[Divver]

When I moved into Silicon Valley I noticed the same thing!

In many Silicon Valley towns like Mountain View and Sunnyvale the sidewalks suddenly just stop and you’re forced to walk on the side is the road.

And in Cupertino many streets aren’t lit or very badly lit that it’s almost pitch black...

I never noticed these things before coming to California and I grew up in a small town near Boise, ID.

Streets were well lit and sidewalks did not just end.

And Idaho has a minuscule State tax revenue compared to California is so it shocked me this was an issue in these high income Silicon Valley towns.

[danans]

This isn't surprising when you consider that SV developed primarily during the era of car-focused city planning. In that sense, it's not terribly different than any other post-WWII US suburban area.

There are recent efforts in SV by people and groups[1] who advocate for more pedestrian and bike friendly development, but that is happening on the margins in an area whose development pattern has been established and hence is difficult to change.

[1] http://www.spur.org/

[aliasxneo]

Interesting as I have the opposite experience from a small town in Oregon. Very poorly lit and sidewalks that have no rhyme or reason.

[Divver]

I haven’t ventured into the more rural towns in Idaho I suspect they must be more similar to your town in Oregon.

Rural poverty is a nontrivial issue in Idaho, especially when it comes to healthcare.

[Divver]

My town was only 30 mins away from the capitol (Boise)

So perhaps the capitol city tax revenue was also used in Meridian (my hometown).