You're reminding me of a quote from Patti Smith: it's about New York, but it could easily be about SF as well...

http://gothamist.com/2010/05/03/patti_smith_suggests_finding...

"New York has closed itself off to the young and the struggling. But there are other cities. Detroit. Poughkeepsie. New York City has been taken away from you. So my advice is: Find a new city."