4 ms·

The exodus idea always seemed off to me - cities have the best culture, the best services, the best educational institutions, and the best opportunities, among

The exodus idea always seemed off to me - cities have the best culture, the best services, the best educational institutions, and the best opportunities, among other things. There's no small or even midsize town that can replicate that.

refurb 6y ago
Agreed. If you're willing to put up with crazy expensive real estate, higher crime and every other problem SF has, you obviously value living here a lot!
est31 6y ago
Cities have a special kind of "city culture". It's not better or worse than the country side, but it rather depends on your tastes. Some cities have tons of artists, those have better cultures. But many cities don't. As for the services, in smaller or midsize towns they are usually much cheaper at the same quality because they don't have to pay 10s of thousands of USD in rent each month. If you have high standards and only want the high quality services, then the air gets admittedly thin quite quickly. As for educational institutions, it depends on your country. In my home country of Germany, they are pretty comparable between countryside and cities, but I've heard bad stories about the US. In fact, the city states Bremen and Berlin are renown for having low educational standards compared to the remainder of the country. As for opportunities, I agree that this has been the main pull factor for many people. You simply couldn't get a good job in small to mid size towns. But that might change as we transition into the post-Covid world. The core issue is that many middle class people (including non-FAANG-level earning tech folks) simply can't afford life in cities, or the life they can afford includes having roommates while they could easily buy a house with a garden in the countryside with a couple years worth of rent.
parsimo2010 6y ago
This is a very egocentric viewpoint. Just because you think something is clearly better doesn’t mean everyone agrees with you. Example: I’m in the middle of a move right now for work. I’m selling a 2,500 square foot house on a corner lot in suburbia with a nice porch and three car garage. I’m moving to an 850 square foot apartment in a big city and paying the same rent as my mortgage. I get one parking space so I have to sell two of my cars. I’m trading a ton of privacy and living space to get the benefits of a big city. A lot of people don’t think the trade is worth it, especially people with families.
codyswann 6y ago
I cringed when I read this comment. This is exactly why half of the United States looks at the other half and calls them "out of touch elites." Saying city culture is better than rural culture is such a haughty statement.
- omosubi 6y ago
  Yes you're right I should have said "more culture" - not necessarily better. But small places tend to have a singular culture with little variation. It's great when you fit in, but if not, tough luck kid. The other points I stand by though. A couple months ago I had an issue with my ear and saw a world class ear doctor pretty easily. Good luck finding that in the rural US.

refurb 6y ago

Agreed. If you're willing to put up with crazy expensive real estate, higher crime and every other problem SF has, you obviously value living here a lot!

est31 6y ago

Cities have a special kind of "city culture". It's not better or worse than the country side, but it rather depends on your tastes. Some cities have tons of artists, those have better cultures. But many cities don't. As for the services, in smaller or midsize towns they are usually much cheaper at the same quality because they don't have to pay 10s of thousands of USD in rent each month. If you have high standards and only want the high quality services, then the air gets admittedly thin quite quickly. As for educational institutions, it depends on your country. In my home country of Germany, they are pretty comparable between countryside and cities, but I've heard bad stories about the US. In fact, the city states Bremen and Berlin are renown for having low educational standards compared to the remainder of the country. As for opportunities, I agree that this has been the main pull factor for many people. You simply couldn't get a good job in small to mid size towns. But that might change as we transition into the post-Covid world. The core issue is that many middle class people (including non-FAANG-level earning tech folks) simply can't afford life in cities, or the life they can afford includes having roommates while they could easily buy a house with a garden in the countryside with a couple years worth of rent.

parsimo2010 6y ago

This is a very egocentric viewpoint. Just because you think something is clearly better doesn’t mean everyone agrees with you. Example: I’m in the middle of a move right now for work. I’m selling a 2,500 square foot house on a corner lot in suburbia with a nice porch and three car garage. I’m moving to an 850 square foot apartment in a big city and paying the same rent as my mortgage. I get one parking space so I have to sell two of my cars. I’m trading a ton of privacy and living space to get the benefits of a big city. A lot of people don’t think the trade is worth it, especially people with families.

codyswann 6y ago

I cringed when I read this comment. This is exactly why half of the United States looks at the other half and calls them "out of touch elites." Saying city culture is better than rural culture is such a haughty statement.

omosubi 6y ago
Yes you're right I should have said "more culture" - not necessarily better. But small places tend to have a singular culture with little variation. It's great when you fit in, but if not, tough luck kid. The other points I stand by though. A couple months ago I had an issue with my ear and saw a world class ear doctor pretty easily. Good luck finding that in the rural US.