MEANWHILE IN SAN FRANCISCO

[jonathangarrett]

Minus two very brief pauses in 2003 and 2009, the San Francisco Bay Area has been in one continuous housing bubble since I arrived nearly 15 years ago.

The average one bedroom apartment now rents for more than $3,000 a month.

Some houses have appreciated more than $2 million since 2011. For example, this house appreciated at a rate of nearly $

Comments

[midwesternboy]

Crazy stuff. This is Steve MacQueen, by the way. Having 100% tired of Facebook, I came slinking back and was happy to find you the last man standing on LJ. Don't know how you stand that place you live, though. Doesn't it eventually cross the bridge and crush all non-mega-income life in its path, like it did in Manhattan (and is doing in Brooklyn)?

[jonathangarrett]

Hah, I am only four months late in replying to this. And yes, a tsunami of money floods all low-lying ground. Both rents and sales prices in Oakland are currently rising faster than anywhere else in the Bay Area, but it still remains refreshingly down to Earth compared to SF. The things that keep us here are fairly mundane. We have a place we really like, great daycare around the corner, close to family, and the scenery doesn't hurt. But I'd be lying if I said we were able to spend time with some of our mutual friends more often than every blue moon.

[anonymous]

will eventually drive folks to other cities, a process that may be just beginning. Austin, texas rising star and very good jobs in texas r at large without,calif. boo boo weasel californy politics.

[jonathangarrett]

Austin has been a destination for Californians for more than a decade. It is VERY EXPENSIVE there now, and very crowded. In fact, it's a lot like California, except with more barbecue.