I've known folks that have moved back to SF after years away because they were looking for the place where makers meet investors. For that, the city is the plac

I've known folks that have moved back to SF after years away because they were looking for the place where makers meet investors. For that, the city is the place to be. Also, it's the bees knees for tech meetups and generally being an active technologist. But honestly, it's oppressively expensive if you're not making well over $150K. Forget buying a home here. And renting, you'll just know every day that you're getting screwed. Even if you can "afford it," it doesn't feel good to know so many Americans are struggling and meanwhile you're burning money to live here. Having lived here myself for over 8 years, I can say that culturally the city has been decimated. Only the rich can play here now. Students, teachers, artists, normal people of all kinds are priced out. For me, that means 90% of the friends I've had over my lifetime cannot afford to live in my city. It's not a good feeling. My other experience has been that the city is no longer friendly, most store clerks and other folks you'll interact with on a daily basis are stressed out because they are commuting from 60 miles away to work here (serving the rich). Don't even get me started about the Uber drivers. Despite all that, it's a beautiful place, and easy to romanticize, and I still love calling it home.