Young Americans Should Return Home to Find Meaning and Rebuild Communities
Source: Nate Uldricks. "Gen Z, Millennials Can Overcome Rootlessness By Moving Home." April 9, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that young Americans should move back to their hometowns instead of staying in big cities. He believes this will make them happier because they'll have stronger community ties, and it will help rebuild struggling small-town America using the skills they learned while away.
Conclusion
Millennials and Gen Z should move back to their hometowns rather than staying in big cities to find greater happiness, meaning, and contribute to community restoration
Premises
- Big cities have become inhospitable to young people due to Covid lockdowns, crime, high rents, and mental health crises
- Strong social ties and community rootedness are powerful predictors of long-term happiness, as confirmed by research and Tocqueville's observations
- America's industrial heartland has been hollowed out over 50 years and needs skilled young people to return and rebuild
- Local civic engagement develops habits of self-government that strengthen democracy
- Young people who left home acquired valuable skills and networks that can now benefit their home communities
- Personal experience demonstrates that returning home provides 'quiet, enduring happiness that city life never matched'
Assumptions
- Most millennials and Gen Z feel rootless and unfulfilled in big cities
- Hometowns and small communities are inherently more conducive to meaningful relationships than cities
- Young people's skills acquired in cities are transferable and needed in smaller communities
- Community involvement and local civic engagement are more fulfilling than urban career success
- The problems with big cities are permanent rather than temporary or fixable