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Comment by alistairSH | Hacker News Reader

“All over the country” doesn’t have good jobs, good schools, access to entertainment, etc.

But, I agree on the SFH part. The expectation that a 3000sqft house on 1/4 acre is the norm is completely unsustainable. Yet that seems to be what many people want. Even in high COL areas where demand and cost should be driving density.

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There are absolutely good jobs in every city in America. Entertainment can mean anything...and frankly people should be able to find fun things to do on their own without needing bars, nightclubs, concert venues, etc.

I concede that good schools are a major barrier. I'm young and won't be having children anytime soon so I don't think about it much.

Where I live, the public schools are pretty rough. It's cheaper to stay here and send your kids to private school rather than move to a family dominated neighborhood with excellent public schools.

Every city, sure, but cities are expensive. Even cities that used to be affordable, like Portland and Austin. But between the cities? Not much. Some small towns might work if you’re the town lawyer or MD, but a town can only support so many of those. And if you’re an engineer or banker? Not much employment.

Well, you should just lower your standards when it comes to picking a job, too. Maybe you could be a grocery clerk or a gas station attendant?

Portland and Austin are the very essence of "trendy city" those places are very expensive. I'm not arguing that people move to small towns. There are hundreds of cities in the US with 100,000+ populations (not even including the metro areas). The idea that each of these cities is unaffordable and without a job market is just wrong.

Everyone wants to live in NYC, SF, DC, Miami...etc because the other areas aren't cool enough for them.

Not for long. Salt Lake City was one such city just 3-5 years ago. Now everything has doubled and it's almost as expensive as the trendier cities, without the higher-paying jobs.

Of course that's what people want. Because it beats the pants off a 1100 ft^2 condo or apartment with no private yard and shared walls/floors/ceilings in almost every regard of daily, lived experience.

I totally get why people want that; what I don't get is why they can't understand that so many other people also want it that most everyone will have to compromise on some aspect.

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