[QUOTE=RC - Ryder,Nov 21 2007, 11:01 AM] Isn't it personal responsibility to:

 

I recently was tossing out papers and found a car loan in 1989 where I paid 10% interest on new car! Seeing that, today % didn't seem so bad even if they were a lot better just two or three years ago.

 

Exactly. With apologies to Dickens, this is not the best of times, but it's far from the worst of times.

 

We had our house built in 1986, because 30-year fixed mortgage rates dropped below 10% for the first time in years...

 

We're definitely in a housing slowdown here but that was inevitable. Building was going crazy and values were thru the roof. There's still alot of new construction going on but houses appear to be sitting empty. We took a bike ride thru the development today and you can take your pick of newly finished homes that are completed but empty. This is a resort town and the economy is driven by tourism. 14 million people visit this place annually. And yet, the permanent population is only 26,000. Unfortunately/fortunately, it's never just the 26,000 who are here. There are seasonal cycles. June, July and August are the peak tourist seasons where we are invaded by minivans with luggage carriers strapped to the roof. Then the golfers invade and stay until around December. Then the snowbirds arrive (some are early ) until spring when the golfers re-invade. Then comes mom, dad and the kids again. The entire economy here is service industry. Resorts, restaurants, hotels, go-karts, golf, shopping, etc. There are 2 major projects going on here that seem to indicate the economy is doing just fine. One is a redevelopment of the former air force base land called Market Common. It is a very large "lifestyle center" consisting of open air "downtown" type shopping with live/work townhomes, condos, single family homes surrounding the shopping. We have 2 of these in Cleveland called Crocker Park and Legacy Village and they are hugely popular. Residential prices at this place are high. It's supposed to open in Spring 2008. The second big project is the first Hard Rock Theme Park in the world. It's the Hard Rock Cafe brand only in a theme park. They just finished work on the Led Zeppelin coaster and a Moody Blues ride. It's a $400M project. More service jobs. More traffic too. . More and more northerners (like us)are moving here demanding the kind of amenities they are used to in the north. This used to be called the "Redneck Riviera" because of the neon motels that used to dot the coastline but not anymore. These old places are all being torn down and new high rises are taking their place. There is so much money being spent on development it'll make your head spin. The bad news is, health care blows, at least compared to where I came from which had some of the best medical care in the world (Cleveland Clinic Foundation & University Hospitals). Hopefully this will change too as more and more "money" moves down here.

 

Prior to 1969, when I got married, Myrtle Beach used to be my single guy's vacation hang out. I'm not sure when my buddy I first found it but it sure beat the long drive to Daytona Beach. That was before it became the Hot Golf spot or even known up north. I was always sorry I didn't buy property there because I loved it - - but I was to busy blowing money on Vets, 3-piece suits, and enjoying life after college. My wife and I went there for a vacation a few year's later but I'm sure I would not recognize anything any more. We are thinking of driving to FL in mid-Dec. If so, I'd like to drive down the old strip for old time sake and buy a couple cool ones to help the local economy.

 

Sorry, Ohio Racer, but it sounds like you're saying "I chose to move to an area that doesn't offer certain amenities, but since I'm here they owe it to me to offer the things I'd have had if I had chosen to live somewhere else."

We've got the same problem where I live. There's a contingent of people who feel that they chose to move to a school district that doesn't offer varsity hockey (for example), but the rest of use owe it to them to pay for varsity hockey. Those of us who've lived here longer feel they should just tell their kids the if mom and dad had chosen to buy a house in an adjacent district they would have varsity hockey, but mom and dad chose to buy in a place that doesn't offer hockey. Decisions have consequences.

 

^^ I've been vacationing in Myrtle Beach for more than 30 years. It has ALWAYS offered more in the way of restaurants, activities, etc. than other places. More people are choosing to live there year round, hence more housing developments. Since it is a resort town, the population burgeons from 26k year-long residents to around 30 mil in peak season. The climate is fantastic, but the crowds are difficult for me. Personally I do NOT enjoy visiting the area during the tourist season and never have. My favorite times to be there are in Oct, Nov, Feb, March and May. Those were the months I always spent a great deal of time there in years past. Since +1 is not overly fond of beaches in general, I only went down once or twice a year in recent times. I prefer the quieter places and try to find areas of the beach off the beaten path and without the condos and high rises. The real attraction for me is the more temperate weather as long as the hurricanes stay away. Just like my hometown here in Virginia, the northern invasion continues.

Edit: I don't think it is as much that people are moving down to the coastal areas from just the north that is bringing more in the way of increased development as it is people are moving there from urban areas and the supply vs demand issue is coming to play. Further, the tourist dollar pumps that economy FAR more than those who are moving there permanently and without all the nifty shops, entertainment, restaurants, etc. the tourists go elsewhere.

 

I'm not saying they "owe" it to me. I'm willing to pay for it via sales/property tax, etc. Population growth means demand for more "culture infrastructure" (for lack of a better phrase). Museums, libraries, health care, sports, etc. I'm not expecting Myrtle Beach to provide the kind of health care I can get in Cleveland, but I'd like to see more than "resort town" health care.

 

One of the factors in my decision to get a vacation cottage down there was the new hospitals that have been built on 17S. Pawley's Island's wealthy group of homeowners is aging and they've pumped a lot of $$ into heart/health care in that area, but it is still 20 miles from MB.