raises hand

I own a house in the areas you mentioned. Yes it's a boring drive to everything, yes it's more family oriented, yes it's not the heart of the city. On the flipside, I have a house with a yard and a garage, crime is a myth, I have a proper office room and not a laptop on a bed (I am a permanent remote employee), and because I already explore the entire metro and don't focus on just one neighborhood, there's little incentive to relocate closer. And after 8 years owning it, it's almost doubled in price.

That all being said, if I started completely over with a job that was inside the city, I'd live closer, but still want my own (detached) living arrangement, but that's just me. However 200K+ for something the size and utility of a hotel room with a monthly HOA that is more than my yearly fee is a hard pass.