Comment by ImPostingOnHN
3 days ago
> Land is not scarce in Cheyenne, so housing is cheap. But people don't flock there because they don't have any job prospects in WY
> How about: "People HAVE to live in Tokyo, because there are no job prospects outside of Tokyo"?
How about: people don't want to be located 3+ hours outside the city, and neither do many employers? Being fully-employed in the middle of nowhere is still pretty undesirable. This is borne out in housing prices: the people buying houses in Cheyenne are likely just as employed as the people buying houses in Newark or NYC, and yet the market rate for the former is still much lower.
> That's because they _have_ to work in NYC.
Or, because they want to live in NYC: socialization and meetups and camaraderie around every conceivable interest, innumerable dining options within a matter of blocks, some of the best live entertainment options in the world, friends within walking distance, etc. Case in point:
> I would love to live in a mansion with a private lake, in the middle of Union Square.
The reason you can't have that is the cost, which we're talking about ways to decrease.
> That's why suburbs are such a desirable place
The suburbs are desirable in that they are cheaper: that mansion with a private lake would be cheaper in the suburbs than in the city, so some people choose to settle for the suburbs, while others choose to settle for a less-nice place in the city.
> what if you live 1 hour away from the city core? This still allows you to easily enjoy all the amenities like theaters and shows.
1 hour each-way of driving is a lot, and by then you're usually in a different city. 3-4 hours puts you in a different state, and in some places, it puts you in an entirely different country!
> Or, because they want to live in NYC
Do they? Or do they just rationalize having to live in NYC?
Depending on the question, most people HATE living in cities: https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/1l1ryyq/ci... - and it's not even a close competition.
> socialization and meetups and camaraderie around every conceivable interest, innumerable dining options within a matter of blocks, some of the best live entertainment options in the world, friends within walking distance, etc. Case in point
Well, sure. Everything has trade-offs and people decide which ones are more acceptable for them. When given a choice, I moved out of dense areas. Because I don't actually care about drinking every day, and all other activities are not materially affected by having a 1-hour commute to the downtown.
> 1 hour each-way of driving is a lot, and by then you're usually in a different city. 3-4 hours puts you in a different state, and in some places, it puts you in an entirely different country!
Sure. But we're talking about the US in particular.