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Comment by mschuster91 | Hacker News Reader

> You're talking about supply when you mention housing shortages, but let's look at the other part of the equation in a shortage: demand. Another perspective for a housing shortage might be to call it a people surplus. I don't blame anybody for seeking a better life, but I'd think at some point, an excess amount of illegal migration would have a noticeable impact in some areas.

The demand in urban housing comes from rural areas going decrepit: schools close, no higher education at all, no fast and reliable Internet and 4G/5G mobile connectivity, no public transport, rotting roads and bridges, no banks, no medical services, no shopping, no employment, no entertainment other than drinking and shooting tin cans.

If you want to live a modern life, there is no alternative to moving to urban areas.

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> schools close, no higher education at all, no fast and reliable Internet and 4G/5G mobile connectivity, no public transport, rotting roads and bridges, no banks, no medical services, no shopping, no employment, no entertainment other than drinking and shooting tin cans.

I live in a rural area.

Schools are open. Higher education not only exists, but the local community colleges partner with the state schools to give full access to us rural folk without having to commute in to the school. We have fiber to the home in many areas, high speed access in almost all the rest of the areas, and projects underway to fill in the gaps. We have 4G all over, 5G on a few towers. I can see 3 towers from my home, so we are not exactly disconnected. Our roads are doing fine - the local taxes pay for road maintenance quite well. Yes, we have banks. Farmers probably need more banking than you would expect. We are well covered there. We have medical service in every town and they partner with the state teaching university for specialist care, so we're doing OK there, too. Our unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in decades. Shopping exists here, too.

Rural areas are shrinking because people prefer cities. But we are not decrepit and you absolutely can live an enjoyable modern life here.

I don't want to pile on to all the other replies, but I think your mental model of rural life is several decades out of date

I live in a rural region and we do actually have fast internet and cell phones.

Not FTTH, but good coax.

Lots of banks too.

(Not supporting the other posters argument, just wondering where you get your information about rural areas)

> The demand in urban housing comes from rural areas going decrepit: schools close, no higher education at all, no fast and reliable Internet and 4G/5G mobile connectivity, no public transport, rotting roads and bridges, no banks, no medical services, no shopping, no employment, no entertainment other than drinking and shooting tin cans. If you want to live a modern life, there is no alternative to moving to urban areas.

I'm a city dweller, and I think this is an ugly, misinformed, elitist comment.

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