While I don't disagree with your fundamental point, the fact that these places are smaller (hence less crowded/expensive) than Los Angeles and New York City, is a big part of the appeal. Even Boise and Austin are more similar in size to each other than they are to L.A. Austin metro area is about 3x the population of Boise, but L.A. metro area is about 8x the population of Austin, for example.