99% of US commutes are extremely unpleasant, is a big part of it, I expect. 1) I prefer working in an office. 2) I must have good public schools—non-negotiabl

99% of US commutes are extremely unpleasant, is a big part of it, I expect. 1) I prefer working in an office. 2) I must have good public schools—non-negotiable. 3) I'm going to hate & resent my commute unless it's also physically-active time (walking, biking) and fairly safe. The cost, the unpleasantness, the lost time. The risk, for that matter. This combo means the happiest place I'm at all likely to end up is remote working. It's damn near impossible to satisfy requirement 2 and also preference 3 while working in an office. So preference 1 is sacrificed, making 3 moot and 2 easier to satisfy. It's not a hard call to make.