You wouldn’t know it from navigating the gridlock these days on many of our local roads, but scores of people are fleeing the San Francisco Bay Area, fed up with nose-bleed housing prices, sky-high rents and soul-numbing traffic jams.

They’re finding greener pastures in Portland and Eugene, Austin and Denver, San Diego, Sacramento and LA.

And as my colleague Lou Hansen reported this week, people are leaving Silicon Valley as quickly as they are coming in. “Between July 2015 and July 2017, the region gained 44,732 immigrants but lost 44,102 residents to other parts of California and the country,” according to a new survey by Joint Venture Silicon Valley. “The population drops have been most notable on residents between the ages of 18 and 24, and between 45 and 64.”

With 16,000 residents heading for the exits during the last quarter of 2017, social media is exploding with first-person stories about getting the hell out of the Bay Area or dreaming about doing it, along with commentary from folks around the country who are watching this dramatic exodus with a curious mix of empathy, churlishness and schadenfreude.

Here’s what some of what people are saying, edited for clarity and length:

“A lot of friends are moving away,” “Kenny H.” writes on Yelp. “If they are not making over 80 grand a year, and want to live reasonably. Where are people deciding to move? I know a lot of foreign investors snatched up housing and made it too expensive to buy, or raised rent so high they see little point sticking around.”

“People move here for reasons that aren’t going to change,” “Kevinish” writes on the Mercury News piece. “And the reason people move out hasn’t changed, either. There aren’t that many worthwhile places to move to that aren’t already suffering the same issues: Seattle, Vancouver, Boulder, San Diego, Toronto, Austin, DC, Boston…and North Carolina and Portland aren’t that cheap anymore, either. So good luck finding that new place in the sun, folks . . . because even if you do, there will be a line of headlights in your rear view mirror.”

The tonedeafness of the Bay Area is both hilarious and super depressing. Can't say I regret leaving. https://t.co/RMJXV12n0m — Trace Ronning (@dinna_dawg) February 7, 2018

“SouthbayBuilder” writes on the Mercury News site that “my wife and I are considering a move. We own a home and have a decent income, but just feel like were barely making it here. Cost of living just seems to keep going up and up. For me though its the crowds and traffic. All the beauty and amazing weather is hard to enjoy in bumper to bumper traffic. Every where we go is over packed and takes a lot of the fun out of it.

“I would consider myself liberal, but politics in this area are borderline insane too. The pension issue could really be what destroys the state.

“Were considering Austin, Colorado or Raleigh, but probably won’t leave due to family. One can dream of escaping this overpriced rat race though.”

@SkeptVet is one of the few things I miss after leaving the SF Bay area. That, and ubiquitous, good, and cheap Pho. — Ben Voris (@bwvoris) February 7, 2018

Here’s a thoughtful piece that Mari Andreatta, a San Carlos native, wrote for the Daily Journal on the Peninsula where she worked as an intern before moving on to study public relations at Boston University:

“The Bay Area is a very, very nice bubble — but nevertheless, it’s a bubble. Before moving to Boston for college, I had never lived outside the Bay Area. I attended private, Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school. I assure you that while leaving the Bay Area bubble is scary, it’s worth it.

“I was anxious about moving to Boston, but now when people ask if I’ll return to the Bay Area after college, I say I’m not sure. While I adore California and feel so lucky to have been raised there, I have room in my heart to love both places equally, despite their differences.

“For starters, the Northeast does get extreme weather compared to the Bay Area’s moderate climate. You’ll experience all four seasons: leaves change color in autumn, snow falls in winter, rain drops in spring and humidity smothers in summer.

“To the point of Northeast natives not being as nice, I simply disagree. There’s more of a “hustle and bustle” feel in the big cities that requires people to be more direct, but it doesn’t take away from their friendliness.

“One of the biggest selling points of the Northeast for me is the ability to get around. BART and Caltrain don’t compare to the mass transportation over here, and San Francisco’s steep streets are certainly not as walkable as Boston’s relatively flat ones. The MBTA lines in Boston form webs that connect almost every part of the city, and the commuter rail can even get you out to other parts of Massachusetts.

“The Northeast, and especially Boston, is also rich in history. You are never far from a defining landmark for an event or person that formed this country.”

of all the places I’ve been, Portland is one that I would consider leaving the Bay Area for. I loveeee it here. — Devin Adams (@msdevinxo) January 28, 2018