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Comment by DaiPlusPlus | Hacker News Reader

> I'm sure that there are other unintended consequences, such as higher rents, but who knows.

For Amazon's reputation for internal cost-cutting (such as displaying the pricing on computer peripherals in vending-machines in their SLU offices), Amazon makes me scratch my head for building-up their HQ in one of the most expensive cities to buy land in the world - ditto Facebook in Menlo Park. Why didn't Amazon choose Kent or Auburn instead - or Facebook building in the north-east of the Bay rather than the hyper-expensive south-west? Given Facebook's propensity to attract and hire young twentysomethings then surely their exact location in the Bay Area is immaterial (similarly, Amazon attracts a lot of ex-MSFT folk from the Seattle Eastside).

It is a mystery.

But that explains the higher-rents!

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>Given Facebook's propensity to attract and hire young twentysomethings then surely their exact location in the Bay Area is immaterial

Twenty somethings are the exact group of people who don't want to live in a socially dead place. And except for recent college grads even twenty somethings will have significant others who won't want to suddenly move to somewhere else. It's why startups keep being created in SF which has the worst costs out there.

But the Bay Area is a big place and I consider the whole area to be socially alive.

I fully understand wanting to stay in the Bay Area - but there's a big difference in land-value between being situated around Mountain View and San Francisco vs. the east-side of the Bay). What I don't understand is why the east-side of the Bay seems overlooked or even neglected lately (even more-so considering Berkeley's history).

As a twenty something who lived for free in Fremont for 3 months last year, I'd shell out the extra cash to live in SF/anywhere else next time. Maybe having access to a car would have changed my view?

> I consider the whole area to be socially alive.

Ha.

A lot of twenty-somethings are not so open-minded. Disparaging nearby neighborhoods as socially dead or otherwise undesirable is practically a pastime for young city folk (especially if they're dating!)

South Bay was probably the cheapest place to buy land at the time, it's only so expensive because now so many companies are headquartered there. I'm still not convinced that east bay is cheaper than south bay now, despite your assertion.

Berkeley is hardly cheap (more expensive than Seattle, for instance)

Berkeley itself is as expensive and hard to build in as just about anyplace in the Bay Area.

Seattle wasn't as expensive back in the day and if I recall correctly, Bezos actually chose to move to seattle and start Amazon there for cost reasons (I think taxes were a big part of that). Moving an entire headquarters is expensive and did you forget about the HQ2 plan to expand elsewhere?

Seattle is still cheap for what it is tbh, a bunch of my friends have moved there and I feel like I’m getting completely fucking robbed by staying in Toronto (shouts out to covid hitting pandemic status just as I was preparing to job hunt).

Lower housings costs, significantly higher salary, much lower taxes, and better weather along with more interesting/nicer outdoorsy stuff makes Seattle probably my #1 choice for where I’d like to live right now.

Because SF & Seattle are some of the best labor markets for tech talent in the world? How is this a mystery?

The metro-areas, yes - but there are many neighbourhoods, suburbs, exurbs and submetropolitan areas with the same level of access to the talented locals but with approaching an order-of-magnitude less land-value.

Amazon's Bellevue footprint across to the lake from Seattle is expanding. New development in Seattle mostly stopped since 2018, while some existing projects are still being built and coming online.

https://www.geekwire.com/2020/amazon-bring-15000-employees-b...

> but there are many neighbourhoods, suburbs, exurbs and submetropolitan areas with the same level of access to the talented locals but with approaching an order-of-magnitude less land-value.

Which in the Bay is that true of?

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