There has to be jobs in those small cities, or people would just travel more and you'd improve nothing. There are barely remote jobs for programmers today - and

There has to be jobs in those small cities, or people would just travel more and you'd improve nothing. There are barely remote jobs for programmers today - and for some creative types there are some remote jobs. But to make your scenario practical there needs to be a lot more remote work. In a few years when my kids are past high school, I'd love to move to a mountain city somewhere and enjoy the wilderness, at least for a while. I'm an experienced programmer with a good resume and even I'd take a while to get a remote job that pays reasonably. It's much worse for people who aren't in the fortunate "programmer class" to get remote work. A little city supports a few people working in shops and restaurants and cafes, but the mass of the people need more.