Full disclosure: I live in the Bay Area and I love it here. My opinions are tainted. I see my adopted home through a rose-colored filter, which distorts my interpretation of the very unscientific poll conducted among our people. We asked: how do you like it here? How does it compare to everywhere else? We got a nice earful. If you are considering replacing your cheap and spacious apartment in Little Rock, AR, with a closet with a window at quadruple the rent in the land of Facebook, Twitter, eBay, Google, Fitbit, Airbnb, Netflix, Cisco and Hooli, here are cons, pros, and some unabashed endorsements:
Cons
Cost of living is high. Rents could be astronomical. The mortgage of an average house here could buy you three in Kansas (though not in New York City, or Chicago.) Traffic bottlenecks and long commutes are a fact of life. Most of us find public transportation the same or even better than other metropolitan areas, with some dissent, though as a group we don’t rate BART, Muni, Caltrans, Golden Gate Transit, etc. as the best things in the area.
While some neighborhoods are very diverse, others are not at all. The economic boom has caused obvious inequalities. The numbers of the homeless keep rising. Lastly, 42% of people with families find it more difficult to raise a family here. Only 19% find it easier. To top it off, in the words of an obviously pouting respondent, “dating sucks.”
Pros
A great number of people, 49%, found getting a job easier, with an even larger number, 62%, saying that it was easier finding a job in line with their education, experience, and goals. And the figure grows to 90% in terms of people who find the Bay Area a good place to achieve long term goals. In contrast, only 16% found getting a job here harder than in the city they came from.
The main reason for this level of optimism is opportunity. Opportunity in tech. Opportunity to move ahead or embark in a new direction. Opportunities in marketing. The talent that surrounds us. The demand. The jobs we want are here.
We also find it easy to make friends, and love the access to arts, culture and nightlife. Sure, other cities have good restaurants, too. But we are proud of the variety, organic availability, and ethnic diversity.
Money and trade-offs
Can your salary buy you here the same as in another state? Given how cost of living is a constant topic of conversation, and we do agree that it is high, I expected the answers to point towards a resounding No. I was wrong. 60% of respondents said they can buy the same or more with their salary, 40% said they can buy less. But even those who feel their dollar doesn’t stretch as far as elsewhere list a number of trade-offs that make it worth it: see notes on opportunity above, plus the weather, the culture, the quality of life, the distance to great things. A pragmatic respondent summed it up nicely: “I like high tech. I like to run. The weather is good.”
Housing and rent are painfully expensive, but organics and food, particularly fresh fruit, are not. With some of life’s basics (manicures and pedicures!) being significantly cheaper.
Another respondent put it simply: “Living in this fantastic area makes it worth it.”
What we love the most
After we acknowledge the vibrant economy and jobs, the overall diversity, the open mindedness of the people, the yummy food trucks and restaurants, the concerts in the park, museums and culture, we all wax poetic about one thing: the fantastic natural beauty that surrounds us!
We highlighted Muir Woods, Montebello open spaces, Stinson Beach, wine country, Tennessee Valley Road, Swanton Berry Farm, Lake Merrit, Ft. Funston, Hawk Hill, the hill “behind my house,” Mt. Tam. We love all the parks, the easy access to mountains and the sea, the redwoods, sequoias and cedars. “I have a hike in Berkeley,” says one respondent, “that is my secret, peaceful place.”
If I ever forget how much I love it here (unlikely), all I have to do is leave town. Regardless of the beauty of the place I’ve visited, the moment I’m back in the Bay I can’t help a sigh, a smile, and a “darn, it’s gorgeous here!”
So there you have it. Goods and bads. Highs and lows. Maybe this way of life is not for everyone, though 95% of us are planning to stay in the immediate future, 58% for the long term, with only 2% admitting that they will eventually want out. This, of course, might change. After all, we are a very new population: 11% have been around their whole lives, but a majority, 56%, have lived here 3 years or less. If we add the non-natives who have called the Bay Area home between 3 to 10+ years, the number of out-of-towners in our midst is a staggering 89%! Which clearly shows how real the tech boom is.
The future looks bright, and while predictions are far from accurate, we agree that “we live in the best city in the world.” For the cherry on top, we are lucky to be working at Firewood. The numbers prove it: we are a happy bunch.
