Visiting my wife's old home ward in SoCal today. It's about what you'd expect

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Dec 29, 2024
12:40:10pm

shoganai All-American

Visiting my wife's old home ward in SoCal today. It's about what you'd expect

demographically. It's old. Well past its glory days and still slowly shrinking. Few young families and youth.

It occurred to me that this same time 30-40 years ago it would've been buzzing with chatter from everybody who was at the Holiday Bowl a day or two before. In other words, exactly what's going on at younger, growing wards all over Texas today.

Good time to be in the Big 12 and shifting our footprint south and eastward.

This message has been modified

Originally posted on Dec 29, 2024 at 12:40:10pm

Message modified by shoganai on Dec 29, 2024 at 12:42:55pm

Message modified by shoganai on Dec 29, 2024 at 4:08:32pm

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shoganai

Bio page: shoganai
Joined: Jul 15, 2004
Last login: Jan 1, 2025
Total posts: 33,502 (790 FO)

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Messages

Author

Time

Visiting my wife's old home ward in SoCal today. It's about what you'd expect

shoganai

12/29/24 12:40pm

What city/area in SoCal, Shog?

12/29/24 12:49pm

Long Beach.

shoganai

12/29/24 12:51pm

I used to like Long Beach 30 years ago. Went to a LB ward for awhile.

88Coug

12/29/24 12:56pm

Love visiting. Would never seriously consider living here.

shoganai

12/29/24 1:01pm

I grew up in SoCal - I loved it. But California reminds me of a third world

12/29/24 7:31pm

Sorry, but Utah is full. The quality of life has already substantially decreased due to move-ins from other states.

12/30/24 9:22am

I lived in 3rd world countries for about 22 years, and just moved to SoCal a few

Japan Coug

12/30/24 9:33am

Me too bro. I lived in 3 latam countries for 8 years: 2 in Colombia, 3 in Chile

12/30/24 9:53pm

If you’ve lived in 3rd world countries that long, then I’m sure you would agree

Japan Coug

12/31/24 1:30am

I just looked at the meetinghouse locator for the South Bay. So few wards

88Coug

12/29/24 7:31pm

Portland, OR is the same way—was a mass exodus in 2019 (even before COVID).

BYUHgrad

12/29/24 11:36pm

One of my coworker/friends grew up in Long Beach.

85fan

12/29/24 2:32pm

Grew up in Long Beach 8th ward.

Florwood

12/29/24 5:21pm

I grew up in Long Beach 5th. My grandfather was responsible for the building

BYUFBDAD

12/29/24 9:54pm

I loved the building on ximeno

Florwood

12/29/24 10:38pm

Was in the 10th ward from 2010 to 2013, loved that ward

Kevin Arnold

12/29/24 11:15pm

Long Beach State or Long Beach Each Stake?

NacoCoug

12/29/24 10:27pm

RE: Long Beach State or Long Beach Each Stake?

BYUFBDAD

12/29/24 10:32pm

East. Woodruff Ward.

shoganai

12/29/24 10:33pm

Woodruff meetinghouse was sold in 2019

12/29/24 11:47pm

It was. But the ward was not part of the sale.

shoganai

12/30/24 12:12am

Loved that building

12/30/24 7:51am

My parents met at a dance in LB.

88Coug

12/29/24 10:42pm

How much are home prices in that area?

NumbersGuy

12/29/24 12:50pm

SD is the best. Too bad it is too expensive with not enough high paying jobs.

88Coug

12/29/24 12:57pm

Yea, California is horrible. Nobody should ever move here.

Hufflepuff

12/29/24 7:51pm

We will leave that to you rich folks.

88Coug

12/29/24 8:01pm

Is it just that LDS people are leaving CA? California wards aren’t restricted to a small neighborhood of a few…

Brisco

12/29/24 12:53pm

This is my suspicion.

NumbersGuy

12/29/24 12:58pm

The cost of living is a huge entry barrier for most young LDS families.

shoganai

12/29/24 12:58pm

We went to a Carlsbad ward a few months ago. Had a decent number of young

88Coug

12/29/24 1:02pm

Have a nephew (orthodontist) living and raising his family in Carlsbad.

sfeuz

12/29/24 3:02pm

I'm also an orthodontist raising my family in Carlsbad. There's a few of us.

rbr

12/29/24 8:34pm

My wife and I just moved to Oceanside and bought a house, expecting first kid soon.

WP17

12/29/24 11:34pm

Didn't President Nelson in a talk to California members

gopman

12/29/24 1:03pm

Yes.

Idacoug

12/29/24 1:35pm

A friend who just moved here to Colorado told me about this. CA politics also.

eyes4byu

12/29/24 3:08pm

Colorado politics really isn’t any better.

kahuna

12/29/24 5:16pm

What do you mean by "better"?

chochera

12/30/24 9:00am

Agreed. We are becoming California, incrementally, in politics.🤨

eyes4byu

12/30/24 12:10pm

Agree

kahuna

12/30/24 7:13pm

They didn’t listen. Looking around Utah is proof of that.

AlternateShot

12/29/24 4:24pm

Was in the meeting

bjc

12/29/24 5:25pm

My SoCal stake merged when I was a little kid. Lots of wards shutting down.

88Coug

12/29/24 5:34pm

How are people supposed to stay in an area with insane home

gopman

12/29/24 6:25pm

Also when contributing a big portion of income to the church.

NumbersGuy

12/29/24 6:56pm

100% correct. Texas is new California

Idacoug

12/29/24 1:34pm

Texas depresses me. Nice people, great sports fans and not much else.

LumberCoug

12/29/24 4:20pm

Was there last month. No MOUNTAINS!!!

Bad Plus Fan

12/29/24 9:43pm

That was the worst part of living in DFW, the lack of mountains.

88Coug

12/29/24 9:52pm

I’m sorry, I’m sure cost of living is great but wow. Just a wind tunnel with

MrSandman

12/29/24 9:38pm

Austin is nice. Hilly, green, the river, UT, the capital, good food, etc.

NumbersGuy

12/29/24 9:41pm

Dallas feels like someone took the worst of American suburbia and mutated it x 1,000. Austin is great, though. SA too

WP17

12/29/24 11:48pm

When kids grow up they can't afford to buy a home in the area

Tricky

12/29/24 6:31pm

Sadly Utah is becoming the same way

NonmormonYfan89

12/29/24 7:00pm

It is not any better in Utah, with 3rd least affordable housing in the US

Mabuhay Coug

12/29/24 8:48pm

Agreed, its tough in Utah for sure. Which is why I work for a company out of Boston. Companies in Utah pay like crap

NonmormonYfan89

12/29/24 9:28pm

Honestly, that demographic cycle is most pronounced in wards in Utah, but happens everywhere

krindorr

12/29/24 1:35pm

More affordable areas of CA still have large LDS populations

MaximusMeridius

12/29/24 1:35pm

Where are these affordable areas that members live in CA?

Projectoor

12/29/24 3:43pm

Anywhere that's not Bay area or southern California

MaximusMeridius

12/29/24 4:08pm

Temecula is wonderful. Great wards. Great community, hr from SD

MrSandman

12/29/24 9:39pm

A number of people I know moved out there. They like it

88Coug

12/29/24 9:53pm

It just gets 105° in the summer and you’re pretty far from the beach.

WP17

12/29/24 11:52pm

Yes. Sacramento. Modesto/Merced/Tracy. Inland Empire.

UNLVcougar

12/29/24 5:16pm

During Covid dozens of families moved from CA to UT. In Santa Clarita, 3 stakes

12/29/24 5:49pm

Santa Clarita had 2 Stakes before covid

PenrynCoug

12/29/24 7:05pm

don't let facts destroy the narrative - my cousin is in Stevenson Ranch

12/29/24 7:23pm

Yes--two stakes in Santa Clarita since before COVID, but

scvcoog

12/30/24 2:35pm

5 years ago our ward in rural Kansas averaged about 135 on Sunday, now we are

Submariner

12/29/24 1:05pm

What part of Kansas?

slatecoug

12/29/24 4:20pm

About 30 miles north of Wichita.

Submariner

12/29/24 6:13pm

Same story with my mom's ward in rural Kansas

StantonMac

12/29/24 6:44pm

I have no clue why someone would eye roll this.

UNLVcougar

12/29/24 5:16pm

Some CBers love the eye roll. I may have used it once in the last five years. It's dumb.

Brisco

12/29/24 5:58pm

Appears you haven’t visited any San Clemente Wards.

bluebrotha

12/29/24 1:17pm

Lots of rich folks, I suspect.

88Coug

12/29/24 4:31pm

Young families cannot afford to buy there.

HiLife

12/29/24 4:58pm

Same thing visiting my ward I grew up in Western Washington. Now, there are some

BYUHawk

12/29/24 1:17pm

My teenaged son's girlfriend moved to San Diego with her family this summer

Zooropa

12/29/24 1:19pm

<< Deleted >>

12/29/24 3:17pm

Not that way in Huntington just down the road. But generally speaking you are

Idacoug

12/29/24 1:33pm

When I was young, my family lived in eastern LA county..

Frustrated Coug

12/29/24 1:56pm

My wife grew up in Glendora during the 80’s.

HiLife

12/29/24 4:54pm

We just formed an entire new stake in south Orange County.

cougERdoc

12/29/24 2:57pm

Yeah South Orange County has tons of young families. Ladera Ranch and San

califcougar

12/29/24 7:13pm

The problem in Southern California is that

scvcoog

12/29/24 3:13pm

My mom is probably the RS president of that ward.

12/29/24 3:21pm

My old neighbors from Springville moved to Orange County, early 30s with 3 kids

andrewg3

12/29/24 3:24pm

My dad’s ward in Bountiful is similar. Lots of older people, way less families

12/29/24 3:34pm

In San Diego for last 11 years. Ward has seen huge influx of young families

nomomtn

12/29/24 3:39pm

SD reduced number of wards and stakes just 3 yrs ago. Lots of members

Bluforever

12/29/24 4:03pm

Population has been moving south. Happens everywhere. My stake is great and

12/29/24 4:01pm

This is the growth ponzi scheme at work.

Jimmertime

12/29/24 4:23pm

What do you mean by this?

mang

12/29/24 5:31pm

Consider joining the strong towns movement. Our development pattern is

bdizzle

12/29/24 6:51pm

Sounds like my stake in SoCal.

HiLife

12/29/24 4:45pm

Sounds like my ward in Huntington Beach

bdizzle

12/29/24 8:03pm

I felt that. Visiting my childhood home ward in WA today as well, same deal.

seacougar

12/29/24 8:40pm

As did I visiting my childhood ward in Orem

GenkiLawyer

12/29/24 11:07pm

Sometimes CougarBoard can be so strange.....

xiaoping

12/29/24 8:52pm

RE: Sometimes CougarBoard can be so strange.....

12/29/24 8:59pm

I think you're reading a lot of things that nobody wrote.

shoganai

12/29/24 10:30pm

That and the data he posted doesn't really support any of his assertions.

UNLVcougar

12/29/24 10:33pm

RE: I think you're reading a lot of things that nobody wrote.

xiaoping

12/29/24 11:43pm

I live here as well, and it’s difficult to ignore how badly California is

UNLVcougar

12/30/24 12:22am

All fair points. Maybe I just got too sensitive.

xiaoping

12/30/24 12:27am

Woodland Hills?

Dr MoBYU

12/29/24 11:05pm

You just described my childhood ward that I attended today

Kolipoki

12/30/24 12:14am

Downey

12/30/24 7:53am

Bell Ward still exists, unlike a lot of others in the area.

88Coug

12/30/24 8:55am

It’s basically a branch now

Kolipoki

12/30/24 10:23am

It was never a huge ward, IIRC, but there were so many small wards with their

88Coug

12/30/24 11:09am

Maybe you both dated the same cute girl . . .

85fan

12/30/24 2:06pm

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