San Francisco's Middle Class Diaspora
The Manhattanization of San Francisco has been a recurring theme on Transparent mainly because I believe the public chooses cities using the same criteria as choosing their college - their upwardly aspiring societies and cultures drive demand. The unfortunate side effect of Manhattanization is the continuing exodus of San Francisco residents unable to afford the higher standard of living. The impact of today's SFGate's Exodus of SF's Middle Class article is not the article itself, but the 500+ comments confirming the laments of the middle class. I only need to read the first 20 anguished comments (with universal "thumbs up" agreement by other readers) to understand in aggregate, this is festering social problem.
Related articles:
- Manhattanization of San Francisco, 8/13/2006
- Manhattanization of San Francisco - Part 2, 9/11/2007
- San Francisco's New Upscale Mall, 10/2/2006
- San Francisco Complex Sold at $730/sqft, 5/5/2008
I'm in San Fran on vacation right now and considering moving here.... looking at craigslist, it is reminding me of NYC quite a bit....... the question becomes how much is the culture worth.......I, like most, want to be somewhere in the heart of the city........It's a tough thing, weighing the cost of rent vs. the lifestyle it affords you as it relates to location.......
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Great to hear Trace! One thing about SF is living in the less costly neighborhoods like the Outer Sunset are still nice and safe, one just needs to endure the fog. Most newcomers have a Manhattan mindset and want to settle in PacHeights or NoeValley... but most neighborhoods are quite liveable. Finally, there's an abundance of great towns north, south and east of SF that are accessible to the city.
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