I grew up in New Jersey in the country - my mom's house is something like a 10 minute drive from the closest traffic light, to give some perspective. It was a small town, pretty stereotypical country... the county is something like 98% white, most people are Protestant or Catholic in religious affiliation, and most people do not leave. Even the kids who do get out for college, mostly come back to settle.
I knew I had no desire for that lifestyle. I wanted new experiences & diversity in my life, but I'm also super close with my family. So when it came time to look at colleges, I focused only on ones that were in or near a city, but still within 5 hours of my home. I ended up living in Philadelphia for the 4 years of my undergraduate studies. I didn't really love Philadelphia itself, but I did really enjoy having all the resources and experiences of a city around me. So when I started looking for graduate programs, I again focused on major cities. And that ended up taking me to Boston, which I think is loads more resident-friendly than Philadelphia (albeit wayyy more expensive). I like it here, a lot... so I'll probably stay here while I'm still a young professional.
However, as I get older and start thinking about my plans to start my own family, I find myself considering the move back to New Jersey. I want to have the support of my family when I decide to have my own children some day. I want my parents to be able to see their grandchildren whenever they want to. I want to host family dinners and holidays in my home. Etc, etc.
I don't want to go back to the town I grew up in, God's no... but I wouldn't mind living 30 minutes to an hour away from there. If we (my BF and I) moved to central Jersey, I could see that being the perfect place to settle down and grow roots - some day (like I said, not quite there yet). His family lives in Philly, so it would be better for both of us, as well as our relatives, who I know miss seeing us more regularly. And there are some really cute suburbs that are within a 30 minute drive/train ride of NYC, which I think would totally be win-win for us.