Actually if we ever get remote working working then it would allow people to live anywhere (including cheap places) and still have jobs - as more of our lives move online geography will matter less and less.
In regards your more general complaint even us x-ers are not is such a good position in regards real estate. I have a very good job, two incomes, yet I live in an apartment (admittedly a very nice one). I would love to own a house, but the prices are far out of my reach in my area.
Unless we somehow lose the need to socialize, I can't see myself agreeing with your first point. People are excited to move to SF/NY so they can be around young, bright, like-minded peers.
People move out to the burbs once they find a mate, settle down, and have kids. Then they don't need to get liquored up with their buddies on the weekend and look for drunken revelry and romance.
Moving out to the boonies in your early 20's would probably stunt your social development, even if you could get paid decent money to maintain a couple of servers in SF out of Ironton, Ohio.
Also, 2 incomes - how do you manage that? One active and one passive I'm assuming.
As more of our socialising moves online the need for physical socialising will decline. Anyway there are plenty of cheap places in the world with a great social life, but without local jobs. Remote working would allow you to have your cake and eat it.
In regards the two incomes I was referring to my wife’s income and mine :)
I remain unsold on the feasibility of remote working at scale. I also sense a backlash against "fake" ways to scratch the social itch, such as accruing likes on a facebook photo or watching countless Snapchat stories. A lot of my friends are getting fed up and ditching the services. They still go out and socialize physically just as much as before.
Ah, so you have two sets of costs then as well, and possibly a third on the horizon. Best of luck to you in securing a nice house in a nice neighborhood. Maybe wait until the current real estate bubble pops. Then you can rent it out to random people and have them work there with you :)
It is hard to know if remote working can be made to work at scale - my feeling is it could once we reach a certain bandwidth, but we are few years out for this.
Online socialising is really important. I lived in a small city in Australia for 7 years and the only way I could mentally survive it was via access to the internet - 10 years earlier and there is no way I could have lived there. I do share you lack of interest in social media though.
I have more than two sets of costs - I have three boys! I have been waiting for real estate to crash for years and every time I think it can’t get any higher something comes along to kick it even higher. I know at some point it will stop rising, but when it does it won’t be pleasant.
In regards your more general complaint even us x-ers are not is such a good position in regards real estate. I have a very good job, two incomes, yet I live in an apartment (admittedly a very nice one). I would love to own a house, but the prices are far out of my reach in my area.