Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

wsj.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 294 posts

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#171

Post by dismalpedigree »

Rebelgecko wrote: post #157
SpicyLemonZest wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't you see that this is the kind of framing that rubs people the wrong way? There's nothing wrong with having different preferences, but it's frustrating for Bay Area natives to constantly hear that it's a terrible place nobody could enjoy on its own terms.

Ironically, people in "flyover country" have been hearing the same sorts of disses for decades

I used to cringe with the term “flyover country”. Now I embrace it. I even promote it. The less enticing I make my area seem to an outsider, the less likely they will try to move here and ruin it.

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#172

Post by mythrwy »

x87678r wrote: post #153

Its going to make the voting tomorrow extra interesting. Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah all these red states with blue voting techies arriving.

All 4 of those state will still be red.

We aren't talking about a population altering number of people.

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#173

Post by chasd00 »

newusr1233 wrote: post #150

I wonder if this is just a fad until people realize they don't actually like the rural life as much as they think they would.

yeah, "the grass is always greener". I grew up in a small country town, it has its charms but it gets old too. By the time I was college age I left and never looked back. Small time life comes with a different set of problems than living in a city but they're still problems.

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#174

Post by gnicholas »

TomVDB wrote: post #52
sna1l wrote: post #46

I think the burst of tech workers moving out of Silicon Valley/SF into surrounding suburbs + other areas is driven mostly by people who were already on the cusp of leaving the city. I've been thinking about leaving SF to move to the East Bay for the last couple years, and COVID-19 has provided a very strong impetus to expedite that move. Obviously this is anecdotal, and everyone has their own motives, but I haven't h…

My wife and I never considered moving out, but we're now actively shopping for a house in the Tahoe area. Not as an investment or short term rental property, but to live ~50% of the time. We're clearly not the only ones. The price of houses in the $1M+ range have gone up significantly since it became clear around the summer that this COVID thing isn't going away anytime soon. There are many all cash offers as well.

How do you weigh the fire risk in the Tahoe area? The Palo Alto area has smoke risk, and some PSPS risk, but not much risk of straight up burning down. But homes in Tahoe are at significantly more risk of fire, right? Is it possible to get fire insurance there?

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#175

Post by chasd00 »

shiftpgdn wrote: post #170
chasd00 wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i just bought 18 acres on the direct border of the Ouachita National Forest in SE Oklahoma for reasons outside the pandemic (i live in Dallas, about 4hrs away). The real estate person said all land is gone within days of listing. They're selling at $7-8k/acre what was $1-2k/acre just a couple years ago. People are flocking to the country side.

I don't think it's a permanent move though. People are buying summer/weekend homes or property which already had constrained supply.

i agree, i think people are buying but then will sell and head back to the city eventually. Living out in the sticks is ok if you understand what you're getting in to but many don't. However, I think it will have a lasting impact as many urban people are going to have at least some real world exposure to rural life. It may broaden the perspectives of both urban and rural types... or drive them even further apart.

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#176

Post by adhd_pm »

gnicholas wrote: post #174
TomVDB wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife and I never considered moving out, but we're now actively shopping for a house in the Tahoe area. Not as an investment or short term rental property, but to live ~50% of the time. We're clearly not the only ones. The price of houses in the $1M+ range have gone up significantly since it became clear around the summer that this COVID thing isn't going away anytime soon. There are many all cash offers as well.

How do you weigh the fire risk in the Tahoe area? The Palo Alto area has smoke risk, and some PSPS risk, but not much risk of straight up burning down. But homes in Tahoe are at significantly more risk of fire, right? Is it possible to get fire insurance there?

Riskier, sure. Insurance? Sometimes...

The person who bought my place last year ended up paying over $6000 a year for insurance via CalFAIR (no fire hydrant nearby). When I bought it in 2013 - it cost about $800 a year. There are definitely people who can't get regular insurance and end up paying a lot for meh insurance.

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#177

Post by rsync »

davidw wrote: post #131
pkaye wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> even a fraction of those 40M going north to Oregon is going to overload the housing market there. Oregon just needs to build more housing.

Anyplace that people want to live should build more housing of all shapes and sizes - and not artificially restrict housing options with zoning.

"Anyplace that people want to live should ..."

... democratically decide their own course of action with regard to housing, zoning, etc.

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#178

Post by drewmate »

microtherion wrote: post #147
floor2 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing worth remembering - thousands of current "Bay area tech workers" grew up in other parts of the country, and moved to silicon valley primarily for job opportunities, but may not otherwise share in the religious, political or social views that dominate that space. So while in some cases there may be the conflict you're alluding to, for other people, they're just moving back home.

> thousands of current "Bay area tech workers" grew up in other parts of the country, and [...] may not otherwise share in the religious, political or social views that dominate that space. I know a few, who grew up in rural Michigan, and Oregon, respectively. But from conversations with them, I get the impression that, while they carry some traces of their roots with them, they also have much that sets them apart fr…

I think you're both right, and it just goes to show you that (in spite of what it might feel like sometimes) we've all actually got a lot more in common than we think. I'm a mountain-states native who went to the Bay for work and is (at least for now) back in the mountains. I got along fine with folks in California, but it still never quite felt like home (tough to do in a 1BR). Still, I'm sure I've brought a little of the Bay back with me! At the very least a new Subaru with California plates. :)

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#179

Post by JoeAltmaier »

rsync wrote: post #177
davidw wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyplace that people want to live should build more housing of all shapes and sizes - and not artificially restrict housing options with zoning.

"Anyplace that people want to live should ..." ... democratically decide their own course of action with regard to housing, zoning, etc.

There's the view that its an intrusion on personal liberty and choice. Should they also democratically decide what car you should drive? What to name your kids?

Democracy is another kind of oppression, when taken too far.

Re: Tech Workers Take to the Mountains, Bringing Silicon Valley with Them

#180

Post by gregkerzhner »

davidw wrote: post #31

I can't read the article, but this appears to be hitting us hard here in Bend, Oregon. House prices were already high and only appear to be going higher. I think more people could be a great thing if we get them involved locally, and if we add enough housing to accommodate them, which is tricky right now. As someone involved with a local YIMBY group, it's tough to see the prices - it felt like we were making some pro…

Just out of curiosity, how long have you been in Bend? My wife was born and raised in Bend and left in her mid 20s. Due to our out of state license plates and IDs she gets a fair amount of "please don't move here you out-of-stater" gruff, and it always feels silly coming from folks that themselves moved here for exact same reasons that the newcomers are flocking now.
Post reply on HN