Fat Slice kept us off this list for decades

Obviously they didn't a parameter for ulcers incurred by Cal football fans.

Amount of neuroses is not part of the algorithm

Anarchistbear said:

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Amount of neuroses is not part of the algorithm

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You beat me to it...I was going to ask if mental health was a consideration.

Nukular Free Zone!

Having your windshield smashed in, and getting parking tickets for exceeding the meter by 2 minutes builds character and necessitates having a sense of zen.
Top Dog and Blondies diet toughens the gut.

dmh65 said:

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Having your windshield smashed in, and getting parking tickets for exceeding the meter by 2 minutes builds character and necessitates having a sense of zen.
Top Dog and Blondies diet toughens the gut.

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Seems ludicrous. I mean specifically politically leftist rankings. Berkeley top ten place to "retire?" LOL. Oakland ranked #20/out of 229 cities? San Fran #7? Proximity to mental health support was a criterion, really??? I'm not far right I'm middle right and love my visits to Berk and SF and parts of Oaktown but c'mon this is absurdly agenda driven.

upsetof86 said:

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dmh65 said:

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Having your windshield smashed in, and getting parking tickets for exceeding the meter by 2 minutes builds character and necessitates having a sense of zen.
Top Dog and Blondies diet toughens the gut.

---

Seems ludicrous. I mean specifically politically leftist rankings. Berkeley top ten place to "retire?" LOL. Oakland ranked #20/out of 229 cities? San Fran #7? Proximity to mental health support was a criterion, really??? I'm not far right I'm middle right and love my visits to Berk and SF and parts of Oaktown but c'mon this is absurdly agenda driven.

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If you can afford it, Berkeley is a great place to retire. Lots of neighborhoods with great restaurants and cafes, a thriving cultural scene, and easy public transportation through those neighborhoods. Weather is rarely too hot or too cold. Nice city parks and East Bay Regional Parks for hiking/biking in the hills or along the Bay. Close to SF and Napa Valley with longer trips to sierras or the coast.

A lot of people are looking for a more varied retirement experience than golf in Arizona.

I would say the main drawback is the cost of housing.

A lot of times the descriptions of Berkeley I see here are very dated.

BearlyCareAnymore said:

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upsetof86 said:

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dmh65 said:

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Having your windshield smashed in, and getting parking tickets for exceeding the meter by 2 minutes builds character and necessitates having a sense of zen.
Top Dog and Blondies diet toughens the gut.

---

Seems ludicrous. I mean specifically politically leftist rankings. Berkeley top ten place to "retire?" LOL. Oakland ranked #20/out of 229 cities? San Fran #7? Proximity to mental health support was a criterion, really??? I'm not far right I'm middle right and love my visits to Berk and SF and parts of Oaktown but c'mon this is absurdly agenda driven.

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If you can afford it, Berkeley is a great place to retire. Lots of neighborhoods with great restaurants and cafes, a thriving cultural scene, and easy public transportation through those neighborhoods. Weather is rarely too hot or too cold. Nice city parks and East Bay Regional Parks for hiking/biking in the hills or along the Bay. Close to SF and Napa Valley with longer trips to sierras or the coast.

A lot of people are looking for a more varied retirement experience than golf in Arizona.

I would say the main drawback is the cost of housing.

A lot of times the descriptions of Berkeley I see here are very dated.

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I have a friend who has been retired in Berkeley for maybe 15 years now. He and his wife own a house near the northwest corner of campus with a Bay view that they bought at least 30 years ago. They walk to Cal football and basketball games and lectures on campus or performances at Zellerback or the Greek. They regularly walk to restaurants like Comal downtown or Cheeseboard and Chez Pannise in Gourmet Ghetto or to live theatre in the Theatre District. BART to San Francisco or the airport. Seems like a great life, but especially if you are a Cal fan. I know I really enjoyed my two years living in downtown Berkeley. The hills around campus would definitely be my first choice of places to live on the Mainland if money were no object.

Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

sycasey said:

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Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

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A lot of people don't want to live in the Bay Area, they just have no choice due to their jobs. The moment remote work was a possibility, plenty left for far better places

DoubtfulBear said:

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sycasey said:

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Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

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A lot of people don't want to live in the Bay Area, they just have no choice due to their jobs. The moment remote work was a possibility, plenty left for far better places

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Sure, and good luck to them. But the housing prices remain high so there is still demand.

I don't think the Bay Area needs to apologize for being a place with a lot of good jobs.

One thing I didn't understand about the criteria...

If Berkeley residents have low rates of obesity and smoking, how does that make the city itself a healthier place to live? Are they healthier because they live in Berkeley, or because they have chosen to live a healthier lifestyle? Or is it maybe because the culture in Berkeley helps to support that lifestyle?

DoubtfulBear said:

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sycasey said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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sycasey said:

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Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

---

A lot of people don't want to live in the Bay Area, they just have no choice due to their jobs. The moment remote work was a possibility, plenty left for far better places

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Sure, and good luck to them. But the housing prices remain high so there is still demand.

I don't think the Bay Area needs to apologize for being a place with a lot of good jobs.

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The Bay Area should apologize for being a capitalist dystopia. Billions of dollars in AI funding while downtown SF looks like like a drug-infested wasteland not much different than Kensington. The rich tucked away in their mansions in Atherton while Palo Alto and Mountain View look like increasingly run down, not changing much since the 70s

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Palo Alto and Mountain View are run down? What are you talking about?

DoubtfulBear said:

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sycasey said:

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Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

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A lot of people don't want to live in the Bay Area, they just have no choice due to their jobs. The moment remote work was a possibility, plenty left for far better places

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far better? where would that be?

Bay area:

great weather - check
lots of cultural options- symphony, plays, opera, ballet - check
close to oceans, lakes, mountains, rivers - check
multi-cultural - check
technology center - check


I can understand someone moving because they cant afford to take advantage of all the bay area has to offer but i personally dont believe there are many places that are Far Better.

DoubtfulBear said:

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sycasey said:

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Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

---

A lot of people don't want to live in the Bay Area, they just have no choice due to their jobs. The moment remote work was a possibility, plenty left for far better places

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1. Yeah, and now they are moving back.
2. People leave the Bay Area overwhelmingly for one reason. The housing is tremendously expensive. The fact that it takes Bay Area prices getting that expensive to even move the needle in pushing people out demonstrates how desirable it is. The "people hate the Bay Area so much they are moving out"argument is so unbelievably stupid. It is basic economics 1 shyte. If you have a choice of a Hershey bar for $1 or your favorite gourmet chocolate for $2, you pay the $2. Maybe you pay the $3. Maybe even $5. You don't pay $20. That doesn't mean the gourmet chocolate is suddenly worse than hersheys. That is basically the dumbass conclusion we are making here. The free market achieves equilibrium. So there is a constant cycle of Bay Area housing prices increasing until some people say "I love the Bay Area, but Bay Area at $2m is too high a premium when I can get Denver for $1m". That is always the trend. Then people move out and prices normalize until people start moving back. Which is happening now. That is actually how housing markets work everywhere.


3. The Bay Area is awesome. If you hate it so much GTFO, rather than insulting a large percentage of people on this board that have chosen to make it their home.

BearlyCareAnymore said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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sycasey said:

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Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

---

A lot of people don't want to live in the Bay Area, they just have no choice due to their jobs. The moment remote work was a possibility, plenty left for far better places

---

1. Yeah, and now they are moving back.
2. People leave the Bay Area overwhelmingly for one reason. The housing is tremendously expensive. The fact that it takes Bay Area prices getting that expensive to even move the needle in pushing people out demonstrates how desirable it is. The "people hate the Bay Area so much they are moving out"argument is so unbelievably stupid. It is basic economics 1 shyte. If you have a choice of a Hershey bar for $1 or your favorite gourmet chocolate for $2, you pay the $2. Maybe you pay the $3. Maybe even $5. You don't pay $20. That doesn't mean the gourmet chocolate is suddenly worse than hersheys. That is basically the dumbass conclusion we are making here. The free market achieves equilibrium. So there is a constant cycle of Bay Area housing prices increasing until some people say "I love the Bay Area, but Bay Area at $2m is too high a premium when I can get Denver for $1m". That is always the trend. Then people move out and prices normalize until people start moving back. Which is happening now. That is actually how housing markets work everywhere.


3. The Bay Area is awesome. If you hate it so much GTFO, rather than insulting a large percentage of people on this board that have chosen to make it their home.

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I grew up in Berkeley and love the Bay Area, but I love it from 100 miles away in Granite Bay. It's not just the cost of housing per se, it's some of the downstream effects. Six people sharing a house and all owning cars means there is no parking in residential areas. Still only five lanes on the Bay Bridge, even though the Bay Area population has, what, doubled (?) since the 1960s. Mass transit heading towards a financial cliff. Aaand we won't get into the politics. Suffice to say I was one of the most conservative people I knew in Berkeley, but up here in Placer County, I'm considered a left-wing nut.

I will say that if you want to renew your love of the Bay Area, take the ferry from Vallejo or wherever into SF for a day. What stunning views! And with all its faults, there's still some magic in The City . . .

BearlyCareAnymore said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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sycasey said:

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Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

---

A lot of people don't want to live in the Bay Area, they just have no choice due to their jobs. The moment remote work was a possibility, plenty left for far better places

---

1. Yeah, and now they are moving back.
2. People leave the Bay Area overwhelmingly for one reason. The housing is tremendously expensive. The fact that it takes Bay Area prices getting that expensive to even move the needle in pushing people out demonstrates how desirable it is. The "people hate the Bay Area so much they are moving out"argument is so unbelievably stupid. It is basic economics 1 shyte. If you have a choice of a Hershey bar for $1 or your favorite gourmet chocolate for $2, you pay the $2. Maybe you pay the $3. Maybe even $5. You don't pay $20. That doesn't mean the gourmet chocolate is suddenly worse than hersheys. That is basically the dumbass conclusion we are making here. The free market achieves equilibrium. So there is a constant cycle of Bay Area housing prices increasing until some people say "I love the Bay Area, but Bay Area at $2m is too high a premium when I can get Denver for $1m". That is always the trend. Then people move out and prices normalize until people start moving back. Which is happening now. That is actually how housing markets work everywhere.


3. The Bay Area is awesome. If you hate it so much GTFO, rather than insulting a large percentage of people on this board that have chosen to make it their home.

---

This is exactly the type of entitled, my **** doesn't smell attitude that I hate the most about the residents in the Bay Area. There are plenty of amazing, beautiful, affordable places in the country and people like you convince yourself that "they hate us because they ain't us" and continue to be stuck in traffic for hours, overpaying for ****ty food and tiny $1M mini-homes built in 1970.

Your chocolate analogy is hilarious. NYC is like a gourmet chocolate that is compared to Hersheys. Bay Area is like Ghirardelli chocolate pretending like it's on the same level as Lderach and charge premium prices when it's barely better than mass produced chocolate.

SF lovers have used the exact same argument as you, that the only problem was that things were too expensive. Well now 5 years after COVID started, rent has come down massively in downtown SF, but almost the entire formerly Westfield mall is shuttered and the entire walk from Market St. to Union Square is a ghost town of boarded up stores and For Lease signs

sycasey said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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BearlyCareAnymore said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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sycasey said:

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Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

---

A lot of people don't want to live in the Bay Area, they just have no choice due to their jobs. The moment remote work was a possibility, plenty left for far better places

---

1. Yeah, and now they are moving back.
2. People leave the Bay Area overwhelmingly for one reason. The housing is tremendously expensive. The fact that it takes Bay Area prices getting that expensive to even move the needle in pushing people out demonstrates how desirable it is. The "people hate the Bay Area so much they are moving out"argument is so unbelievably stupid. It is basic economics 1 shyte. If you have a choice of a Hershey bar for $1 or your favorite gourmet chocolate for $2, you pay the $2. Maybe you pay the $3. Maybe even $5. You don't pay $20. That doesn't mean the gourmet chocolate is suddenly worse than hersheys. That is basically the dumbass conclusion we are making here. The free market achieves equilibrium. So there is a constant cycle of Bay Area housing prices increasing until some people say "I love the Bay Area, but Bay Area at $2m is too high a premium when I can get Denver for $1m". That is always the trend. Then people move out and prices normalize until people start moving back. Which is happening now. That is actually how housing markets work everywhere.


3. The Bay Area is awesome. If you hate it so much GTFO, rather than insulting a large percentage of people on this board that have chosen to make it their home.

---

This is exactly the type of entitled, my **** doesn't smell attitude that I hate the most about the residents in the Bay Area. There are plenty of amazing, beautiful, affordable places in the country and people like you convince yourself that "they hate us because they ain't us" and continue to be stuck in traffic for hours, overpaying for ****ty food and tiny $1M mini-homes built in 1970.

You're chocolate analogy is hilarious. NYC is like a gourmet chocolate that is compared to Hersheys. Bay Area is like Ghirardelli chocolate pretending like it's on the same level as Lderach and charge premium prices when it's barely better than mass produced chocolate.

SF lovers have used the exact same argument as you, that the only problem was that things were too expensive. Well now 5 years after COVID started, rent has come down massively in downtown SF, but almost the entire formerly Westfield mall is shuttered and the entire walk from Market St. to Union Square is a ghost town of boarded up stores and For Lease signs

---

Once again: scoreboard. Even if you don't like living in the Bay Area, enough people do that it remains expensive. Yes, even with the recent drop in SF rents it is still expensive. Don't conflate your personal opinions with the general one.

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I never said I speak for all Americans, but the sentiments I have are certainly shared by many people outside of just myself. The Bay Area has far deeper issues than just things are expensive because demand is greater than supply and people aren't moving out just because they can't afford it anymore.

DoubtfulBear said:

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sycasey said:

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DoubtfulBear said:

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BearlyCareAnymore said:

---

DoubtfulBear said:

---

sycasey said:

---

Part of the reason the Bay Area is so expensive is because people want to live there. Yeah it has problems but if they weren't outweighed by the positives then the housing wouldn't cost so much.

---

A lot of people don't want to live in the Bay Area, they just have no choice due to their jobs. The moment remote work was a possibility, plenty left for far better places

---

1. Yeah, and now they are moving back.
2. People leave the Bay Area overwhelmingly for one reason. The housing is tremendously expensive. The fact that it takes Bay Area prices getting that expensive to even move the needle in pushing people out demonstrates how desirable it is. The "people hate the Bay Area so much they are moving out"argument is so unbelievably stupid. It is basic economics 1 shyte. If you have a choice of a Hershey bar for $1 or your favorite gourmet chocolate for $2, you pay the $2. Maybe you pay the $3. Maybe even $5. You don't pay $20. That doesn't mean the gourmet chocolate is suddenly worse than hersheys. That is basically the dumbass conclusion we are making here. The free market achieves equilibrium. So there is a constant cycle of Bay Area housing prices increasing until some people say "I love the Bay Area, but Bay Area at $2m is too high a premium when I can get Denver for $1m". That is always the trend. Then people move out and prices normalize until people start moving back. Which is happening now. That is actually how housing markets work everywhere.


3. The Bay Area is awesome. If you hate it so much GTFO, rather than insulting a large percentage of people on this board that have chosen to make it their home.

---

This is exactly the type of entitled, my **** doesn't smell attitude that I hate the most about the residents in the Bay Area. There are plenty of amazing, beautiful, affordable places in the country and people like you convince yourself that "they hate us because they ain't us" and continue to be stuck in traffic for hours, overpaying for ****ty food and tiny $1M mini-homes built in 1970.

You're chocolate analogy is hilarious. NYC is like a gourmet chocolate that is compared to Hersheys. Bay Area is like Ghirardelli chocolate pretending like it's on the same level as Lderach and charge premium prices when it's barely better than mass produced chocolate.

SF lovers have used the exact same argument as you, that the only problem was that things were too expensive. Well now 5 years after COVID started, rent has come down massively in downtown SF, but almost the entire formerly Westfield mall is shuttered and the entire walk from Market St. to Union Square is a ghost town of boarded up stores and For Lease signs

---

Once again: scoreboard. Even if you don't like living in the Bay Area, enough people do that it remains expensive. Yes, even with the recent drop in SF rents it is still expensive. Don't conflate your personal opinions with the general one.

---

I never said I speak for all Americans, but the sentiments I have are certainly shared by many people outside of just myself. The Bay Area has far deeper issues than just things are expensive because demand is greater than supply and people aren't moving out just because they can't afford it anymore.

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As I have been saying, yes it has issues but if they weren't outweighed by the positives (for most people) the rent would be a lot cheaper.

BearlyCareAnymore said:

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upsetof86 said:

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dmh65 said:

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Having your windshield smashed in, and getting parking tickets for exceeding the meter by 2 minutes builds character and necessitates having a sense of zen.
Top Dog and Blondies diet toughens the gut.

---

Seems ludicrous. I mean specifically politically leftist rankings. Berkeley top ten place to "retire?" LOL. Oakland ranked #20/out of 229 cities? San Fran #7? Proximity to mental health support was a criterion, really??? I'm not far right I'm middle right and love my visits to Berk and SF and parts of Oaktown but c'mon this is absurdly agenda driven.

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If you can afford it, Berkeley is a great place to retire. Lots of neighborhoods with great restaurants and cafes, a thriving cultural scene, and easy public transportation through those neighborhoods. Weather is rarely too hot or too cold. Nice city parks and East Bay Regional Parks for hiking/biking in the hills or along the Bay. Close to SF and Napa Valley with longer trips to sierras or the coast.

A lot of people are looking for a more varied retirement experience than golf in Arizona.

I would say the main drawback is the cost of housing.

A lot of times the descriptions of Berkeley I see here are very dated.

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Also, I feel very safe in Berkeley even in the wee hours when only Top Dog and a couple of other food places are open. Yes there are panhandlers and homeless, but they are harmless and the environment is the same as it was when I went to Cal in the early 90s. I don't see glass on the street, jacked or burned out cars like you may see in parts of Oakland and SF. Shattuck is also much nicer now than back in the day. If I had my
druthers I would absolutely retire in Berkeley so I could go to as many Cal sporting events as I could. That would be a dream.