Aug 9, 2025 02:31 AM
GEOGRAPHY BY GEOFF
https://youtu.be/INIlGvBdjvc
VIDEO EXCERPTS: This was a really challenging video for me to make because I love the West Coast. I live here in Oregon and I want everyone to love it as much as I do. But the region has some very, very real issues facing it and unless all three states are able to make some serious changes, fewer and fewer people will be able to enjoy it.
[...] Since 2020 California, Oregon and Washington have experienced notable demographic shifts, particularly in their major urban centers. These changes are influenced by factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic, economic considerations and evolving lifestyle preferences.
California has witnessed a population decline, with residents migrating to States like North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Primarily due to high living costs.
[...] Oregon's population growth has also decelerated post-2020, with Portland specifically experiencing population declines. One notable population shift here is that many former Portlanders simply moved across the river into Washington State, notably Vancouver, a nearby suburb of Portland.
[...] Washington has also seen a slowdown in population growth since 2020. Though less so than either California or Oregon.
[...] The West Coast of the United States has become nearly impossible to live in. California, in particular, has some of the highest expenses in the entire world. So extreme that even those in high-paying tech jobs can struggle to make ends meet.
Gas prices on the West Coast routinely exceed the national average. ... Of course, gas is just a single measure of higher costs in the region. The cost of food is also steep, driven by high labor and transportation costs, as well as regulatory measures unique to the region. Grocery bills in these states are often among the highest in the country, putting additional pressure on household budgets.
[...] The cost of housing this is perhaps the most significant challenge for the West Coast, and a primary reason why it's become almost impossible to live here. Urban centers like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland have become synonymous with skyrocketing real estate prices and rental costs. The median home price in San Francisco hovers around $1.5 million, while in Seattle it exceeds $800,000. Even Portland has seen its housing market surge, with median home prices approaching $550,000.
The escalating cost of living on the West Coast has created a particularly acute crisis for public servants such as teachers, nurses, firefighters and other essential workers, who increasingly find themselves unable to afford housing in the cities where their presence is most critical.
These professions, while indispensable to the functioning of any community, often do not offer the salaries that keep pace with the exorbitant cost of urban living. As a result, many of these workers are being driven to live in distant suburbs or entirely different regions, adding significant commuting burdens and eroding their quality of life in cities [...] Firefighters EMT responders, and police officers often on call for emergencies face the additional challenge of being hours away from the communities they serve.
[...] The financial and logistical strain of such an arrangement becomes unsustainable, leading them to seek opportunities in other states with lower living costs and less housing pressure. This exodus of public servants has left many cities grappling with staffing shortages in critical sectors. Schools struggle to retain teachers, hospitals face mounting workloads for fewer nurses, and fire departments are stretched thin during wildfire season. The long-term implications are severe, as these shortages are eroding the infrastructure of cities up and down the West Coast.
[...] All three states have seen a dramatic rise in the amount and visibility of homelessness. Starting around 2020 large homeless encampments became common place in all three states. As of 2024 there are over 170,000 homeless living in California, more than 25,000 in Washington state, and more than 177,000 in Oregon.
[...] Once people leave either for political, cultural, or affordability reasons, few ever return...
Why living on the West Coast has become impossible ... https://youtu.be/INIlGvBdjvc
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/INIlGvBdjvc
https://youtu.be/INIlGvBdjvc
VIDEO EXCERPTS: This was a really challenging video for me to make because I love the West Coast. I live here in Oregon and I want everyone to love it as much as I do. But the region has some very, very real issues facing it and unless all three states are able to make some serious changes, fewer and fewer people will be able to enjoy it.
[...] Since 2020 California, Oregon and Washington have experienced notable demographic shifts, particularly in their major urban centers. These changes are influenced by factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic, economic considerations and evolving lifestyle preferences.
California has witnessed a population decline, with residents migrating to States like North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Primarily due to high living costs.
[...] Oregon's population growth has also decelerated post-2020, with Portland specifically experiencing population declines. One notable population shift here is that many former Portlanders simply moved across the river into Washington State, notably Vancouver, a nearby suburb of Portland.
[...] Washington has also seen a slowdown in population growth since 2020. Though less so than either California or Oregon.
[...] The West Coast of the United States has become nearly impossible to live in. California, in particular, has some of the highest expenses in the entire world. So extreme that even those in high-paying tech jobs can struggle to make ends meet.
Gas prices on the West Coast routinely exceed the national average. ... Of course, gas is just a single measure of higher costs in the region. The cost of food is also steep, driven by high labor and transportation costs, as well as regulatory measures unique to the region. Grocery bills in these states are often among the highest in the country, putting additional pressure on household budgets.
[...] The cost of housing this is perhaps the most significant challenge for the West Coast, and a primary reason why it's become almost impossible to live here. Urban centers like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland have become synonymous with skyrocketing real estate prices and rental costs. The median home price in San Francisco hovers around $1.5 million, while in Seattle it exceeds $800,000. Even Portland has seen its housing market surge, with median home prices approaching $550,000.
The escalating cost of living on the West Coast has created a particularly acute crisis for public servants such as teachers, nurses, firefighters and other essential workers, who increasingly find themselves unable to afford housing in the cities where their presence is most critical.
These professions, while indispensable to the functioning of any community, often do not offer the salaries that keep pace with the exorbitant cost of urban living. As a result, many of these workers are being driven to live in distant suburbs or entirely different regions, adding significant commuting burdens and eroding their quality of life in cities [...] Firefighters EMT responders, and police officers often on call for emergencies face the additional challenge of being hours away from the communities they serve.
[...] The financial and logistical strain of such an arrangement becomes unsustainable, leading them to seek opportunities in other states with lower living costs and less housing pressure. This exodus of public servants has left many cities grappling with staffing shortages in critical sectors. Schools struggle to retain teachers, hospitals face mounting workloads for fewer nurses, and fire departments are stretched thin during wildfire season. The long-term implications are severe, as these shortages are eroding the infrastructure of cities up and down the West Coast.
[...] All three states have seen a dramatic rise in the amount and visibility of homelessness. Starting around 2020 large homeless encampments became common place in all three states. As of 2024 there are over 170,000 homeless living in California, more than 25,000 in Washington state, and more than 177,000 in Oregon.
[...] Once people leave either for political, cultural, or affordability reasons, few ever return...
Why living on the West Coast has become impossible ... https://youtu.be/INIlGvBdjvc
