I liked that medium post, because I'm also one of those people who said goodbye to a number of friends who had moved away - until I decided I've had it with this town, too, and it's time to move away as well.
But the post throws a bunch of softballs. It mentions rising costs, hipster drinks, etc. And yes, the _relentless_ costs are a huge factor. But it's not just the costs that changed, it's the entire tenor of the place. The focus on money, valuations, investments... it's like working for Wall Street, with all the nonsense and none of the benefits of being in NYC. And a lot of people are looking at themselves and asking: is this what I want to do with my life? (Except for those who did...)
But on the plus side, moving away is not such a bad thing. Unlike what the post author suggests, the transplants will not "ruin" other cities. At least not the large ones: Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston, NYC, there are great cities out there with a fun tech culture, much more housing (so it's cheaper), and they've been absorbing newcomers for a hundred years without any danger to their existing culture. (I'll leave Austin and Portland out of it - they might be too small to survive a mass migration of Californians. ;) )
But the post throws a bunch of softballs. It mentions rising costs, hipster drinks, etc. And yes, the _relentless_ costs are a huge factor. But it's not just the costs that changed, it's the entire tenor of the place. The focus on money, valuations, investments... it's like working for Wall Street, with all the nonsense and none of the benefits of being in NYC. And a lot of people are looking at themselves and asking: is this what I want to do with my life? (Except for those who did...)
But on the plus side, moving away is not such a bad thing. Unlike what the post author suggests, the transplants will not "ruin" other cities. At least not the large ones: Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston, NYC, there are great cities out there with a fun tech culture, much more housing (so it's cheaper), and they've been absorbing newcomers for a hundred years without any danger to their existing culture. (I'll leave Austin and Portland out of it - they might be too small to survive a mass migration of Californians. ;) )