I've been having to travel to SF at various times for 30 years or so, and it's always been one of my least favorite cities for the reasons stated in the article.
And I've watched it gradually and consistently get worse over the decades -- but once the SV crowd really took over, that gradual trend greatly increased in velocity. It's not gradual anymore.
I've heard that when manufacturing left town in the 70s and 80s it was pretty bad. But probably in significant ways, not as bad as it is today. What was bad then was the RE market --it just tanked, and there was crime too (hence Dirty Harry), but not as pernicious as today and not the faeces, nor as much hard drugs nor as many people with severe psychological problems.
Willie Brown tried but he too got sick and tired of the homeless situation and threw his hands up.
I have no clue how SF can be your least favorite city, do you just not have (even a book?) guide? Or do you just not walk? Or not go outside of downtown?
It's not my least favorite. There are cities I dislike more. It's just one of my least favorites.
And yes, I do and have done all of those things. I didn't say that there's no good aspects to it! But the good stuff doesn't balance out the bad for me, and the same sort of good stuff can also be had in other cities that are generally more pleasant.
Word. I visited last in like 2014 and it was still wonderful. Honestly I'm still convinced all of these heavily negative posts are aztroturfing but I give them a little benefit of the doubt because I haven't been in nearly 10 years.
Honestly I think the aztroturfing is because of the opiod crisis that practically destroyed the south.
Individual tech employees are not to blame. Or even perhaps the companies themselves, they are all working in their self-interest as every company and individual is.
The issue with tech is the massive salaries that tech employees get compared to basically everything else. AND as equally an issue is the refusal of the area to build housing and services to support an influx of people (and an expanded tax base).
People with lots of money tend to out bid people with less money which leads to neighborhoods changing, this wouldn't be as big of an issue if they just built more housing in the first place.
The Bay Area was handed an opportunity to greatly expand and invest from a large wealthy tax base and instead they did who knows what with that opportunity.
I've been having to travel to SF at various times for 30 years or so, and it's always been one of my least favorite cities for the reasons stated in the article.
And I've watched it gradually and consistently get worse over the decades -- but once the SV crowd really took over, that gradual trend greatly increased in velocity. It's not gradual anymore.