Are millennials under 25 in the DC area priced out of getting married, having kids, owning a home?

[Anonymous]

^ I meant aren't unlivable!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, to be fair- "unlivable" actually means something.

People are living in all of the places you mentioned.

Hence- those places are not unlivable.

So the cost of living in DC is growing and the quality of living as well but for some reason you think the city is becoming 'unlivable'? What does unlivable mean to you? Because unaffordable and unlivable are two different things.

I didn't say it was becoming unlivable. Just pointing out PP's hystrionics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, pretty much.

I graduated in 2010. Moved to DC at 21 and got 3 successive unpaid/stipend internships. Found a job for $30,000 a year. I was miserable at the place but I had no idea how poor I was. I was lucky that I found a place in Columbia Heights with a room for $500/mo and then I found a new job at $35K and decided I wanted to live in my own place in Silver Spring. Even then it was insanely tight.

After 3 years and the age of 24 I left DC and moved abroad to get work experience. I'm moving back in 2017 as a 29-year-old homeowner in Logan Circle. However that's only becaue I worked my ass off for four years to make my way into a six-figure income. I don't think that can be done from within DC unless you start off strong, say in banking. Or if you want to wait 15 years until you finally make it up the ladder.

In either case, not common.

15 years from now can you imagine how insane the cost of living will have become?

It will be unlivable.

Then the prices will decrease.

Like New York, San Francisco and Boston have? Get real.

These cities are unlivable.

Plenty of people live there though and love it. You just have to be wealthy. Unlivable is a really non-specific term. Just say unaffordable so we know what you're talking about. Because those 'unlivable' cities are seeing unprecedented growth and prosperity. Not saying its right, just the way it is. Same with DC though out of the four listed I think its technically the cheapest but I'm not sure about it versus Boston.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, pretty much.

I graduated in 2010. Moved to DC at 21 and got 3 successive unpaid/stipend internships. Found a job for $30,000 a year. I was miserable at the place but I had no idea how poor I was. I was lucky that I found a place in Columbia Heights with a room for $500/mo and then I found a new job at $35K and decided I wanted to live in my own place in Silver Spring. Even then it was insanely tight.

After 3 years and the age of 24 I left DC and moved abroad to get work experience. I'm moving back in 2017 as a 29-year-old homeowner in Logan Circle. However that's only becaue I worked my ass off for four years to make my way into a six-figure income. I don't think that can be done from within DC unless you start off strong, say in banking. Or if you want to wait 15 years until you finally make it up the ladder.

In either case, not common.

15 years from now can you imagine how insane the cost of living will have become?

It will be unlivable.

Then the prices will decrease.

Like New York, San Francisco and Boston have? Get real.

These cities are unlivable.

Plenty of people live there though and love it. You just have to be wealthy. Unlivable is a really non-specific term. Just say unaffordable so we know what you're talking about. Because those 'unlivable' cities are seeing unprecedented growth and prosperity. Not saying its right, just the way it is. Same with DC though out of the four listed I think its technically the cheapest but I'm not sure about it versus Boston.

Actually, there have been lots of talk of major change in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. NYT just had a big piece on it. It seems many people indeed find the housing crunch to be "unlivable"- as in, you cannot live there- because there are simply homes available at any kind of accessible price range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope, I think you're right. And DC has some of the highest rents in the country- much higher than, say, Los Angeles, which is a much more world-class city.

If you are going to pay that much in rent, I wouldnt pick someplace as boring and soulless as DC. There are better options.

I currently live in DC, but I was born and raised in LA. I love LA, but if you think it's more of a world class city than DC...you must be joking. You must think the movie industry makes a city "world class." More like klassy--Lol!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, pretty much.

I graduated in 2010. Moved to DC at 21 and got 3 successive unpaid/stipend internships. Found a job for $30,000 a year. I was miserable at the place but I had no idea how poor I was. I was lucky that I found a place in Columbia Heights with a room for $500/mo and then I found a new job at $35K and decided I wanted to live in my own place in Silver Spring. Even then it was insanely tight.

After 3 years and the age of 24 I left DC and moved abroad to get work experience. I'm moving back in 2017 as a 29-year-old homeowner in Logan Circle. However that's only becaue I worked my ass off for four years to make my way into a six-figure income. I don't think that can be done from within DC unless you start off strong, say in banking. Or if you want to wait 15 years until you finally make it up the ladder.

In either case, not common.

15 years from now can you imagine how insane the cost of living will have become?

It will be unlivable.

Then the prices will decrease.

Like New York, San Francisco and Boston have? Get real.

DC (proper) is becoming like NYC: it's a great place to live if you're wealthy; but it's a miserable grind if you're not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope, I think you're right. And DC has some of the highest rents in the country- much higher than, say, Los Angeles, which is a much more world-class city.

If you are going to pay that much in rent, I wouldnt pick someplace as boring and soulless as DC. There are better options.

I currently live in DC, but I was born and raised in LA. I love LA, but if you think it's more of a world class city than DC...you must be joking. You must think the movie industry makes a city "world class." More like klassy--Lol!

Huh. You really think a city which is roughly 8 times as large as DC is really less "world class"? Whatever you want to tell yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, pretty much.

I graduated in 2010. Moved to DC at 21 and got 3 successive unpaid/stipend internships. Found a job for $30,000 a year. I was miserable at the place but I had no idea how poor I was. I was lucky that I found a place in Columbia Heights with a room for $500/mo and then I found a new job at $35K and decided I wanted to live in my own place in Silver Spring. Even then it was insanely tight.

After 3 years and the age of 24 I left DC and moved abroad to get work experience. I'm moving back in 2017 as a 29-year-old homeowner in Logan Circle. However that's only becaue I worked my ass off for four years to make my way into a six-figure income. I don't think that can be done from within DC unless you start off strong, say in banking. Or if you want to wait 15 years until you finally make it up the ladder.

In either case, not common.

15 years from now can you imagine how insane the cost of living will have become?

It will be unlivable.

Then the prices will decrease.

Like New York, San Francisco and Boston have? Get real.

These cities are unlivable.

Plenty of people live there though and love it. You just have to be wealthy. Unlivable is a really non-specific term. Just say unaffordable so we know what you're talking about. Because those 'unlivable' cities are seeing unprecedented growth and prosperity. Not saying its right, just the way it is. Same with DC though out of the four listed I think its technically the cheapest but I'm not sure about it versus Boston.

Actually, there have been lots of talk of major change in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. NYT just had a big piece on it. It seems many people indeed find the housing crunch to be "unlivable"- as in, you cannot live there- because there are simply homes available at any kind of accessible price range.

Yet the cities continue to grow. YOU may not be able to afford to love there but there are things in life that each of us will find ourselves unable to do. Life's tough. They are paying a premium to love in world class cities and they are okay with it. If they aren't, presumably they move. Am I being too pragmatic for though and this notion that "major change" is going to come because some millenials are being told "not for you" when they look at price tag, I can tell you you are wrong.

[Anonymous]

Sorry about the phone typos it's late and I'm beat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We bought 600k starter home

So did we, but not at 23 and pregnant.

You know, for most people $600k is unaffordable as a starter home.

That said - for your niece, unless she's looking to settle down tomorrow, she can do what a lot of youngsters (and not so youngsters) do in DC. Live in a group house. Eat cheap food, while doing whatever it takes to keep yourself fed (I tutored LSAT for a while, for example). I would say moving to DC would be great if she has a realistic idea about what life would be like. If she expects a ritzy apartment without a job, then no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope, I think you're right. And DC has some of the highest rents in the country- much higher than, say, Los Angeles, which is a much more world-class city.

If you are going to pay that much in rent, I wouldnt pick someplace as boring and soulless as DC. There are better options.

I currently live in DC, but I was born and raised in LA. I love LA, but if you think it's more of a world class city than DC...you must be joking. You must think the movie industry makes a city "world class." More like klassy--Lol!

Huh. You really think a city which is roughly 8 times as large as DC is really less "world class"? Whatever you want to tell yourself.

So you think that population size means "more" world class? Using that logic, Dhaka, Bangladesh is more of a world city than Paris. Um...no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, to be fair- "unlivable" actually means something.

People are living in all of the places you mentioned.

Hence- those places are not unlivable.

So the cost of living in DC is growing and the quality of living as well but for some reason you think the city is becoming 'unlivable'? What does unlivable mean to you? Because unaffordable and unlivable are two different things.

The quality is growing?
Really?
MPD officer shortage.
Slow EMS responses?
Teenagers beating up random people on the street for no reason?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What 24 yr old wants to be married with kids anyway?! Your 20's is for building your career.

I got married at 24 and had my first kid at 26, third at 30. Our HHI is around 650k. We both have master's degrees and have been married for over ten years. It's stupid to pretend that only uneducated, ignorant, poor people get married in their twenties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, to be fair- "unlivable" actually means something.

People are living in all of the places you mentioned.

Hence- those places are not unlivable.

So the cost of living in DC is growing and the quality of living as well but for some reason you think the city is becoming 'unlivable'? What does unlivable mean to you? Because unaffordable and unlivable are two different things.

The quality is growing?
Really?
MPD officer shortage.
Slow EMS responses?
Teenagers beating up random people on the street for no reason?

There's no city that's an urban utopia anywhere. DC's economy, job market, and wealth has grown exponentially over the past two decades. I'm sorry its pricing some people out who think they should be able to live here but that's the name of the game.

[Anonymous]

I'm 30, but I did it all at 25. Great job in DC at 22, married at 25, first house at 23 (condo), second house at 27, first baby at 30. It's not out of reach and DH and I have never made more than 200k and made a lot less at 25.