You shouldn't. If you have a good job in such a location and are happy with the opportunities available, enjoy!
The problem is that markets naturally congregate in distinct locations so anyone who is looking to advance their career needs to make their way to a hub.
This also complicates my conundrum about whether to continue to rent vs purchasing some property to start some real roots.
Some of the best engineers I know work remote and visit occasionally. Maybe theyre outliers, but we really need to kill this narrative where to be the best you need to live in the valley.
Of course you will have less opportunities that if you're willing to move to Bay Area or NYC, but that's a choice to make. Do you prefer to prioritize on your career completely or are you will to compromise on that for a better living environment for you and your family?
Nobody said it's a obvious choice to live in a smaller city, but it's important to know that (if you're a developer) you have that choice. You can opt out of the rat race and make less, or work on less exciting projects, but still make a decent living.
FTFY, unless there is a trove of non-web remote jobs I have been missing.