I think the answer may actually be far easier to quantify: Ambitious people. Many of the areas outside of the bay are composed solely of people who either wan

I think the answer may actually be far easier to quantify: Ambitious people. Many of the areas outside of the bay are composed solely of people who either want a job that pays their bills, or don't want to work at all. The bay sort-of self-selects for ambitious people; salarymen and slobs get priced (or even bred) out, and the best and brightest are drawn in, either by educational opportunities, high-growth job opportunities, or the community itself. New York, Boston, Boulder, Austin.. these places also have ambitious people. This is in part because ambitious people like living near other ambitious people.