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Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

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Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#41
Coming from Northern Europe, I still find SF a place it would be hard to leave. If you're in tech, there is no better place to be, in terms of learning, career progression and the overall interest. Think about any technology you're interest in, and you're probably a coffee shop away to talk people who work on it or lead the work. In Europe, I'd often feel how lacking and not interesting the environment is in many ways. People don't have much experience and don't often have high ambitions (since there isn't many good examples).

Salaries and equity options are probably higher than anywhere, and its more likely here that those options actually turns something in worthwhile. While rents are expensive, it can be still potentially financially better.

Restaurants, places to go, nature and travel is pretty great overall, there is lot to do.

The quality of living is not really on the same level as in Europe. Lot of the city is quite dirty, not all of it though. If you have a family, its likely to be much more costly in everything. Houses are expensive, and probably there isn't anything to fix that in the near future. I think the protesting against tech has somewhat subdued, you don't really hear about it.

Overall, after living here for a while, you get jaded about all the startup stuff. Its not what you need to do all the time, but it can be still quite interesting to see and hear everyone around you to try new ideas.

People are leaving, but not really seeing that the area is slowing down. There are more great companies now than there was 10 years ago.

Sometimes, I think about moving back to Europe or somewhere else, and don't really feel excited about the job prospects or the overall work environment. It would be hard to find anything remotely similar roles that I've been able to do here.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#42
post #18
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. It's interesting how many tech people dislike the company of their own kind.

I don't think it's disliking tech people so much as disliking a monoculture.

True, but a city of "artists" is also a monoculture.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#43
post #8

I’m interested to know about three other things: rent cost, safety and public transport.

rent is the worst in america

I know several people who have had laptops and cellphones stolen out of their hands while they were at a cafe

the public transport is basically fine, crowded.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#44
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. It's interesting how many tech people dislike the company of their own kind.

gay and hippie are cultures, tech is just a job

Tech is also a culture. Tech people are generally rational, open to innovation, individualistic. HN is a good representation of the tech culture.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#45

The place is geographically incredible, great climate, beautiful scenery, lots to do and many diverse activities are a relatively short drive away. Having said that, living there can be kind of awful. It's become quite a monoculture of tech people, which brings with it the same gender imbalance you find in the tech workplace. It's very expensive, dirty, poorly maintained, not the safest city and it's not uncommon to…

I had the same experience in the Mission my first time there.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#46

From 2005-2010 the city had a very positive vibe: we're the most European city in America, we love good food, we have a balance of artists and people who support the arts. Now it's overcrowded, overvalued and overcapitalized. Rather than being welcomed, you will be resented and perceived as pushing other people out. Oakland has a more friendly and creative feel these days, if you can deal with the pervasive criminal…

As much as I appreciate the sentiment, Boston is probably the most European city in America stemming from the fact that it was originally built as one.

Having just returned from a trip to 5 European cities in different countries, what does the most European city mean? I also haven't been to Boston, but there were many ethnic enclaves in other American cities that I was reminded of during my time in Europe. But as a whole, the cities were each so distinct, I found many American cities comparable to them than they were to each other.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#48
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> we're the most European city in America New York?

As a European who has been a few times to both NY and SF, SF seems a lot more European to me. But couldn't tell you why exactly. I guess SF is more relaxed in many ways and NY is way too intense (which I love, but it's not something one finds in Europe).

I don't know, I find SF very Californian - people are enthusiastic about everything, even if they aren't being genuine.

NY feels more real - as in London, Berlin or Paris, someone will tell you if something's shit. NY also obviously has a comparable arts scene. Apparently there's a SF Fashion Week but it's sure isn't in international calendars. People from NY seem to have travelled more than people from SF too.

Maybe SF is more like, say, one of the Spanish cities in terms of being relaxed?

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#49
post #41

Coming from Northern Europe, I still find SF a place it would be hard to leave. If you're in tech, there is no better place to be, in terms of learning, career progression and the overall interest. Think about any technology you're interest in, and you're probably a coffee shop away to talk people who work on it or lead the work. In Europe, I'd often feel how lacking and not interesting the environment is in many way…

As Northern European with ambitions to move to a US tech hub one day, I am interested in knowing a bit of your background. Did you go to school in the US? How did you acquire your visa? Were you sponsored by an employer or did you go through the lottery? etc.
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