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But that's San Francisco. There absolutely are large cities with far more culture than the entire Bay Area (SF included), great food, things to do, and all that
by Fins 8y ago
But that's San Francisco. There absolutely are large cities with far more culture than the entire Bay Area (SF included), great food, things to do, and all that, where you can live 15-20 minute walk from downtown, in a decent neighborhood, in a nice place that will cost you probably 1/3 of what a repurposed chicken coop goes for in SV, and not have any parties right out your window.
Sure, you probably won't get to work on something as disruptive and world-changing as Theranos, Juicero, or whatever the latest SV hawtness is, but I think it is a pretty good trade-off.
- samatman 8y agoBesides Chicago, which cities are you referring to?
- Fins 8y agoMostly Chicago, really, because I've lived there for 25 years, but Austin would work too (somewhat less culture, though). Denver, Minneapolis, probably more. After that it's probably more a matter of taste than anything. I don't think I would want to live in Omaha, but I certainly want to live in San Jose even less. And once you get to the point where a family becomes important, SV certainly is not the place where I want to raise kids, unless I wwre to win the lottery and be able to send them to a private school.
- samatman 8y agoI lived in Chicago for ten years so that one was easy to spot ^_^ I have family in Denver, it has a lot going for it, but none of Denver, Minneapolis nor Austin can be said to have 'far more culture' than SF. I think the Bay has become overpriced for what you get, personally, but places with more cultural cachet in the US are NYC, LA, Chicago, and maybe Boston and Philly. If you don't like winter, it's Cali or nothing.
- Fins 8y agoI think Boston is ahead culturally, but I am not sure about affordability of living close to downtown. Not sure about cachet... SF might have more of it in sense of having more "here a famous 60's musician shot acid" landmarks and movie references, but as far as things to do today that don't involve networking with scooter-riding techbros (stepping over the heroin-shooting homeless optional) even Austin so far seems to be ahead. And given how bad traffic on 101 is, I can drive to either Dallas or Houston, which have pretty good museums in not that much more time it takes to get to SF from the corner of San Jose where I lived. Granted, my definition of culture isn't everyone's cup of tea either. But what's wrong with winter?! After a couple of years I found it very irritating that when I wake up and look in the window, I have no idea if it is June or January.
- Apocryphon 8y agoWhat makes Omaha preferable to Silicon Valley, besides the cost of living and presence of seasons?
- mav3rick 8y agoFins approval.
- Fins 8y agoThis sounds a little bit too defensive, really. There's nothing wrong in living in SV, as long as you like it. Or liking it. It is wrong to try to make it out as if it were the best place fro everybody; or even everybody in "computers". It's quite demonstrably not, just like it's not quite that engine of innovation, especially world-changing innovation it used to be.
- mav3rick 8y agoI didn't say this is for everyone. Choosing where to live is a personal choice. Just like living in Chicago and having less tech options and very hot summer, a very rough cold is not for everyone. The myth that SV is no longer the hot bed of innovation is also flat out wrong. If you tell me it's Denver or Austin or Seattle we can just look at the last companies to come out of these places vs SV.
- mav3rick 8y agoNice shade there on SF. Instead of mentioning all the world changing things that have come out of there you mention the most controversial one out of a sample size of thousands. Salaries in SF still outdo other cities by a lot more even after factoring in the high COL. Not to mention the weather and easy access to nature / outdoorsy stuff.
- RestlessMind 8y agoSincere question - what world changing things came out of SF in the last 10-12 years? I can count only 2 - Uber and AirBnB - which have changed my life.
- pm90 8y agoTwitter. Stripe.
- mav3rick 8y agoAirbnb, Stripe, Twitter, Tesla, Docker. You != The rest of the world.
- wikibob 8y agoDocker is from France.
- mav3rick 8y agoDocker is from France. Apologies for that.
- Fins 8y agoReally, a payment processor, an enterprise of questionable legality that apparently had invented a concept of lodging, that what it takes to changer the world these days? And I did specifically mention Twitter. Changing the world for the worse isn't something to be proud of. And Docker, which is neither from the Valley, as it was mentioned here, nor of any consequence to anyone not involved in the industry? That's not changing the world. That's SV self-congratulatory bubble