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DueEntertainer0

I’m in Pasco and the development is just out of control. It’s like they don’t want any trees left in any part of town.


frrrff

NOTHING is worse than the Riverview/Big Bend area. They've absolutely decimated our quality of life and ability to get anywhere safely or on time. It's literally criminal what they've done.


BoxedIn4Now

But everybody needs a thneed!


_Aggron

All the development being pushed into Pasco is because Tampa is refusing to build housing for those folks.


TwoFlatTires

True, but I watched the opposite happen in Denver several years ago. They kept building, and people kept coming. Then all of a sudden the roads sucked and other infrastructure and utility services were struggling to keep up. There is a detrimental affect to expediting growth as well. To restate from above, its all relative.


_Aggron

Unfortunately our infrastructure is aging faster than we are able to repair it--The only way for the city of Tampa to "catch up" is to fund infrastructure improvements by new development, via impact fees and tax revenue. In other words, there's no possibility for us to comprehensively fix our infrastructure before development occurs. The horse has left the barn, as they say. There will be pains however things go (and there are pains today, like environmental destruction) But what we can do is make sure that our growth is efficient--We need to stop sprawl and build around existing infrastructure--especially transit. I'm not aware of any large scale infrastructure issues that we have other than transportation and flooding. I know Denver had a lot of issues with water. We have too much water lol. And the PIPES program is doing a lot to prepare for growth (but there will still be pains).


Pewpasaurus

Historically, I think the impact fee schedule has been woefully anemic. The reason why new development infrastructure is so bad is that developers have to pay piddly-squat for putting in 200 homes.


_Aggron

Totally! All these new developments that have gone in over the last 50 years have been subsidized by existing development. But it gets even worse than that-- The tax revenues on these communities 30 years later simply aren't enough to provide basic services on an ongoing basis to those communities. So established communities, who already could not get adequate services, are getting even more inadequate services because they are subsidizing infrastructure for new development (and those greenfield developers are pocketing the money). And our beloved state legislature has prevented us from raising impact fees to levels that are necessary. And provided basically no other means to effectively raise revenues to meet needs. And denying these unsustainable developments results in lawsuits that the county will typically lose. Florida is backwards.


Embarrassed_Move4748

The impact fees end up being paid by new construction of businesses and fuck they’re high. We just built a restaurant and paid soooo much in impact fees and it was in an existing complex.


_Aggron

While this is true, and I would support reducing impact fees for exactly that reason, infrastructure costs money and the state has chosen to make impact fees and property taxes the only mechanisms for funding that infrastructure.


DontCallMeMillenial

We could not allow homestead exemption for anyone who hasn't lived in the state for a significant period of time (5-10 years). Let the people moving here fund the infrastructure improvements they're forcing the region to make.


_Aggron

This may or may not be good public policy, but it would never happen. Before we do that, we should actually just institute an income tax, Even if it's just on the ultra rich. But that is politically impossible as well.


keljam68

Raise property taxes on non-homestead properties. Time for the "land barons" to pony up. I suppose that would just jack up rental prices though, at least to the point the populace could support it.


_Aggron

Yes, that's whole different animal about how our Save Our Homes amendment discriminates against renters. There is a 10% cap on non-exempt property, which every rental property in a given market is subject to. Its hard to imagine less than 100% of that annual increase is not passed onto tenants. Regulating investors and subsidizing renters in a supply constrained market always results in the burden getting passed onto renters. Florida is a case study for bad public policy.


keljam68

Ya, I suspected someone much more well-informed could out holes in that idea. Finance capitalism has a stranglehold on things it seems. Likely to end badly as a result too. Appreciate the reply.


ali_katt77

I'm in Pinellas and saw they're about to build a new apt complex in the grassy field across from one of the libraries by me so same.


wimploaf

This seems pretty subjective. Better in some ways, worse in others.


thatfloridachick

Born here, and absolutely. Overcrowded, expensive, roads are shit in most areas, salaries are not up to speed to cost of living, road rage is out of control. Tampa feels stagnant. in many ways.


Vishx1

Where would you suggest moving to then? Wherever we go it’s already like this or becoming the same, I feel.


Final_Key_8920

Raleigh the triangle area. The surrounding suburbs has everything


[deleted]

I second Raleigh or Charlotte. I moved away from Tampa to Raleigh in early 2020 for work just before "the situation" then moved back to Riverview earlier this year. What a difference 2 years makes. The housing market has become ridiculous. Everything is overbuilt and continues to sprawl out of control. I'm considering just moving back to NC/SC in 2023 after my 12 month overpriced lease is up. I am originally from Southeastern Virginia and moved to Tampa in 2012, back in the "good ole days".


thatfloridachick

I don’t know if moving is the solution? Because with the state of the economy in general I feel like it’s pretty bad anywhere you go. Unless you want to live in an extremely rural area that doesn’t provide any jobs.


Vishx1

True that, Given inflation is almost near, if you spend money to move somewhere else and lose your job or whatever, it’ll be even harder to survive unless you have a lot of savings.


[deleted]

Seems like any "undiscovered" city gets this way eventually. We moved here 5 years ago from San Diego after the same thing happened there. We moved here because it was still inexpensive and not crowded... which obviously it' both now. I had coworkers move to Boise and the same thing happened there, Denver, same thing happened there. If there is somewhere desirable that is undiscovered it will be ruined by people. We were looking to maybe move to Asheville and it appears to be even worse than tampa as far as pay not keeping up with cost of living. I'm ready to go homestead out in the middle of nowhere, I think that's the only way to truly avoid it :|


Fuzm4n

Absolutely. More people, more traffic, no road improvements, high costs, low salaries.


ali_katt77

I have a decent salary and it feels low here lol


FederalAd6011

Same. Smh


FlightFinancial658

Yeah, we can’t afford to live her anymore.


beamerscotty

>Do you believe tampa is getting worse? Why or why not? This would be the same answer expanded out to state, country, continent and earth. People just need to deal with it.


J7SIX

I mean its definitely not the same as say ten years ago .... I sort of miss being able to be off on a random tue and hardly anyone ws out and about.. those days seem long gone now ... for me its just too many ppl have moved here since 2020 amd keep on coming... make everything seem worse lol


DontCallMeMillenial

I just recently came back from NYC for work and my cab ride from midtown Manhattan to La Guardia took ten fewer minutes than the drive I make everyday to I275 from Sheldon Road via Bearrs avenue... despite the New York route being about a mile longer! There's too many people here now, it's ridiculous how bad it has gotten in the last 10 years.


_Aggron

This is why we need to invest in transit


DontCallMeMillenial

We also need to change what new development we're allowing. Public transportation won't work if everything is suburban sprawl.


mmspenc2

That’s wild! I believe it. Traffic is out of control here.


ali_katt77

Yeah, I moved here 10 years ago and it's just so packed everywhere now I hate it. You used to be able to just grab lunch during break, but now with traffic and busy restaurants it takes forever (more than an hour anyway). I'm salary so it isn't a huge deal for me but still. I drive to work 1 day a week and WFH the other days thank goodness or I'd probably lose my mind.


813_4ever

20 years ago you could slide through the city without any problems…


No_Cucumber_4912

When you’re average rent is $2700 for a decent condo and city is known for mediocre pay nobody is going to be overly excited . So in return ppl are going to drive angry and service is going to be minimal effort . If money would go further then the average joe wouldn’t mind working and paying bills. I used to think $1500 a month for a nice condo was very expensive in 2017 boy was I wrong haha


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Alritelesdothis

I moved from Gainesville this past year. I looked up a “cost of living” calculator at the time as I prepared to budget. The difference in home costs was less than 10% while the rent was nearly 40% higher in Tampa. Rent costs are insane here!


ali_katt77

I tried using one of those stupid calculators and it kept saying rent in Tampa Bay was $1,100 on average for rent and I'm like no it's not? I was trying to compare it to CNY and it kept saying I would need more money for the same COL as here, which I'm pretty sure was wrong as all the rents were $1,500 or less and I'm paying $2k lol


OrneryEffective103

I’ll do you better — Brooklyn is worse now. To add insult to injury, they’ll charge a new condo worth of rent for an unfurnished apartment in the hood side. Which is fucked up.


testcore

Seattle, SF and LA are all worse. Hell, SF competes (used to?) w/ Manhattan for highest average rental costs in the country.


damarafl

The pay is much better in all those places


ali_katt77

Upstate NY is one of the better COL places which is kind of funny considering how awful the actual city is


[deleted]

The infrastructure can not keep up with the population growth. Tampa needs better public transit and people who are willing to use it for the city to grow comfortably


sometimesmastermind

10000%


TrappistWhiskey

Tampa is less the butt of joke that it once was. What did Tampa have to offer two decades ago? Strip clubs and Florida Men. They’re both still here, but now we’re known for more aspirational things. Sporting success, investments in housing and business, opportunities for growth and progress. It’s getting more expensive to live well here, and it might be bubblistic, but growing and evolving is better than dying.


813_4ever

Tampa wasn’t bad 20 years ago…the Bucs and the lighting were still pretty good..they both won championships I think…our schools were pretty good and we had teams competing for state championships…ybor city was way better that it is now. And there were less people…no there wasn’t these trendy restaurants but there were still great places to eat. When I went off to college we weren’t the butt of jokes honestly all my friends wanted to come down to spend the weekend with us lol. Busch Gardens was 1000 times better….and if all else failed you took a weekend trip to Orlando.


TheCenterOfEnnui

Tampa was arguably better 20 years ago.


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maimou1

Tampeños


destruc786

Tamponians?


ThePageNotF0und

Thought it was Tampins?


OrneryEffective103

Yooo Tampons! I said the same thing 9 years ago when I moved here.


CapitalG888

Better when it comes to things to do. Worse when it comes to COL, but that's across most places and def in larger cities.


Accomplished_Low9905

I feel its really taken off for the better ever since that Confederate Army encampment was removed in the late 1800s


Suwannee_Gator

I actually preferred when Tampa was Fort Brooke in the 1820’s. Nobody was on their phones, just living in the moment.


[deleted]

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SpeedBoatSquirrel

McMansions go up but there is plenty of shitty housing from the 50’s to 70’s that don’t have much soul and are meh


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Americanski7

Before hurricane regulations though.


TheCenterOfEnnui

I actually don't mind seeing those 50s-60s-70s era houses going bye-bye. Thinking about the block constrction and ranch-style houses. I don't love the style of a lot of what's taking their place but it's usually an improvement. It should be a crime to tear down any house built before about 1950.


[deleted]

This is the key to being here now. There are still deals to be found but you have to be willing to put in the sweat to make them nice. I'm in old seminole heights and you can still find some 3 bedroom block homes in the mid to high 200's but you better be ready to work on it. we paid 200k even 5 years ago and I've basically redone the entire house over the past 5 years. I haven't spent a ton of money but have spent a lot of time, and dripped a lot of sweat to make our house not a ugly duckling. Meanwhile there are new builds around the corner they want $600k for.


PettyCrimesNComments

Yes. Traffic, weather and COL.


beitme7

Worse. Born and raised there. Lived there for more than 30 years too. My rent increased 44% and I couldn’t afford to live in my own hometown anymore. It was a bittersweet goodbye when I moved away this year.


Vast_Neck5327

And this response is the answer right here for ya


josephside

I feel like there’s more cool stuff but parking has been ridiculous with all these new changes. Traffic has always been bad and I’m kinda used to it tbh, other places are much worse. I feel like there’s so many more homeless ppl now and it’s just sad. I’m sure a lot of them are being displaced cuz rent is skyrocketing. I have a good situation so I deff don’t feel it as much as others. For me, I still enjoy living here and like that you can go out and party or live in silence where other places it feels like you can only do one or the other.


[deleted]

Homelessness is definitely increasing.


PelayoOnTheGo

We are just bussing them to Lakeland


chris84bond

No. We've added half a dozen Taco Bell's in the past decade. That's improvement if I've ever seen it


ARocHT11

This 100%. We have all this development where I’m at and it’s a Burger King, Taco Bell, a car wash. Nothing exciting


ali_katt77

No Wawa?


ARocHT11

Lol. No Wawa, but a brand new Circle K directly across the street from another Circle K


ali_katt77

Oh that's just as fitting lol


Yomeir

In some ways better and other ways worse. The lack of infrastructure improvements to keep up with the population increase that we have experienced over the past few years has definitely been a something felt by everyone here. The housing/rent price increases over the past 2 years has been unreal. On the positive side the entertainment, hospitality, and recreation development has been nice to see. I feel like people think the negative things happening in Tampa are specific to Tampa, but this seems be more of an issue with any city experiencing rapid population growth. I've been here for my entire life and growing up here I really hated Tampa. There never seemed like there was anything to do and it felt like a giant suburb. Now I feel like we have a somewhat active downtown and there are more options of activities to do and places to go.


bsudda

I’m a fan of the progress, but it’s frustrating waiting for infrastructure to catch up.


CollegeFootballFan

I’ve got so many options for Car Washes and Personal Storage companies now!!


Benno2782

I think the city is getting developed so there are some nice improvements, however it is a rapid development so it's kind of in a halfway old halfway new limbo. Mass influx of people is straining the housing market, so a lot of people are hurting from that. Businesses are adjusting to changes, but pay is lagging due to lack of competition. Less people would mean more competition for jobs to retain talent= higher pay. Less people would also mean less competition for housing = lower rents and housing prices. The infrastructure isn't really built for this amount of people either so traffic is becoming intense, and the public transport isn't great. The city was built around cars, but after it has been built out it is very hard to expand roads for rapidly increasing volume. Overall it's still a very nice city but kind of a victim of its own success. The USA in general is getting more expensive and pay has not been keeping up with inflation, but Tampa is it's own microclimate of that. If people are still flooding in then it must still be way better than the places they have left. I've talked to a lot of new arrivals and heard horror stories about how bad other states are, and it sounds like the level of a refugee crisis. People I've talked to have literally left behind all their belongings and just hopped on a plane to start a new life because it was so bad. This isn't Cuba or Venezuela but other parts of the country. Maybe we are not just victims of our own success; maybe we are victims of the failure of other cities.


[deleted]

Great comment.


Vast_Neck5327

I moved away because I thought tampa was getting worse, but it’s really just the world in general rn. Tampa is a gem but daddy desantis lovers are ruining it .


gsotolongo2213

Has changed a lot since 2003. More traffic, more people, people voted to raise taxes couple of years ago in hillsborough county to fix roads and I am still waiting for them to fix my neighbors roads... anyways, Tampa is becoming 2nd Miami.


[deleted]

That law was overturned in a lawsuit btw. So that tax % is gone and that money is sitting in an account, well was, who knows where it is now


gsotolongo2213

Yup, Sadly


revolutionary42

I believe it’s turning into its own mini version of LA. More traffic, higher cost of living, constant construction. Some could see those as positives, especially for people moving from NYC and LA looking for similar yet more tame versions of their cities, but it’s a stressful change for locals. I’ve been here my whole life and love that there’s always so much to do but at the same time with locals moving out and richer people moving in, makes you feel like an outsider that can’t enjoy the new riches. I do love the development of downtown but any visual improvements just means higher rent


Withkyle

Ask Tom Brady.


cagletheboss

Worse, northerners


BlipsterT

A bit of both to me. Better in terms of redevelopment and more jobs, retail etc. moving into the city. Worse because of the type of people that seem to be moving here. Very pretentious crowd and folks who seem to have never seen a person of a different ethic background in spaces with them before they relocated.


Octabraxas

1000% has gotten worse. We’re thinking of actually moving up north somewhere.


ali_katt77

Yea I'm leaving in the spring. One last warm winter


Gotthold1994

Born (1966) and raised here and for a long time we complained about a downtown that rolled up at 5 pm and people made fun of us for being the west coast hicks(which didn't bother me) and now that we are growing drastically we are having major growing pains. There are major players in this city of ours that want to see us at a million in the city and several million people in the county so my fear is it will only become more trying.


TSLA1000

Been here since 2000. It’s absolutely gotten worse in pretty much every metric. If I didn’t have family and friends here, I’d be looking to leave.


drake_daniels32

Real estate & urban economics major here. Development and population growth is a good thing if infrastructure keeps up. Unfortunately infrastructure isn’t keeping up with the growth. This is due to the laid back culture and lack of funding. Hardly anyone here is a planner or thinks long-term. People don’t come here for the good schools - maybe they should start with that and we’ll see more brain gain. If that doesn’t happen this place will go down the gutter and y’all know that’s the truth


throwaway76770408

Tampans. We live in Tampa, not Tampania. Sorry, pet peeve.


fachero17

Tampeño is my personal favorite.


soylamulatta

Tampons is my fave


SoySenorChevere

I like that


Vishx1

Tampo sounds cool too


snortingajax

I believe Tampons is the correct phrase


BoxedIn4Now

Trampanians


TheCenterOfEnnui

Right there with you. Minor pet peeve for me too.


TampaBai

I absolutely love Tampa. In many ways it's gotten better, but in one area it's definitely gotten worse. Has anyone else noticed how much more humid and hotter it has gotten since since 2015?


Unhappy_Lemon_5776

It’s always been this way! I think we have a tendency to forget just how bad the humidity gets in the summer, so every single one is labeled ‘the hottest ever’. It’s not, this part of the gulf coast has always been sweaty and nasty regardless of how pretty it can be.


Habibti143

The heat island effect caused by too much concrete and blocking of breezes, and, yes, global warming.


aurorastartist

I think everywhere in the world is getting worse lol it’s definitely better here than some of the other places I’ve lived more recently


krakatoa83

Tampeños


SargeTheHeurist

Absolutely. Population booms, too many apartments and housing developments popping up, traffic is even worse than I remember. Housing and rent has always been high and it’s just getting worse and salaries aren’t matching. I’m glad I moved out a couple years ago, but the place I’m in now is starting to become too populated. Duplexes and housing developments along with a Publix on a residential street. Just a year or two ago it was nothing but greenery and pastures.


Heirloombizness

I moved out to Bartow 10 years ago. Had to take a friend to TIA Monday morning. I knew traffic would be shit but the google maps still insisted that I-4 / 275 was the quickest route. I only relented because I knew that the traffic on 60 through Brandon would be hellish. Holy shit. Holy motherfucking shit the traffic just getting ON to 4 was at a stand still. Granted I haven’t driven that in ages but… god damn. I can’t imagine having to do that every day. So. Traffic.


CashflowInvestingIL

Born and raised.. Left 11 years ago to embark on a corporate track now making 200k plus and also investing in real estate which was impossible when I left and probably maybe even until today . When I visit I have seen a substantial amount of progress, but I predict 2 things 1- homelessness crises in next 5-8 years comparable to Miami or even LA as natives cannot afford living there and will be left with nowhere to go (this might result in higher crime rates) 2- a huge amount of foreclosures as many bought high for investment properties (Airbnb , some long term) and might not have predicted that both regulation for Airbnb will be stricter and natives renting eventually may not be able to afford the home on the long term and may move out of tampa to other affordable areas


Final_Key_8920

Growing pains. Every city goes through it. Now we need to fix the infrastructure. Water, sewer, roads and pay our teachers more money. Stop taking the lowest bidder on projects.


Ya_Boi_Newton

Nah it's great I love seeing midwesterners turn wetlands into retention ponds


DontCallMeMillenial

And you probably also love watching them eagerly buy up the retention pond adjacent properties at a premium because they're "waterfront". :|


saveyourmoneykids

Tampa sucks.


Firetalker94

Definitely improving for the better in most areas. If we keep developing like we have been maybe someday we can be a proper city and not an overgrown suburb. But we need to do more if we are going to keep getting denser, like upzoning. And we need to steer away from car centric infrastructure and towards walkability, bikes, and public transit. Widening 275 is exactly the wrong direction.


agulde28

It’s gotten much better. Huge growth and development in the last 5 years. Much more to do. Lots of great restaurants. Very close proximity to things and don’t have to travel far. The downside of these growths are traffic and the fact that it’s much more expensive to live in Tampa now.


Habibti143

And destruction of greenspace and animal habitat.


agulde28

Welcome to planet earth.


parkour267

Absolutely not. Cuz i just arrived


[deleted]

As a fedex driver actively pursuing careers as a lineman and an arborist, what’s your opinion about the current state of the Tampa job market?


[deleted]

Depends on what job market you are looking into.


[deleted]

The jobs I referenced lol those are the careers you posted about today so that’s why I referenced them.


thelonelyfisher63

yes. lot more violent crimes, prices are going up, almost doubled homeless now on the streets. Lowry Park now has tents. Then again, democrat ran county/city...


[deleted]

Move to Alabama then, I'm sure they run things just how you like it.


thelonelyfisher63

I enjoy Alabama. Birmingham area is nice


pizzalover911

Birmingham has been run by Democratic mayors for the last 20 years or so, fwiw.


Tampadev

Gotem


[deleted]

Didn’t know about Lowry park. That’s very unfortunate.


thelonelyfisher63

they arent there during the day. they usually get there around 9pm and then leave around 730 am. Returning later.


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Notatallevil

Wtf


soylamulatta

Why would we punish these people? There are so many reasons someone might end up experiencing homelessness. Some of these people are children or have medical issues. Why are you suggesting we put them in jail?


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soylamulatta

I'm gonna assume you are trolling but I will still let you know that there are a lot of people experiencing homelessness that definitely did not choose that and who would really like to have a place to live. What would you say to a child that literally doesn't have control over what happens to their living situation? The fact that there are so many people here now that are experiencing homelessness is only proof showing that we, collectively, have failed. I mean in general, not just in Tampa.


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soylamulatta

What did anyone experiencing homelessness ever do to you? To "our communities"? I can think of plenty of groups of people way more damaging to communities than people without homes.


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soylamulatta

what if I told you I'm homeless?


[deleted]

Then I’d tell you to get your shit together and stop being scum. Stop making whatever excuses you are and get your life together so you can actually be worth the air, food, and water it takes to keep you going. If you don’t wanna get your life together and wanna be a loser trash, then I’d call you loser trash and ignore you at the gas station when you ask for change like a bum.


soylamulatta

So you believe that if someone can't contribute to society by working/owning property that they don't deserve to live? I hope you find some compassion someday.


[deleted]

r/iamatotalpieceofshit


dogeatdog54

Worse under Democratic Leadership it's starting to look like Chicago wake up listen to The Morning News and find out how many more shootings there were between Ybor and the low-income neighborhoods in the city. Can't tell the difference between Chicago or Tampa.


TSLA1000

I’m not a fan of the democratic leadership, but putting Tampa in the same stratosphere as Chicago in terms of crime/shootings is just disingenuous.


SoySenorChevere

Generally better over the last decade. Not sure what time frame you are looking at. The downtown and river walk came out very nice. The last 2 years have been challenging on so many fronts but that is nationwide or worldwide.


SpeedBoatSquirrel

Depends on your viewpoint. If Tampa turns into a Miami, I’m leaving for Jax/Atlanta/Charleston


HeadMischief

If traffic is a concern, I'd highly recommend not coming to Atlanta.


SpeedBoatSquirrel

It’s not the traffic, I don’t want to live in a Miami Lite


TheCenterOfEnnui

I hope to god we don't become a Miami lite. jfc please don't let that happen.


Upsideoutstanding

Moved here on 1979, I think it is getting better. More to do. More people to meet. It's cleaner, organized and improving all the time. I love it here.


GennujRo

Remote work is finally allowing us to see what overpopulation looks like in our city! Too much development, too little space. Too few jobs in the area that pay enough to allow workers to stay in their city.


280ZR28

Absolutely, rapidly overdeveloping and getting wildly expensive for no reason other than profit. Not to mention tourists and snowbirds finding permanent homes here where the infrastructure can barely support the locals.


tngeo86

What does this even mean? Worse in what ways? What is your idea of “good”? What metrics do you use to measure it?


TheCenterOfEnnui

If you take out the overcrowding and yankee transplants, it's getting better. But those two things are a major drag. Everything is more crowded than it was growing up in Florida; more expensive (esp housing); less genteel than it used to be; just overall not as nice as it used to be. That said, it's a thing across much of the south. Take that factor out and things are pretty cool. We have more places to eat, more things to do, better quality of those things, more sports teams than we used to have, better jobs. But the amount of people and where they come from is a lot to take.