Living in San Francisco - the good, the bad, everything. Tell me how it is.

[Anonymous]

Can you tell me what it is REALLY like living in San Francisco? Meaning, is it just crowded, overrun with homeless people, bad traffic, expensive, cold when it should be warm?

Or are there several good things?

When I look at the monthly weather, it seems that it is often in the 70s there. Why do people say it is cold in SF? I saw no crazy low temperatures.

Or are there several good things?

Trying to figure out if SF is even a choice for me as a single women in her mid 20s. This would for 4 years (graduate school). School is in SF and I would try to actually live in SF (vs. Oakland, etc) due to traffic.

Thank you for any input - good, bad, and other! I have other options, but I want to give SF a fair chance without going by headlines I see in the news.

[Anonymous]

The food is great.
It is a city full of really smart people.
It is crazy expensive. And crowded.
If you are single, be prepared to deal with techbros.

[Anonymous]

Will grad school provide you with housing? The housing costs are pretty crazy now. I lived there in my twenties/thirties and while that was a long time ago, it was a pretty great experience. I did reach a point where I was ready and happy to leave though. Dating was a nightmare. So many guys living out Peter Pan fantasies. It's not a great place if you want to meet someone and follow a traditional get married/have kids sort of path. I had to come back to the east coast to find that.

[Anonymous]

It's not cold like snow cold, but you could definitely need to use the heat in the summer in certain parts of june and july. There are microclimates depending on the fog and wind, so some neighborhoods are dramatically warmer than others within the city. Hot chocolate is served as baseball games year round.

On the plus side it's also generally not hot like A/C hot either. Not to say you don't ever need it, but it's rare. Basically things stay between 45-85 most waking hours year round.

It's expensive. It's hilly. There are big income gaps. The food is awesome - cheap or expensive. Transit options vary greatly depending on where you are in the city.

There is a big homeless problem.

Did I mention expensive? SO expensive. But lots of jobs too.

[Anonymous]

Have you ever been, OP?

[Anonymous]

I think SF is an amazing place to start a career in your 20s if you can afford it and your industry is there.

Its an expensive place to go to school unless being physically present there is going to help you get jobs later - you're paying a premium to live somewhere expensive versus going to school somewhere LCOL. May be worth it for the opportunities (tech) or it may not (law school).

[Anonymous]

SF is fun, but I find it one of the least livable cities in the US. It is just so expensive, taxes in CA are so high, and it will only get worse. I moved away from the Bay Area 10 years ago and while I like to visit, I'd never move back to live there again.

Also it might be a minor thing, but the number of mentally ill homeless people and just the smell of the city (very strong urine smell, and lots of feces everywhere) are just a big turnoff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SF is fun, but I find it one of the least livable cities in the US. It is just so expensive, taxes in CA are so high, and it will only get worse. I moved away from the Bay Area 10 years ago and while I like to visit, I'd never move back to live there again.

Also it might be a minor thing, but the number of mentally ill homeless people and just the smell of the city (very strong urine smell, and lots of feces everywhere) are just a big turnoff.

I agree with all this. My fiancé (now DH) and I lived there in our late 20s. Yes, we did have a ton of fun (wine country visits, biking, hiking, eating). BUT, we also were 'done' after two years. I hated that my morning commute (walk or bike) always had my stepping over a homeless man who was either: covered in his own feces, yelling at me, or jacking off in front of me and spooging on sidewalk. I hated being cold in August in one of the many, many microclimates. Public trans goes everywhere but it's crowded and smelly (see above comment on homelessness). It is a fun place to live when you are young, but no place to raise a family or attempt owning a home.

[Anonymous]

The big earthquake coming would be a drawback.

[Anonymous]

I livedthere for a year when I was 30 with my husband and 2 year old. It was fun and different in that the architecture was cool, the food was good, the drive north and south of SF is beautiful. But I really didn’t like the weather. It was cold and rainy June through August which was super depressing. I missed the seasons a lot. Also crazy expensive housing. Having said that it did wonders for my husbands career. So I don’t regret it at all. If I was in my twenties, esp in an IT related field I would definitely live there. It will be a fun adventure.

[Anonymous]

Beautiful parks abound. However, the smell of pot is everywhere.

[Anonymous]

I like SF but I like San Jose better. You'll be fine.

[Anonymous]

I was just in SF last month. I think NYC is cleaner if that says anything to you.

[Anonymous]

Also, I wouldn't be worried about girls if you're in school. You should meet plenty of people there.

[Anonymous]

I lived in SF in my mid-20s for three years and had THE TIME OF MY LIFE.

Pros
- Absolutely amazing in almost every way
- Very diverse culture
- You're in a whole other world politically, culturally (this can be good or bad!)
- At parties, people start conversations around what you're passionate about, what you like to do for fun (vs. what do you do?)
- You're soooo close to wine country!
- Very very very liberal

Cons
- Expensive
- Family and friends will come out of the woodwork to come visit you
- Very very very liberal

Things You'll Get Used to
- The homeless (they're everywhere and the can be aggressive). But you learn how to deal.
- Weather: In the city (the actual peninsula), you'll be wearing a winter coat in July/Aug/Sept. The fog comes into the city and it's freezing. However, if you're cold, just leave the peninsula and you'll be in 90+ degree weather.
- It's a "Live and let live" atmosphere. You'll see/hear crazy stuff, have encounters with the oddest people in the oddest circumstances. Sometimes this is good/eye-opening and sometimes it's just too bizarre. People will offer to sell you weed on a public bus. You'll see people having sex in the park in the middle of the day (not trying to hide a thing!). People will roller skate naked down the street right by you like it's no big deal. You'll come across homeless people masturbating in the middle of the street. You become immune to these things but they're definitely shocking (and sometimes scary) at first.

My advice? Go there first before you make up your mind but...you should totally go for it! It's an amazing place that will teach you so much and open your eyes to so very much. In your 20s is the perfect time. You'll learn so much about yourself. And most people there are transient so everyone is always looking to make friends.