[hckr1292]

I find this counterintuitive to my own lived experience of being in San Francisco as a programmer. Although my partner and I often talk about relocating, the comforts of San Francisco so far outweigh the disadvantages. Specifically, access to neighbors with children near our childrens age, 3 playgrounds in walking distance, dining, organic food, antiracist political sentiments, activities and easy access to mountains and beaches. Our alternatives in the Midwest, NY, or central valley would be far less convenient, despite the lower cost of living and homelessness, crime, and feces.

Perhaps my perspective as a parent and a programmer is not what this article is talking about, but I feel very committed to San Francisco and plan to raise my family here in the public school system and without relying heavily on cars.

[kevinskii]

I can certainly understand your perspective, and there are still a lot of appealing things about the Bay Area. Yet all the perks you mentioned about living in SF are the norm in many places. Crime and homelessness and feces aren't something that one must tolerate in order to have them.

[hckr1292]

Really? I haven't found anything else tempting enough to switch. Everything else I've looked at requires me to compromise on the many amenities I've come to expect from SF. Where would you suggest I look?

[kevinskii]

Well, I live in the Los Angeles area. My kids' school is a 300ft walk down a shady greenbelt, and there's a huge park next to it. Before the pandemic we regularly walked to nearby shops and dining. There are miles of hiking trails within close walking distance.

Everyone in the neighborhood knows everyone else, and we look out for each other. There are lots of kids in the neighborhood to play with. People come from all sorts of different nationalities. This isn't unique to us either. Lots of our friends around southern CA have similar situations, and it's a lifestyle that you could comfortably afford on a $150k-$200k/year household income if you wanted to. A house like mine in the Bay Area would be worth over $2 million dollars. Here it's less than half that.

You definitely have better weather, higher salaries, and more career opportunities though. If I lose my job there's a fair chance that we'd have to move somewhere else to make the commute reasonable. Your public transportation is also vastly superior to ours. SF also has a lot more character, but right now it's not a place I would take my kids to visit because of the problems you mentioned. I don't go there often, but I get harassed by the homeless every time I do.

[sdenton4]

100% agreed. I often wonder if the people writing these pieces are just spending their lives sitting inside for fear of being stabbed, and completely missing out on how awesome the bay area is.