Would people be happier living in smaller cities?

There seems to be a trend where everyone moves to the big cities to live. Young people move to the cities in their youth for school and for work. Companies are making their headquarters in big cities. There is a big trend of people leaving suburbs to move into the cities. I guess the point that I'm trying to make is: people seem to prefer living in big cities even though it is more expensive and housing is scarce.<br><br>People say that they prefer living in cities because the locations are convenient and they are close to a lot of things like public transportation, restaurants, bars, parks, and shops. However, I'm going to argue that living in cities, or big cities especially, is not actually better for people. Yes, it is convenient to live in the cities. However, cities are expensive, and the cost of living in cities is high. The cities are expensive because they have higher demand for housing and fewer homes, so the prices are higher. People have a harder time purchasing homes in cities because the prices are higher that the prices of homes in smaller cities or rural areas, so they have to pay a premium to live in the cities. Even though cities are convenient, I do not think there is a need to live in cities because you can commute to cities. But still, the prices for housing in cities is high and a lot of people cannot afford to live there. In fact, the prices for housing in a lot of cities are so high that a lot of people cannot afford to live in the city, so they live in the suburbs and commute.<br><br>There also seems to be a trend where a lot of jobs or careers are gravitating toward cities. This seems to be true for certain jobs or careers. For example, tech companies are establishing their headquarters in cities, so if you want to be in tech, then you probably have to live in a city. The same is true for finance. If you want to be in finance, then you probably have to live in New York City or Chicago or San Francisco. This is also true for certain careers like acting or music. If you want to be an actor or a musician, then you have to live in LA or New York City. But I do not think that there is a need for all jobs to be in cities or for certain jobs to be in certain cities. Tech can exist in any city. Finance can exist in any city. And actors and musicians do not have to live in cities. So if a lot of people have to move to cities to work, then a lot of people are living in cities not because they want to but because they have to. And if people have to live in cities and it is expensive to live in cities, then I think a lot of people would be happier if they lived in smaller cities because it would be more convenient for them and they would be able to afford to live where they work.<br><br>It is striking to me how expensive the housing in big cities can be. The prices of homes and apartments in cities seem to jump up exponentially. For example, if you go from a small city to a medium-sized city, there might be some increase in the cost of living or the cost of housing, but if you go from a medium-sized city to a large city, then the cost of housing skyrockets. For example, rent prices in big cities are 3 to 4 times the rent prices in smaller cities. I live in a city with 500,000 people, and the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in this city is $1,200 per month. I know a city with 100,000 people where the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $700 per month. This makes no sense to me. It does not seem fair that people who live in big cities have to pay a premium to live in big cities. I do not think that cities are that much better than smaller cities. In fact, smaller cities seem better because they are cheaper. And cities are not always better. For example, there are a few cities in the US that are considered “failed cities” because they have problems like crime, drugs, and homelessness. For example, cities like St. Louis, Detroit, and Baltimore seem to have a lot of problems, so I do not see why anyone would want to live there. And smaller cities are not always worse. Some smaller cities are doing very well, and people seem happy living there.<br><br>I guess what I'm trying to say is that people seem to prefer living in big cities over smaller cities even though smaller cities seem better. People seem happy living in smaller cities, and smaller cities are cheaper. Big cities have a lot of problems like high crime and drugs and homelessness, and cities are not convenient because they are expensive and housing is scarce. The prices of housing in cities are exponentially higher in cities than they are in smaller cities and rural areas, and a lot of people cannot afford to live in big cities. It does not seem fair to me that people who live in big cities have to pay a premium to live in big cities, and it seems like most people would be happier if they lived in smaller cities.