Indeed, and I think this also ties in to what I was saying about fewer workers needed to work the same acreage in rural areas, the inverse would be true of the relative demand for knowledge workers increasing the value of cities. Aging population is a factor as well, older people are less capable of maintaining real property and need to be closer to healthcare resources that scale in population centers.

I'd think the disparity in the west coast vs. the mid-west is a combination of factors, there's still economic network effects in Oregon because you're in relative commuting distance to major economic hubs in California and Washington... as opposed to Iowa you're even further away from 3rd rate mid-west cities that aren't even a red fleck on that map in their own right.

Also if you have the the money to choose, would you rather live in the tundra of Iowa, surrounded by flat monoculture and truck stops, or have mild winters (lower heating bills) surrounded tall pines, mountains and coast, of Oregon? That gets back to some land being hard money and other land being a commodity, the network effects of either compound on themselves.