The rust belt cities are booming.

Akron, Ohio is up 7%. So is Cleveland, Madison, and Toledo. Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Scranton are up even higher. [1] These are figures from before the pandemic.

The idea that the rust belt has lots of cheap housing is outdated. That was true in five to ten years ago. It is not true today. You can expect to pay around $200k for a house in any given rust belt city with decent jobs -- and quite a bit more if you want to live in a nicer neighborhood or a nicer home.

[1] https://www.kiplinger.com/article/real-estate/t010-c000-s002...

And can you get the same services, community (people of similar circumstances/values as you moving there), opportunities, schools, safety that these in demand areas provide? Travelling around only reinforces my desire to buy in an in demand area. I cant just shop at panera, five guys, and walmart for the rest of my life.

> community (people of similar circumstances/values as you moving there)

That's a cultural thing, and yes I'd assume that people tend to move somewhere that they feel culturally aligned with.

That is true whether you are moving to the coasts or away from them.

And how likely are you to get a job that lets you afford said house?

That depends on your skills and / or what you're willing to do.

The rust belt is rusty in the sense that easy to obtain and hold down factory jobs are no longer a thing.

If you have marketable skills, there is work pretty well anywhere.

Just like how if cushy tech jobs someday dry up in Silicon Valley there will still be work there, it just won't be a sure thing like it is now.