NYTimes: College educated workers are leaving DC due to high housing costs

[Anonymous]

As a single I loved in NYC at height of crime and loved it. Today it sucks.

I could get hookers, coke, go to after hours bars, a rub and tug, illegal free cable box, play blackjack all on my block!

[Anonymous]

Being childless and being in the city is fun. Not so much when you have kids.

However, even childless young adults want their money to go farther. NYC, SF, LA.. too expensive. Young adults also want to be able to save money, and maybe one day start a family. Very hard to do that in an expensive area.

I used to live in SF area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

No. I live in a rural town and there is none of the following here or within 90 minutes of me: stores such as Lululemon, Apple, Athleta, Nordstrom, Coach and also Whole Foods, Equinox, Lifetime Fitness, Trader Joe’s, Soulcycle, Justsalad, Sweetgreen and Cava.

Every single one of these things that isn’t edible is available more conveniently online, and my smaller town has a better organic market and much better artisanal restaurants than Sweetgreen and Cava lol.

What smaller town can support an organic market?? This most be a vacation destination. Real rural towns don’t have organic markets, they have a section in Walmart. .

This is just untrue. I lived in a very rural town that had an organic co-op.

You should get out once in a while.

It’s interesting to read comments where posters think rural areas don’t have organic markets. This must be why these people stay in a city with carjackings, looting etc. They truly don’t understand what other locations have to offer.

It depends on the rural area. You can have rich horse country and you can have Appalachian poverty and everything in between. I have rural family who were excited to get a super Walmart. They do not have organic markets, but they do not care. I have other family living year round near a ski resort that have amenities nicer than most major cities.

+1

One of the reasons I do not understand randoms who post "where should we move/buy and extra house/whatever" - because we don't not know your context/point of reference/upbringing. The people asking could be the Beverly Hillbillies, for all we know. Do your own research, people. Walmart might be posh to you, and that is okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

The article doesn't say that college educated workers are leaving DC for rural areas and suburbs. It says they are leaving DC and environs for other cities.

The people in question want to live in a city, they just want to live in a city they can actually afford. They are not moving to Frederick or La Plata County, Maryland. They are moving to Philadelphia, Denver, Minneapolis, Nashville, etc. -- cities with many of the same amenities as DC but cheaper housing and an overall lower cost of living.

It’s a good thing to have college educated people spreading out across the country. It might help to decrease some of the polarization between red state/ blue state.

Now this is an excellent point

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

No. I live in a rural town and there is none of the following here or within 90 minutes of me: stores such as Lululemon, Apple, Athleta, Nordstrom, Coach and also Whole Foods, Equinox, Lifetime Fitness, Trader Joe’s, Soulcycle, Justsalad, Sweetgreen and Cava.

Every single one of these things that isn’t edible is available more conveniently online, and my smaller town has a better organic market and much better artisanal restaurants than Sweetgreen and Cava lol.

What smaller town can support an organic market?? This most be a vacation destination. Real rural towns don’t have organic markets, they have a section in Walmart. .

Lovettsville VA is about to open its own co-op grocery store, with an emphasis on locally sourced products, in a really nice new building:

https://lovettsville-grocery.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

Haha. No, they haven’t caught up.

I go by the "Costco index".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

Yeah the Smithsonian is opening in rural towns and cities nationwide.

25 year olds do not care about museums.

+1


Sorry but there’s nothing in DC that I really want or need to have. Monuments and museums are fun, like once every 5 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

Yeah the Smithsonian is opening in rural towns and cities nationwide.

😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

Yeah the Smithsonian is opening in rural towns and cities nationwide.

25 year olds do not care about museums.

Neither do they care about schools or formal dinning rooms. They tend to care about walkability and things to do.

[Anonymous]

Its not easy for college grads to find a job in DC and afford COL. Most good jobs here require grad or professional degree and some experience. If you've student or credit debt, you can't afford housing in decent urban neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

Yeah the Smithsonian is opening in rural towns and cities nationwide.

25 year olds do not care about museums.

Neither do they care about schools or formal dining rooms. They tend to care about walkability and things to do.

'

My young adult children go in to DC to eat out, go to the Waterfront, Urban Market, festivals, MUSEUMS at times!!, frisbee on the wall, biking. I do not see them moving to a rural or even exurb area. One really wants to move to Boston but has not found the right job yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

No. I live in a rural town and there is none of the following here or within 90 minutes of me: stores such as Lululemon, Apple, Athleta, Nordstrom, Coach and also Whole Foods, Equinox, Lifetime Fitness, Trader Joe’s, Soulcycle, Justsalad, Sweetgreen and Cava.

Amazon ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just cheaper housing. It’s better schools, less crime and fewer homeless people.

Not to mention rural, towns and suburbs have caught up in terms of dining, gyms and other amenities. You no longer need to live in a city for access to these things.

No. I live in a rural town and there is none of the following here or within 90 minutes of me: stores such as Lululemon, Apple, Athleta, Nordstrom, Coach and also Whole Foods, Equinox, Lifetime Fitness, Trader Joe’s, Soulcycle, Justsalad, Sweetgreen and Cava.

Every single one of these things that isn’t edible is available more conveniently online, and my smaller town has a better organic market and much better artisanal restaurants than Sweetgreen and Cava lol.

What smaller town can support an organic market?? This most be a vacation destination. Real rural towns don’t have organic markets, they have a section in Walmart. .

This is just untrue. I lived in a very rural town that had an organic co-op.

You should get out once in a while.

It’s interesting to read comments where posters think rural areas don’t have organic markets. This must be why these people stay in a city with carjackings, looting etc. They truly don’t understand what other locations have to offer.

We live car-free. There are not many places where that’s possible.

If you could afford a car where you live you would have one. The places where you need a car for something’s, you could have a car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This doesn’t mean they’re moving to the middle of nowhere. Likely places like Philly, Providence, Richmond, Baltimore, Charlotte, Nashville, Pittsburgh and
Columbus that all have some semblance of city amenities like Whole Foods, public transit, “luxury” brand new apartments, walkability and Amtrak stop, but are relatively affordable.

Not just a semblance of a city, but employers. WFH is all but dead. People may be avoiding NYC and SF because of cost, but that doesn't mean they are going rural Montana

Why is WFH dead? DH's marketing company is now permanently hybrid and was 100% in person before. My office job where is making moves to increase from 1 day WFH to two and I hear our central corporate office is basically a ghost town.

It really seems like Hybrid is the wave of the future where and when it can be applied.

I think that will be the norm, but hybrid means that you have to live close enough to actually go in. It makes exurbs more viable because 2 hours once or twice a week may be worth it in exchange for a higher standard of living, but that still closes off a lot of rural America and ties you to a city with a office you can go into

Yeah, and that's part of the reason why Richmond real estate has become so hot. Virginia is also investing in increasing rail service between Richmond and DC, making that 1 day a week commute super easy.

As someone who lives outside Richmond, I can confirm. I have multiple neighbors who commute to NOVA 1x a week. We pay less for a 5br in Henrico than we would pay for an outdated townhouse just outside the beltway. Traffic is better. Schools are better. I just had to get used to online shopping.

[Anonymous]

And by better schools, I mean a better curriculum, not a different population.