Would you leave the Bay Area if you could? (Los Angeles: apartment, to rent)

[Alecki]

I am in San Francisco and getting tired of the high cost of living, tired of the grime, tired of the homeless. If I move to the suburbs, I will face a long commute and I find them so dull and boring. Spent a weekend in Mill Valley, and I can't imagine actually living there. I feel so trapped.

So many of my friends have left SF and the Bay Area all together and I feel like I am the only one still here.

[Eric1026]

I guess the question would be move to where? New York City has a high cost of living......In order to live in a safe place around Chicago = high cost of living..........Los Angeles is spread out so you would most likely end up in a suburb and not in Newport Beach or something like that.

My questions are not to discourage you and there are numerous examples of Bay Area residents moving to places such as Medford and Bend Oregon or Phoenix or Denver. So let everyone know places you might favor and I bet a lot of people have friends who have made the move or lived in the places you are thinking about and can chime in and give solid advice.

One last point. I keep thinking there is a small chance this is just one big bubble ready to burst and it might be, but then I look at places such as Hong Kong, Vancouver, Paris, Tokyo, etc. and wonder if the long term formula is as simple as continual population growth = more people trying to bid on the most desirable of land and places to live?

[botticelli]

You talk of the suburbs as if the majority of the Bay area is most a massive suburb.

I am actually tired of people complaining about the bay area being too expensive. Anytime one says he wants to leave, it is because it is too expensive, really?

You live in one of the highest paying areas in the US, with possibly the best climate with no southern heat of NE cold/snow or Pacific NW rain, an extremely strong and diverse economy that is as big as many countries in the world, and stunning natural landscape, and then complain it is too expensive?

And exactly how expensive is it? People say it is expensive because they expect to own a 2000sf detached single family home with two car garages and a massive backyard 10 miles away from work. They complain that a house costs 1.5 million dollars only because the house you look at is too fr**ing big and occupies too much land. You think it is too expensive? a two bedroom condo in Shanghai or Beijing costs US$1 million, how about that? How much does a two bedroom apartment cost in the Bay area? There is plenty under 800k even in the city of San Francisco.

After you move, you will complain about the weather in the east coast and pretty much anywhere else in the country, or life too boring in the south, or wages too low in the cheap middle of nowhere, or crime too high in Chicago.

People are entitled to complain about the Bay area, but let's stop whining about the high cost. Unless there is a massive earthquake that makes it totally uninhabitable, the Bay area will always be one of the most expensive places to live in the country, and you know what, there is nothing wrong about that.

[Tulemutt]

^^^ Um, yep.

And put me down as: No. Not leaving. And I can. Even though just recently thought I'd move to San Diego. Not because of anything wrong with my life in SF. Just been here since forever and figgered I'd have an adventure where weather was even better.

But couldn't do it. Took a slip for my boat in SD and will spend part time there. But SF and the Bay have a hold on me that is magical.

[clongirl]

No. I'm from here. This is where my family, friends, house, jobs, life are. Life is very good here.

Not sure why you needed to start a poll though. You have free will to move out seeing as you feel "trapped" here. Please don't rely on random strangers to sway your decision or expect some sort of consensus on the subject. If you're unhappy, do something about it!

[tjasse]

I moved and I wish I could move back.Unfortunately I am over the hill for my industry and was never that good at it to begin with.

I do think there are legitimate reasons to leave. The schools are poor and the general environment is "weird." It does not seem like a great place to raise children. By this I mean SF proper, the rest of the bay seems to have fine options in that regard. Expense can be overwhelming for some. The cost to buy an apartment is a bit of a straw man. People who do needed jobs, like teachers, can't even afford to rent, even far away from work.

[hanera]

What is going on?

Youths moving to metro like SF or
Youths moving to suburbs like post-wars?

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, if you felt trapped in Mill Valley (living there is my DREAM, btw!), you'll feel trapped in many of the alternatives to the Bay Area, like Oregon. Have you tried Berkeley/Oakland? Can't imagine them as "boring". Why not visit Seattle, and see what you think? Get back to us on that one.

[HappyinCali]

I don't get the "if you could" part of the question. Why can't you? If you are barely hanging on, chances are you might be better off in a lower cost state. If you are rich, I think San Francisco/Bay Area/California is one of the top places in the world to be.

I guess the answer for me is - no, I would not move if I could help it.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Alecki

I am in San Francisco and getting tired of the high cost of living, tired of the grime, tired of the homeless. If I move to the suburbs, I will face a long commute and I find them so dull and boring. Spent a weekend in Mill Valley, and I can't imagine actually living there. I feel so trapped.

So many of my friends have left SF and the Bay Area all together and I feel like I am the only one still here.

It should be pretty easy to move if you want to considering 99% of America has a lower cost of living. I have a lot of friends that moved out and I will also be moving out in Jan. This will be my second time moving out of SF and will be my final. I will visit to dine at my favorite hole in the wall restaurants, but other than that I won't miss much.