I Hate San Francisco (Orange, Richmond: best cities, foreclosure, credit)

[NorCal Dude]

I would imagine many poor people are, poor people are leaving California at a higher rate than the wealthy or the middle class (whom are leaving in droves), but they keep getting replaced by immigrants from mexico, so either way you look at it there will always be a large under class in the bay. If you want an example of what the future lower income areas of the bay will look like, look at cities like San Pablo or Hayward or east san jose

[cvp73]

Let me preface this by stating that I am a Bay Area native although I've only lived in The City for 12 years. By and large I love San Francisco and would not consider living anywhere else. Many of the problems cited by other posters are common to other cities and in large part result from the huge influx of people transplanted from Back East, the Midwest, etc. In regard to difficulty parking, the solution is easy: don't drive. With some exceptions, taking public transit is cheap and relatively easy. Take a book, leave extra time, and bundle up and you will be fine. Truthfully I do not understand why so many people who move here insist on trying to live a suburban lifestyle. No there isn't a parking lot in front of every place you want to go-the city was not designed for your lifestyle. 99 percent of the rest of this nation is geared toward cars: go there and be happy. Second, regarding the homeless. Yes, the problem is bad but for the most part these people are not from SF and come here because it is one of a handful of cities that tries to take responsibility for taking care of the down and out. This is a national problem and it requires a national solution but so far few other places seem to try to help. That said, laws against vagrancy, public urination, etc. should be enforced and transplanted bums ought to be sent home so we don't have to take care of the nation's down and out. Third: cliquely, fake, stuck-up people. I've never found this to be a problem. Yes, there are a lot of entitled yuppie douchebags and annoying social-climbing hipsters but they're all from someplace else and I don't usually choose to hang out with them. I have my own friends - mostly other locals - who I hang with. Finally: the weather. I love the cool breezes and even the fog. Who wants to live in a sweatbox? If I want to be warm it is easy to get to a warm place a few miles south, north, or east of The City? But seriously, why waste time defending San Francisco against a bunch of suburban transplants. If you think SF sucks, fine, don't come here, or better yet, go home if you live here already. Trust me, you won't be missed.

[City Boy]

How is the south the "least racist". Once you leave the big cities such as Atlanta , Dallas etc, you're in some pretty segregated small towns with a black side and a white side of town. Interracial dating is still looked down on for the majority, and they just had an Integrated Prom for the first time in a town in Mississippi. Are you kidding me? Can you imagine racially segregated proms in California or the North east. Don't think so.

Most of my family is back down south especially in Atlanta and yes there are plenty of racists still in a black dominated city. Buckhead for one, my cousin used to deliver water and many whites would not let him bring the water inside but make him call in a white driver to bring in the water.

[matt345]

Excellent post cvp73! Especially these points:

Originally Posted by cvp73

In regard to difficulty parking, the solution is easy: don't drive. With some exceptions, taking public transit is cheap and relatively easy. Take a book, leave extra time, and bundle up and you will be fine. Truthfully I do not understand why so many people who move here insist on trying to live a suburban lifestyle. No there isn't a parking lot in front of every place you want to go-the city was not designed for your lifestyle. 99 percent of the rest of this nation is geared toward cars: go there and be happy.

The fact that San Francisco isn’t totally geared towards cars (at least not as much as other Western US cities) is one of the major advantages of the city for me and something that truly sets it apart in a nation hopelessly obsessed with the automobile.

Originally Posted by cvp73

Third: cliquely, fake, stuck-up people. I've never found this to be a problem. Yes, there are a lot of entitled yuppie douchebags and annoying social-climbing hipsters but they're all from someplace else and I don't usually choose to hang out with them. I have my own friends - mostly other locals - who I hang with.

Agreed. You’ll find just as many stuck up people in LA, New York, and DC. I mean who are we kidding – do we really think people from a Beverly Hills mansion or a penthouse on the Upper East Side are any less stuck up than what can be found in San Franicsco?

[UrbanQuest]

In a reference comparison I think the level of racism by region in the U.S. is ranked as follows. From least to most.
1. Northeast
2. Midwest and West are tied (Bay Area is one of the more racist areas)
3. South (there is still a very considerable "rebel, conservative vibe" going on in full force)

You might look how each region of the country's white population voted for Obama when approaching from an African American/Non-Mexican dark skin slant.

Example;

http://www.pollster.com/blogs/white_..._in_the_st.php

[Radical347]

Originally Posted by UrbanQuest

In a reference comparison I think the level of racism by region in the U.S. is ranked as follows. From least to most.
1. Northeast
2. Midwest and West are tied (Bay Area is one of the more racist areas)
3. South (there is still a very considerable "rebel, conservative vibe" going on in full force)

I'd switch one and two. (I don't have any experience with 3, but I've read plenty of stories that boggle my mind.)

I grew up in the midwest (and in an extremely conservative republican town that was 90+% white) and my parents are a mixed couple - we never had any problems whatsoever. In fact it never even occured to me that racism still existed in this country, until I went to college in the northeast. From what I saw the northeast is FAR more racist than the midwest. (There's still the old WASPy good-white-boy mentality.) I have heard stories from other people who have experience in both places, saying the same thing.

I have talked to plenty of northeasterners (and some west coast people too) who assume that racism is rampant in the midwest, just because they know nothing about it.

Perhaps it's worse in some of the midwest-south border states i.e. OK/MO, but Kansas, Iowa & points north it's ok, easily.

[matt345]

Isn't Boston known as being one of the more racist cities in the country? A friend of mine who lives there now says this has been his personal experience as well.

[jge]

Originally Posted by Amelia12345678910

Read this Adventures in Capitalism: Why I Hate San Francisco

In your opinion ... what do you think ? True or not ? Has this been your case ?

Or do you love San Francisco ?
What is your opinion ?

I have not been there much. The comment about the weather is pretty relitive. I do remeber spending more time picking clubs then being in them.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by cvp73

Let me preface this by stating that I am a Bay Area native although I've only lived in The City for 12 years. By and large I love San Francisco and would not consider living anywhere else. Many of the problems cited by other posters are common to other cities and in large part result from the huge influx of people transplanted from Back East, the Midwest, etc. In regard to difficulty parking, the solution is easy: don't drive. With some exceptions, taking public transit is cheap and relatively easy. Take a book, leave extra time, and bundle up and you will be fine. Truthfully I do not understand why so many people who move here insist on trying to live a suburban lifestyle. No there isn't a parking lot in front of every place you want to go-the city was not designed for your lifestyle. 99 percent of the rest of this nation is geared toward cars: go there and be happy. Second, regarding the homeless. Yes, the problem is bad but for the most part these people are not from SF and come here because it is one of a handful of cities that tries to take responsibility for taking care of the down and out. This is a national problem and it requires a national solution but so far few other places seem to try to help. That said, laws against vagrancy, public urination, etc. should be enforced and transplanted bums ought to be sent home so we don't have to take care of the nation's down and out. Third: cliquely, fake, stuck-up people. I've never found this to be a problem. Yes, there are a lot of entitled yuppie douchebags and annoying social-climbing hipsters but they're all from someplace else and I don't usually choose to hang out with them. I have my own friends - mostly other locals - who I hang with. Finally: the weather. I love the cool breezes and even the fog. Who wants to live in a sweatbox? If I want to be warm it is easy to get to a warm place a few miles south, north, or east of The City? But seriously, why waste time defending San Francisco against a bunch of suburban transplants. If you think SF sucks, fine, don't come here, or better yet, go home if you live here already. Trust me, you won't be missed.

Paragraphs use paragraphs

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by City Boy

How is the south the "least racist". Once you leave the big cities such as Atlanta , Dallas etc, you're in some pretty segregated small towns with a black side and a white side of town. Interracial dating is still looked down on for the majority, and they just had an Integrated Prom for the first time in a town in Mississippi. Are you kidding me? Can you imagine racially segregated proms in California or the North east. Don't think so.

Most of my family is back down south especially in Atlanta and yes there are plenty of racists still in a black dominated city. Buckhead for one, my cousin used to deliver water and many whites would not let him bring the water inside but make him call in a white driver to bring in the water.

I know crazy right? You would think with all the tradition with bad race relations the south has that it would be bad place for blacks but nope not the case. It is the economic segregation that has proven to be more efficient (and it is the type that californians prefer) and thus has more of an impact. Youre a young black male like me, pick up a vibe or something once in a while, every year same three cities are best for black entrepreneurs Atlanta, Dallas, DC. Poor black, middle class, or rich, life will be less stressful back in the 'urban' parts of the south. The bay is not as open minded as people would like to believe, and despite what some public school force fed you to learn, it is not integrated.