Living At An Airport For $4K A Month

[_NOBODY_]

Living At An Airport For $4K A Month​

Joe Sobczak, 69, lives in a residential airpark in Groveland, CA. He bought the home in 2017 for $698,000 and pays $4,000 a month in mortgage. He commutes to the bay area in a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor airplane where he works for a major U.S. airline as a flight test pilot.

@VCheng @SQ8 @Goenitz

 

[VCheng]

Living At An Airport For $4K A Month​

Joe Sobczak, 69, lives in a residential airpark in Groveland, CA. He bought the home in 2017 for $698,000 and pays $4,000 a month in mortgage. He commutes to the bay area in a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor airplane where he works for a major U.S. airline as a flight test pilot.

@VCheng @SQ8 @Goenitz

Living in an airport, commuting by plane, test flights ... ... $4k a month for this mortgage is a bargain for California!

 

[_NOBODY_]

Living in an airport, commuting by plane, test flights ... ... $4k a month for this mortgage is a bargain for California!

I believe $4k gets you a tiny prison cell-like apartment in or near the Bay Area.

 

[VCheng]

I believe $4k gets you a tiny prison cell-like apartment in or near the Bay Area.

Yes. That area is horribly expensive for housing. I know, I know, first world problems.

 

[_NOBODY_]

Yes. That area is horribly expensive for housing. I know, I know, first world problems.

California is an insane state. The state collects so much in taxes yet the public transport infrastructure is abysmal to say the least. I can at least forgive Texas for having dogsh*t public transport infrastructure due to zero state income taxes.

 

[VCheng]

California is an insane state. The state collects so much in taxes yet the public transport infrastructure is abysmal to say the least. I can at least forgive Texas for having dogsh*t public transport infrastructure due to zero state income taxes.

It is now losing people overall, just like other insane states like New York.

 

[SQ8]

Living At An Airport For $4K A Month​

Joe Sobczak, 69, lives in a residential airpark in Groveland, CA. He bought the home in 2017 for $698,000 and pays $4,000 a month in mortgage. He commutes to the bay area in a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor airplane where he works for a major U.S. airline as a flight test pilot.

@VCheng @SQ8 @Goenitz

That’s the dream - just not in Khale phornia

 

[khansaheeb]

Yes. That area is horribly expensive for housing. I know, I know, first world problems.

Tell me about it , it takes me an average of 40 Mins to travel 15 miles during rush hour, housing is unaffordable. and many people live in RVs and makeshift camps. Inflation is huge and the hire and fire culture makes taking out a mortgage foolish. As for renting if you can't afford to pay the rent the landlord can call the police and you and your stuff will be thrown out onto the streets. Consolation is little crime as most crooks can't afford to live here. You need a higher 6 figure salary to be able to live comfortably and you will be working with the brightest minds around in tech industry.

 

[_NOBODY_]

It is now losing people overall, just like other insane states like New York.

Can you explain why the US continues to make its cities more car-centric instead of building world-class public transport infrastructure like the rest of the developed world?

 

[VCheng]

you will be working with the brightest minds around in tech industry.

That is the sole charm in the Bay area.

Can you explain why the US continues to make its cities more car-centric instead of building world-class public transport infrastructure like the rest of the developed world?

There are moves in the bigger cities to move away from the car-centric culture. The basic problem with public infrastructure remains that it requires a certain population density to become really feasible, and vast swathes of USA are simply too sparsely populated for that to happen yet.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Can you explain why the US continues to make its cities more car-centric instead of building world-class public transport infrastructure like the rest of the developed world?

Big land mass for a given population. 1/8 population density of Pakistan (36 per Km2 vs 287 per Km2)

Not many cities with over a million people which would justify the expense of a subway.
Currently only 9 with > 1 Million (which is ~24M out of 331M or just 7% of the US live in big cities)

1	New York	New York​	8,467,513
2	Los Angeles	California​	3,849,297
3	Chicago	Illinois​	2,696,555
4	Houston	Texas​	2,288,250
5	Phoenix	Arizona​	1,624,569
6	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania​	1,576,251
7	San Antonio​	Texas​	1,451,853
8	San Diego​	California​	1,381,611
9	Dallas​	Texas​	1,288,457
10	San Jose​	California​	983,489

Too many people like that guy who would rather live in peaceful serenity in their own little castle than the hustle and bustle of city life.

 

[_NOBODY_]

That is the sole charm in the Bay area.



There are moves in the bigger cities to move away from the car-centric culture. The basic problem with public infrastructure remains that it requires a certain population density to become really feasible, and vast swathes of USA are simply too sparsely populated for that to happen yet.

But there are many European cities with small populations that have excellent public transport systems; however, in the US, not even NYC has a decent public transport network. To me, it seems like there are many other factors at play here. I don't wish to be seen as a conspiracy theorist but are auto manufacturers lobbying against the construction of public transport infrastructure?

 

[VCheng]

But there are many European cities with small populations that have excellent public transport systems; however, in the US, not even NYC has a decent public transport network. To me, it seems like there are many other factors at play here. I don't wish to be seen as a conspiracy theorist but are auto manufacturers lobbying against the construction of public transport infrastructure?

It is not just population size, it is population density. This is far higher in Europe than just about anywhere in USA. The auto manufacturers are not at fault here, it is the desire of the people to be independent and do things on their own schedules that is the prime motivator. The covid scare merely amplified those trends not to be exposed to large numbers of people in a confined space. European cities tend to be much older, predating the car era and hence have a very tight layout generally, not conducive to individual movement freedom and very limited parking space. US cities flourished in the post car era, meaning they had plenty of time and room to incorporate much wider roads, and plenty of them, and huge parking lots.

 

[_NOBODY_]

It is not just population size, it is population density. This is far higher in Europe than just about anywhere in USA. The auto manufacturers are not at fault here, it is the desire of the people to be independent and do things on their own schedules that is the prime motivator. The covid scare merely amplified those trends not to be exposed to large numbers of people in a confined space. European cities tend to be much older, predating the car era and hence have a very tight layout generally, not conducive to individual movement freedom and very limited parking space. US cities flourished in the post car era, meaning they had plenty of time and room to incorporate much wider roads, and plenty of them, and huge parking lots.

Then you have to blame the city planners. American cities are designed as car-centric cities from the beginning. Is there a possibility that auto manufacturers promote or lobby such city planning?

I will counter your second point of things being the way that they are because European cities are older than American cities. There are many modern districts in European cities that are designed to not be car-centric. Barcelona's superblocks come to mind.

 

[VCheng]

Then you have to blame the city planners. American cities are designed as car-centric cities from the beginning. Is there a possibility that auto manufacturers promote or lobby such city planning?

I will counter your second point of things being the way that they are because European cities are older than American cities. There are many modern districts in European cities that are designed to not be car-centric. Barcelona's superblocks come to mind.

No, the US cities came about on their own, by and large, no conspiracy needed.

And later additions to European cities were specifically designed to conform harmoniously to fit in with existing layouts.