Kind of a strange take. > Paris might still exist but the people who built it are no more. If we are speaking of building then the most defining era for Paris

Kind of a strange take. > Paris might still exist but the people who built it are no more. If we are speaking of building then the most defining era for Paris date back to 1870 with the Haussman transformation so not exactly a surprise there. > People who lived there for generations. Not sure what this special breed bring to Paris versus those living there for mere decades ? Generations of nepotism ? Migration are not exactly new, those from Aveyron started in mass from 1880. > Maybe I've read to much French literature which set some expectations. Humm maybe the Paris from your expectations never existed ? Not sure which author you are speaking of but there is a high probability they were not born in Paris but probably lived there later on. And lastly while it's certain that peoples are moving out from Paris especially when they start to want children I believe it's still far from the state Venise is in where half of the dwellings in the city center is for tourism.