[throwaway2037]

You wrote:

    There's no way I can afford to move.

You are lucky to win the housing lottery. Congrats! Can you imagine being a young couple (20s 30s) trying to buy your first home the US right now? Hopeless. Wait a few years as an oppressed renter!

[nradov]

Yes, I am lucky in many ways. But the US home ownership rate is 65%, so it's hardly a lottery. Many young couples are buying homes in lower cost states like Utah, Minnesota, and Ohio. HN users focusing on California often have a distorted perspective on the situation out in the real world.

[0cf8612b2e1e]

California is home to more people than those three states combined.