"I love living here. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made."
That's what a friend told me a few days ago while having a conversation over Zoom. He recently moved from Los Angeles to Boise with his family and says Idaho is one of the best places he's ever lived.
Many other people feel the same way. The pandemic has encouraged people to move out of big cities (such as Los Angeles and Seattle) to more rural locations such as Boise. After all, the opportunity for employees to work remotely means they're no longer forced to experience long commute times. Quoting an article published by The World Economic Forum:
"In a recent survey from Gallup, nearly half of all U.S. adults said they'd prefer to live in a small town or rural area in 2020. That's a nine percentage-point increase from 2018 when just 39 percent of respondents said the same. White men over the age of 55 were among the most likely to prefer rural, small-town settings, however, sizeable increases were observed in almost every measured demographic. Those between the ages of 18-34 had a 10 percentage-point increase over the last two years, with 39 percent preferring rural/small-town life. The largest broad demographic increase came in non-white adults, where a 12 percentage-point increase over the last two years has 39 percent who said they'd prefer more spacious parts of the country."
According to the United Nations, 90 percent of coronavirus infections are recorded in cities across the world. That has certainly been the case in the USA, where major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami have served as COVID-19 hubs. So, many people want to move to less densely populated areas (such as Idaho) to reduce the chance of getting infected from Covid-19 and other diseases such as influenza.
It's also worth mentioning that some of the Covid-19 rules in major cities were ridiculous. For example, you had to wear a mask outside, even when nobody else was around you. Meanwhile, in many rural areas, that's not the case since it's incredibly easy to socially distance from other people.
But what do you think? Is Boise one of the best places to live in the country? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.