SF: 2nd Best City for Singles. Really?

Of all the cities in the USA, which would you think most inviting for single people? Thanks to Redfin’s Sweet Digs blog in Boston, I’ve discovered that Forbes.com lists San Francisco  as the 2nd best city for singles to live in.

This news surprises me a little. I’d think New York, Chicago, Atlanta, DC….   San Francisco would occur to me too, eventually. I mean, I live here. As a single person I met many men, also (we hope) single, over the course of a decade enjoying this city’s activities, clubs, night life, community, and culture. But it took me all those years to find a man I could actually consider a life with.

After all, this is not an easy city to really settle into. Most people are here for the short term, escaping small towns to partake in urban excitement. We don’t, most of us, really think we’ll ever be able to afford a home here; we don’t like to think of putting our future children in the public school lottery; we cannot imagine trying to find parking for every soccer game, grocery trip, doctor’s appointment. This is a transitory city. We meet lots of attractive, interesting, smart and talented singles, but we can’t count on them to be here in a few months, to say nothing of a few years. Thus, it’s a fabulous place for hook-ups and flings. Not sure it’s the best choice to search for a long-term relationship.

Indeed, most of my married friends with kids are planning their move to a more child friendly, less expensive, locale. Maybe that’s a reason SF made it to one a “best of” list for singles– not many middle-class familes can make it here, so largely, singles own the place.

How did Forbes decide the winning cities, exactly? The methodology for this ranking is interesting, but (surprise!) not very scientific, because along with measurable factors like job growth, “coolness” has also been considered.

Still, who could argue San Francisco is not cool? Not me, or I’d have taken my single or coupled self out of here long ago. And anyway, Forbes has got to know something, right? Don’t those people have a direct line to Wall Street/Time-Warner/God?

So, you’re now convinced, or at least intrigued. Ready for your shot at this hot city for living solo? Here are a few homes that might fit your bachelor/bachelorette lifestyle. All of these listings are less than $650K, to leave some room for the good clothes, the expensive booze, the shows, the cover charges, and the parking tickets so endemic of dating in SF.

1. 2671 Bryant: a 1/1 TIC in the hipster Inner Mission for $399,388.

2. 380 10th St., #8: A sexy 1/1 loft in the SOMA for $599K.

3. 8 Jordan Ave., #12: Laurel Heights (so you can pick up on all the USF hotties) 1/1 condo for $550K.

4. 145 Gardenside Dr., 11: Twin Peaks (so you can pick up on all the Castro hotties) 1/1 condo for $499K. Red walls= insta-love-shack.

ROLL CREDITS:

• Thanks to Tracey Taylor, for the tip that engendered this blog post.
• Thanks to Love Sessions.com for the graphic used here.