93MarineHorn said:

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Would generally agree but you have seen significant population moves to rural areas. Some small towns are now thriving when they weren't before.

Mostly by people who could afford to cut ties with urban living, of course.

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Small towns in central TX have exploded with growth over the last 25 years.

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Do we consider Bryan-College Station and Waco small towns?

I think the biggest move attributed to remote or hybrid working will be the further out suburbs like The Woodlands being developed.

People will try to distance themselves from the worst parts of city life, but hold onto the advantages of the burbs. The barrier before was mostly commute times but that won't matter as much if you're only in the office a couple times per week

I'm defining major metro as Dallas, Houston, New York etc.

The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy are a separate locale. For a reason.

There is a reason those areas are booming. Most of which in the OP

YouBet said:

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FrioAg 00 said:

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I don't know many people who are truly 100% remote working.

In my personal network I would say full remote is less than 10%. Hybrid with majority remote is probably 1/3, hybrid with majority in the office is another 1/3, and I'd say the remaining 24% is full time on location.

There are plenty of other reasons - living in the city has some great positives.

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I think this idealistic dream has been or will be shattered for most people. There are few companies that can survive long-term with everyone just scattered everywhere and not seeing one another.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/LockdownSkepticism/comments/sdgkoz/20s_in_a_pandemic_my_first_ever_graduate_job_is_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Indeed. This Reddit post explains just how damaging work from home is for people just out of college. These people start their career in stagnation mode with no real hope for the future. It's a terrible place to learn how to do a job.

mulch said:

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I'm defining major metro as Dallas, Houston, New York etc.

The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy are a separate locale. For a reason.

There is a reason those areas are booming. Most of which in the OP

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That's not what a metropolitan area means.

Nonetheless, your real question is why do blue collar workers continue to live in downtown high rise apartments? The answer is they don't. And probably haven't since the 80s. They can't afford it.

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Work is now remote. Offices are going extinct.

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Not all offices GenZ dude.

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Housing Square footage is minimal at best and you can't leave your house when locked down.
Crime is way up.
Murder rates are way up
Police are shot daily
Taxes are ridiculous
Schools are horrendous
Sickness and disease not only starts there but spreads more rapidly.

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Did you miss the 1970s?

Some of us survived that before.

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Restaurants closed or have no staff
Bars are closed or have no staff
Zero middle class jobs. Just janitors and the rich.

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Texas cities are full of middle class people in Houston, Dallas, FW, San Antonio, Austin, etc.
So are cities like Nashville, Atlanta, Little Rock, Louisville, etc.

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It really boggles the mind why anyone with a choice would "choose" to take that on.
What's the benefit?

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Jobs, customers, healthcare.

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exurb

ksrb
noun
[ol]

A semirural region lying just beyond the suburbs of a city.

A residentialareabeyond the suburbs

[/ol]

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15 years ago described Boerne, but now we're a Lowe's/Target/Mervyn's away from a garden variety suburb

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So, moving far away is still burdensome for many.

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And when you are older and need to see lets say an oncologist living in Mason, TX is harder than living in Boerne.

In a word: compromise.

Land has gotten expensive, and desirable land is unattainable for most common folk. It has become an investment / luxury / hassle for most folks, who think it's worth more to live in a nice box on 7k sqft in Houston than in a double wide on 10 acres outside of Hearne.

My company has been 100% back in the office since end of May/early June 2020. I have to live within a decent commuting distance to both the office and the airport since I travel for work weekly. I'd love to live out in the sticks at my lakehouse, but it just isn't realistic for me or my family. I envy people who have careers that allow them to live in small towns, bit that never has been an option for me and won't be until I retire. But, then when you retire it is important to be close to good medical care and hospitals.

This may come as a surprise OP but some people like living in areas where there's actually stuff to do

Also, idk if you live under a rock, but a strong majority of restaurants and bars are operating BAU

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This may come as a surprise OP but some people like living in areas where there's actually stuff to do

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Instead of this?

You do this?

To answer the OP.

In 2003 I got laid off while living in glorious master planned suburban Denver.

In 2004 I went to work for a well known entertainment company north of Los Angeles. I bought a house because I had to work on the Studio Lot daily. After that, we got outsourced. Still have the house.

In 2022 I work remotely and even if I did work at my corporate HQ in the Bay Area, they're still not back in the office yet.

I'm looking to get out of Los Angeles County as quickly as I can once March 1st hits and I can sell my house and take the capital gains exclusion.

So long story short, I live in a big city due to decisions I made almost 20 years ago. I can't wait to correct those mistakes.

Most people THINK they want proximity to the second option, but spend most of their evenings on a couch in front of the TV. After all, the guy in that first picture likely EARNED his drink with hard work, while the others merely went out.

rsf0626 said:

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This may come as a surprise OP but some people like living in areas where there's actually stuff to do

Also, idk if you live under a rock, but a strong majority of restaurants and bars are operating BAU

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Yeah, that was Los Angeles / Hollywood - prior to 2020.

Pretty much dead as a doornail now but everything is more expensive so, it's an even bigger waste of money to live in LA than ever before.

It's also age related.

javajaws said:

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Some people LIKE living in a city, in close proximity to lots of people. Go figure.

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I doubt you can tell me the names of 3 of your neighbors.

TxTarpon said:

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This may come as a surprise OP but some people like living in areas where there's actually stuff to do

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Instead of this?

You do this?

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I much prefer the energy of living in a big city to the country. But to each their own

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Most people THINK they want proximity to the second option, but spend most of their evenings on a couch in front of the TV. After all, the guy in that first picture likely EARNED his drink with hard work, while the others merely went out.

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Guy in first photo is looking at cows and nags.
Guy in second photo is looking at hot women in tight clothes.
Youth is wasted on the young.

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I doubt you can tell me the names of 3 of your neighbors.

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Better yet, tell us the nicknames you have for them.

Community events, bars/breweries, restaurants, live music, sports (pro teams and recreational), stores less than a mile away.

People gravitate to cities throughout human history because it's better living.

I'm staying in houston and taking this city back god dammit

Spread people out and you run into the same problems. Don't advocate ruining the good places

C@LAg said:

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Mr. Lahey said:

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god dammit

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he already did

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Ha ha ha. Go back to posting some dumbass **** about banning pot you weirdo.

EarlCampbellsThighs said:

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People gravitate to cities throughout human history because it's better living.

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Yeah, that's debatable.

"Work is now remote. Offices are going extinct."

The number of Americans who currently work from home is under 20% Einstein.

Facebook just leased almost 600,000 SF in Austin two weeks ago…biggest office lease in the history of the city. Just one example of many I could share - doesn't sound too extinct to me.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/facebook-parent-meta-signs-huge-downtown-austin-lease-report.amp

Yeah I can see how living downtown might not be ideal when you're in your 40s, married, and looking to raise a family.

It's totally subjective.

Some people like living fast-paced urban lifestyles and some like the peacefulness of country living. If I could afford it, I'd like to have both.

I'm a downtown highrise guy and I can walk to Minute Maid for an Astros game, Toyota Center for a concert (or Rockets game if somebody gives me a free ticket), like five really good steakhouses, dozens of good bars, Jones Hall, the Wortham, Hobby Center, etc. I like all those things. I like being in the country as well, but I get restless and bored after a while. It's just how I'm wired.

I can't speak for most other cities, but I can assure you that downtown Houston is not a warzone or some sort of urban wasteland. It's a really nice place to live.

The troll got a good rise out of yall

TxTarpon said:

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This may come as a surprise OP but some people like living in areas where there's actually stuff to do

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Instead of this?

You do this?

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This is major boomer energy

hedge said:

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TxTarpon said:

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This may come as a surprise OP but some people like living in areas where there's actually stuff to do

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Instead of this?

You do this?

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This is major boomer energy

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Cool story Azul