San Fran Cisco - WHY ARE MORE PEOPLE LIVING IN THE CITY

e main reason is the economy The housing market has been hot in recent years Home prices are rising, but generally not as quickly as in other cities The number of jobs in the city has been growing faster than the number of homes San Francisco added about 10,000 jobs in the past year, about half of them in technology Economist Steven Levy at the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy says that makes it the fastest growing big city in the state Levy says San Francisco's job growth is fueled by the boom in technology Many of the new jobs are in industries that require workers skilled in math, science and technology "The San Francisco economy has been adding jobs at a faster rate than the other big cities in the state," Levy says "It's been a tech boom " The growing economy has helped attract thousands of new residents to the city But San Francisco also has advantages over other cities It's close to Silicon Valley, the headquarters of many technology companies It's a great place for young people because of its vibrant arts, music and restaurant scene "This is a city that's attractive to young people who want to live in an urban setting," Levy says "The fact that you can't afford to buy a house here doesn't seem to keep people away " And San Francisco is a magnet for immigrants The city's population is about a third foreign born That's a huge advantage when you're trying to grow a city "We need people," says John Rahaim, the city's planning director "We need both people who are going to live here, and people who are going to work here " Rahaim says the city has programs to encourage new residents It's trying to limit the number of high-rise buildings, which can lead to overcrowding It's also trying to preserve the city's character, even as it grows "I think it's an exciting time," Rahaim says "I think we've got some challenges as a city, but I think we're really excited about the opportunities " And the biggest opportunity for San Francisco might be the new technology that has attracted so many new people