San Francisco's rent skyrocketed to mind-numbing heights in December. We're three-times higher than the national average, it seems. According to Trulia, "In December, rental prices in San Francisco rose 10.6%, which is higher than the national average of 3.0%." This map shows the median price per bedroom (not entire apartment) for some of the more hot San Francisco neighborhoods. The above map shows what the average apartment hunter will pay to live in Baghdad by the Bay.
But why? Why so high? Why are evictions are at an all-time high? Why can't the middle class rent cramp studios in the TL? And above all else, who is to blame? What really matters is the blame. Who is the Wicked Witch here, folks? In lieu of crafting yet another long-winded explanation in yet another shocking-rent-price story, SFist will instead give you a handy bullet point list of possible suspects. (Note: some of these might be symptoms of the housing crisis and/or things that annoy your editor on a daily basis, sure, but I'm just going to fire indiscriminately into the shrieking crowd.) Behold:
- The World Wide Web
- A site that allows you to search for things on the World Wide Web
- Engineers
- Anyone who works at a start-up
- Anyone who uses the term "start-up"
- Everyone in line at Four Barrel
- Advertorial tech site PandoDaily
- The Chronicle
- Airbnb
- Food culture
- Edison bulbs
- Craft cocktails
- Craft beer
- Anyone who unironically uses the terms "craft cocktails" or "craft beer"
- Bar programs
- Communal tables
- Chefs
- Cyclists
- Cyclists who ride Public Bikes
- Cyclists who wear helmets while riding Public Bikes
- Girls with bangs (i'm not sure what you've done, exactly, but you're on my radar)
- Guys with beards (ibid.)
- Anyone relaxing in South Park at lunchtime
- Anyone younger than you
- Ed Lee
- Rose Pak
- City Hall
- Landlords
- Rent control
- Renters
- Home owners
- Tax breaks
- Transplants
- Progressive transplants (is that redundant?)
- The Mission, San Francisco's most-hated neighborhood next to the Marina.
- Apps
- Straight people
- Privately-operated long vehicles that transport people to and from work
- Stanford
- City's tolerance for the infantilized male
- Your least favorite commenter
- Me (possibly)
- You (definitely)
- Basic human desire
- Men (in the end, the answer is always men)