I would imagine economies of scale. It's easier to pay for roads when they're used a lot all the time than when a few cars an hour use it. Public transport becomes feasible when buses are full to bursting but when its just the driver driving themselves about it's not so much. Similarly with healthcare and so on. It's a bit like when Roy Keane said he couldn't sign anyone as the player's wives didn't want to go to Sunderland. Doctors, nurses, teachers etc. will want to live in places with good amenities, whether that's good schools, restaurants and theatres, opportunities for their own children, or whatnot.
Across the world, urban populations are growing, with cities sucking in people from rural areas in the search for jobs and a better life. As countries try and reduce the urban rural divide, however, attracting people back to their hometown is one possible strategy
www.forbes.com
As this article explains, it can often be hard enough getting people to come back to smaller towns and they have at least some connection to it. For people with less of a connection, or none at all, it can be even harder to entice them. It's an actual conversation we've had as the wife was offered a job on the Hebrides after doing a placement there and declined for many of those reasons.
www.thinkdefence.co.uk
amp.theguardian.com
