It’s the weather, really. Well, okay, the jobs are nice, too, but the climate is the reason the Bay Area is so attractive to so many people. Sure, people come and go depending on the economy, but over time there are just so many people who want to live in a place with nice weather almost year-round, rather than deal with snow or six months or rain or tornadoes or humidity or mosquitoes or whatever.
Subrata called it the “eternal summer” the first year I moved here: Sunny days from April through October. The usual morning forecast is “cloudy in the morning, burning off around midday, high around seventy-something.” No, really: I hear this on the radio around 200 days a year. (Most of the rest of the days differ in that they’re either “high in the eighties”, or “chance of showers”.)
(In San Francisco itself, adjust for more fog and lower temperatures, except in September and October when it’s usually warmer.)
Last night I walked out of my building at work. It was still warm (we’re at the trailing end of a heat wave), but the smell in the air and the cooling breeze made me think that I need to get biking to work again.
This morning after breakfast I took Blackjack out on the back patio. I watched him carefully so he wouldn’t spot a squirrel and take off up a tree, but mostly he just wanted to sniff plants.
Several times this month I’ve remarked around 8 pm what a perfect evening it was. I’m sure we’ll have many more.
I don’t take full advantage of the weather the way some of my more outdoorsy friends do, but it’s relaxing just to experience it.
Until September, when I’m sick of it and ready for it to rain.
But even then, it beats humidity and mosquitoes.
I couldn’t agree more!!!
1 year has turned into 15 in July! 🙂
I moved out in January 2002. A while ago I passed the point where I’ve lived in CA longer than I’ve lived anywhere else.
Well, obviously, since I moved away last year, I had some problems with the Bay Area. The weather was spectacular during the day, but too cold at night. Since I am at work most of the day, this does not suit me as well as the warm evenings here in Texas. I also like it to rain on a regular basis, really rain with lightning and thunder.
The jobs were cool, but my current job is pretty sweet. I do miss living in a big city area; Austin is the smallest place I have lived since I was 10.
But, the prices, the schools, the traffic, the commute, the lack of a viable live music scene and the proximity to family make Texas a better place for me.
But you knew that.