One effect of this problem is that when hiring, it's only viable to bring young single people to the bay area -- anyone with a family that needs to live in some

One effect of this problem is that when hiring, it's only viable to bring young single people to the bay area -- anyone with a family that needs to live in something bigger than a one (or 0) bedroom condo would need to be paid an unreasonable salary to afford it. We had one employee quit after 2 months because his wife couldn't stand living in the 2 bedroom apartment they and their 2 kids were living in while they searched for a permanent residence - a search that never succeeded. He paid back the reloc costs, and said that was worth it. There are a lot of perks to living in the Bay Area (the weather being one of them, there are few other places where you can go kayaking, biking and skiing in the same weekend), but if I were asked to move here today (rather than 20 years ago), I doubt I'd come due to the high cost of housing and lousy commute (with poor public transportation) for those that live farther away for cheaper housing.