[thegaulofthem]

San Francisco will simply become the new Detroit. It will still exist, some headquarters will still exist but the city proper will be the butt of a bad joke for a long time. Folks will live in nice suburbs and be forced to commute while the city core rots.

Considering Detroit once held the record for patents filed, this isn’t all too far fetched. Maybe there is some type of awful natural law to be found even?

[thebradbain]

San Francisco and Los Angeles could be the worst-run cities in the US (and spoiler, they’re not— as someone who has lived / still lives in both these cities and in red cities and in suburbs or towns), and they will still be desirable to live in.

People forget what drew (and to a lesser extent, still draws, despite the valid complaints) people to California is the weather and climate, the nature, the mountains, the desert, and the ocean. It’s objectively one of the most gorgeous and geographically diverse states (and I don’t say that lightly, as a Texan myself).

There will be a devastating earthquake here sooner than later, but after what I imagine will be a particularly devastating 3-5 year initial adjustment period where certain segments of the media will be jumping at the bit to say “California is dead” (remember NYC and Covid?), I have no doubt people will be flocking back in greater numbers than left, likely looking to buy at a significant discount before prices inevitably shoot up again.

Because, despite it all— People want to live here.

Look at Santa Barbara, for example— it has almost no corporate presence yet some of the most expensive real estate in the state and nation. Yet it’s not a summer destination like the Hamptons, but a year-round thriving city. That’s not an accident, but because Santa Barbara is situated on one of the most beautiful coastal inlets on one of the world’s most desirable coasts, georgraphically and weather-wise.

[AlbertCory]

It's true. If you've only ever lived on flat terrain in crappy weather, you can't know what it's like to get used to nice weather with mountains on the horizon.

Nowadays, whenever I see on TV streets lined with dirty slush piles and gray skies above, I think with a shudder, "Thank God I don't live in that anymore."

[throwaway2037]

I still remember when I moved from Cleveland, Ohio to San Jose, California. I moved in the winter. I had an grapefruit tree in my front yard at my first boarding house. It dropped decent grapefruits. My second boarding house had an orange tree in the backyard. They were delicious; more than we could eat in a season. And the first winter, weeks and weeks went by with no clouds in the sky. I remember calling my relatives, standing outside in my backyard, telling them about the weather. Crystal clear blue skies. That winter re-wired my brain. The weather is so sh-tty in Cleveland... Good weather changed my life.

[TechBro8615]

> Maybe there is some type of awful natural law to be found even?

Maybe. You've got two examples so far. Can you go even further back? Which cities were industrial hubs prior to Silicon Valley and Detroit, and what became of them?

Mill towns from the industrial revolution come to mind. Factories and boarding houses created such thriving industry that towns literally spawned around them, but within decades they transformed into abandoned buildings in towns devoid of any economic opportunity.

[bigmattystyles]

Detroit weather is rough though - SF's climate, proximity to A LOT and its natural beauty could be its saving grace.

[Kon-Peki]

Detroit has a bright future ahead of it. All the evidence suggests that it hit bottom a while ago and is rebounding. People really should visit and see first hand (in the summer, if the weather is that important to you).

[dllthomas]

I couldn't disagree more - if the weather is important to you, visit any time but the summer. Preferably the fall or spring, but winter is okay if you're prepared for it (it just goes on way too long).

(I have little experience of Detroit proper, but I assume the weather is sufficiently similar to Lansing and A2)

[Kon-Peki]

Fair enough :)

[AlbertCory]

I spent January to October there one year. It sucks most of the time. Sorry.

When you say, "if the weather is that important to you" you're speaking of something you know not of.