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I started my career in Dallas, but had to move to Manhattan to rise in the field. It was a trade-off...leaving life-long family and friends and a comfortable lifestyle for the career I wanted in the city. I chose the later and was glad I did.
Lifestyle is a choice. Some are very content to make a reasonable living and stay in their hometown. Others are more ambitious and willing to sacrifice to achieve their career goals. Neither choice is right or wrong. I do resent it when people think that sacrifice is easy, however.
A lot of people don't, or won't make a high enough wage to make it worthwhile to live in a high cost of living area. Some jobs such as many union jobs don't have a cost of living adjustment - you pretty much make the same no matter where you live.
If you're an RN you can get a job in any city in the country. You don't need to be a RN in a city where the rent is $3,000.00 a month.
The only people benefiting from mass amounts of people trying to cram into the "trendy" cities and trendy areas in cities are landowners, real estate developers, landlords, and house flippers.
We have a situation in America where virtually all the jobs that college grads get are located in the same few trendy cities (San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, NYC, Chicago). This wasn't a problem a decade ago because the city limits themselves were affordable and the suburbs were commutable. Now the cities and suburbs have become unlivable due to the population growth. This is fine with the 20-somethings for now since they like living where all the "action" is and don't mind a 380-sqft studio apt. But I wonder what will happen when they get married and want to have kids in their 30s or 40s. I guess it's possible that by that time their companies will push them out to make room for the next generation of 20-somethings who want the urban lifestyle. Another possibility is they just accept a downgraded lifestyle and live in expensive, small condos like families do in Tokyo and Seoul. Yet another possibility is that companies start building offices in non-trendy areas where their workers can have a traditional middle-class lifestyle.
What do you think?
Actually, In the US it is generally accepted that there is a long-term cultural shift towards shorter job tenure, less job security, more career changes, and more ad hoc employment (freelancing, contract work, small-scale entrepreneurship).
All my friends (including myself) are in their late 20s or very early 30s (under 35), not many people plan on staying in the same companies for over 20 years like their grandpa's generation did.
No, they did it to get away from the blacks remember?
Oh, gosh, I am so sorry. I forgot for a moment that all black people live in the inner city.
White flight is and was "a thing," but I suspect the reason many families with children move to more spacious accommodations is for just that: more space. Some people want their kids to have access to galleries and museums, and some just want room for a yard, a dog, and a swingset. Nothing wrong with either, really, although I think the luckiest kids get a bit both.
The affordable suburbs are getting pushed out farther, 1.5 hrs each way at least. Not to mention that white collar jobs nowadays aren't 8-hr days, more like 10-12. How can a society raise families if both parents are gone from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.?
American society raises kids by shoving them off to school between the hours of 7 AM to 3 PM or 1/3rd. of the day.
Remember "latch key" kids?
Then they sleep for another 8 hours so that only leaves parents 8 hours to "raise" their kids every day.
If you live in the suburbs the commute times between school and going to after school activities + going out to eat ....leaves you how much time to bond with your kids?
The suburbs are soul sucking.
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