ha! I forgot about how big a deal the priuses were back then. Remember the whale-tail license plates? https://www.sgvtribune.com/2017/09/22/after-20-years-calif

ha! I forgot about how big a deal the priuses were back then. Remember the whale-tail license plates? https://www.sgvtribune.com/2017/09/22/after-20-years-californias-whale-license-plates-remain-one-of-states-most-successful-environmental-programs-ever/ https://www.sgvtribune.com/2017/09/22/after-20-years-califor... If you sat on a busy suburban corner, you'd find 1 in 5 cars to be a particular-color prius with a whale tail. :) I also totally agree that it's mostly the newcomers' barefaced pursuit of wealth and becoming "elite", that's driving this shift. People used to want to move to the bay because that's where UNIX geeks and internet enthusiasts went to find like-minded individuals (after Bell's decline) and get funding. Now it's where the aspiring class goes to join the top 10%, and the goods and services cater to it. Last time I went back (immediately before the whole COVID situation), my SO and I did a road trip from LA to Sacramento, staying mostly with family along the way. We found San Luis Obispo and the various towns between it and Santa Barbara to be varied and delightful (Los Osos, Solvang, Avila & Shell Beach). Cambria also seemed nice, but we blazed through it. The little communities west a north of Santa Cruz, in the mountains also have a special place in my heart. Next time we're back, I'll try to visit SD. However, I can't help but notice that all of these towns are smaller and much less of a mixing pot than the greater San Jose area, though. I thought one of the coolest parts of my early life was how it was extremely normal to be surrounded by people of diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds (I went to a public school), and also how normal it was to dream big (social mobility was all around you). Maybe it's a time and place thing, and it doesn't come together very often.