Life 2.0 by Rich Karlgaard

Description

Does where you live determine how happy you are? The publisher of Forbes went to find out. Rich Karlgaard spent months piloting his own small plane around America asking a deceptively simple question — and Life 2.0 (2004) is his answer. He met the pioneers of a new migration: people who walked away from punishing costs, endless commutes, and high-pressure careers in the most expensive cities to rebuild their lives in smaller, friendlier, far more affordable towns.

Armed with reporting and data, Karlgaard makes the case that the good life might be a zip code away. Published years before remote work made it fashionable, the book now reads like prophecy. His reporting is charming — small planes, small towns, and big questions about the good life.

Thought-provoking for anyone questioning the big-city grind. The original “move to thrive” manifesto.

Published in 2004, Life 2.0: How People Across the Country Are Transforming Their Lives to Make Their Own American Dream asks a deceptively simple question: does where you live determine how happy you are? Rich Karlgaard — the publisher of Forbes magazine — spent months piloting his own small plane around the United States to find out, and his answer may change where you want to live.

Karlgaard meets the pioneers of a new American migration: people who walked away from punishing costs, endless commutes, and high-pressure careers in the country’s most expensive cities to rebuild their lives in smaller, friendlier, far more affordable towns. Armed with laptops and broadband, they discovered they could keep their careers — or start better ones — from almost anywhere, while buying bigger homes, gaining hours of free time, and rediscovering what the American Dream actually means.

Part travelogue, part manifesto, Life 2.0 argues that technology has quietly broken the link between big cities and big opportunities. For anyone who has ever wondered whether the rat race is worth it, this book offers both inspiration and a practical way out.