Will tier 2 markets overtake tier 1 markets?

[Sebastian E.]

Ok, to be clear I don't think we are looking at the end of large metropolis cities. I do wonder, however, if now that folks can work more easily virtually, whether the circle around large cities like Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, or San Francisco may widen out to include tier 2 (50-100k population) or even tier 3 (20-50k) cities. I have been traveling to some of these cities and have been really surprised how livable many of these cities are. Cities like Harrisburg, or Lancaster, PA are great examples with very high standards of living and much cheaper housing prices than you will find in Philadelphia or DC. I find as  a 30 something year old these cities have many of the things that I am looking for like cool coffee shops, accessible nature, walkability and really cool housing stock.

So, my question to fellow BP'ers: What do you think of this thesis? I am interested in critical feedback as well as recommendations for some of these cities to visit. I am nearly finished with my camper build out and am ready to hit the road. Thank you all for your feedback. 

[Mike Bolen]

I agree with @Justin Thorpe I think folks will go back to previous work styles. There are synergistic enhancements to a workflow that can only be performed when a group is working together in an office. While Zoom is OK it's not a replacement. I actually see more of a job elimination potential for anyone who does work from home. If you can work from home why not get a foreign-educated and foreign-based employee who will perform the same job for a fraction of the cost?