Actually they make pretty good money in Mountain View. Six digits.

Prices in the bay area have been more expensive than other areas, however they have not been out of reach for doctors or most of the bay area population until 1999, 2000.

When I was growing up in the bay area (in the 80′s) grocery store workers, postal workers, police officers, teachers, garbage men and so on were able to purchase homes easily in nice, safe neighborhoods in the heart of the bay area. Perhaps they didn’t live in Palo Alto (though a few teachers on one income with families did own homes in PA) but they were not relegated to Modesto or have 3 roomates like they do now. So of course doctors had their pick of places to buy in any neighborhood they wanted to live in.

Now, some doctors are opting out of doing their residency in bay area, because they would not be able to make ends meet on their $56,000 salary. Better to stay on the east coast where they own the place they live in, rather than live with 5 other residents and their families in a rented house. Besides, what does SF have to offer (compared to NYC, Boston, Washington DC) except good weather???

I am considering moving to NYC.

It’s very apparent that you either don’t read or cannot comprehend others’ posts. Sometime that is applicable for a hi-tech engineer may not be applicable for a doctor. I already wrote it in post #30.

Just ask yourself why you’re still here. Obviously, it’s worth it.

You love to make straw man arguments (and this is not the first time you are doing so). Do you have a problem of comprehension? Where did you find that I said (or implied) that sky is falling? I was just replying against your FOOLISH OPTIMISM. Making counter argument against foolish optimism does not mean that I am saying sky is falling. Why am I labeling it as “foolish optimism”? Because, in post #23, you just cited two advantage points of bay area (weather and prestige), totally ignoring (and refuting) the ground reality (the disadvantages). There are too many disadvantages in Bay Area and they outweigh the two advantage points you mentioned.

It’s good that you understood that healthcare problem is “far too complex”. And that’s why it cannot be solved by two simple advantage points – weather and prestige. You need more advantage points and that includes affordability of home price.

Companies up to 1980: Designed, R&D’d, and built stuff in the BA

Up to 1990 R&D’d stuff in the BA

Up to 2000, gradual liquidation of R&D depts.

2000 – since, last dregs of R&D dug out of corners and outbuildings etc and liquidated, buildings sold off, etc. Companies only maintain a “presence” which is often just a small office, in the BA. A good example is Varian, a huge company, their “presence” is at Central and Lawrence in Sunnyvale, in that building with the arch-shaped doorways. A few doors down is a guy buying up tech stuff used here in the US and exporting to Korea. He’s probably paying his rent better than Varian is.