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Californication: The Ruin of Small Town America


bgavin

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This week we hiked in Reno, NV.
Have not been there in many years.

Reno is now destroyed by literally endless high-density apartment buildings.
They are EVERYWHERE in Reno now.  Three and four levels high.
THIS is how small town America becomes Californicated.

I'm told that Smith & Wesson is moving to Maryville, TN (or "murville" as I understand it is locally pronounced).
Locals:  save your small town and way of life by pressuring your city planners to REFUSE to allow apartment complexes.

Force your zoning requirements to require separate housing, set backs, acreage and NO zero-lot line properties.
High density living is the ruin of CA cities, D.C. Reno, Boise and the others we have visited.

Local roads, power, water, sewer facilities are NOT up to the task of highly concentrated populations.
 

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3 minutes ago, bgavin said:

This week we hiked in Reno, NV.
Have not been there in many years.

Reno is now destroyed by literally endless high-density apartment buildings.
They are EVERYWHERE in Reno now.  Three and four levels high.
THIS is how small town America becomes Californicated.

I'm told that Smith & Wesson is moving to Maryville, TN (or "murville" as I understand it is locally pronounced).
Locals:  save your small town and way of life by pressuring your city planners to REFUSE to allow apartment complexes.

Force your zoning requirements to require separate housing, set backs, acreage and NO zero-lot line properties.
High density living is the ruin of CA cities, D.C. Reno, Boise and the others we have visited.

Local roads, power, water, sewer facilities are NOT up to the task of highly concentrated populations.
 

 

This type of housing has become the norm all around Florida. I call them stick buildings and absolutely detest them. The local jurisdiction and/or State collect all of those "impact" fees to determine the impact of the additional 300 - 500+ people and vehicles to the utilities and roads but nothing ever gets improved with those fees. There's basically no way to stop them, the developer/investor's big money rules...little man loses as usual.

 

Don't even get me going about the brand new apartment complexes being built for "under privileged" people so that they pay little to no rent. The brand new property/units are a dump after a year, a ghetto in two years and have to be torn down after 10 years...only to be rebuilt again and start the entire process over again with the exact same results.

 

Makes me sick.:angry:

 

 

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Corporate offices, manufacturing and retail commercial development are what bring in tax dollars.  Housing and especially apartments are a drag on resources.  The cost of every child in public school is over $10,000 per year.  

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I keep hoping that Zombie Apocalypse kicks off soon. Then I go into a city and think that it already has, just not as dramatically as Hollyweird portrays it. 

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Went over to the Rural King yesterday morning to get some catfish food. Only place anywhere near that has it. Haven’t been over there since just after Christmas last year. I also liked the place because that set themselves just off of 31W, known as the Dixie Dieway , on a piece of property of maybe 15 Acres. Very country.

 

     I had taken the backroads for the scenery. Was surprised to see the number of farms that turned into subdivisions. Wow. Everywhere.I knew the factories where really bringing people into our surrounding area.

 

     Then I crossed Old Wilson road that comes up behind Rural King. Holy Cow! At least 8 huge 3 story apartment complexes where there used to be all woods. I got to Rural King and found the place devoid of parking places it was jam packed. I drove through the parking areas one time and decided to exit stage left. Depressing. I took a different country road home without the Dog treats and Catfish Food I had come for. Just have to wait Kount! (Dog). Stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home. Shiela loves their Chicken Strips and Country Gravy. But I was stopping really for something else. You see, Kount goes everywhere with me. WHenever we stop here they always want to to give him a Pup Cup. It’s a small vanilla Ice Cream. Heck why have him depressed too! 

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This has, and is currently still happening in the town in CT where we moved from. I've got a close friend, and attorney, on the Land Trust of that town. And, like Abilene Slim has stated the locals get lawyer and developer stomped until they tap out. They just don't have the same resources to win.

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I moved to Arizona nine years ago, Central Arizona, not that cesspool in the Greater Phoenix mega hive area.

 

IN that short period of time I've seen the  same thing happening all over this area.

 

Sad, but I'm old enough that I'll never have to see the end of it.

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People have kids, those kids need housing.  I suppose we could pursue the alternative, and have

everyone build on a one acre site or larger, so that all the farm land and rural acres get covered instead, but

I think I rather like putting them all in one place.  I've lived in cities and in rural areas (now) and I can see

the appeal for both.  If you have to commute to a job it's always better to live nearer than further.

 

I don't like the idea of encroaching into the outlying areas to build McMansions, it really ruins the

nice country feel, and yet kids gotta have homes, so what's the reasonable alternative to building up?

California sprawl is not exactly pretty as an alternative.

 

SC 

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Apartments are a direct result of the cost of housing. The mean average sale price for a home in the US is $430,000. Down payment at 10% is $43,000. How many people/families have $43K sitting in the bank? They can afford the monthly mortgage payment but can't come up with the down. So demand results in apartments. The days of single family homes being the norm are done.

 

 I moved to Reno 26 years ago to get out of California. While not a small town it had the small city vibe. And the State was heavily conservative. Gun friendly. Lower cost of living and as I have said you're 10 minutes away from being nowhere living in Reno.

All of that is gone.

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We stayed at the Grand Sierra in Sparks.
Great location, central to 580 and 80, Walmart, cheaper gasoline, and excellent breakfast and dinners at Baldini's Casino 2 miles down the road.

Baldini's is a wonderful place to eat, known to the locals.
The regular cut of prime rib is the same size as the King cut, but $5 cheaper.
Food and service is excellent.  It is showing its age, but I'm just fine in old diners.

 

Traffic today in Reno is horrendous.
Accidents and constant traffic.
We navigated to the various hiking trails using Apple Maps.
The hiking trails have multi-story apartment buildings looming over them.

It seems to me the mindless millennials, man-bun types and Marxists favor these high density living arrangements.
Own nothing, earn nothing and take an Uber to where you want to go.

The problem:  high density living brings in the Marxist politics.

When we visited in Duncan, S.C. we saw the Californication of that quaint small town.
They are throwing up cracker box houses on tiny lots with zero lot lines as fast as they can manufacture nails.
BMW and an inland port is the big draw for employment.

As noted above, city planners cannot resist the allure of big money that overrides small town zoning laws.
They line their pockets, and the town gets Californicated and then turns Blue.

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1 hour ago, irish ike, SASS #43615 said:

Apartments are a direct result of the cost of housing. The mean average sale price for a home in the US is $430,000. Down payment at 10% is $43,000. How many people/families have $43K sitting in the bank? They can afford the monthly mortgage payment but can't come up with the down. So demand results in apartments. The days of single family homes being the norm are done.

 

 I moved to Reno 26 years ago to get out of California. While not a small town it had the small city vibe. And the State was heavily conservative. Gun friendly. Lower cost of living and as I have said you're 10 minutes away from being nowhere living in Reno.

All of that is gone.

Although they'd be halfway there or better if they didn't spend 20 to 30K on the wedding!

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I tell people I was born in 1850 because living conditions hadn't changed any in a hundred years.  They brought the country doctor to the log house in high wheel wagon pulled by mules to deliver me.  No electricity. No phone. No indoor plumbing.  There was probably one family per squire mile.  Everyone had moved to town after WWII.

 

About 1955 there was a big push for rural electrification.   In mid 60, phone service was extended towards us. It took a few more years to reach us.  The state started rebuilding the roads and building bridges. I remember going through farm to farm opening gates and fording streams. The county had two maintainers - one for the north side and one for the south side.  You were lucky to see a grader once a year. (No such thing as clearing snow from roads) Sheriff's department consisted of the sheriff and two full-time deputies and 3 auxiliary part-time deputies.  You were basically on your own. Now the sheriff's department is a small army.  They have a big building that can house 300 people.

 

Once we got paved road, district water, high-speed internet,  all these city people started moving out to the county.  Every farm sold is broken up into lots.  Traffic on state roads is often congested. Drugs and lawlessness run rampant.

 

We have 215 acres of the family farm.  Neither son has expressed interest in it.  If some hunting club doesn't end up with it, this farm will be history. 

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We live on a little over 10 acres with lots of oaks sycamores 2 live streams and really enjoy it but we’re getting crowded. We get numerous calls and visits from realtors every week. They’re talking crazy money but we don’t want to move. There were a couple of survey crews on the road along one edge of my property not long ago and I stopped and asked them what they were surveying and one guy was very informative. He told me that the county and state want to realign the intersection at the south end of my property and move it about 500 feet north, that would put it about 200 feet from my house and shrink the size of my property about 25%. Can’t help but think that these realtors know what’s in the planning and want to have a piece of it. There was a good sized dairy about 2 miles from us and when they got bought out in a federal buyout the family sold the property to developers that turned it into a 500+ home development with houses about 10ft away from each other. Our 2 lane road is packed at times because all of those houses have kids that won’t ride a school bus and have to be driven to school and picked up from school.

 

 

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Some 20 years ago two old brothers, both retired farmers came out. Big grin on their faces.  One told that the other had 80 of the original family farm near town.  Said he sold all but 3 acres for $1 million.  The the other brother told he sold his 80 acres less parcel that house stood on for $1.25 million.  I think now it's a golf course and a mall of business. 

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Arizona needs a border fence with California!!!!  Housing prices have quadrupled in the last 5 years since the Californians started moving hear and driving the prices thru the roof.  They sell their small house there for a ton of money and overpay for a bigger house here.  Cost of housing here escalates and then we can't even get middle income people to be able to afford to live and work here.    

EVERY business here has NOW HIRING signs.  Go to any big box store or grocery store, and even mom & pop stores, and look at the employees.  60 to 75% are seniors and probably have gray hair.

Rent prices run $1500 for studio apartment to whatever for nice house.

Wouldn't mind so much if they didn't bring their California  "I'm special, so you have to kiss my butt if you want my business."

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On 10/20/2023 at 7:09 PM, bgavin said:

This week we hiked in Reno, NV.
Have not been there in many years.

Reno is now destroyed by literally endless high-density apartment buildings.
They are EVERYWHERE in Reno now.  Three and four levels high.
THIS is how small town America becomes Californicated.

I'm told that Smith & Wesson is moving to Maryville, TN (or "murville" as I understand it is locally pronounced).
Locals:  save your small town and way of life by pressuring your city planners to REFUSE to allow apartment complexes.

Force your zoning requirements to require separate housing, set backs, acreage and NO zero-lot line properties.
High density living is the ruin of CA cities, D.C. Reno, Boise and the others we have visited.

Local roads, power, water, sewer facilities are NOT up to the task of highly concentrated populations.
 

Even with frozen ground in the winter the roads are 1000% better than California's.

P.S. A lot of those 4 story apartment buildings are occupied by former residents of CA.  With a family cabin in S. Lake Tahoe from the 1950's I have been visiting Reno  for 65+ years and I wouldn't say it was a small town even then.  Carson City, Minden & Gardnerville are what you want in a small town.   Reno even has some of the Sacramento freeway & expressway traffic except much less wide spread & fewer hours.  You can bypass the stop & go near the Spaghetti Bowl, hwy 80 x hwy 580-395 interchange.

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On 10/20/2023 at 11:06 PM, Tennessee Trapper Tom said:

Went over to the Rural King yesterday morning to get some catfish food. Only place anywhere near that has it. Haven’t been over there since just after Christmas last year. I also liked the place because that set themselves just off of 31W, known as the Dixie Dieway , on a piece of property of maybe 15 Acres. Very country.

 

     I had taken the backroads for the scenery. Was surprised to see the number of farms that turned into subdivisions. Wow. Everywhere.I knew the factories where really bringing people into our surrounding area.

 

     Then I crossed Old Wilson road that comes up behind Rural King. Holy Cow! At least 8 huge 3 story apartment complexes where there used to be all woods. I got to Rural King and found the place devoid of parking places it was jam packed. I drove through the parking areas one time and decided to exit stage left. Depressing. I took a different country road home without the Dog treats and Catfish Food I had come for. Just have to wait Kount! (Dog). Stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home. Shiela loves their Chicken Strips and Country Gravy. But I was stopping really for something else. You see, Kount goes everywhere with me. WHenever we stop here they always want to to give him a Pup Cup. It’s a small vanilla Ice Cream. Heck why have him depressed too! 

 

Secret to shopping is to get up early. Around hear Saturday mornings are not too crowded as long as you are up and about before 0900. By 1000 the stores get packed.

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I recently asked a new neighbor what town in California did he come from and he replied, " Is it that obvious?"  I told him it was the Tesla in his garage.  Welcome to Flagstaff.  Locals look forward to heavy winters that scare many back.

 

As a side note, my neighbor now drives a F250, a John Deere and recently drew  a coveted elk tag.  Welcome to the high country.

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10 minutes ago, Hashknife Cowboy said:

I recently asked a new neighbor what town in California did he come from and he replied, " Is it that obvious?"  I told him it was the Tesla in his garage.  Welcome to Flagstaff.  Locals look forward to heavy winters that scare many back.

 

I did RO duty with a new CA transplant to FL at a local range recently. When he told me he had just moved here from CA, I asked him point blank "Are you here as a refugee or a reformer?" He was puzzled for a couple of seconds and then replied "refugee". I replied, "Good, we'll get along just fine". 

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4 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

I did RO duty with a new CA transplant to FL at a local range recently. When he told me he had just moved here from CA, I asked him point blank "Are you here as a refugee or a reformer?" He was puzzled for a couple of seconds and then replied "refugee". I replied, "Good, we'll get along just fine". 

 

When we move to Kentucky in a year or so I plan to get license plate frames that read, "California Refugee."

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1 minute ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

When we move to Kentucky in a year or so I plan to get license plate frames that read, "California Refugee."

 

I don't think that I would volunteer that information. If someone wanted to know where I moved from, that's one thing...volunteering that info to complete strangers on the road is another. Some longtime residents and natives don't like transplants, no matter where they are from. I just like to be part of the nondescript background...that's just me I guess.

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I ran some numbers and found them interesting.
Boise, ID is my home town.
It is Californicated on a breathtaking scale.
Bad air, bad crime, drugs, bums, extremely high population density (read: apartments)

 

Falcon, CO has zoning requirements of minimum 5 acre plots, cannot be subdivided.
We were there from 1988-1992.
Traffic and congestion was never a problem there.

 

High density housing is the ruination of every area where it is allowed.


Reno population
----------------------
1958 -  66,000
2023 - 531,000 = 800% increase


Sacramento population
-------------------------------
1958 - 396,000
2023 - 2,215,000 = 559% increase


Boise ID population
--------------------------
1958 - 45,000
2023 - 470,000 = 1022% increase
1,610 people per square mile


Population Density per Square Mile
-----------------------------------------------
93.4 - United States
1,610 - Boise
1,002 - Prescott
467 - Sacramento Metro
74 - Reno

 

 

 

 

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