I grew up in a small nowhere village, lived in small and large cities, and even Rome. But I think the sweet spot is a small city of about 200k. Though I find that it probably depends on which stage of life you are at. The older I get the more I'm tempted to move to even smaller city. And now, it's even hard to go camping, without civilization being within short driving distance. People are everywhere. My closet is full of winter jackets, that somehow it never gets cold enough for me to wear. I think people sometimes shop for a solution to a problem they don't have. Or that they fear the problem so much they overcompensate.