Is Boston having the same problems with "crime" as many blue cities like SF, LA, NYC, Portland, Chicago, etc.

[msRB311]

Older people have always moved from MA to FL...that's nothing new. What i've noticed more and more of some of these people buying a condo in FL, living there in the winter then coming back to MA in the summer. Snowbirds.

I don't hear of many people moving from MA to TX.

[PureBoston]

Originally Posted by id77

The saying 'its better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven' feels apropos. The middle class can still be an actor in the American Dream in places like Texas. Not so much here or California.

I see. Massachusetts and California....heaven, and Florida and Texas.....hell. Would you like to wade into the stampede and break it to them? And if a place where a working man can get his own slice of the pie isn't desirable, it'll do till someplace comes along. Which of the states being discussed do you suppose more people find desirable?

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by PureBoston

Most of these "very desirable blue cities" are shedding population.

No, they aren't. This is another concoction of rightwing media. Most of these cities have positive population growth, and the ones that don't (like Portland) are really just seeing people move to the suburbs.

Desirability for these places is a fact supported by home prices. If they weren't desirable, people wouldn't pay those prices.

[msRB311]

I'll be in Marco Island next week...pure hell. lol

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by PureBoston

Massachusetts, Calfornia and Oregon are shrinking in population while Florida and Texas are packing folks in. I'd define desirability best by where people want to be. You're entitled to your own
Interpretation.

Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Florida and Texas aren't cities.

And net migration numbers don't tell us anything about desirability. People move because places are too expensive. The hottest real estate markets in the country right now are "boring" rust belt cities. Does that mean Pittsburgh is more desirable than Marin County? Of course not...but it is cheaper. More people eat at McDonald's than Ruth's Chris, but that doesn't mean Big Macs are preferred over filet.

[id77]

Originally Posted by PureBoston

I see. Massachusetts and California....heaven, and Florida and Texas.....hell. Would you like to wade into the stampede and break it to them? And if a place where a working man can get his own slice of the pie isn't desirable, it'll do till someplace comes along.

You're reading a bit too literally into the metaphor, but if you want to see it that way it's also not wrong. If Texas were their first choice all along, many of the people moving there would have moved long ago ... before their hands were forced. Just ask the residents in Texas how they feel about all the Californians moving in and running up the price of real estate with the wealth they brought with them.

As Texas continues to turn into East California, the long-time Texans priced out will in turn move to a metaphorical hell so that they may reign again.

[msRB311]

There are parts of MA that are desirable. I'll leave it at that.

[htfdcolt]

I detest the concept of "blue" vs. "red" cities. We never used that kind of terminology even just 10 yrs ago, which makes it clear that it's a right wing media concoction. I consider them all to be American cities, and we should all have a stake in quality of life in those cities...be they Charlotte or Baltimore or Boston.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Florida and Texas aren't cities.

And net migration numbers don't tell us anything about desirability. People move because places are too expensive. The hottest real estate markets in the country right now are "boring" rust belt cities. Does that mean Pittsburgh is more desirable than Marin County? Of course not...but it is cheaper. More people eat at McDonald's than Ruth's Chris, but that doesn't mean Big Macs are preferred over filet.

Pittsburgh (the city) is pretty nice. Not entirely sure why it gets dumped on. Id love to go back.

[PureBoston]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Florida and Texas aren't cities.

And net migration numbers don't tell us anything about desirability. People move because places are too expensive. The hottest real estate markets in the country right now are "boring" rust belt cities. Does that mean Pittsburgh is more desirable than Marin County? Of course not...but it is cheaper. More people eat at McDonald's than Ruth's Chris, but that doesn't mean Big Macs are preferred over filet.

Desirability is a completely subjective term. Completely. The vast majority of Americans are desirous of affordable housing and reasonable levels of taxation.