I don't think the GP is talking about somewhere like "Austin/Atlanta/Raleigh" I would consider those places big cities. They are probably talking about a city that's 50,000-100,000 people, not a major metro.
Sadly I'm talking about a city in the top 5 VC funded cities.
The idea that there are just a bunch of small-pond professionals in places like Austin/Atlanta/Raleigh is just...not accurate. A ton of the folks I've worked with actually lived in the Bay until they decided they wanted to start a family and moved to a place where that is possible.