I drive through a town on the way up to our cabin that has a street like that one. It was probably for the lumber mill/yard, logging, or the rail roads. All the houses looking mostly the same save an enclosed porch verses just an overhang.
I drive through a town on the way up to our cabin that has a street like that one. It was probably for the lumber mill/yard, logging, or the rail roads. All the houses looking mostly the same save an enclosed porch verses just an overhang.
Robbie wrote:logdog wrote:The beauty of 'company towns' is that the company would usually just run the financing of the house for you (either directly or through a 'friendly' bank). Yes of course the company will approve you for a house loan that no one else will approve you for, for a house that no one else wants because it is a pretty great insurance policy that you will continue to work for the company for the next 30 or so years.Ian F wrote: I also wonder if companies like these in such high-rent areas have considered building employee-dedicated apartment buildings on-site.Company towns used to be common.
All the stores and businesses were also owned by the company and only accepted company script. It was really E36 M3 for the workers.
"16 ton. What do you get? Another day older, and deeper in debt. St. Peter don't you come, cause I can't go. I owe my soul to the company store"
Reminds me of an old college friend that lived in his van in the parking lot behind my apartment. He was saving 90% of his income too, except that 90% of zero is still zero. 
There is a documentary on HBO about the SF housing situation. It's pretty interesting. The housing there is so crazy they are building luxury apartments in Hunters Points! (for anyone that has been to SF, that is a very bad area).
The basic timeline on how SF got so expensive was:
San Francisco now has highest median rental rates in the country. It also has a number of rather strange Startup Thinktank type businesses. Basically work spaces where very small startup companies can operate until they give up, go big, or get bought out.
If I wasn't married I would probably be doing the same, but no heat and no electricity, this would probably not be a choice that would last more then a few years. At least he is thinking about his college debt, most students I talk to thought Obama was going to pay for their debt.
Tiger Mom's parents live in SF. They pay something like $1,900 a month for a one bedroom apartment. They don't even do any of the cultural stuff.
I suggested that moving to Ky they could spend about 1/3 that in rent and get 3X the space. Factor in they spend 3-4 months a year back in the Philippians it made even more sense. Still no.
For 10K he could have gotten a pretty decent class A motorhome (mid 90s diesel pushers are mid teens now). If the security guys are "cool" with it then no need to go incognito (and a box van is hardly incognito)
Before our kids were born I tried for about 2 years to convince my wife that, given NY apartment prices, we should live on a sail boat. Its amazing how much used sail boat $50-75,000 buys. She totally refused (" no berkleying way" was what she actually said), mostly because she was worried about how cold winters would be. Maybe I should have suggested a box truck.
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