I think you are correct. I was in Seattle for 46 years and remember all of those middle class neighborhoods. It costs a fortune to live in any of them now.
Heck, the house I lived in before I moved to KY 8 years ago was valued by Zillow at around $300k. It’s now at $1,300,000. That’s ludicrous. I still have family there. Wages have not gone up much since I left.
I live near Youngstown, Cleveland, Akron... it’s exactly what happened around there
I’m old enough to remember when it was different