I See Rich People

Townhall.com ^ | April 20, 2014 | Debra J. Saunders

[roadcat]

But San Francisco has been more accommodating to the affluent than it has the middle class since the gold rush, and I don't think any enlightened policies are going to change that for the majority of would-be San Franciscans.

I would disagree with this statement. Movers and shakers encouraged the poor and middle class to come to SF since the gold rush days in the 1850s. SF was a very affordable city until recent decades. It was also a longtime Republican city, long stretch of only Republican mayors until the mid-1960s. Only after an influx of liberals in the mid-1960s did a change occur in the politics, but this is not what is impacting housing.

Homes were cheap after WWII. My parents bought a home in the Mission District for $6000 in the early 1950s, complete with furnishings and a view of downtown and both bridges. Very affordable for a soldier, with only $100 down. In the 1970s, these homes were still affordable in the low $20G range. The tech boom in the 1980s changed all that and caused a rise in home pricing. Same homes now are about $1M (most have been remodeled and upgraded by recent owners).

Right now, my wife and I are remodeling my mother-in-law's home in SF for possible sale. Homes for sale in the neighborhood have appreciated 10 percent a year annually in the last few years. A new tech boom is going on, attracting asian buyers with deep pockets. A home on the same street about 5 homes up is for sale at $2.5M, crazy prices. A lot of this has nothing to do with liberal politics. It's about the tech sector and availability to high paid jobs. People are attracted to coming here not for teacher jobs and other low-end jobs; they're coming for the ability to make a fortune. If you're smart, it's easy to get a six-figure salary.

[Mariner]

"Sometimes I don't understand this town."

Me neither.

But it and Seattle are two prettiest cities in America.

[Mariner]

"Not I! "

Have you been there?

[Lazamataz]

Why would I want to live in a hostile communist foreign country?

[palmer]

For the "women"?

[Kaslin]

Good question. I sure wouldn’t want to

[familyop]

"It's also a city in which I cannot afford to live...Those yuppies whom anarchists hate pay $700,000 for a condo in a neighborhood where they have to step around street people on their way to work."

The piece is funny, and the situation will get funnier all over the country. Journalists write, "I can 't afford to live in a building. The authorities need to sweep me away, so the more worthy people can live here without my grotesquely unstylish presence."

[Impy]

In the "Star Trek" movies, San Francisco serves as headquarters of Starfleet Command. This cracks me up to no end, as I cannot imagine the Board of Supervisors approving construction of Starfleet Academy or the oddly shaped high-rises you see in the background.

Must of been gratitude after Starfleet discovered the cure for AIDS or something.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I believe the HQ are supposed to be on the grounds of the Presidio.