it's interesting that so many here are quick to jump to the generalization that there's some sort of national problem here, when it's really just the big urban centers (and some other outliers) that have the problem. I just bought a three-bedroom house for $300k here in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where housing prices are (relatively) skyrocketing due to the local Air Force base expanding, yet this was entirely achievable with my modest <$70k salary working as a programmer for the local public school district. the United States is a huge country with tons of options for places to live, and I've never understood the apparent need to live in big population centers, even after trying it out myself for some years.
if the big cities are making it miserable to live there if your income isn't ridiculously massive, then why stay? why not give one of the other bazillion places to live in the US a try? sure, you may have to deal with less-than-optimally-temperate weather. sure, you may not have access to a rich variety of ethnic dining options. sure, you may not have access to all sorts of trendy places to shop/dine/be entertained.
but why is trading all of that away to have a decent place to live so unthinkable for so many? I've rented for the past 13 years, and now I finally have a home to call my own, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
if the big cities are making it miserable to live there if your income isn't ridiculously massive, then why stay? why not give one of the other bazillion places to live in the US a try? sure, you may have to deal with less-than-optimally-temperate weather. sure, you may not have access to a rich variety of ethnic dining options. sure, you may not have access to all sorts of trendy places to shop/dine/be entertained.
but why is trading all of that away to have a decent place to live so unthinkable for so many? I've rented for the past 13 years, and now I finally have a home to call my own, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.