Just logged in, and began reading the comments about OOT. I was scratching my head trying to figure out what the acronym means. I thought it a label for a community that is Out Of Touch. To me, that would refer much more closely to Lakewood, Brooklyn, Monsey, and other concentrations of the Frum world. But it seems that it does not refer to that.
Pulling my tongue back out my cheek, there are clearly advantages and disadvantages in communities that are OOT or in the T. It should be the option for the individual to evaluate and make choices. Appealing to elders for their input is often a wise idea to assist in the process of making a potentially long term decision that affects so much.
Having lived in both places, there is much to say for the community out of town that is diluted to nearly nothing in the concentrated shtetlach. There is more attention to the things that really matter, instead of the trends to do what appears similar to others. Money isn’t everything, but in the in-town communities, the only way to finish that sentence is to add, “But it sure beats whatever is in second place.”
The ready access to the full range of products and services that in-towners come to depend on is a clear advantage to these communities. Being in closer proximity to so many friends and relatives has significant value.
These are individual decisions.