I fully realize that I may not have all of the opportunities available here as I would in NYC or San Francisco, but I've never struggled to find interesting, well paying jobs and there is more than enough going on in the St Louis area to keep a person entertained.
Far be it from me to judge other peoples' choices. You should do whatever makes you happy in life but, when you find yourself saying that a room the size of my closet "isn't so bad" of a living space, you might want to take a step back and reassess some things.
"...you seriously need to get some perspective."
you are definitely judging other peoples' choices. that's not a bad thing, but own up to it.
i have a good reason for not living in 'flyover country'. when i was growing up there, i had direct encounters with racist individuals on a regular basis. i have not had those encounters in nyc (i also lived in san francisco and had racist interactions there).
i like walking around people that don't look at me funny. rent in nyc is the best $2000/month i spend.
people who are from these areas will say "i encountered more racist people in the north/west/whatever" but they're usually just referring to people who shared their racist opinion with them, not actually being on the RECEIVING END of a racist interaction.
which MAKES SENSE if you think about it - white people in manhattan or SF or LA are basically going to feel like a minority, and may seek a little bit of empathetic camraderie by complaining about race X Y or Z. if a white person does this in vastly majority white area they're just going to seem like an asshole with a chip on their shoulder.
the coastal areas make it easy to blend in no matter who you are. nobody is going to hassle you or ask you stupid ass questions.
Is this a parking spot of the optional, nice-to-have variety, or of the mandatory, can't-live-without-a-car variety? There are lots of different lifestyle tradeoffs in cities, and different things that might cause you to step back and consider moving. For me personally, I was sick of driving. Whether I have to drive everywhere is much more important than the size of my living space. I don't particularly mind small living spaces, especially if it means I can often be out of my small living space just by walking out the door into the city. Though I do prefer them to have some good natural light.
Of course, I didn't move to NYC either, so I don't know whether its particular set of tradeoffs is worth it overall.
Raising kids, living with a significant other, sure. You need space in those. But for a post-grad getting started who isn't a homebody and mostly just needs a place to sleep and store food, I don't see why they'd need to reaccess their life.
These days my life has changed and my apartment is more of a place that I wind down after work. I would not consider living in these places now, but in my past? Absolutely.
7-year New Yorker here.
By NYC standards, they aren't that bad. They're unattractive and small, but I've seen a lot worse.
Some of the places that I've had realtors show me make these places look like palaces. When I first got here and was living on close to nothing, I found (on Craigslist) a Williamsburg loft where there'd literally be a shower curtain separating my "room" (which was filthy) from a dark, tenement-like space with ~12 people in it. Kitchen stuff was at least 50 years old and probably didn't work. I visited at 10:00pm on a Thursday and it was loud as hell. $1200 per month. Um, no thanks. (By the way, Williamsburg has the most intense negative energy on earth. Hipsters sound okay in theory but I can't fucking stand them in practice. To give one a job is like pouring salt on a slug, except a good thing in the former case because the whining is entertaining.)
However, I agree with you. If you can get a stream of good jobs out in the Midwest, that is the way to go.
It's honestly not worth the cost of living here for most people. The high rents here are driven by (a) asshole foreign speculators that the government irresponsibly lets into the market, when a 6-months-and-1-day rule is really in order, (b) various legacy rent-control systems that wouldn't be a big deal except in the context of extreme price inelasticity-- I have no problem with the idea of rent control, or even with its continuation for the legitimate beneficiaries; but when upper-middle-class well-connected asswipes buy their way into an arrangement that's superior to ownership, and lock up housing stock, that's wrong, (c) NIMBY like you wouldn't believe, (d) parentally-funded hipster zeros whose guilt-ridden spawners decided they have some entitlement to the "New York Experience" (at $2-6k/month) even though they do absolutely nothing for anyone, (e) the fact that in investment banking and large-firm law, there really are major career benefits to living here (you pretty much need to live in Manhattan to get promoted in soft-side banking; trading is more of a meritocracy where you can live whereever you want as long as you show up on time). If none of these apply, New York is not worth the cost of living here. It is nice, if you take out the cost problem; I just think having savings and, eventually, the freedom with having a nest egg, improves the average person's quality of life by more. (You might guess that I don't intend to be here in 10 years, although I'm very glad I spent the 7 that I have.)
>>>The high rents here are driven by (a) asshole foreign speculators that the government irresponsibly lets into the market, when a 6-months-and-1-day rule is really in order, (b) various legacy rent-control systems that wouldn't be a big deal except in the context of extreme price inelasticity
Um, no. Second-generation life-long New York native here.
These insane prices are driven up by people like you who come here, don't know the proper prices, don't know why the hell we have rent control or what it is and never check to see if you're being ripped off, and so drive everything the hell up. Period.
3-year New Yorker here.
By NYC standards, most of these are bad. There certainly are worst places that cost more than what's being shown here, but that doesn't make these "not bad". My first apartment here had two separate rooms, a large kitchen, a bathroom and a "foyer", for $1k/month.
The only reason for living in any of the rooms they've shown here is an absolute need to live in that particular neighborhood, whether you're doing it because you need to be next to your job, or because you need to be neck-deep in the "culture" of that particular neighborhood.
I do however agree with you that New York isn't a good fit for most people, but for some people it's the only conceivable place to live.
i don't know, they sound pretty terrible in theory also
Are you talking about McKibbin by any chance? People live there as a sort of "experience" if that makes any sense - look how New York it is.
When I travel, I often stay in dorms, not because I can't afford a room, but because it's more fun and I feel better about being part of a community. Many dorms might be undesirable holes in your mind, but they also might be a lot more fun.
Some people place little value on the room they sleep in and a lot of value on having access to an amazing city like New York. In fact, I'd say that's often a better life choice than isolating yourself in the suburbs.
I've actually always wondered who takes apartments like these. Either people with no taste, no plans to ever be home, or no time to hunt (it usually takes a week or two to find a good place).
(That's not to say one is better than the other -- each to their own.)
For example that 300/mo "Breakfast Nook" one looks like it would be perfectly fine with the other person's shit removed.
(I am not a resident of NYC)
Just make sure to read about the history of the place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Heights,_Manhattan#1...
Even so, it could be fine with the right roommates (is that mess made by the previous tenant, or the person/people that would still be living there?). If the kitchen is a shared space that price could actually be fantastic if there is further shared space that isn't pictured (though I doubt there is).
I had understood that bedrooms in the USA had to have a closet and a window/external door. Is that not the case?
In New York, either that isn't the law, or it just gets violated a lot more often. Since moving here I've seen a surprising number of places where the bedroom has no windows.
However, there is definitely no requirement (in any state I've lived in) for a bedroom to have a closet. Some do, many don't.
That. The city is infested with illegal apartments that would never pass fire inspections.
Also, the short book The Rent Is Too Damn High: http://www.amazon.com/The-Rent-Damn-High-ebook/dp/B0078XGJXO
These are all very solvable problems, it's just very difficult to change the status quo.
As corrupt as Chicago is, I do love one thing about it: the corruption sometimes works in peoples' favor. Recently, Northwestern University wanted to tear down its hideous old womens' hospital to put up a new medical facility: http://d22r54gnmuhwmk.cloudfront.net/photos/1/zg/re/MTzGREji.... The usual suspects bitched about architecture blah blah. Rahm was like "STFU" and Northwestern got a permit to tear that shit down. The funny thing was that they basically abandoned it during the scuffle with the preservationists (like 3-4 years). I'm convinced the plan was to basically be like "oops, looks like it's not safe to occupy anymore!" (buildings break down surprisingly quickly during periods of no occupancy).
[1] I secretly dream of doing a non-profit specializing in litigation against preservationist groups.
In Australia, this tactic is known as "demolition by neglect". Sometimes an "accidental" grease fire starts to speed up the process.
On the other hand, the ad I responded to mentioned a "roof terrace" which would have elicited a few chuckles if they'd put up a picture of the wobbly ladder leading to the standard flat roof. Funnily enough, its a dubious feature I actually like for the views and the way it catches the sun rather better than the bona fide garden I had in my last place. I quite like walking everywhere too...
I've also lived in Berlin. And yet somehow that city didn't seem to have the rent problems other capitals seem to. I have no idea why.
Yes, because that is how New York City used to be. This crap of these illegal one rooms are driven by people who don't give a shit for native New Yorkers or the laws at all.
:/
People rent overpriced tiny places because they can't afford full priced full sized rooms. If overpriced tiny places were not available, full sized rooms would be more expensive and many people would not have the choice to live in a small cheaper room.
Anyway, if you want the real culprit of NYC and SF rental pricing problems, it's very simple: RENT CONTROL IS EVIL. Rent control causes hoarding, and the higher market prices go the more hoarding and the higher prices go. It's a vicious cycle.
... might include roasting to death due to a fire blocking your only egress.
In many areas of the developed world it's actually illegal to rent out a room without a window.
Lets have a little perspective [0].
0: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/02/22/_60_perce...
http://petapixel.com/2013/02/19/cramped-apartments-in-hong-k...
The only (relatively) good deals in Manhattan are in FiDi, where I'd imagine the historical preservation nazis are less nazi-ish about tearing shit down and renovating. At least last time I checked, there was some reasonable new construction/renos down there that didn't cost $5,000/month for a 1BR.
I live in Weehawken and spent all my energy looking (for months) in NYC. After living in Astoria (amazing neighborhood) for two and a half years, I decided I wanted more space.
Benefits of living in NJ are: 1) More space 2) Cheaper rent 3) Nicer apartment for the money 4) No NYC residents tax (anywhere from 2-7% depending on income level)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo
"Looxereh!"
