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Originally Posted by mthd
bad, surely. uniquely bad? almost definitely not compared to other mild-weather cities with progressive politics.
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I think most would agree that compared to the more desirable U.S. city centers, SF has a uniquely challenging set of quality of life issues. Yeah, all the West Coast cities have issues with homeless and petty street crime, but SF takes the cake. And SF is unique in that you're paying $1.5 million for a decent apartment in a good neighborhood, and you still have that crap on your doorstep.
I've been to every corner of NYC, and almost everywhere in the prime parts of Boston, DC, Philly, Chicago, Seattle, LA, and there's nowhere remotely as shocking as Tenderloin-Mid Market area. And there's a general culture of lawlessness, where you see petty shoplifting, fare evasion, etc. to a greater degree than other cities. But the job advantages, natural beauty and weather seem to outweigh the issues of disorder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mthd
you don't hear these pearl-clutching complaints about, say, houston, where you are several times more likely to be murdered than in san francisco.
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Houston isn't urban or walkable, so not comparable. No one moves to Houston to ditch their car, and people with money aren't taking the bus or strolling around, in constant contact with homeless. And I've never heard anyone wary of SF due to homicides. I wouldn't even be wary of New Orleans because of homicides, given the extreme odds and narrow set of victims. Raving lunatic bums tend not to discriminate, so anyone walking around SF has decent odds of uncomfortable experiences.
And of course SF doesn't have bombed out ghettos, economic dead zones, and other urban maladies. It's generally a raging success. But I don't think anyone can stroll west/south of Union Square and not notice unique challenges.