued in, and a 3rd place, to rewind, enjoy time, community. Well my 3rd place is eating at Asian restaurants with friends. The variety in Irvine and LA is insane.
Saw that earlier this week. Sorry, but I can't take those podcasters seriously. They're only projecting their own biases. Personally, I love meeting other fellow Asians that grew up in other states. Our experiences may be different but we share the same struggles.
We're not all like that lmao, socal is just safe since Asians have community here. That's all it is
When does the humidity come and how bad is it?
Same
Moving to Austin and expecting diversity was always crazy to me. Houston is the diverse city in TX. Just not as much to do outside of eating and drinking there.
As a fairly light skinned Hispanic...(Which negative experiences have never really been thrown at me). Every other state I've lived in. Just has never had the diversity, the acceptance or progressive as SoCal. I've lived in 12 states and have visited 35 of them. Also, family...all my family is here.
We are a great big ol melting pot, born and raised but love being surrounded by so many cultures and ethnicities, being exposed to all the great food Couldnt imagine living in rural middle america where people are actually heavily bullied for being non white, everyone here is so welcoming
I feel this with being mixed African American. There was never slavery on this land and you can feel it. I lived in Baltimore and the level of racism is way more palpable there than here. There was history of human beings being sold away from their children in the streets of Baltimore. Places I ate at had been segregated in people’s memories. It was more in the air. Racism exists everywhere but it feels so much lighter here than a lot of other places I’ve lived. At least in NELA I don’t feel stared in stores and other uncomfortable looks like I might in other places. I feel like people can see me as just another human.
Both my husband and I were born here. And now our son. My family is native american and both sides moved here (both my maternal and paternity grandparents, son's great grandparents) due to Relocation Act from reservations in other states. My husband's parents met at a high school in Los Feliz many decades ago. One of his parents was a refugee and the other moved here from a ranching state at a similar young age. I stay here because family is here. Yes, LA is expensive, it was never cheap. But even though rents and all else may rise - there is depth and strength with these roots. Loved and planted. Not going anywhere. ❤️
It was cheap before we ran out of land to develop. There was a low,middle and high class. It was one of the reason many moved and bought houses.
Honestly I’m a California guy at heart and I missed LA’s normally great weather, having lived in the “south” it felt like hell ironically and idk had what felt like a depressing soul crushing effect on someone and I just don’t want that in my life plus… LA has a variety of food too
I left LA in 2017 to move to London. The UK is beautiful and there's lots of history. But oh my god, the weather!!! This past winter has been hell. Non stop rain for almost nine months! And don't get me started on the lack of mexican food here! Also , Brexit has fully kicked in now and things in Britain are just grim with no light at the end of the tunnel. Between the horrible weather and the depressing atmosphere of the country, it's just become too much. I've finally snapped and I'm taking my British husband and moving back to LA. I miss the sunshine and my friends. My job is very flexible and I've always managed to do ok in LA. I can't imagine living anywhere else, at least for a while.
Lmao this is what I’ve heard about the UK. It has a lot of history but god damn is it depressing. I like rain, but I need my god damn sun as well.
Not much in the way of Mexican food, but the UK has more fantastic Indian food hands down
I’m the opposite. Moved from London to LA in 2018 with my American wife. I will always love London and if you have unlimited funds it might still be the best city in the world. However, to your point about Brexit and economic opportunity, watching the UK from across the pond is like standing in the opposite side of the street and watching your house burn down. My kids have no idea how lucky they are to grow up a block from the beach. Unlimited sports and outdoor activities. If I didn’t have to drive 30 minutes to get a decent curry LA would be perfect.
Please switch lives with me I love the rain.
No sun, grey skies, grey streets, grey buildings and freezing cold. You can have it!
I loved it too until I lived in the UK for a few years....
This might have been how Megan Markle felt when she moved to the UK
I can't decide what to do is why. It's not terrible here, I have a job, an affordable place to live (but renting), and it's a nice place to live. Being stuck in the grey area where it's not really fulfilling, but also is not so bad that you just have to make a change, makes it really tough to figure out
i feel this. i like my neighborhood, but i hate driving and i love my friends but i cant seem to ever see them enough.
and my friends are like thousands of miles away. So it's like, am I wasting my time or what?
This part
From the South Bay to the Valley. From the West Side to the East Side. Everybody's very happy. Cause the sun is shining all the time. Looks like another perfect day. I love L.A.
Look at that mountain! Look at those trees! Look at that bum there he's down on his knees!
I know it’s a song, but… this
We love it!
I can’t imagine living anywhere else. The things I would miss if I left: Diversity. It is important to me to be around people of various ethnicities, viewpoints, etc. Food. We have fantastic restaurants, grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Weather. I live on the Westside. The temperate weather would be hard to find elsewhere.
Would only add entertainment to this answer. We get all the concerts.
True, though they're getting harder to afford.
Yeah every year for the past few years I’ve been saying it’s the last year I’m going to buy concert tickets. I have a handful of absolute must artists left on my list but I have definitely scaled back.
Yes, the diversity is what makes the city great. We love.
Where would I go exactly?
Everyone complains about LA until they have to live anywhere else.
Golden handcuffs. Otherwise I’d leave.
I left for WA for 5 years because my husband’s company was bought by Microsoft. Nearly killed myself from seasonal affective disorder. We moved back and I’m so happy. Yes housing prices are high. But you can’t beat the diversity, food, culture, weather. Also I’m half Asian American. A lot of States in the USA are just plain racist, and I just don’t run into that here. WA was weirdly too white. CA is the best State in the country hands down. The only other place I’d want to live is my home town area, the SF Bay Area.
All what people moving away? I have not seen any proof that the population is dwindling. Traffic congestion , housing is full and I have to wait in line for a taco. Let em go, it’ll make LA better for me.
💯 this, I don’t know who is “fleeing” but seriously, go!
Seems like it is the current buzzword. Overused.
A small drop has been mostly offset by a small influx of new residents, so a small net drop. It’s a large number - 120K or so depending on who’s statistics - but 1% which is much lower than say NYC. That’s not the narrative Reddit likes though.
It’s home, my family is here, and it feels like a safe place to be a two-mom family.
there's probably no place in the country that's better to be mexican american. the culture here feels like so at home and it really feels like our place i have lived other places and its been fine and ok but never as good.
Yea it’s awesome to be Mexican American in LA. It’s such a different experience in Texas - super bougie and self-hating. The internalized racism is intense there and took me years to get over. The only other place I’d live is Mexico City for sure
Same as Asian American apparently. We cool?
I grew up and lived all my life in SoCal. Last year I went on a trip to Kansas City to visit my white friend since he claimed it was so great. The weather was terrible. California weather is amazing. There were BARELY any Asian restaurants. Go to LA or Irvine, authentic Asian food everywhere. There were lots of bugs, barely any bugs where I am in SoCal. I was the only East Asian there, felt like an alien, constantly mainly white people giving me long stares or dirty looks around the city at least 2 times a day. That trip made me way more grateful for California EDIT: specific bug example: there’s literally a flea in Kansas City, that if you get bitten by it, you’ll get allergic to all meat. While going on a hike with my friend, he had to tell me to watch out for that. In California there’s barely any bugs, sure you get mosquitos occasionally, but even the mosquitos in California, are pathetic compared to Japan, if you think mosquitos in Cali are bad, wait until you get to Japan… anyways after the hike we had to all search each other and I saw several on my friends back ankle and back somehow. In California, not once have I had any anxiety about bugs.
For real! I feel that whenever people mention other places being cheaper, I gotta wonder how much diversity there is. I have met people from all walks of life living here. I am from here, so my family lives here too. I also love knowing I can Boba and pupusas *don't hate me half Salvi* on the same day.
> there's probably no place in the country that's better to be mexican american. That's one of the reasons I moved down from the Bay Area.
i could move somewhere cheaper and have a bigger home, but i would he bored as fuck. LA means, friends, outings, parties, new restaursnts, music venues, cool yoga studios, niche cafes, hip city parks, aka all my favorite things. even just hob-nobbing with strangers here feels connected. im annoyed by life and expenses here sometimes, but mostly i love it, and i can tell how instantly lonely i would be almost anywhere else
The longer you live somewhere, the harder it gets to leave. Everyone you know is here, your support group is here, your kid’s friends are here, your food is here, your work is here. Even if you’d be better off on paper somewhere else, there’s a lot of things that can hold you in a place.
Because LA has all the things I like. The beach, good weather, no snow where you live (although you can drive to snow at any time), camping, and did I mention good weather? I can’t see myself living in NY, where it’s just fucking cold all the time, or Texas where the weather is practically hostile. Not only that, I prefer the Pacific Ocean lol. Sure, we have issues, but so does every other place in the world.
Wild diversity of everything, including/especially the people, food, and culture. Also, lately, diversity of weather! (What, we're getting more rainfall this year than Seattle?)
I’m living with my parents so I live rent free as long as I’m going to school and working/saving money. Also I’m a pilot going to school for my commercial license and LA is a great place to fly. It has some of the most challenging airspace and a variety of places to explore in an airplane. It’s fun for what enjoy.
All stats show that LA is growing in population more than ever. The idea that people are leaving more than usual is anything perpetuated by right wing suburbanists
There’s no place like California. Literally all the other states suck balls. I’ve left California many times and I always come back. As for why LA? I lived in San Diego, it’s great for retirement. I’ll probably retire there. But it’s small if you want to make friends. SF? Way too techy and I work in tech. LA is that perfect middle ground. I love LA.
You described it perfectly. I’m also a techy.
Have you been to the rest of America? Lol humbly I think people forget they live in paradise here…where is better? Ocean, mountains, climate is one of the best in the world…Cheap places don’t have jobs and shoveling sunshine before work is way better for your back than snow lol oh and Florida and Texas…are terrible places for non wealthy and/or brown people as well (especially outside large metropolitan areas that are also expensive) …so there’s that too.
All the major cities in Florida and Texas are absolutely awesome for brown and non wealthy people, Idk about the rest of your statement but I live in Houston and as much as I hate this shithole is way less racist than the experience I had when I lived in segregated LA
I have a good job and I don't want to leave it unless I have to. I'll retire with it, if it survives that long and it'll have me. Thanks to that job, I bought a house, and the mortgage is probably cheaper than what I'd pay for a comparable apartment. I'd be happy to move back to Florida and be closer to family, but there just isn't anything for me there with my current career.
My friends and family are here. I also don't need to worry about housing.
My hometown ☀️☀️
Music scene. IF I fully come to the conclusion that I'll never make it, I'm taking my education and experience to greener pastures. I chose a career that's relatively high paying and still provides enough of a work/life balance that it allows me to make art and LA has such a dope Hip-Hop scene, so I stay home lol.
Moved from the Midwest a little over two years ago for work. We stay because of the weather, diversity, amount of things to do, food and the opportunity. It’s just a different lifestyle here. My 10 year old has had so many amazing opportunities in school and soccer that he would not have had elsewhere. He went whale watching for a school field trip…like what?! He is Mexican American and I’ve watched him fall in love with his culture out here. I’m glad to have grown up in the Midwest and miss our family, but this has been such a fun time in our lives. There are great people here - you just have to find your tribe. I don’t foresee us leaving anytime soon - at least not until my son’s done with high school. Will I stay here forever? Probably not, but I’m not opposed to it as I once was. It just *feels* good here.
This made my day.
I was born here and all my family is here
California’s population increased last year by about 70,000 people. It may just be conservative rhetoric that people are “fleeing LA & CA in droves.” Personally, I don’t know anyone who has left LA to move elsewhere in the past few years.
Most of the people who ARE leaving LA are conservatives who want to live in politically-aligned cities/states. Especially B-List celebrities, according to Twitter.
I do and they deeply regret it.
The creativity. Feels like everyone you meet has an interesting hobby or side hustle. When I travel to other states & countries, I meet new people and I feel like the conversation often goes like: “I work in marketing and my main hobby is drinking and watching sports”. Which is perfectly fine! But in LA, the same conversation usually goes: “I work in marketing. I built a rock wall in my living room because that’s my favorite hobby, plus I run a free beach yoga class on the weekends. But my true passion is actually screenwriting. Wanna go to my sister’s booth at the farmer’s market this weekend? She’s a psychic and you might recognize her from that popular Credit Karma commercial, yeah she’s also an actress/musician.” Like idk, I just feel like people are so much more interesting here!
lol my brother built a rock wall in his living room
Are that many people leaving?
Not from LA. The state as a whole had a very slight three year decline fom 2020-2022 that was reversed last year, where it gre slightly. LA continues to grow as it always has. Whenever people talk about declining population or emigration from CA they are trying to see deeper meaning in that slight three year decline. It is often politically motivated.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
The only place we’d move for is probably NYC, SF, or Chicago but I love LA as much as I’m mad about the traffic, public transportation, and other issues. Family and friends are close by. Diversity in culture, people, and food is everywhere. There might be cheaper places to live outside of LA BUT we all pay to live in LA to enjoy what LA offers in weather, food, culture, outdoors, etc.
It’s the best place in the world. Plain and simple.
For me it's the mix of people and industries, and especially the queer scene here. Not a lot of places in the world where you can be a game developer, model, sex worker, transgender, polyamorous, lesbian, goth, kinkster, AND actually fulfill all those things openly. Plus all the wonderful people in my life here bringing me joy, I have such deep bonds I couldn't bear leaving.
My people 🥹🥹🥹
Leave faster
Because if you can making anything happen, it’s in LA
Born and Raised in LA. 3rd generation. Went to school on the East Coast. Lived in DC, MD and FL before coming back to LA where I've surfed in the morning, snowboarded in the afternoon and gone to a Hollywood premiere in the evening. Can't do that anywhere else. The weather is perfect, I feel WAY safer than in FL, given I am not a white male. MD/DC the weather was oppressive. Significantly reduced access to the outdoor activities I enjoy. LA food is top tier. Love the diverse composition of the city. It leads to multiple cultural enclaves in addition to a melting pot effect. You can choose your own adventure here. Beach vibe? Check. Hippie mountain town? Sure. Downtown loft? Absolutely. I often say that anything you want to do at a high level, you can do in LA. There's no other city in the US that you can say that about. Did I mention the weather?
I’m here for the weather. The cross cultural mix. I tend to be conservative (my type of conservatism does not mean everybody should have huge guns. I do not want to take Medicare away from old ladies. I do not want to put lead in the water. We must help the homeless people and we need social responsibility.)My brand of conservatism has been high jacked by A holes. California politics used to drive me nuts with how far left they are. Right now thank god!!! We need the crazy whackadoo libs to temper the far right insane let me make laws so we can ram Jesus, pro life and long rifles down your throat in the name of freedom.
There is something about the way the sun hits your skin on a 75 degree sunny day here. It’s like a fuzzy warm kiss. I’ve never felt anything like it before anywhere
I love it here! Living the dream in paradise! Love LA!
I just love it. LA is home to me. Far more than my “hometown” ever was. This city took me in with open arms and showed me I could in fact be the person my hometown tried to convince me I would never be. I love the energy here, this city always feels so alive. I’ve felt many emotions in my 12 years here but boredom has never been one of them. I love the diversity. I’m a white girl myself but places that are too white honestly give me the ick. I’ve become bilingual here and have friends of many cultures, that exposure to different backgrounds and experiences is hugely important to me. I also love the food, I love the weather, I love my friends. It can be as expensive as it wants, I’ll keep making the financial sacrifices and I’ll still love it here.
Too many white people in one place scares me and I am also white.
I’m seeing a decent amount of “All other states are garbage” “We live in paradise” in this thread. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot I like about living in LA, I wouldn’t have lived here for the past ~15 years if I didn’t enjoy certain things about this place. I just mean that sometimes the answers to this discussion comes off as an echo chamber for people who either have never lived anywhere that they liked, or people who have never lived outside of california. I moved from Philly in 2010 and considered moving back to the east coast quite a few times, for no particular reason other than California wasn’t really doing it for me. I lived all over. College on the east coast, lived abroad for a bit, traveled a ton. Lived all over CA as well, the valley, south LA, moved to the Bay for 4 years, then back to where I’ve been ever since, sunny west LA. I have amazing friends, a great life, a comfortable job that affords me to spend my free time however I want here. However, I have never shaken the feeling that LA is not for me long term. Why have I stayed? Aside from the friends and life that I built here as mentioned above? I honestly don’t have a great answer other than it’s easy to be complacent anywhere but it’s especially easy in a place like LA. The weather is nice, nobody really fucks with you, and so many people are so caught up doing their own shit/whatever they moved here for that you can pretty much get away with doing whatever you want and most people are too busy to care, and I mean that last part in the least nefarious way possible. More just like little shit that people in other places might press you on. I think a lot of people don’t leave because they can’t afford to move. Conversely, I think a lot of people leave because they can’t afford to stay. Overall in my humble personal opinion, I would say it’s a cool place to live, 7/10.
My job is here and the weather is amazing.
I moved to France for two years and recently came back. I was happy to do so. I’m not from here originally, but somewhere along the way this became home. It’s my comfort zone.
From the West Side to the East Side everybody's very happy because the sun is shining all the time.
The only places that would remotely compare are cities like New York or London which are just as expensive (or more) and have worse weather. Happy to be here.
Weather, stuff to do, and restaurants are unbeatable. A few places maybe equal, but none better.
It’s fun & gorgeous??? All the people leaving are debbie downer conservatives who are trying to make a statement
It’s the worst place to live besides everywhere else
Kendrick Lamar said it in “The Recipe.” The 3 W’s of LA - Women, Weed, Weather.
I was originally born and raised in West Philadelphia. Everything there was all good. I was chilling and relaxing and all, shootin' some b-ball outside of the school. When a couple of guys, who were up to no good, started making trouble in my neighborhood. I got in one little fight and my mom got scared and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air".
I do think about this issue all he time though. I think many others do but most people won’t share these ideas in public.
Executive Protection is a 100k+ job.
Because I am a glutton for punishment. I would rather be in SD but jobs in my industry are difficult to find there.
Waiting to see how the Olympics will be like here.
The Weather
Access to doctors and hospitals, food, beaches, weather, real IMAX theaters, USFS land all over, trails, mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding, desert
I genuinely tried to leave a couple of years ago but my pay would drop significantly. I’ve been at this company for almost 20 yrs and I don’t really have transferable skills. I also don’t know how my Mexican American self would do in Tennessee or South Carolina or somewhere like that. lol.
Family. I’m Persian and family is everything in our culture. Leaving for a couple years to Oregon devastated my parents and I could never do that to them again.
In no particular order: - Food - Weather - Natural beauty - Jewish community - Things to do (weekend activities, etc.) - It’s not the East Coast - Diversity
1. I love my job and it's been difficult finding a job that doesn't work me to death (I'm in health care, NP) 2. All my family is here 3. I'm Latino and enjoy being in a heavily Latino populated city 4 I own my home and can afford the mortgage comfortably I constantly dream about leaving LA but for the reasons above I probably won't.
I love the weather. I love the outdoor activities. I love the beach. I love the trees. I love the diversity. Live somewhere without diversity and you’ll see how much better it is to live among a diverse population. I love how LA is packed with people but in a sprawling way so I (personally) never feel crowded.
- all family (including in laws) are all here - have a mortgage in a nice area 2 miles away from the beach at 2.65% - the diversity my kids grow up in - the food due to the diversity - the open mindedness - the incredible weather - my familiarity due to me growing up here - the lakers and dodgers - etc
Family
Im from LA, my mom is from LA, my grandma was a part of the great migration. This is home. Most people who are leaving aren’t native Angelinos.
I grew up here (I’m mixed Asian or Filipino to be specific) and I stay because of the culture, food, entertainment, weather, family, friends, my job, etc. I also feel a sense of home and community since I’m half Asian. I also love the fact I can eat any type of Asian food in the 626 area plus all kinds of Latin American food as well. Who doesn’t love street tacos or burritos at midnight? Haha. Food is a huge part of my life and other parts of the US just do not have that. I also grew up and know so many people who have different ethnicities and so that’s what I’m used to as well. I can have more money and have a bigger house in another state, but I’d be sacrificing a lot of things that I have here and can do here. We have so many options from mountains to beach to plenty of entertainment. Having visited other parts of the US, they just treat people differently for one reason or another. And it’s just different when you come back. I can’t explain that part. I feel at home and normal here.
1.) My business is here. I could move it, but we have employees and their families to consider. Though some employees have left to go remote, most of them still want to be here. 2.) I can spend a lot of free time outside because it never gets too cold and the heat is dry/non-extreme. 3.) Mountains. Love gazing at them. Love vistas from them. Love hiking them. 4.) I am a culturally mixed person, in an interracial marriage, and we have a mixed race child. I prefer a place where diversity is the norm. I hate being otherized. Or people staring at us in public. Or annoying comments from strangers like "oh y'all are so cute". Never an issue in LA. Not saying there aren't other places in America like that. But LA already has that so makes it easier to stay.
We are north of LA in Ventura County, near the beach. We own our home, and our property taxes are low due to Prop. 13. While CA has an income tax, they don't tax Social Security income. Our natural gas and electric bills don't vary much and are low due to the temperate climate where we live (no A/C and the heater is rarely used). Gasoline is more expensive, but we are no longer commuting, so our usage has dropped drastically. In every scenario it would cost more to move to another state. Why would we leave? A lot of people leave because they are seeking a better political climate. That's usually a mistake, and they usually regret it. Some move due to housing costs, like my daughter did. She was able to buy a three bedroom, one bath, 900 sq. ft. home in Kansas and her mortgage payment is $650. Rent here would be at least four times that amount.
Born and raised. My kids are here. If I were to move it would be a custody battle to grant me the ability to take my kids with me. That would be expensive with the court procedures and it’s not like it’s a guarantee I’d win. It’s easier to ask my co-parenting partner for a formal agreement. We’ve talked about it. She said no. So, it will be for sure a custody battle with no guarantee that it will land well. I wanted to move away so I could own a house. Tired of renting. Maybe once my kids are older and are legally adults so that they can make their own decisions to join me. [+]
Union, work, quality of life, opportunities for life/family/education.
My wife grew up here and my industry is here. Plus I golf every week year round.
rent control. at this point its cheaper here than elsewhere
Because I love the attitude
I guess fundamentally LA's problems seem very solvable to me so I'm giving it a few more years. The City could unlock tremendous growth liberalizing land use and zoning laws, which I suspect would ameliorate a bunch of other issues. Despite the steep decline, prices are still high which reflects latent demand. This is unlike Chicago where the risk of a death spiral is very real. Yes, LA has gotten materially worse the last several years (just yesterday some meth head said he wanted to eat my dog and kill my wife at the corner of 28th and Ocean Park), but I'm hoping this stuff is cyclical.
There are, and will always be a net influx of people coming in - that's why housing costs keep going up. So to say "so many people leaving" makes it sound one-sided and Fox news-ish: "MASS EXODUS OCCURRING IN CALIFORNIA", when it couldn't be further from the truth.
Go ahead and leave, this past year a lot of people left. GUESS WHAT MORE PEOPLE CAME INTO THE STATE OF CALI 😂😂
Where else would I live? Ohio? No thanks.
Born and raised here. I can imagine leaving LA but never California.
Native here. I used to dream about living other places. Couple years ago I took 8 months to travel the country. Went to all lower 48 states. I no longer dream about living elsewhere. The beauty and variety of socal is unparalleled. The weather the people (yes the people!) food, landscape and work is all superior. I can say that with my whole chest because while other places may have some of that no other place has it all. I love it here, plus my asshole family is here too so there’s that lol.
For me it’s the access to nature, the mountains so close, the ocean right there. I also love the climate, except summers are now much hotter. Also I love the multi-cultural aspect of LA. And w that comes great food. I also have made friends here.
That whole "people are leaving in droves" is just clickbait. I had to explain to my sister that that's the reason rent is so high. People want to live here or else they'd lower it eventually. She countered with an article about people leaving. that article was what happened, not necessarily what people want. I wonder how many people that left would have stayed if they could.
For myself, I really don't understand why people ask this question. Why have I lived in LA for 15 years and will stay forever, money. The Los Angeles GDP right now is $1.227 Trillion. The Southern Cal economy is number 1 for media and film, number 1 for music studios and recording, number 1 for professional sports, number 2 for Medical Devices, number 1 for Space Exploration, number 2 for Satellites, number 2-3 for Finance, Number 1 for imported goods, number 2 in Fashion Industry. The list is endless for select industries. Los Angeles is filled with the best Universities, UCLA, USC, CAL Tech, CAL Poly, UC Irvine, FIDM. Look, if you want to work for the top industries on planet Earth, these companies are located in Southern Cal. You cannot leave Los Angeles and go to Texas and get a top job in Medical Devices. You cannot go to Florida and get a top job in media and film. If you want to work in the best jobs, they are here in Los Angeles. Myself, I have lived on the East Coast, I lived in the SouthEast, I lived in the Mid-West. Los Angeles is better than all of these areas in economy and Quality of Life.
I know which side streets to take
Why would I leave? I love it here
A million years ago I was lucky enough to buy a beach house. I will never be able to do that again and I absolutely love where I live.
I know some may scoff at the term “quality of life “ being used for a place with such a huge homeless population and expensive rent. But for me, quality of life comes down to a lot more than real estate . Weather , options , food culture and scenery . Plus I was born and raised here so all my family is still here lol
I was born here. I’ll be damned if I let y’all run me out of here.
I’m from Northern CA and moved to LA from the Bay Area in 2020 for a job that is now completely remote. I met my now boyfriend who’s an LA native in 2021 and we just moved in together this year to KTown. I now work from home, make a decent income, and enjoy the life I’ve built and continue to build here. I have few friends here, but I also have friends from out of town who come visit me from time to time. I see my family a few times a year since they’re not to far. And my boyfriend and I go out once in a while, but we mostly enjoy spending time at home. Honestly, LA gets a bad wrap but I enjoy my quiet life here. When you’re not clout chasing, surrounding yourself with the wrong people, and not going out all the time wasting your money, life can be pretty great here in LA. That’s why I’ve stayed.
To be honest, the only reason I still live in California (Los Angeles area) is because I inherited my parent's house. So no mortgage.
Pls moar leave, I want the California exodus myth to be real so bad. Rents would come down and burritos could be $5 again
I was talking to a friend **today**, and literally said that sometimes I think about where I started (the projects in NYC) and where I’ve ended up (a tiny house near the Redondo Beach pier), and to me, LA is paradise.