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Second this. What people outside the bay area miss is the location quality that is not possible to mimic. Unparalleled geologic features (Bay, Coastline, Hill

Second this. What people outside the bay area miss is the location quality that is not possible to mimic. Unparalleled geologic features (Bay, Coastline, Hills) add on that you have many world class educational facilities that aren't going anywhere and an economy that has always ebbed and flowed but has a strong undercurrent of strength and resilience. Oh yeah and possibly the best food on the planet which has some value even if you don't really care about food. Will it be the same? No but cities never revert they always change and remain dynamic as us humans do.

ghaff 4y ago
Best food on the planet? Seriously? I mean SF is pretty good but I'm not going to choose it over New York or London. In addition while climate (though people will argue about the city itself as opposed to the South Bay) and natural beauty add to SF's appeal, I'm not sure how many it would draw absent the economy. Certainly there are many mostly East Coast plus Chicago cities that attract a lot of people without the climate or mostly the geography.
- alephnerd 4y ago
  But if you're someone who values nature along with a solid food scene and a strong white collar job base (Software, Hardware, Biotech/Pharma, Healthcare, Accounting, West Coast IB) your only real option is the Bay Area (not just SF, San Jose is also a great city - especially as an Asian American). That's not to say NYC or London are bad, but if you value being able to bike in the mountains in 20 minutes or trail run at a 4,000 ft elevation in 30 minutes, it's hard to beat the Bay Area.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    Denver/Boulder is another obvious one but not as large a job base in a number of areas and, of course, it snows in the winter. Salt Lake City for a smaller city--same. Boston ticks a lot of the boxes but, again, snow and you're a couple hour drive from real mountains.
    - alephnerd 4y ago
      100% agree about Boston - it's basically an East Coast version of the Bay Area, but software is very clearly overshadowed by Biotech/Pharma and the tech industry leans cybersecurity+defense (not a problem for me personally, but a harder industry for your stereotypical HN commentator to break into tbh). And I agree that Denver and SLC are both similar as well, but they don't have as deep and diverse a white collar environment yet. As a Bay Area native, only other metropolitan I've seriously considered living long term are Boston, DC, Seattle, and San Diego. But not all of them are one-to-one similar to the Bay.
- omeze 4y ago
  really depends on what you like! I cant for the life of my find good mexican food in London vs it being a dime a dozen in SF (but ofc easily beat by SoCal or Texas). small wineries are likewise not going to be found in every part of the globe. but this is typical of the west vs east coast divide in the US -- it's very hard to find everything from one coast on the other. Agree that it would mostly be "a nice place to live" a la Seattle or Portland, than the forlorn days of $3k/1bd for a mediocre soma apartment of yesterdecade.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    Mexican and Southwestern seem to get particularly hit or miss once they get away from their home base. I assume there are decent examples in NYC. But I don't even know any in Boston--not that I'm a particular export.
    - mrbombastic 4y ago
      As someone who lived in SF for a few years and has lived in NY for most of my life Mexican food options seemed to have improved a lot over the last few years on the east coast. That said there are definitely more abundant quality options in SF and the west coast.
- system2 4y ago
  He probably meant "best food on the planet if you have enough money". SF is expensive but the food is amazing if you can afford it.

ghaff 4y ago

Best food on the planet? Seriously? I mean SF is pretty good but I'm not going to choose it over New York or London. In addition while climate (though people will argue about the city itself as opposed to the South Bay) and natural beauty add to SF's appeal, I'm not sure how many it would draw absent the economy. Certainly there are many mostly East Coast plus Chicago cities that attract a lot of people without the climate or mostly the geography.

alephnerd 4y ago
But if you're someone who values nature along with a solid food scene and a strong white collar job base (Software, Hardware, Biotech/Pharma, Healthcare, Accounting, West Coast IB) your only real option is the Bay Area (not just SF, San Jose is also a great city - especially as an Asian American). That's not to say NYC or London are bad, but if you value being able to bike in the mountains in 20 minutes or trail run at a 4,000 ft elevation in 30 minutes, it's hard to beat the Bay Area.
- ghaff 4y ago
  Denver/Boulder is another obvious one but not as large a job base in a number of areas and, of course, it snows in the winter. Salt Lake City for a smaller city--same. Boston ticks a lot of the boxes but, again, snow and you're a couple hour drive from real mountains.
  - alephnerd 4y ago
    100% agree about Boston - it's basically an East Coast version of the Bay Area, but software is very clearly overshadowed by Biotech/Pharma and the tech industry leans cybersecurity+defense (not a problem for me personally, but a harder industry for your stereotypical HN commentator to break into tbh). And I agree that Denver and SLC are both similar as well, but they don't have as deep and diverse a white collar environment yet. As a Bay Area native, only other metropolitan I've seriously considered living long term are Boston, DC, Seattle, and San Diego. But not all of them are one-to-one similar to the Bay.
omeze 4y ago
really depends on what you like! I cant for the life of my find good mexican food in London vs it being a dime a dozen in SF (but ofc easily beat by SoCal or Texas). small wineries are likewise not going to be found in every part of the globe. but this is typical of the west vs east coast divide in the US -- it's very hard to find everything from one coast on the other. Agree that it would mostly be "a nice place to live" a la Seattle or Portland, than the forlorn days of $3k/1bd for a mediocre soma apartment of yesterdecade.
- ghaff 4y ago
  Mexican and Southwestern seem to get particularly hit or miss once they get away from their home base. I assume there are decent examples in NYC. But I don't even know any in Boston--not that I'm a particular export.
  - mrbombastic 4y ago
    As someone who lived in SF for a few years and has lived in NY for most of my life Mexican food options seemed to have improved a lot over the last few years on the east coast. That said there are definitely more abundant quality options in SF and the west coast.
system2 4y ago
He probably meant "best food on the planet if you have enough money". SF is expensive but the food is amazing if you can afford it.