Carpe Diem: Job Growth in Texas vs California -- Chart of the Day -- And A Bit About Legoland, Disneyland

Carpe Diem's chart of the day: my home is San Antonio, but I spend a lot of time in my wife's family home in Los Angeles, specifically the San Pedro harbor area. My gut feeling is that the economy in California will get worse before it gets better, assuming that it gets better without significant policy changes.


The gap between the very rich / rich and the poor will get wider regardless of what happens. I honestly do not know how folks can afford the cost of living along the coastal communities in southern California. Groceries are generally 25 - 50 percent more in price than what I pay in San Antonio. California has both state income taxes and property taxes; Texas has no state income tax.

Legoland (near San Diego) always has a very small attendance compared to Disneyland; it's never crowded in Legoland. Having said that Legoland seemed quieter than usual this year (July, 2011). The Legoland water park was most crowded but still very, very small by comparison to anything at Disneyland. The walk-up price for a day at Legoland is $80 (all figures rounded) but just this past month Legoland/Burger King partnered on a promotion, letting one adult and one child in for the price of one adult. The cost averaged $40/visitor in our group of seven, a price we thought very, very reasonable for what we got. But $80/visitor would not have been worth it (and thus the promotion, I guess).

Disneyland, on the other hand, has no promotions (minor exceptions) and walk-up price for a day at Disneyland is now $100/visitor. One definitely gets his/her money's worth at Disneyland for that price, but with another $25/visitor on food and trinkets, the average family of four spends $600 just for a day at the park. One cannot see the entire park in two days, and if one really wants to enjoy Disneyland at a leisurely pace, one needs to get the three day pass. I see at the Disneyland website, Disney has dropped its $315 3-day hopper ticket to $300. Southern California residents can get a 3-day hopper for $140.

It goes without saying car expenses are significantly higher in southern California than in Texas.