Ok. So what if rents WEREN'T sky high? (San Francisco, Sacramento: middle-class, home)

[Tulemutt]

So, here's a question for all of you who are upset about the sky high rents and home prices. What do you think SF, and California, would be like if the rents weren't so high? Let's say they were 30 - 50% less? No additional inventory, just cheaper.

[Natural510]

Probably more like it was in the 1980s and 90s...a lot more artists, middle-class and all-around eccentic/unique types who gave San Francisco the reputation it had up until Dot Com Booms 1.0 & 2.0

[ColinC02]

I think it would generally be a happier place. Less stress, that's forsure. Definitely more diversity.

[ambient]

That would mean that it would not be as economically successful. Presumably the entire peninsula would be much less of a venture capital and technology capital of the globe. So whatever things come with that - fancy restaurants, high-end nightclubs, rich neighborhoods, shopping district, etc...and also high costs of living, pretentious folks, etc. - there would presumably be less of it.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Are you kidding? People would flock there, and then there wouldn't be enough housing, and then the prices would go up, and then we'd have to fill in the bay...

And BTW, rents aren't sky high all over CA.

[beb0p]

It must mean that Sacramento has overtaken San Francisco as the place to be - all the investment, artists, innovations, capital, and cool restaurants; had flocked there.

Hey, you can't have it both ways....
.

[neutrino78x]

Rents are high in Silicon Valley, too. It just means you live in a desirable place and people live there who make a lot of money and can afford high rent.

[neutrino78x]

Originally Posted by Natural510

Probably more like it was in the 1980s and 90s...a lot more artists, middle-class and all-around eccentic/unique types who gave San Francisco the reputation it had up until Dot Com Booms 1.0 & 2.0

You think tech nerds are not eccentric or unique??

btw most are to the left politically.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

Are you kidding? People would flock there, and then there wouldn't be enough housing, and then the prices would go up, and then we'd have to fill in the bay...

And BTW, rents aren't sky high all over CA.

And we have a winner! Congratulations. Nice catch. Well played. Thread closed (but not likely huh)

It is what it is here because it is what it is.

[sav858]

I think a better question is what would prices and demand be like if the technology sector wasn't such a significant part of the economy.