The truth is there are problems in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Problems that have always existed that have gotten worse with the pandemic and escalating cost of living.

The truth is also that this narrative of entire cities being unlivable dystopias is objectively false and arguably dangerous. Sometimes it's politically motivated. Sometimes it's merely uninformed click bait. Sometimes it's a racist and classist reaction to some of the downsides of urban life, which, by the way, occur in non-urban settings. They're just not on public display quite the same way. There is as much a drug crisis in the suburbs and country as there is in the city.

Lots of people floating the narrative of a dystopia have never been to these cities, let alone lived in them. I live in and know both cities well through direct experience. It pains me to see the problems every day. It's even worse that there's not much you can do about them.

That said, that's merely one aspect of city living here. The other is the buzz and vibrancy that is thriving throughout neighborhoods in SF and LA. As noted in an article I wrote today demand for rentals in San Francisco is as strong and the market as competitive as ever.