As someone searching for a job, it's hard to say. There are only a few big cities not on the coast that stand out: Twin Cities, Chicago, Austin, maybe Denver,

As someone searching for a job, it's hard to say. There are only a few big cities not on the coast that stand out: Twin Cities, Chicago, Austin, maybe Denver, maybe Ann Arbor. If you're not in one of those areas, you could be in any of a few dozen cities, so how am I going to find you? Plus there's just a trend where people rarely move from big town to a small town. Most people want to stay where they are or move 'up' to a better, often more crowded, area. Compensation can be lower, no problem, as long as quality of life isn't dropping off.