There Goes the Neighborhood
'No More LA Traffic, Put It That Way'
With housing costs this high, who still moves to LA? And who moves out? This eight-part series is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
By Saul Gonzalez • • 23m ListenLos Angeles has long been a magnet for young people like 23-year-old Sean Walsh from Oklahoma, who can often be found standing in line for a job as an extra on a film set. How does he afford the rent in LA? He doesn’t. He found a 9-hour parking spot where he and his brother can sleep in their car.
People like Sean will probably continue to move to LA, but the overall trend here and throughout California is for lower-income people to leave while the wealthier move in. In the last decade, Los Angeles lost 250,000 people at or near the poverty line, and saw a net gain of 20,000 people with college degrees. Will Los Angeles become just a playground for the wealthy?
Moving day in Boyle Heights. Photo credit: Miguel Contreras
Moving day in Boyle Heights. Photo credit: Miguel Contreras.
Mason Cooley and his dog on their land in North Carolina. Courtesy of Mason Cooley.
