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You know, some people don't want to remain in their boring cookie-cutter American cities devoid of culture and urban vibrance, and dream of such a multi-cultural, diverse paradise of a city like SF.
I think you pretty much nailed it right there. So many [young] people want to move to places like San Francisco and New York simply because the type of environment and lifestyle offered by those cities is more of the exception rather than the rule in the United States. How many cities are there where you can live relatively comfortably without an automobile? If more American cities offered a true urban lifestyle, San Francisco, New York, Boston, etc. wouldn’t be in such high demand. Unfortunately, the U.S. in the past invested its entire future in the suburbs and the landscape has developed accordingly. Right now, I believe we are seeing the first generation in decades that truly values urban over suburban living, at least to a much greater degree than in the past. Many young people today don’t dream about white picket fences, indoor shopping malls, and drive through restaurants the way their parents did. They want mass transit, walkable neighborhoods, and thriving downtown districts.
I think you pretty much nailed it right there. So many [young] people want to move to places like San Francisco and New York simply because the type of environment and lifestyle offered by those cities is more of the exception rather than the rule in the United States. How many cities are there where you can live relatively comfortably without an automobile? If more American cities offered a true urban lifestyle, San Francisco, New York, Boston, etc. wouldn’t be in such high demand. Unfortunately, the U.S. in the past invested its entire future in the suburbs and the landscape has developed accordingly. Right now, I believe we are seeing the first generation in decades that truly values urban over suburban living, at least to a much greater degree than in the past. Many young people today don’t dream about white picket fences, indoor shopping malls, and drive through restaurants the way their parents did. They want mass transit, walkable neighborhoods, and thriving downtown districts.
Yeah, but you must know that young people don't stay young forever..hence the high turnover, transient, out of stater "attitude" that is so prevalent in San Francisco now days. As harsh he might sound, the OP is right. It's a hostile place to raise your family and grow old in.. All the locals have left what you consider to be not so desirable, then changed the landscape to white yuppieville with mass transit.
Sure, it sounds all great like you said (urban living, public transportation, no mall culture etc), but the reality is that people get married, grow up, want to be able to buy a house near their parents/friends, and some have children- this is when San Francisco loses it's appeal (at least for the natives that had dreams of staying near their families and not priced out of their hometown by the people the OP is describing. Tell me how you feel when you're still renting at age 35 and your girlfriend wants to get married and/or have a kid. Hey, I didn't dream about this either, but here I am...over in the East Bay now with all the ex- SF natives!
I cannot speak for any other large city since I haven't lived in any other. You do hear a lot of people from other states complaining about Californians changing the landscape, wanting it to be just like California etc. Well this is the same thing..newer incomers have changed the landscape so it has molded itself into a completely different place that's anti-child, anti-senior, and incredible judgmental. I honestly don't know of any person from out of state that actually stuck around. This has seriously changed the dynamic over the years.
Oh, and now you get the posts wondering why SF is the "snobbiest" place in the country..well..why would this be if it was the middle class, diverse city, down to earth place that it used to be? The newcomers have made it so. They're the ones that have changed it so dramatically!
I found this hilarious, too. But, in spite of the rant, you do speak for just about every big city in the nation. Portlanders/Oregonians have been making the same complaints since the 70's!
Same in DC. There's hardly a city out there that doesn't have some disaffected contingent of natives complaining about how the transplants have wrecked their city.
Im just curious to know, why are people still moving to San francisco? housing is so expensive whats the point? cant you guys take it to seattle or LA or somethin? Im really tired of (yes I'll say it again for all who read my previous posts) these soft left wing suburban yuppies over running my childhood home.
I mean honestly it used to be cool here but u guys ruined it so why do u still come? do you have to rub out all hope that this city could be great again. You know what was great about this place, the fact that weirdos and poor people lived here and all sorts of freaks, you know those dirty hobos u ignore on a daily basis as u trot ur fruity self off to some euro trash cafe or to ur hipster bars and nightclubs. But really why cant u do that back home? why r people coming from thousands of miles away to wreck San Francisco? i mean what is it that u guys like about San Francisco so much? I'll tell you a city isnt just some goofy little scene that you need to experience if ur from the "boring" suburbs, regular people live here damn it its a real place not some amusment park for a bunch of 20-30 something year old fruitcakes who refuse to move on in life and wanna party forever. Problem is I wouldnt mind if u guys stayed but u dont, u pass through until ur ready to settle down and wreck peoples communities in the mean time.
This situation is not unique to San Francisco, the same can be said for Boston, NYC, Philly, DC, San Diego, Seattle, and a bunch of other cities.
Basically, you have to accept that things change. People in Atlanta complain about all the 'yankees' moving there. Older residents in Miami complain about the cuban immigration wave that began in the early 80's. Heck, even the small town in Pennsylvania I grew up in has completely changed from being predominately white to now having a large hispanic populace. Just have to roll with it and stop complaining.
The difference is, while many other cities attract transplants of all walks of life, SF tends to attract large numbers of well off, largely white yuppy and hipster transplants looking to live the "sophisticated", "progressive" and "cool" "San Francisco lifestyle". Jaunito calling them out on treating SF like a place for their amusement is spot on. There are more tour buses going around these days than I've ever seen in my life (SF native here). They even venture down into the Mission District now (anyone see that zebra-stripe "urban safari" truck? what kind of crap is this? We need people to start throwing bottles at the thing whenever it drives by, and then maybe it'll go away ). I don't like visitors treating me like I'm an animal in a zoo...a "zoo" that they eventually move into, kicking me my family and friends out in the process.
At the same time I know cities change, and this has all happened before...which is kind of sad, seeing as there's not really anything that can be done about it. In 30 more years these transplants (the ones who decide to stay that is), will be getting pushed out again.
well im glad some peopl know what im talking about and for those who argue that im closed minded and I act like the city belongs to me well excuse me this city is my HOME, and is my families home and has been since my granparents came here in the 1930's. I was raised in the very house my father was and that my grandparents bought after they struggled to get it. So yes i feel my opinions on the subject should matter a bit more then some rich yo yo from the midwest.
to destroycreate, your right I dont want you here, you say its a free country jokes on u nothings free in this country especially in San Francisco haha joke. no seriously you can go where you please, but when you do decide to move, you please make sure you think about it first so that when you come here you STAY and help build the community. A place isnt just inherently great its people that make a great place, so please tell me what is so great about San Francisco that you had to come from where ever it is you came from to live here? Oh wait you come here and realize its not that great and the cost of living isnt worth it so you MOVE BACK in the meantime displacing locals and families who would gladly live out there lives here, theres a name for people who come to a place out of boredom and then go back home they're called tourists and they are more than welcome to visit and take a look around, but please dont over stay your welcome is it really that hard to ask?
Also I'm tired of people saying that they want to ride public transit or that they want to walk around in the beautiful big city. You know how dumb u sound, wanna know why people take the bus? cause they dont have a car! you wanna send the poor immigrant families out to the suburbs where they have to walk miles to work cause they dont have a car? poor people need the bus dummys they aint riding it for fun. Another thing you guys are spoiled babies "Im bored and wanna move to the exciting cool city" u guys should appreciate your lives at home you have nice homes, nice cars, big TV's, safe clean communities, and you wanna move to the inner city? only then to complain about it after a few years and have everything converted into an overblown version of the suburbs. Do you see what Im getting at here?
Last edited by JuanitoPasteles44; 08-25-2009 at 08:21 PM..
I lived in Outer Richmond District and it was like Philadelphia in the 1940s and 50s. Grocery Stores, Butcher Shops, walking everywhere. If only I could afford to buy there
well im glad some peopl know what im talking about and for those who argue that im closed minded and I act like the city belongs to me well excuse me this city is my HOME, and is my families home and has been since my granparents came here in the 1930's. I was raised in the very house my father was and that my grandparents bought after they struggled to get it. So yes i feel my opinions on the subject should matter a bit more then some rich yo yo from the midwest.
to destroycreate, your right I dont want you here, you say its a free country jokes on u nothings free in this country especially in San Francisco haha joke. no seriously you can go where you please, but when you do decide to move, you please make sure you think about it first so that when you come here you STAY and help build the community. A place isnt just inherently great its people that make a great place, so please tell me what is so great about San Francisco that you had to come from where ever it is you came from to live here? Oh wait you come here and realize its not that great and the cost of living isnt worth it so you MOVE BACK in the meantime displacing locals and families who would gladly live out there lives here, theres a name for people who come to a place out of boredom and then go back home they're called tourists and they are more than welcome to visit and take a look around, but please dont over stay your welcome is it really that hard to ask?
Also I'm tired of people saying that they want to ride public transit or that they want to walk around in the beautiful big city. You know how dumb u sound, wanna know why people take the bus? cause they dont have a car! you wanna send the poor immigrant families out to the suburbs where they have to walk miles to work cause they dont have a car? poor people need the bus dummys they aint riding it for fun. Another thing you guys are spoiled babies "Im bored and wanna move to the exciting cool city" u guys should appreciate your lives at home you have nice homes, nice cars, big TV's, safe clean communities, and you wanna move to the inner city? only then to complain about it after a few years and have everything converted into an overblown version of the suburbs. Do you see what Im getting at here?
Oh my God please shut the **** up already!
"Oh mah gawd, so many pppl be livin in da ghetto and strugglin u no wut im sayen, and dey shud be able to stay here in San Francisco. u moa den welkum 2 visit but plz dont ovastay iz dat 2 hawd 2 ask pho? Ohs yah, yall r pathetic 4 taken public transportation...datz just for poor folks not u, stey in yo SUVS coz u luck 2 have dem"
Excuse me, but globally, the more attractive a place is, then the more expensive it gets, and the more wealthier/ powerful people move in. You sound as if this is exclusive to San Francisco. NYC, London, Hong Kong, Chicago, Paris...this is Universal - San Francisco is not Detroit my friend, it is a world-class city. If you want local mom n' pop spirit, move to Oakland. SF is a high-tech/financial hub of the West Coast and you expect it to stay like some cute small town atmosphere where all the locals know eachother by first name? What century are you living in? This is a globalized world. You want it to be some working-class locals only city like it was in the 1930s? Since when has SF been like that pre-1980 anyways?! You're living too much in the past, brother.
What's better about SF than San Diego? I don't have to drive everywhere, it's not chain store galore, the people are progressive and open-minded (obviously not like you) and intellectual. There's a vibe in the city that no other American city has...it's open to constant change and new ideas, something you're clearly opposed to.
You make it sound as if you are owner of SF. You're family came to SF in the 1930s? My mom's family were some of the first settlers. Does that make me more credible or something? Last time I checked, every American city was built by transients, people coming and going, native americans once living there to whites building the infrastructure to blacks moving into the inner cities, etc. There's no one stagnant city. Is NYC always the same? Does NYC look to the past? No, it's constantly evolving and growing and morphing, just like every city in the world, San Francisco included.
You keep talking about displaced locals and what not and poor families and how supposedly you're one of them "real people", but obviously you must haven't done much to better your situation having lived in a city so long of so much opportunity and coming from a family that's been living there since the 1930s.
Last edited by destroycreate; 08-26-2009 at 08:23 AM..
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). I don't like visitors treating me like I'm an animal in a zoo...a "zoo" that they eventually move into, kicking me my family and friends out in the process.
