This is a very good point. There are cities like Atlanta and Chicago that offer good jobs, good amenities and don't suffer in the same way - a large reason is e

This is a very good point. There are cities like Atlanta and Chicago that offer good jobs, good amenities and don't suffer in the same way - a large reason is ease of developing housing in areas there are demand. Boston, SF, NYC come with many unnecessary restrictions so supply is not able to shoot up with demand. Ed Glaser's book "Triumph of the City" discussed many of these issues.