The high cost of housing here is often presented as Bay Area specific phenomena whereas it's phenomena that's appeared many urban areas, especially the most desirable ones that Bay Area residents might consider moving to.
Increasing urban unaffordability is a theme throughout the US, yes, but let's not pretend that the Bay Area has experienced this to a degree not seen anywhere else - even in New York.
While unaffordability and its many causes needs to be addressed everywhere, SF does seem like the odd one out of the bunch.
Well, the increase in cost of housing has been very patchy - each instance it is very mediated by local conditions but still not simply a local phenomena.
As a Bay Area resident, I'm eager to escape to places like the Bay but with a lower cost of living and scanning craigslist for such places, I have consistently found the differences less than I'd imagine.
A variety of things seem to have come together.
On the demand side, the job market today seems to favor certain of the young and the educated. The social consensus has become that no one, especially not the young and educated, wants to live in America's vast expanse of suburban developments - and investors are equally shy about investing her.
But also on the supply side, investment in any and all stores of value has gone up all along with the process of the Fed printing money aggressively with investment rental property going with that; the Blackstone group is now one of the nations' largest landlords. And of course a array of Home-value protectors in the form of Nimbyists, prevents construction and a lack of land central cities naturally restricts supply as well.
But still, I think it's reasonably to say you have a national phenomena which simply manifests locally in different ways.
The high cost of housing here is often presented as Bay Area specific phenomena whereas it's phenomena that's appeared many urban areas, especially the most desirable ones that Bay Area residents might consider moving to.