Is gentrification good? Like a great many things, dose matters. Some gentrification is good, but take it too far and you get SF where even high earning professionals are priced out the minute they consider having children. The result is a workaholic equivalent of the "man camps" that surround oil fields-- a "six figure slum" devoid of all culture and family life save that of 20-something professionals with no kids.
(That was my impression of parts of SF / SV last time I visited: a six figure slum.)
A little vitamin E is good for you too, but too much seems to increase your risk of cancer. Even more will make you sick on shorter order, and even more than that could kill you.
So devoid of the culture you want, not devoid of all culture.
Seems like you confused your personal desires with something meaningful, then decided to drop a backdoor condescension on those of us who don't share your personal desires.
Not a super compelling argument from my point of view.
I'm with api on this. The Bay Area's high cost of living is stifling, and it's resulting in cultural homogeny as the minimum living wage continues to skyrocket.
Meanwhile, Sacramento is a 2-hour-drive away. It has a much lower cost-of-living in general, yet doesn't sacrifice any cultural diversity (in my own observation, at least); if anything, it's even more culturally diverse. It's also telling that a lot of people would rather live in Sacramento and commute to San Francisco (and adjacent Bay Area / Silicon Valley areas) than live in the Bay Area; somehow, the cost of commuting that distance manages to be offset.
Wow commuting from Sacramento to the SF Bay is a thing now? I grew up in the Bay Area (left for College in 2004 and never came back) and that was unheard of at the time. Every time I go back I'm surprised how much has changed.
(That was my impression of parts of SF / SV last time I visited: a six figure slum.)
A little vitamin E is good for you too, but too much seems to increase your risk of cancer. Even more will make you sick on shorter order, and even more than that could kill you.