California Hosts the Best and Worst Features of USA
California depicts the nation in a mini form and points to future trends. Life here is not only sunny but there are equal dark patches – surplus in Silicon Valley and dire poverty in rural Central Valley. The damage has been done by housing crisis. Cuts in state budget, has been brutal to education.
California has always been the trend setter. It continues to point to the future of America – with wealth and opportunities in the Silicon Valley to dire poverty in Central Valley’s agricultural region.
California has always though itself to the best – land of flowing milk and honey but a new survey analyzing federal census and state statistics covering income,
education and longevity has shown the worst negative points of the nation can be found in the Golden State. Thus California hosts the best and worst features of USA.
The diversity of California had always attracted immigrants. Its fast changing economic frontiers makes it rank 8th in the world. Kristen Lewis joint-author of “A Portrait of California” said, “Some Californians are actually enjoying the highest levels of well-being in the world, where the rest of the world won’t be for another half-century”.
But American Human Development Project’s report throws light on some of the negative features of the state after taking into consideration statistics on education, wealth and health. Another study found one of the worst pockets to be Fresno and not the Appalachia or region of Mississippi Delta.
The mortgage crisis has largely been responsible for tarnishing the golden image of California. Families have been rendered homeless while the state budget has injured the education system. Education and income are interlaced.
Some of the oldest residents of California are immigrants from Latin America who are at the bottom rung of the ladder as regards earnings and learning. Their children tend to die early. Lewis said, “The longer Latinos live in the United States, the shorter they live”.
The report has divided California into five segments – “Five Californians”. There are affluent towns in the Silicon Valley followed by the coastal enclaves, home to well off metro residents. The minority citizens huddle around the suburbs and the middle class make up exurb population.
A large segment of the population lives in the rural areas of “Struggling California”. Lewis commented, “All over the U.S. the labour market is diverging, and it’s crating an hourglass shape”. 5% of the population is forsaken – their life expectancy being nine years less than those on top of the ladder. They crowd the poor neighbourhoods of Los Angeles and Central Valley that is dependent on farming.
The groups at the top and the bottom share one thing in common – a third from each group was not born in USA. The top comprise of engineers from Asia while the bottom are the Latinos with no high school education.
