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Boston techies could get an embassy in San Francisco

BostInno reports on some noodling by local techpreneur Rob May and Boston City Council President Michelle Wu to set up a sort of West Coast District Hall - called something like, oh, Boston House - that would give Hub techies a place to gather on those West Coast business trips and maybe even convince a company leader or two that the grass really is greener here.

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One too many double quotation marks, I think.

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Thanks, fixed.

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Does that also mean I'll need my passport to enter the city from out here in America?

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because the tech boom set off a crazy chain of events that made it unaffordable. Landlords hiking rents because they can, homeowners cashing out, luxury boom even though the "techies" are just scraping by and living 3 to a room in 2 bedroom apartments, etc. News flash: Boston isn't that much better as affordability goes, and what's happening here with housing is mirroring what happened there just a few years ago.

SF as a city also has way more to offer. I don't know about anyone else who spends time there, but when I'm in town, the last thing I'm thinking about is Boston.

Despite "innovators" trying to make microapartments and modernized boarding houses...I'm sorry, co-living spaces, sound like the next big thing, people actually want to own a house and some land-yes, even millennials. I read recently that Des Moines is considered the Silicon Valley of the Midwest, and Madison is consistently named a top place for millenials to live and one of the most educated cities in the country.

We're going to see a huge trend away from coastal cities in the next decade, so you may not want to hold your breath waiting for those west coast expats.

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Yes, it is in a stunning geographical location. California itself is an absolutely beautiful place, no question. But, with due respect, Boston (area) is not by any stretch shabby by comparison. And i many ways, S.F. and Boston are quite similar.

*S.F. is ridiculously expensive. Boston is also, but not quite as extreme as S.F.

*California is a VERY expensive state to live in, state taxes and fees, utilities, etc., are very high. Massachusetts is actually quite reasonable. we've come a long way since 'Taxachusetts' days.

*Weather: S.F. is mild, not to cold, not too hot, year 'round. Coastal CA has some of the most ideal weather on Earth. They win in the weather department, but Boston and New England (at least coastal N.E.) isn't that bad.

Ultimately, places like S.F. and Boston are priced out of the vast majority of people's means, especially young people.

*I've always preferred L.A. or San Diego to the Bay Area myself. I think there's too much pretentiousness in S.F., but I think the same can be said for Boston.

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They don't.

They have earthquakes.

We don't.

You make your choice. Otherwise both are still ****ing expensive.

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The ocean there is too cold to swim in.

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This is true, there aren't options like Carson and M Street (I'll even give you Revere). Santa Cruz is more convenient than the Cape is for us, probably more convenient than some North Shore beaches too, but in the city you're indeed SOL.

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certainly similar cities.

What I'm saying is that while Boston may be cheaper, it's not by much (plus salaries scale), and we're trending in the exact same direction. Because of that, I think the people behind this are in for a rude awakening if they expect those leaving SF to just come here to relive all the...fun...of the last 5 years. The whole "definition of insanity" thing and whatnot. Especially when there's documented proof that other cities are seeing a boom because of it, and that there is plenty of talent there and willing to move there.

I do also think SF has more to offer comparatively. Again, that's comparatively-Boston certainly does offer a lot, and there's a reason I live here. Both have their pros and cons otherwise, but this is one of the last places I would come if I were specifically looking to get away from what's happening there.

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But this is not a new idea...
This headline from 1984 could be a current article
"LOS ANGELES; FOR STARTERS, A 340-SQUARE-FOOT 'INCUBATOR' CONDOMINIUM"
http://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/28/realestate/los-angeles-for-starters-a-...

Barratt brought its studio-condominium plan over from Great Britain (where it markets a 280-square- foot model) and began selling the studios in Fremont, Calif., about two years ago. It has now sold about 150 units and plans to build another 150 through 1985. The latest location where they are offered - 20 units to an acre - is in the Country Oaks section of Creekside, a planned community in Ontario about 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Four floor plans are available: the 340-square-foot Studio Solo; Studio 2, which has 400 square feet; the Capistrano, a 513-square- foot one-bedroom and the Laguna, a 746- square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath unit {edited}

The units are wood-framed with a stucco exterior and each has a small patio and a garage with storage space. The furniture includes bookshelves, cabinets, hideabed, couch, two chairs and a dining table with fold-down leaf. The kitchen has a 17-inch-wide dishwasher, 21-inch-wide stove, garbage disposal, 10.4- cubic-foot refrigerator and a 24-inch stacked clothes washer and dryer. The units have electric heat and air conditioning with a heat pump. They are carpeted and have vinyl floor coverings in the kitchen and baths.

~~~~~~~~~
or this one "Buy a minicondo and have a 'scrunch' party" from 1983
http://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/04/06/Buy-a-minicondo-and-have-a-scrunc...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- At 453 square feet they are smaller than a suburban two-car garage, but a British builder says he expects r booming business Saturday when his 96 minicondos go on sale in California's high-rent Silicon Valley. 'The response has already been overwhelming, and we haven't done any advertising,' Shirley Norris, sales agent for London-based Barratt Corp. said Wednesday.

At an average of $50,000, the tiny units are less than half the average cost of other 'starter' homes in the high-tech valley south of San Francisco, according to the San Jose Real Estate Board. Barratt opened its first California minicondo development last year in neighboring Fremont. They sold out in three weeks.

~~~~~
What one of those units looks like today: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-15866892.html

An example of new units Barratt offers today: https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/new-homes/middlesex/H641701-Artisan-Place...

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