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> Palo Alto/University Ave is no more the place to be. You have to be in San Franciso. Caltrain/BART rides are perceived too long. Is this true? If so why is

> Palo Alto/University Ave is no more the place to be. You have to be in San Franciso. Caltrain/BART rides are perceived too long. Is this true? If so why is PA real estate still so sky high? I understand if your startup culture is based on youthful hipness, but that is orthogonal to the viability of a startup.

ethikal 14y ago
Shouldn't high costs be a deterrent to startups? How can a startup be "lean" if its employees need to pay most of their salary in rent?
- doktrin 14y ago
  Well that's the employees decision. Rent is high just about everywhere from Oakland to San Jose. When taking into account transportation costs, paying a premium to be in San Francisco is often worth it from a cultural standpoint. I can't really speak to Oakland, but after having worked on the Peninsula I would unequivocally not want to live there.
- ttrreeww 14y ago
  In a gold rush, the miner (employee) don't make the big bucks. It's the miner support (landlord, investor, founders) that make the huge bucks.
  - dasil003 14y ago
    Depends on if there is any actual gold. Whoever strikes the mother lode makes many orders of magnitude more than the suppliers (eg. Facebook).
samstave 14y ago
PA has never been cheap...
BrianEatWorld 14y ago
I don't know what PA/University Ave used to be, but I wasn't impressed with it when I arrived in the Valley two years ago. I would say the community is what you make it. Personally, I found a nice home amongst MeetUp groups and the local Techshop to the point I am far happier in San Jose than even PA. Its like all the nerding out with none of the pretension and rent is half as expensive. Then again, maybe things are different if you are trying to be a founder.
doktrin 14y ago
Well, take it with a grain of salt obviously. There are still plenty of startups & established companies in and around PA, and the presence of Stanford pretty much ensures property prices will never be low.

ethikal 14y ago

Shouldn't high costs be a deterrent to startups? How can a startup be "lean" if its employees need to pay most of their salary in rent?

doktrin 14y ago
Well that's the employees decision. Rent is high just about everywhere from Oakland to San Jose. When taking into account transportation costs, paying a premium to be in San Francisco is often worth it from a cultural standpoint. I can't really speak to Oakland, but after having worked on the Peninsula I would unequivocally not want to live there.
ttrreeww 14y ago
In a gold rush, the miner (employee) don't make the big bucks. It's the miner support (landlord, investor, founders) that make the huge bucks.
- dasil003 14y ago
  Depends on if there is any actual gold. Whoever strikes the mother lode makes many orders of magnitude more than the suppliers (eg. Facebook).

samstave 14y ago

PA has never been cheap...

BrianEatWorld 14y ago

I don't know what PA/University Ave used to be, but I wasn't impressed with it when I arrived in the Valley two years ago. I would say the community is what you make it. Personally, I found a nice home amongst MeetUp groups and the local Techshop to the point I am far happier in San Jose than even PA. Its like all the nerding out with none of the pretension and rent is half as expensive. Then again, maybe things are different if you are trying to be a founder.

doktrin 14y ago

Well, take it with a grain of salt obviously. There are still plenty of startups & established companies in and around PA, and the presence of Stanford pretty much ensures property prices will never be low.