Middle Class Americans (esp those who don't live in Large Cities) have it better than I thought they did.

Born in Shanghai, China and moved to USA when I was 6 years old. Grew up in lower-middle-class neighborhoods my entire life. I had to work my ass off to make it in this country, and it's just recently that I feel comfortable earning between $400k-$500k/yr. <br><br>I thought if I ever made it to 250-300k I'd feel like I made it. Nope. Anecdotally, this level of income does not equal to a level of freedom. You'll always be "working" to get more $$$ in the USA, no matter how much you make. If anything, the more you earn the more you'll be stuck to your job.<br><br>And the things you have to go through! I do wonder how someone who earns $60k-$80k can enjoy living in the USA. <br><br>But recently I had to travel through the Midwest (GA, TN, KY, IN, IL) for work and well, my perceptions have changed. Middle Class America (who do not live in large cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco) is a level of prosperity that I cannot fully fathom, and makes me feel incredibly grateful to be living in this country. <br><br>I remember taking a shortcut through a random neighborhood in Chattanooga, TN, and I was absolutely floored at how...stable and happy everything looked. 2 cars in every driveway. Nice yards. 2 or 3 kids. You can tell they don't worry about money. They probably have a hard time saving, but their money lets them live stable lives without a lot of concern. <br><br>I saw a lot of obesity and overweight people. Maybe the food in the South is just not healthy, or maybe too much drinking?<br><br>I wonder how it feels to live a life like that. I know they'll complain about their lives but to me it looks like a dream. <br><br>Housing prices are cheap and high-quality. They have actual backyards. Good schools, safe environments. <br><br>And just the geography of the land, mountains and rivers and forests. It's so beautiful living in the south. <br><br>I have a hard time connecting with people who I perceive to have it better than me. I wonder what are their concerns? Their problems? How do they navigate their lives? <br><br>Now I can finally understand why a lot of these people scorn at city-dwellers who complain about quality of life and their woes. <br><br>I've finally figured it out. I just need to leave the city and move to smaller towns in the southern USA to live out the rest of my life in peace.