Front page is horrible, and I always skip it by bookmarking a subreddit that I'm already subscribed to.

Front page feels like clickbait and "get angry for engagement metrics"

I’ve never visited the front page, but I’ve found a number of helpful folks on various construction trade or woodworking subs. I only have notifications enabled for /r/costco_alcohol quite useful to gauge the overall distribution patterns for specific whiskeys I like, so I know when it’s worth making a trip or not. Pretty much every sub I’ve recently spent time offering help in, or have found interesting enough to scroll around, has a pretty rigid policy of no politics and no religion. With all that said, I made the mistake of visiting /r/BayArea and found your assessment spot on.

I assume at least some portion of the front page (or /r/popular) has been for sale for a long time. For example, sports leagues like NBA or marketers trying to make viral videos for brands or new movie/TV show releases.

You have to choose subs carefully. Most are bad but some are okay