Been underway for a while now. The pandemic has accelerated it. A lot of them will go back to the city for the convenience, but for most, it's all about cost of living.
This is an old article. Long before COVID-19.
US population disperses to suburbs, exurbs, rural areas, and “middle of the country” metros | Brookings
Newly released census data for the first seven years of this decade signal a resumption of the population dispersal that was put “on hold” for a good part of the post-Great Recession period.www.brookings.edu
The pandemic has taught people they don't have to actually LIVE in an urban heckhole to work there. Further, with all of the culture and concerts and other crap closed down, there is no socialreason to live in a rat hole city.
Well, the pandemic has certainly caused many people to look at moving out of the city. And yes, some of that could be because all of the culture and social extras aren't available right now. But the main reason is rising rents and property prices. Cost of living. Like it or not, most people make decisions based on their wallet. And once the rent and mortgage prices start outstripping the convenience of living in the city, people move. I have no doubt the cities will bounce back as the rent and property prices fall..and the pandemic gets under control. There will be some that come back followed by new people moving into the city. But a lot are gone for good.
The Huge Failed Urban Hell Holes don't just have high rent and property prices- the governments schlong the residents with absurd tax rates, the price of parking ranges from high to ballistic depending on the city, and the crime rates are unbelievably high.
The parking in larger cities is primarily for visitors. Not residents. If those residents have cars, they are usually in long term private parking. One of the attractive things about living in the city is access to public transportation (subways, buses). A lot of ordinary people (ones who cant be driven around) use public transportation to get to their work, their restaurants, their gyms, cultural events. That kind of access is attractive, especially to younger residents.