4 ms·

The main problem is the cost of housing. You can have the best parks. You can have the best schools. But when your city's median home price is seven figures and

The main problem is the cost of housing. You can have the best parks. You can have the best schools. But when your city's median home price is seven figures and rising, it's not affordable for people to raise a family in your city.

wyager 10y ago
Wealthy people raise families too. The GP is right, the problem is that SF parks are unsafe for children. Needles, human waste, etc. SF parks are very hard-hit by the homeless problem. I don't claim to know how to fix it, but I notice that many plausible solutions are struck down because, roughly speaking, they're not nice to the homeless people leaving shit and needles everywhere.
- pmiller2 10y ago
  Both points are correct. Unsafe parks are bad, but wealthy people also tend to raise smaller families than less wealthy people.
- geebee 10y ago
  As someone with two school aged kids in SF, I can say with some confidence that you are overstating this. I live south of 280, and I've gone to a ton of playgrounds around glen park, sunny side, mission terrace, and the sunset. Yes, there is a homeless presence in and near playgrounds, and some areas get pretty bad. But the hyperbole gets ridiculous. Seriously, you'd think you're dodging human shit and needles every third step in every corner of SF. I have spent a great deal of time in SF playgrounds over the last decade (in the aforementioned neighborhoods), and the playgrounds are very safe for children, and don't have shit and needles everyone.
PhantomGremlin 10y ago
it's not affordable for people to raise a family in your city It's not quite as bad south of San Francisco. But still bad. A while ago I worked in the Oregon office of a Bay Area high tech company. I was down in the Bay Area for a work/social occasion. I was sitting at a table with a group of engineers. It was dinner, so the talk turned from work to things like family. And that's when I learned they were all "DINKs". Dual Income, No Kids. This was years ago, and even then people in the Bay Area found it hard to afford children. The median price of houses has easily doubled since then. It made me really sad. The Bay Area is just so different from most of the rest of the country.
- shostack 10y ago
  The sad thing is, many might move away but the job market is unique here. The reason other housing markets are so much cheaper is in part due to Prop 13 but also due to lack of great jobs or a large number of jobs. That reduction of job risk carries a cost of living premium.

wyager 10y ago

Wealthy people raise families too. The GP is right, the problem is that SF parks are unsafe for children. Needles, human waste, etc. SF parks are very hard-hit by the homeless problem. I don't claim to know how to fix it, but I notice that many plausible solutions are struck down because, roughly speaking, they're not nice to the homeless people leaving shit and needles everywhere.

pmiller2 10y ago
Both points are correct. Unsafe parks are bad, but wealthy people also tend to raise smaller families than less wealthy people.
geebee 10y ago
As someone with two school aged kids in SF, I can say with some confidence that you are overstating this. I live south of 280, and I've gone to a ton of playgrounds around glen park, sunny side, mission terrace, and the sunset. Yes, there is a homeless presence in and near playgrounds, and some areas get pretty bad. But the hyperbole gets ridiculous. Seriously, you'd think you're dodging human shit and needles every third step in every corner of SF. I have spent a great deal of time in SF playgrounds over the last decade (in the aforementioned neighborhoods), and the playgrounds are very safe for children, and don't have shit and needles everyone.

PhantomGremlin 10y ago

it's not affordable for people to raise a family in your city It's not quite as bad south of San Francisco. But still bad. A while ago I worked in the Oregon office of a Bay Area high tech company. I was down in the Bay Area for a work/social occasion. I was sitting at a table with a group of engineers. It was dinner, so the talk turned from work to things like family. And that's when I learned they were all "DINKs". Dual Income, No Kids. This was years ago, and even then people in the Bay Area found it hard to afford children. The median price of houses has easily doubled since then. It made me really sad. The Bay Area is just so different from most of the rest of the country.

shostack 10y ago
The sad thing is, many might move away but the job market is unique here. The reason other housing markets are so much cheaper is in part due to Prop 13 but also due to lack of great jobs or a large number of jobs. That reduction of job risk carries a cost of living premium.