Beginning of the demise of my neighborhood

Sigarms · Jan 30, 2006

You sound like my FIL. He blames everything on the interstate and calls those people carpetbaggers. They live in Calais /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I consider myself lucky. Moved in last year, first yankees pretty much in the whole town and particularly my raod (road named after a family, who are all realted to each other around us). First month in the house, neighbor shoots a couple of rounds off. He actually come over that night to apologize for the shooting, he explains that he was shooting a rabid animal. His son comes over (another neighbor) per my offer, sees my gun safe, asks me if I like to shoot (asked this very surprisingly). I tell him he can shoot on my property anytime he wants, we go out shoot a couple rounds off in a couple of guns that he would like to shoot, and I feel like I'm part of the family!

_RaT_ · Jan 30, 2006

Sorry David, that won't happen. I wished for it way back in the 60's for California. We have everyone here from every state, but by far its been infiltrated by those from back East and unfortunately they all seem to bend to the left if you know what I mean. The way I see it, with real estate here so expensive, I can sell my home, move to most anyplace in the US save for NY city or Boston and make ends easily meet. Problem is, I have yet to find a climate I enjoy more and that includes Hawaii and definitely Florida. I'm still trying to figure what it is about Floridas climate that people find attractive. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

YanmarFever · Jan 30, 2006

In My town its easier to get welfare than a building permit !

In my county you have to farm for 2 years and make$80,000
a yr. for 2 years off the land before they issue a permit.

And you have to have 80 acres also. Im glad I squeaked in 2 months before the law took affect.

Thats Oregon for you /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

California · Jan 30, 2006

( Sorry David, that won't happen. I wished for it way back in the 60's for California. We have everyone here from every state, but by far its been infiltrated by those from back East and unfortunately they all seem to bend to the left if you know what I mean. )

Rat, you missed the target on that one by a mile. California's immigration comes from everywhere *except* the northeast, the northeasterners seem to be outnumbered at least 2:1 by each of the other regions in this chart, maybe 6:1 overall if you include foreign immigration: Link.

California was more liberal in the past than now. It started out liberal - the new state preserved individual property rights of married women (unlike general US law) and decided to be a free, not slave, state. My great-grandfather worked in the creation of the free public education system, and personally taught some of the first public education classes available to non-whites (of every variety) some 125 years ago in San Francisco.

Earl Warren was governor back in the pre-60's days you prefer. Followed by Pat Brown who basically built the infrastructure we see today. Both liberals, and California would not be as nice a place as it is today without their influence.

A good part of California's strength is the enormous variety of people who have settled here, in my opinion it is the best and brightest who pick up and move for a better life. We certainly have infrastructure problems with so many people running around here but I don't think a recent 'bend to the left' is among the problems. I think you yearn for a time that never was.

Lets get back to the original topic. Richard sees wealthy people building in the neighborhood and is optimistic. I see the same thing, to me it feels like overcrowding. If I understand the other part of your post, I agree we are all powerless to halt change caused by in-migration.

I will add that a Real Californian is probably recognisable by being prepared to sell land or housing to the new arrivals. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

_RaT_ · Jan 31, 2006

You must be retired from government and in your 60's. I can tell a mile away. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Suffice it to say, my definition of someone who is of the liberal mindset probably differs considerably then yours.

We could discuss this ad nauseum but then, its not really appropriate here.

California less liberal now then in the 60's, I don't think so, I don't think so.

California · Jan 31, 2006

Dang, Rat, you're on to me.

I'm from the government. I'm here to help you.

- I loved using that as the opening line when I arrived at someone's office to start a weeklong audit, to determine if/how much they had overbilled the State.

I wish I could show you the looks that got!

_RaT_ · Jan 31, 2006

I just wish we could reverse the rolls and show the state how much they overbilled us. That in my opinion is where the real crime is. Don't even get me started on the federal level. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Perhaps you are right about a "real" Californian willing to sell their home to a transplant for the right price, I tend to think that applies to anyone. Where I am at now is so nice, it would be hard to give up. I know where I would not want to go, but have a few clues about where I could see myself being. It would be a matter of convincing my wife. Leaving my huge family would be the tough part. With 7 sisters and 2 brothers nearby, it would be a hard decision. There is a whole bunch more then money in my decisions. Your retiring to a great area. Just don't let the Russian River creep up on you and then cry because you never got flood insurance and have FEMA bail you out anyway. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

California · Jan 31, 2006

( Perhaps you are right about a "real" Californian willing to sell their home to a transplant)

Let's just agree we don't understand one another's reasoning. I didn't mean sell one's home, I don't think you or I would give up a place we love. Rather, that you can know a Real Californian because he always has his eyes open to recognise a real estate opportunity when one comes along.

Prior generations of Californians became wealthy by believing newcomers would arrive endlessly, so they bought up rural land. Then they lobbied government to build infrastructure - the transcontinental railroad, then farm-to-market roads, freeways, airports, aquaducts, universities, all paid by bonds to be repaid by the newcomers they knew would arrive. The early residents prospered by making land valuable, our generation is stuck with the costs. But this model still works to make individuals wealthy.

UC Merced is a current example where promoters proposed a university way out in the boondocks, got the taxpayers to fund it, then sold their cow pastures to the University at urban prices. In my opinion Auburn Dam is the next similar scheme. I jokingly meant that Real Californians recognise these trends and make money by going along.

( Your retiring to a great area. Just don't let the Russian River creep up on you and then cry because you never got flood insurance and have FEMA bail you out anyway. )

I can't understand people that rebuild in Guerneville after they get flooded out. Every 10 years.

I'm at about 300 ft. If that floods, the global warming threat has ben realized and coastal civilization all over the world has ended!

Richard · Jan 31, 2006

Just some thoughts of clarification.
The couple who’s building this is retired. Seems he sold his company up in Jersey and wanted to move back near HER hometown.

They came in, found the land & bought. Only afterwards did they find out that as a child, (she grew up about 50 miles from here), she grew up and was the 2nd door down “next door neighbor” of my wifes uncle & family. Well, her uncle & his son/wife now live next door to us.

So, 30 years she left Knoxville area with them as her neighbor… they move back and unbeknown to any of them, they bought land right down the street from them again!

Anyways, they’ve got 6 grandkids and evidently they are the center of the family as their place has always been the ‘hang out’.

After visiting with them for a while last Saturday, they went over their plans to replant trees where the former owner sold the timber. They want to plant some kind of tree that’s indigenous to East Tennessee and at same time, is on some kind of endangered list. She’ll be teaching music to the local kids and might hold outdoor concerts on some corner of their land. They built a dock and were in near TEARS when the power company came in and cut the underbrush under the power lines. Seems they’d gone with the TVA dude down this path marking trees/items that they could take out or had to leave. This path was so the dock maker could have a pathway to make the dock. They came back two days later and there was a 30 foot clear cut swath down same lane. They were horrified fearing TVA would think THEY did it but also that all the greenery they took the care & time to mark was simply mowed over.

They’re spending a lot of effort to keep the land as natural as they can. They seem to be genuinely nice people & nature lovers (who happen to have a lot of cash). They bought another house here (in a fancy golf neighborhood) to live in while this is being built. They just sold yet another house in Palm Beach because their taxes ticked him off, so they moved north of Palm Beach into the next county. So right now, they’re holding onto 3 houses that I’m aware of.

All of the concerns mentioned ARE noted and in fact, have been reflected on before. In the beginning I was a bit of a non-believer when it came to what they said they were going to do. As time has progressed and their actions shown… it seems like we might have a good neighbor!

After all these years of the idiots I have to put up with out here, seems the law of averages just caught up with me and “stuck” me with someone who has good intentions. I just get a good feeling when I visit with them, they seem genuinely focused on doing things right.

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Richard · Jan 31, 2006

( How many homes like that until your property taxes go way up?)

Regarding this, I think we're on that trail no matter what happens.

Their house is built on the other side of the road, from a large cove.

When you continue down the same road (dead end road), it ends at our dock. Having never measured it, "the farm" where I live, probably has a mile of TVA coastal frontline. Meaning, TVA owns all the land that touches the water and we're right behind them allllllllllllllllll the way down the lake until you get to the next large cove.

As they're building million dollar homes just a stone throw up the lake from us, in fact, almost up to the very cove that is on the other side of farm I just mentioned (and coming our direction while at same time, been trying to buy the farm), it's going to happen either way, IMHO.