[coldtea]

>People like living in big cities because they're more interesting.

Some people like living in big cities, usually because they're young and starry eyed about the "possibilities" of them being interesting. Quite often they grow out of this, and get to hate the big cities and their stress and uglyness....

[esafak]

Don't forget the social opportunities: it's easier to find a mate in a bigger pool.

[klardotsh]

Exactly this. I moved from Seattle to rural Whatcom County for a year, then out onto my sailboat for a year. It's been a great reset, but I'm now headed back to either a quiet neighborhood of the outskirts of Seattle proper, or maybe one of the suburbs/exurbs that still has a proper downtown and isn't just a bedroom community, and it's entirely for social reasons. Life in the boonies solo is hard, and the dating pool in your 20s is barely a drop, forget a puddle.