There are many strategic advantages to living in any urban area, as you mentioned, I would like to add the social environment. Discussing the context of my country, I will first mention that in the past, the rural social environment was very beautiful and harmonious, which is now being lost with time. One thing is very important for living anywhere and that is the neighbors. If the neighbors are good, life is blessed and if the neighbors are bad, life becomes poisonous. Currently, in rural life almost every neighbor has jealousy and hatred in their mind. Even if I eat a little good food, everyone still looks at me. According to them why should I eat good food, live a good life, build a good house? And this kind of mentality is not there at least in urban areas. Anyone can live as they want, no one has a headache about it. But with the rate at which land prices in urban areas are increasing, buying a house in urban areas is an impossible thought for a middle class person like me.
That's called as crab mentality.
In rural areas they give pressure to other people to live like them, without any improvement. That's why rural areas is only of the reason of structural poverty.
But, in urban areas, people are simply don't give a fuck about other people because they're busy with themselves, unfortunately this also make you can't feel a real human connection or friendship.
If you want to seek a balance, sub urban areas is the best.
You have spoken the unbeatable truth. People in rural areas have very little work, besides the number of stupid people is high and the devil can easily take place among stupid and lazy people (I don't know if you will agree with me, but I think so) that's why they calumniate a lot in their idle time. There is a proverb in our country: "Idle minds are the devil's factory." Since there is little work, their minds have nothing to do except gossip. Whether there are few friends in urban areas or not, at least they can be free from such dirty mentality, jealousy and hatred in rural areas, which is very peaceful mentally. So I have made up my mind to go to the city but I am not able to afford it due to the financial crisis. However, I am hopeful that I will go soon.