Hansen: As Laguna Beach ages, people are leaving

While the rest of the world grows, Laguna Beach shrinks.

Other cities add vitality, embrace opportunity and unleash amazing creativity, but Laguna Beach does not — not really.

Consider that we have fewer people now than we did in 2000.

The population growth rate in California is about 10%. But from 2000 to today, Laguna’s population actually declined by almost 5%.

The change is important for several reasons.

First of all, because we have almost zero new housing and very little alternative housing, downtown lofts or higher-density units, it means no one can afford to move here.

Investors are buying, sure, and driving up housing prices.

The median housing price is more than $1 million, which is at least a 50% increase since 2000, according to the U.S. census.

But we know about the expensive housing.

What’s new is that people are leaving now for reasons that should strike fear into our aging bones.

This is not an ageism rant. The fact is Laguna Beach is old.

Since 2000, it claims significantly fewer children, young adults and middle age people.

The only demographic that has increased is people ages 60 to 74. That group totaled about 2,800 in 2000 and grew to almost 5,000 today, a remarkable 70% increase.

Put another way, the percentage of people older than 60 in Laguna is almost twice the state average.

By contrast, people ages 24 to 54 totaled more than 12,500 in 2000. Today, they total less than 9,500, a 25% decrease.

That’s 3,000 talented young people leaving Laguna since 2000.

Why did they leave?

The answers are mixed and anecdotal, but they almost always have a common theme: Laguna Beach does not have anything to offer anymore.

Consider Sanja Simidzija, owner of the Art Cube gallery on Forest Ave. She’s gone.

After several years of showcasing brilliant, cutting-edge contemporary art, she finally threw in the towel. A frequent critic of the art scene in Laguna, she recently closed her shop.

While contemporary art is not always easy, Art Cube had some of the most innovative, compelling artists and exhibits in town.

I can count on one hand the number of consistently exciting galleries in Laguna, and Art Cube was one of them.

Consider Niki Smart, the bright young author of “Hell Camp.” Gone. Moved to L.A.’s thriving Silver Lake area. The reason? She had some family motives but also noted Laguna had lost some of its luster.

Sasha Evans, the talented singer who was a generous, beautiful voice in the local music scene is leaving. Again, family reasons drove some of her motivation, but you have to wonder: If Laguna still had the power, could it keep these people?

Could it keep the dozens, hundreds and thousands of others who have left for similar reasons?

What is this power? It is the same thing that draws people here in the first place.

It’s adventure, spirit and magic.

If you’re a painter, it’s the beauty. If you’re a musician, it’s the vibe. If you’re a trolley driver, it’s the ride.

Life could be much worse.

So why then are people leaving?

Because like all good things, it gets old.

If Laguna Beach does not address this youthful exodus, the magic will go with it.

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at hansen.dave@gmail.com.