From Bedroom Communities to Jet Engine Communities

More and more people working in the San Francisco Bay Area are opting for cheaper housing outside the region. Some are going way outside the region, commuting by airplane from Portland or Seattle.

1 minute read

April 22, 2010, 7:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


This piece from The Wall Street Journal looks at the increasing trend of extreme commuters in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the economic realities that drive people to commute via airplane from the Pacific Northwest

"There has been a northward migration for years by Bay Area residents looking for everything from affordable real estate to better public schools. But moving usually meant giving up their jobs, which are generally more lucrative and plentiful here than in the Pacific Northwest, especially for technology workers.

Now it is getting more practical for people to live in the Pacific Northwest and continue working for Bay Area-based companies, as more employers loosen their telecommuting policies. Technology also is making it easier to stay connected all the time, and travel between San Francisco and cities to the north has become more convenient, though hard data on Bay Area transplants to the Northwest who retain their local jobs are hard to come by."

Thursday, April 15, 2010 in The Wall Street Journal

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