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Old 11-12-2009, 02:48 PM
 
329 posts, read 1,026,409 times
Reputation: 438

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All the complainers, pessimists, and debbie downers. It's getting old. It seems like the only people on this forum bash SF relentlessly and only focus on the cities shortcomings.

So who actually loves living in San Francisco, and why? What makes it, in your opinion, one of the better cities in the US to live in? Do you think the negatives of SF are grossly overexaggerated?
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Old 11-12-2009, 04:57 PM
 
12,823 posts, read 24,320,281 times
Reputation: 11039
We loved living there when we were renters and our commutes were not nasty. One of us ended up having to commute to the South Bay and we wanted to buy. Also, back then, we had not yet fully made up our mind to be DINKs, so, when we started the process of transition from renting to buying, we headed into the burbs, in this case, San Mateo County. If money were no object I'd relish living in a detached home near the transition from Cole Valley to Twin Peaks.
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Old 11-12-2009, 05:11 PM
 
Location: Alaska & Florida
1,629 posts, read 5,371,765 times
Reputation: 837
I don't live there now, but I loved it when I did!!!
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Old 11-12-2009, 05:38 PM
 
Location: Sierra Vista, AZ
17,531 posts, read 24,630,809 times
Reputation: 9975
Me too, I lived in the Outer Richmond District near the VA Hospital. I loved it. Unfortunately once I was retired I couldn't afford it
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Old 11-12-2009, 06:06 PM
 
Location: Bay Area
3,981 posts, read 8,962,299 times
Reputation: 4728
I love San Francisco..it's my home (even though I moved out after I had kids). My whole life story is about San Francisco.

I don't see anything wrong with criticizing it though...especially since it's changed so dramatically in the past 20yrs. I think it's weird that you don't actually live here and keep trying to defend it or make it seem like some sort of paradise....you really only want to hear about the good?
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Old 11-12-2009, 06:37 PM
 
10,629 posts, read 26,660,945 times
Reputation: 6776
San Francisco's a great place to live if you can afford it. Unfortunately the cost issue is a big one. I think many people love living in the city, and only leave for that reason (and wish they could afford to stay), and a lot of people are willing to continue to live in city despite the costs because they do love it. And I, too, don't see anything wrong with pointing out the bad along with the good; if people want airbrushed perfection they can move to a theme park.

And if cost of living is one of the negatives you're referring to, then no, I don't think it's exaggerated.

Last edited by uptown_urbanist; 11-12-2009 at 08:36 PM..
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Old 11-12-2009, 07:46 PM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
18,966 posts, read 32,492,053 times
Reputation: 13615
It's an internet forum, you're gonna hear more bad than good and you gotta take it with a grain of salt, the SF forum is not the only one like that. Everyone I know that lives in the City loves it too.
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:13 PM
 
Location: San Diego, California Republic
16,580 posts, read 27,296,762 times
Reputation: 9032
I think the people who love it perhaps don't post on forums much. While I love SF when I lived in the Bay Area I couldn't see myself living in the city. San Francisco is just one of those places that you either love or hate.
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Old 11-13-2009, 06:55 PM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,086,443 times
Reputation: 3630
I liked some things about living in the Outer Sunset. Golden Gate Park was right there if I wanted to go for a walk, there was always a lot to see and the houses were very attractive. I never needed air conditioning either, and it was quiet and safe. But I hated the traffic issues, street parking, the absence of grocers, the need to go to Daly City if you needed some random thing from Target, and the cost of living. But most of all, since even then I did most of my work on the peninsula, it felt like I was really isolated from everything. Even getting to work over by SFO was a 35 minute slog, and it took an hour to get home from rehearsals in Los Altos. If I was willing to make San Francisco my single destination for work and play, I would do it, but they'd have to pay me pretty well and I don't have the qualifications to get that kind of job, so what can I do?
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Old 11-13-2009, 08:41 PM
hsw
 
2,144 posts, read 7,143,589 times
Reputation: 1540
SF/SiliconValley is most comparable to NYC/Greenwich...money and career achievement often determine whether one enjoys life in either region or despises 'em

As a native of PaloAlto who attended college back East and spent early part of career in Manhattan, I'm still astonished by how much cheaper is SF/SV...and how much more enjoyable is weather, topography, produce, overall life of SF Peninsula

Those w/kids (and ample bucks) often prefer to reside in Woodside or Greenwich, rather than PacHts or UES...it's a lifestyle choice

What makes either region interesting is most of highest achievers are immigrants from elsewhere (rest of US or RoW) who arrived in PaloAlto/Berkeley or Manhattan for their education (in case of PA/B) or career in case of SV/Manhattan...upward mobility at its best...quintessential Americana
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