The only place I've ever been pickpocketed was in San Jose (in the lobby of the Fairmont of all places). I wouldn't pay $1 to live in the Bay Area, and I only visit when it's an absolute necessity. I realize that many people live there and enjoy it, but I see no redeeming qualities. Gang problems, high prices, overcrowding of everything, bad traffic problems, and on and on. It's also a myth that startups have to be based there to be successful, or that engineers have to live there to work on exciting things.
> It's also a myth that startups have to be based there to be successful
Correct. For real business models
But on the bay area it's easy to get billions to built the next AirBnB for cats or something like that
How do you know? How does post-boom Bay Area look like? Empty houses? Deteriorating streets? Rising criminality? What makes you so sure?
Better weather.
San Jose already has rising criminality and lousy infrastructure (at least when it comes to public transportation), regardless of the wealth of the software industry. I'm skeptical that it's such a "fantastic place to live" when that wealth doesn't seem to be paying for it to be better.
The software industry is clamoring to make the situation better... and are willing to pay for it. It seems like NIMBY homeowners (or at least, the city councils they elected) are actively thwarting progress.
Judging from 2008, much emptier BART trains and reasonable traffic on the freeway.
Perhaps I came across wrong...I meant post-boom but not necessarily "bust". Bay Area is a beautiful and pleasant place to live in my opinion. Without the massive tech influence I think it will still be very attractive to people.