Has Anyone Moved From Twin Cities To San Francisco?

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by stub303

True; however, expensive real estate does not ignore the problems that plague the city. Lots of old and new IPO money. Unless you're in specific neighborhoods removed from downtown, you will still encounter all of the above mentioned problems on a daily basis.

For the record, in 2019 I was physically assaulted 3 times by drugged out homeless people. 1) On Chestnut St in the Marina, 2) 9:30am inside the Ferry Building, and 3) in an early afternoon incident standing outside the Fairmont in Nob Hill. Also, a buddy of mine who is an extremely fit body builder was jumped by 3 guys with a bat while walking his dog in Pac Heights. Hospitalized to steal a cell phone.

These are generally 'safe' areas and for the record, the police did not even bother coming to the scene to file a report. They just told me to 'be cautious and that SF is dangerous'.

Sounds like rotten/awful luck to me, and I'm really sorry that it happened to you. I certainly don't blame you for leaving SF- a lot of others probably would too. Nobody deserves to be assaulted multiple times by complete strangers, so hopefully you're safer wherever you are now. Same goes for your friend.

Although I'm not trying to discount/minimize your miserable experiences, I would like to point out that they're anecdotal and not the "norm" for the vast majority of people who live in SF.

I would advise ANYONE moving to urban parts of the Bay Area (SF/OAK/SJ/Berkeley/etc) to just accept that property crime in the Bay Area is one of the MAJOR drawbacks of living here because it's so prevalent. Violent crime like you experienced happens too, but not nearly as frequently, though that's little consolation if you're a victim. You always have to be hyper-vigilant about watching your surroundings, because you can easily become a victim if you don't. Some of it's "street smarts", but a lot of it has to do with luck, and where you go.

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by stub303

True; however, expensive real estate does not ignore the problems that plague the city. Lots of old and new IPO money. Unless you're in specific neighborhoods removed from downtown, you will still encounter all of the above mentioned problems on a daily basis.

For the record, in 2019 I was physically assaulted 3 times by drugged out homeless people. 1) On Chestnut St in the Marina, 2) 9:30am inside the Ferry Building, and 3) in an early afternoon incident standing outside the Fairmont in Nob Hill. Also, a buddy of mine who is an extremely fit body builder was jumped by 3 guys with a bat while walking his dog in Pac Heights. Hospitalized to steal a cell phone.

These are generally 'safe' areas and for the record, the police did not even bother coming to the scene to file a report. They just told me to 'be cautious and that SF is dangerous'.

I posted on this forum 06/27/2011
“when i first moverd to SF a pan handler grabbed me and said give me some money.

in my naivity i just assumed that this guy was trying to engage in strong arm robbery so of course I clocked him , put him down and made clear he should never touch me again

imagine my surprised when i was admonished for this.
No it was explained to me that what occured was something unique to SF called "aggresive panhandling" where pan handlers can grab or intimidate pedestrians.

didn't i feel silly!!!
i had never heard of "aggressive panhandling"
just because that behavior is strong armed robbery in every other city i have lived
dosen't make it the case in SF of course.”

Very rich well educated people still get in bidding wars to pay millions to own property in San Francisco the same way the do in London and Paris.

I am not in denial but I understand these are not mutually exclusive and SF is still very desirable

[marykline]

From the activities you listed that you enjoy, I recommend you join Urban Adventure Club once you arrive, get settled in, and are ready to meet new people/make friends. I'm also from the Midwest originally (small little town outside of Council Bluffs, IA and went to college at MSU - Mankato!) and really struggled to make friends out here until I joined some of the events at UAC.
They offer lots of hikes, happy hours, and even weekend trips away!

It was just so easy to meet people who had similar interests as me.

Anyways, just wanted to offer a friendly piece of advice from a fellow Midwesterner.

Hope you're able to find the right neighborhood for you and your wife!

[tikkasf]

I have lived in SF since 1989. I have never been assaulted. I have had my car stolen once and broken into twice since I have lived here. OP, I assume you would renting if you moved to SF. Average cost of a rental is down approx 11 -12% compered to a year ago. It is still very expensive though. If you move into a rent controlled apt, you will be paying market rate rent......but, any future rent hikes are subject to rent control ordnance. I suggest you start browsing rentals on more then one website. The idea being to see what you could be paying for an apt that is acceptable to both of you. Once you a sense of what your rent would be like, then you can calculate a rough estimate for the rest of your budget and then decide if the move might work out for the two of you financially

[golgi1]

The OPs questions seem to distille down to:

1. Will San Francisco hate me for renting one of its apartments at the market prices at which they are being advertised?

Answer: No.

and

2. Can I move during COVID?

Answer: Yes.

As long as there are flights and apartments being advertised, you can book them and rent them.

The question about "competitive apartments" is slightly confusing. The OP states that he saw advertised apartments at prices he can afford. Aside from an apartment price comparison on the websites with which he is familair, I'm unsure what "competitive" could otherwise refer to. Pricing would depend on location, size, condition, and other information that isn't available here.

[Burkmere]

Originally Posted by stub303

SF / Oakland are areas in rapid decline. You're in for a shock coming from MSP. Crime is essentially legal, so be prepared to deal with homeless, home/vehicle break-ins, tent cities outside million dollar condos, public drug use, daily interactions with mentally ill people, disgustingly dirty public transportation, bad traffic, stepping over feces / needles, etc. I have been assaulted in broad daylight multiple times in 'safe neighborhoods' by mentally ill / meth zombies. Also, the job market is being decimated due to Covid, so you're up for a lot of competition for jobs as tens of thousands are recently unemployed.

Why anyone would move to SF/Oakland these days baffles me. It's a sh*t hole and getting worse with the new DA Chesa in charge.

My sentiments exactly and worse since COVID and the communist governor.

[nobodysbusiness]

I think you should go for it.