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>It seems like other cities in other states would compete for high tech jobs aggressively enough to make companies willing to move to cheaper areas where they could pay their employees less and the employees have a better cost of living.

There are towns doing this, but it takes time.

http://custom.forbes.com/2015/12/03/charleston-s-c/

> What I really don't get is why isn't the free market working?

That is an excellent question that you could ask about many of our modern social dilemmas. The beginning to an answer might be found in Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Because there are two demands competing; my demand for a home and the demand for a home without stuff bothering me.