I was born and lived my youth in a small town. You know the kind where everyone knows everyone and you can't go out without seeing at least 10 relatives, neighb

I was born and lived my youth in a small town. You know the kind where everyone knows everyone and you can't go out without seeing at least 10 relatives, neighbours or friends of friends. It might've been a fun place to live if you fit in to what they consider as "normal", but if your hobbies or interests (or other ways of living) differed from the norm too much, you'd be the butt of all rumours. Then I tried a "big city" when I was studying, I could go out to the shops and never see anyone I know - or even see the same person twice. Everything was too noisy and people walked too fast. Now I live somewhere in between. A city big enough to have services so I don't need to go 50-100km away just for basic things, but also small enough to have a "community" - but not so small that everyone knows everyone. Now that COVID normalised remote work, I'm considering sizing down one more step, just to get a bigger home and maybe a yard for the same amount of money I'm paying now. Also: not all countries are "greedy" to the extent that the US is. Yes, everyone loves to make money, but there are countries where your identity doesn't equal your profession.