I moved from SF to Ohio and kept my pay. Then switched companies a year later and got a raise. I see your point, but I like my version even better :)

I moved from Bumblefuck, Florida to the Bay Area and, while my salary increased by about 40%, my cost of living tripled, so I'm doing far worse than I was back in B.F.

I stay mainly because of the number of tech companies in the area. Anyone can lose their job at any minute, and if/when that happens I'd rather be in an area where there were options across the street than in an area with one option two towns over. I'd move back in a heartbeat if there were a more robust tech hiring market in the boonies.

I moved from Ohio to SF and got a raise. After 2 years, I've doubled what I was earning in Ohio. I also switched careers, from tenure-track university professor to web development.

My point is that code is the lingua franca of well-compensated digital laborers, which is the point the article hints in its closing sentence:

"Another customer service worker I’d talked to from a big software company decided that if she wanted to stick around the Bay Area, it was time to teach herself to code."

You could probably have gone from tenure track university professor to delivering pizza and still doubled your salary provided you didn't end up delivering in a crappy part of town.

For folks that think I'm being sarcastic, a quick google check returned an average salary for untenured professors at around $45,000 annually. I worked with a guy that banked ~$80k a year delivering pizza to a swanky neighborhood that included a bunch of corporate offices.

Also in Ohio and quite happy here. The lure of higher wages in CA isn't so amazing after taxes and the higher cost of living. My salary here would be a typical developer salary in the Bay Area if you factor in that. I might have to drive to work, but it's only a 15 minute commute.

I'd take your version too, if I could get it.

You mean living with roommates for $1500/no isn't appealing.

Have a little chat with your buddies who grew up in the plains states. They will politely tell you you're full of shit.

Alternatively, go try it. You could take a paycut to go live in bumblefuck any time. Why not today? I think you'll discover pretty quickly that the grass isn't that green over there. They are low rent because there is either nothing to do, or because they're dangerous.

This is, unfortunately, a widely-held viewpoint here: that only the coasts count, and the "flyover states" exist only to serve the needs of their coastal masters.

Most such people have never seen inland states from ground level.

I'm a CA native looking to leave, and Nashville is one possible landing zone that is getting better and better press (outside of conventional media, which here retains the coastal bias).

> nothing to do

Yeah, you don't know anything about Nashville.

I think of the major cities in the country, "nothing to do" fits San Jose's downtown better than most. And I say that as an SJ native. South First Fridays[0] are about the only time there is a palpable presence in downtown.

[0] http://www.southfirstfridays.com/

Yeah, I only ever went there twice. Once to visit an army buddy, another time to visit my brother. Nashville is pretty frickin awesome, even if you're not into country music.

Have a chat with someone who lives in Nashville, they'll tell you you're full of shit.

Seriously. I don't think I'd want to live in Nashville, but that's a me thing--I spent a year and a half going there every other month and I had no end of positive things to say about the place, except for the reliance on cars for transportation. It's a really nice city, it's safe, and it has plenty to do.

I'm considering BOS->ATL right now, because Atlanta is also a really nice city but a little more tech-friendly.

Who are the Atlanta employers these days? I left for SF because there seemed to be nothing years ago. Now I know one person at Cisco ex-Scientific Atlanta, but everyone else in tech works at the enterprise telephone system company. That one might just be nepotism…

With friends who grew up in Kansas City, who moved to california, then back home to 'settle down' I'm willing to call your bluff.

There is a large fundamental difference between Outerbumbelch, North Dakota and Dallas, Kansas City or even Denver.

Who's bluffing? I'm not the one claiming that I'd be willing to do something drastic to lower my rent. I'm perfectly happy where I am.

This country is full of low-rent places. If you don't like your rent you don't have to stay in the city. What people want is to be somewhere desirable but not have to pay a premium for being someplace desirable.

That happens briefly when you find a good place that nobody discovered yet. But it never lasts. Eventually people find out. My property taxes have gone up 3 times in 5 years for precisely that reason. It's a small price to pay, IME, to be somewhere you like even if you have to pay extra.

I'm currently in Idaho, raised in SoCal. I would never return to California, the quality of life here is exponentially better.

I'm interested in details. Idaho showed up in comments so many times before, but every time I research it by myself, I can't of don't understand what's so appealing.

I'll just list a few things as selling points: 1) Very low crime. 2) Generally less restrictive laws. 3) Pristine nature is always nearby. 4) Not much traffic. 5) Cops tend to mind their own business here. I'm not bothered by the police nearly as much as I was in Cali.

That's a few things off the the top of my head. Now some downsides: 1) Culture (art, music, etc) are generally less available. 2) There aren't as many conveniences. 3) You pretty much have to drive everywhere in rural areas. 4) Towns aren't very well planned, I rarely see any bike lanes or pedestrian oriented areas.

Plains indeed are special case in terms of hi-tech jobs. However, PA or TX or NC are inexpensive and still have stuff going on.

The article's talking about Nashville, which if you're going to be stuck in the South, you could do a lot worse than.

I also don't think it's totally fair to compare it to the plains states, those places are emptying out for a reason (ok, several reasons).