They've absolutely driven everyone to cities even if opportunities were there not to. I saw this big in the corporate world when everything was going flawlessly during Covid shutdowns, everyone working from home (which would give them flexibility on where to live), then all of a sudden a switch flipped and oh yeah by the way we need everyone in person again.
I know a handful of people, friends and kids of friends etc. from small towns. A couple of the younger ones I've known since they were elementary school age and in mid 20s now. They've done really well, but they were forced to leave. The type of good family people that would be totally happy staying in their hometown, raising their own kids there, etc. The kind of people we here would generally like. There's just zero jobs for them. Their parents jobs were already dead or dying as it was. They are forced to at least get close to a city.
Yep, one of the biggest lies of the past century was that there were no businesses attracted to small towns. State governments both republican and democrat did everything in their power to kill towns. In this day and age it’s easier to build up medium sized towns or even start new ones from scratch, it never happens because cities lose their shit every time a state offers anything aside from chemical dumping grounds to towns.
They've absolutely driven everyone to cities even if opportunities were there not to. I saw this big in the corporate world when everything was going flawlessly during Covid shutdowns, everyone working from home (which would give them flexibility on where to live), then all of a sudden a switch flipped and oh yeah by the way we need everyone in person again.
I know a handful of people, friends and kids of friends etc. from small towns. A couple of the younger ones I've known since they were elementary school age and in mid 20s now. They've done really well, but they were forced to leave. The type of good family people that would be totally happy staying in their hometown, raising their own kids there, etc. The kind of people we here would generally like. There's just zero jobs for them. Their parents jobs were already dead or dying as it was. They are forced to at least get close to a city.
Yep, one of the biggest lies of the past century was that there were no businesses attracted to small towns. State governments both republican and democrat did everything in their power to kill towns. In this day and age it’s easier to build up medium sized towns or even start new ones from scratch, it never happens because cities lose their shit every time a state offers anything aside from chemical dumping grounds to towns.
Or pollution-generating water-guzzling data centers...but only after they pay off the local mayor.