Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The San Francisco loner gene
Forbes.com recently rated San Francisco to be the best city in the U.S. for singles. The ranking methodology included coolness factor, determined by a Harris Poll, cost of living alone, based on the price of, for example, a six-pack of Heineken and a Pizza Hut Pizza, culture, how many people were signed up for online dating and the number of restaurants and bars per capita, etc.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 65 percent of the San Francisco population over 15 years old is unmarried. Even if some people of that percentage are in an unhitched relationship, the number of folks who are still looking for love is still quite large.
Why are there so many single people? Is it the best city to be single or best city to for those who want to keep being single? Are people flying solo by choice? Or are there microwaves activating the loner gene when you pass the city limit? It doesn't make sense.
It's seems as if people in San Francisco are so over stimulated by the museums and pro sports teams that there's no reason to settle down with a mate. All the options of recreational activities filter away for the human need of monogamy.
Perhaps the Harris Poll should have included questions about best city for casual hook-ups or the average number of dates people go on before deciding to stop because obviously, people in San Francisco are against long term love.
Whatever the reason is for this high single population, it seems to be that San Francisco is a transitional city. It's a place people come from all over the U.S., and the world for that matter, to build a career, be independent and live in a Victorian house for a while. They work 70 hours per week, watch games, go to a couple of movies per month, drink their six-pack of Heineken and when they're tired of it, they go on Match.com, find someone and move somewhere where it's easier to park the Volvo.
