Nobody here has talked about flash mobs for about a year… they got boring and they appear to have stopped completely. A few white middle class people got beat up, it's true. But there aren't many places in Philadelphia you would go on a daily basis that are half as scary as the Tenderloin at night… nor as easy to wander into, nor as close to tourist/business attractions. Also, frankly, I have never seen human feces on the street after living here part time for 2 years and full time for 1… which is more than I can say for a week-long trip to SF. For better or for worse, those parts of Philly are quite segregated.

Now, I am comparing to SF, where all the technohipsters I know are spending thousands on rent. If you want to live in a suburb (which Mountain View etc are) then I'm pretty sure you have equally safe options here.

Granted our weather is shit by comparison, but you can't have everything.