Why do some people say that SF is provincial? (San Francisco: to buy, to live)

[Tallysmom]

I've known a number of people that live in the Bay Area -- and don't go much past their little area. One thought moving from Redwood City to Fremont was like moving to Europe and her parents wouldn't visit her. And her parents never visited her. Another thought going to Napa was WAY too far to go for a day trip...

That, to me, is provincial.

[matt345]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

I've known a number of people that live in the Bay Area -- and don't go much past their little area. One thought moving from Redwood City to Fremont was like moving to Europe and her parents wouldn't visit her. And her parents never visited her. Another thought going to Napa was WAY too far to go for a day trip...

That, to me, is provincial.

Yep I pretty much agree. In my experience, the transplants are way more outgoing and know much more about the Bay Area as a whole than the natives do.

[Gentoo]

I agree to some extent with people being prone to staying put. The Bay Area is big. Most people in most areas only go as far as they need to. Until I got my current job, there was never any reason for me to go to the south bay. Seriously everything I need is more or less in a 10 to 12 mile radius. Likewise not to many of my coworkers down there have any reason to come up here. We're talking on average of about 30 miles. There's just nothing across the bay one needs most of the time.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

I agree to some extent with people being prone to staying put. The Bay Area is big. Most people in most areas only go as far as they need to. Until I got my current job, there was never any reason for me to go to the south bay. Seriously everything I need is more or less in a 10 to 12 mile radius. Likewise not to many of my coworkers down there have any reason to come up here. We're talking on average of about 30 miles. There's just nothing across the bay one needs most of the time.

One need not go far to fulfil basic needs. The more adventurous or intellectually curious may seek out a bit more than that, which eventually necessitates travel, to get out of one's bubble. Even the Bay Area doesn't have everything.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

One need not go far to fulfil basic needs. The more adventurous or intellectually curious may seek out a bit more than that, which eventually necessitates travel, to get out of one's bubble. Even the Bay Area doesn't have everything.

Well yeah people obviously travel when they can. We do have two major airports and many highways. That doesn't seem to be what's being said. If what we've been talking about makes the bay area provincial then others areas must be borderline troglodytes.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Well yeah people obviously travel when they can. We do have two major airports and many highways. That doesn't seem to be what's being said. If what we've been talking about makes the bay area provincial then others areas must be borderline troglodytes.

I'm originally from Pittsburgh PA, and there the provinciality is -- if you have to cross a bridge to get there (and there are TONS of bridges) you don't go. And the people on City Data board think it's odd, too.

I don't know -- while we don't shun going to SF, we don't look for it much either. But we go all over the place for breakfast, but even we have places we don't go -- we never go to Berkeley anymore. Aside from the horrible driving experiences, the places we loved have disappeared or changed, or we've changed... and out grew them.

We very very very rarely go to the cities on Rte 80 corridor.

And there's enough here our wedge of the bay area to keep us busy.

Like next month heading back to Livermore to buy fabric for another baby blanket and thrifting!

[snarkadoodle]

I just moved to the East Bay this summer, and I have noticed that not only are people pretty tied to where they live, but they are often quite derisive of other locations in the Bay Area. We are just renting right now to get a sense of what area suits us best, so we have lots of conversations about "place" with people we meet. I am always surprised that people tend to go beyond talking about why they live where they live - usually, they say something snarky about where OTHER people live. Like, people in Silicon Valley can't understand why anyone would live in the East Bay, people in certain parts of Marin look down on people in other areas of Marin (which I find hilarious), and even Oakland and Berkeley have a weird contentious thing going. What gives?

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by snarkadoodle

I just moved to the East Bay this summer, and I have noticed that not only are people pretty tied to where they live, but they are often quite derisive of other locations in the Bay Area. We are just renting right now to get a sense of what area suits us best, so we have lots of conversations about "place" with people we meet. I am always surprised that people tend to go beyond talking about why they live where they live - usually, they say something snarky about where OTHER people live. Like, people in Silicon Valley can't understand why anyone would live in the East Bay, people in certain parts of Marin look down on people in other areas of Marin (which I find hilarious), and even Oakland and Berkeley have a weird contentious thing going. What gives?

I think it might just be the people that have moved here from outside of the region. Perhaps they believe that certain towns have certain connotations. They may want to be associated with certain stereotypes.

I think most native Bay Areans understand that you move to where you can afford and somewhere near your job if you can. With the crazy cost of housing it makes little sense to criticize a town because it's the only place you could buy a house or chose to live in a suburban type place over trying to be an urban dweller.

But I totally "get" what you're saying...there's a lot of insecurity and need for people to announce that they live in a particular place because it makes them feel superior.

[alexxiz]

Originally Posted by Marissa23

I However, recently I've read a few forums about SF and some people said that it was rather provincial. Why would they say that?
Thanks in advance.

Perhaps because they had lived in 20M+ metros?

[alexxiz]

Originally Posted by snarkadoodle

I have noticed that not only are people pretty tied to where they live, but they are often quite derisive of other locations in the Bay Area. We are just renting right now to get a sense of what area suits us best, so we have lots of conversations about "place" with people we meet. I am always surprised that people tend to go beyond talking about why they live where they live - usually, they say something snarky about where OTHER people live. Like, people in Silicon Valley can't understand why anyone would live in the East Bay, people in certain parts of Marin look down on people in other areas of Marin (which I find hilarious), and even Oakland and Berkeley have a weird contentious thing going. What gives?

That's really funny... I remember before I came to Bay area (I left it), looking at the map of the world and seeing a little tiny dot... There had been so many of these dots, one after another...And Marine, Oakland, SF and South Bay are all one same location on the map.