Exodus of S.F.'s middle class

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 6/21/8 | James Temple

[SmithL]

It's urban flight flipped on its head: The number of low- and middle-income residents in San Francisco is shrinking as the wealthy population swells, a trend most experts attribute to the city's exorbitant housing costs.

Many worry it's increasingly turning San Francisco into an enclave of the rich, where nurses, firefighters, cops, teachers and others professionals aspiring toward homeownership or in need of cheaper rent can no longer afford to stay.

"A kind of derogatory term for the city would be Disneyland for yuppies," said Hans Johnson, demographer with the Public Policy Institute of California. "There is a legitimate public policy concern when a city that many people have lived in for many years and regard as their homes, becomes so expensive they can't afford to live there anymore."

From 2002 to 2006, the number of households making up to $49,000 per year dropped by 7.4 percent, those earning between $50,000 and $99,999 declined by 4.4 percent, and those bringing home between $100,000 and $149,999 fell by 3.9 percent, according to Census Bureau estimates. In polar opposition, the number of households making between $150,000 and $199,999 surged 52.2 percent and those earning more than $200,000 climbed 40.1 percent.

Certainly, some of the movement can be attributed to people earning their way into higher income classes. But a separate analysis of census data from those who reported moving from San Francisco to elsewhere in the United States confirms the overall trend: The less you make, the more likely you are to leave the city or not move here in the first place.

The chance of departing in 2006 stood at less than 8 percent for those making $150,000 or more, but jumped to greater than 11 percent for those making between $25,000 and $50,000, according to the Public Policy Institute. "The net effect is...

[mewzilla]

This is a spin-laden article from 2001, which I'm posting just to show how long this has been occurring....

Children in exodus S.F. has lowest number of families in state with members who are under 18

SF has had years to do something about the trend, and has instead done nothing but exacerbate it.

[sergeantdave]

You can buy a nice three bedroom Victorian for $2,300 in Flint or Detroit. Our communist governor is creating affordable housing for her army of welfare bums, thieving politicians, crooked bureaucrats and others leeching off taxpayers.

Opportunity knocks, San Francisco citizens.

[mewzilla]

And this is from 2007, another group disenchanted with their 'Rat-run Utopia...

San Francisco hopes to reverse black flight

[Alia]

In recent years, South of San Francisco began SUBSIDIZING the loans/rents of school teachers teaching in those locations so that teachers could be "closer" to the communities they resided in and be a part of the "community" scene.

Which group of "workers" is the Bay Area planning to subsidize now?

[goldstategop]

San Franciso in ten years will be the home of fabulously rich people.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[JohnLongIsland]

When Obama gets elected everybody in the whole U. S. of A. will be entitled to a residence in San Francisco, and it will be for free. It’s only fair!

[DUMBGRUNT]

How Rent Control Drives Out Affordable Housing

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-274.html

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I know a couple who live in Stockton and drive to SF to work everyday.

[dragnet2]

You can buy a nice three bedroom Victorian for $2,300 in Flint or Detroit.

Yeah, and you can buy an acre of dusty rocky desert land for cheap too..

Regions of land and homes that are dirt cheap are because no one wants to be there.

[adorno]

Exodus of S.F.'s middle class

The worse thing about the exodus is that, wherever those people move to, they will bring their liberal beliefs and politics. They're not smart enough to realize that their previous hometowns or states were devastated by liberal policies and politics. The politics they bring with them to their new homes will eventually cause those new towns, cities, or states to become the hellholes they left behind. Most of those people will continue to vote democrat with the hope that perhaps in their new homes, their form of socialism will this time be better implemented. They're not smart enough to realize that it is socialism itself that caused their old hometowns to deteriorate.

[Doohickey]

That’s a shame. I grew up in South Placer. Mostly Lincoln, but for a little while in Auburn, Newcastle and Rocklin. What a great area that was to grow up.

[Professional Engineer]

Unfortunately, many of the Bay area liberals have cashed out their overpriced houses and infested our county (Placer)

I grew up in Amador county. After being in Texas for 25 years, I don't recognize anything of the place I remember. It's been completely ruined.

[Polynikes]

“Unfortunately, many of the Bay area liberals have cashed out their overpriced houses and infested our county (Placer).”

I have heard of it referred as the Liberal Locust Effect. It reminds me of the aliens in Independence Day.
As far of the bumper stickers goes it amuses me to see their self absorbed attitudes plastered all over the back of their car. The stickers are usually half rotted and sometimes covers their rear windows. One can only hope they make an ill advised turn in front of a tractor trailer. :~)

[realdifferent1]

"A kind of derogatory term for the city would be Disneyland for yuppies homo's,"