When choosing a place to live, one of the most important things to consider is career opportunities. The success of each city in terms of industrialization varies, even if your country is generally wealthy. As such, it makes sense that your career progress may be faster in one city compared to another.
One indicator that a city is thriving is its real estate value. If there is an abundance of existing and new developments in an area, its house prices will typically be higher, but chances are its mortgage rates are more favorable, too. Hence, if affordability is your concern in such an area, you won’t likely have any problems bearing the costs of living if the mortgage terms fit your income.
Considering that, does that mean that you should live in a metropolitan area to increase your likelihood of success?
What the Studies Reveal
Harvard economists made a compelling case that less fortunate children who grow up in rich neighborhoods end up earning a higher income later in their lives, compared to what they could have earned if they resided in a poor neighborhood.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania aimed to take that study further by revealing if a similar pattern may apply on a city level. They examined a poor city that is largely populated by low-income African-American families, where poverty lasts through generations.
The research involved 84 participants living in 30 different neighborhood blocks within the same poor city. Each block has varying levels of crime, poverty, and educational attainment. Their findings reveal that the participants from the neighborhoods with worse poverty, crime, and lower educational attainment had higher likelihoods of dropping out of college, or take longer to accumulate college credits.
In adult participants who are currently in school, it was found that those who live in neighborhoods where 12% of the residents have bachelor’s degrees earned higher college credits, compared to their peers in areas where there are only 5% degree-holding dwellers.
The researchers admit, however, that the scope of their study is limited. Nonetheless, it shows that one’s immediate neighborhood holds a role in their success in finishing college. What’s more, the Harvard economists stand by their research that poor children who moved in a more successful community before they were teens earned higher than their peers who stayed in poor neighborhoods.
Relationship Between Geography and Personality
Another factor worth considering is the relationship between geography and personality. If a person lives in an environment where their personalities can be freely expressed, they’ll naturally thrive, resulting in success. On the contrary, if someone lives in an area where they feel restrained, they may struggle to reach their full potential, and have a stagnant or slow-moving career journey, as a result.
Studies find an interesting link between city locations and personality variables, indicating that a mix of individual and physical variables in our surroundings can affect how we feel and think about our lives, and what we want to do with them.
However, the studies don’t necessarily state that built surroundings can affect our core personality. It still remains an open question, but what’s important is we’re living in a place where we are safe, able to grow, and be the best versions of ourselves, regardless of that place’s physical characteristics and ranking in terms of wealth.
Meta Title: Will Moving to a Different City Make Us More Successful?
Meta Description: People tend to crave for a new environment when they seek growth or a new career opportunity. But will moving truly give them what they’re looking for? Read on.
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