Plenty of people move for economic reasons in the transition to retirement. You're exactly right to put this kind of economic trend in personal terms - we should seek to do this. Nonetheless, I feel like a reference to "your mum" is more intended to shut down the conversation than anything else. I speak for plenty of people when I say that my own parents moved cities as they retired.

For many of those who move for retirement, the place they most love doesn't perfectly align when the best place to work and raise children. That makes it an easy decision. My parents moved to a place with more family, lower cost of living, and easier access to commercial areas. The fact that it is hard to find a job in this place no longer played a major role.

Sure, there are people living in Berkley and NYC who LOVE those places and want to die there. Still... that's not necessarily representative or even common. Many people move further away from urban centers even when starting a family.