It has been my experience that most people remain in cities of they are familiar with simply because they are, like sheep, afraid to venture outside of the "herd" to experience new things. I may be strange in quite a few respects, but I have always been drawn to three cities (Denton, Tx.-- my home town; New York City; and Berlin, Germany). Stranger still is the fact, yes fact, that the majority of Dentonites (that is, people who graduated from Denton High School, or spent enough time in my hometown to fall into its current) tend to run the circuit of Austin, Tx., New York, NY, Europe, and back to Denton. Keep in mind that my home town-- also the location of the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University-- has a long history of "globetrotters", yet we always, those of us from Denton, seem to return to our town for extended stays. In this, I must say that the answer to your question of 'why' is for the individual to answer. I am currently in New York, and planning to move to either Munich or Berlin within the next year or two. When I have done what I believe I needed to do in Germany, I suppose I would return to my hometown. Do not mistake me. This is not a matter of 'monkey see, monkey do,' for I have felt the pull of both New York and Germany since I was a child. I am simply, as all Dentonites that 'globetrot' only to return home again, following my desires. As for the rest, I believe it is safe to classify them all as sheep if familiarity be their only reason for remaining in cities and settlements offering no intellectual or visually stimulating benefit.