My wife and I picked a low cost locale, allowing us to pay off our mortgage by mid 30s. This also allows her to be a full time parent, and we're home schooling (two kids). Also, our neighborhood is very safe (low cost housing does not equal dangerous automatically).
Not shackling yourself to a high cost of living area and all of the trappings that go with it allows you a crazy amount of options (our burn rate is under $24k/year with my income many times that).
Yeah, and I think that is why these cities mentioned in the articles are attractive. Low cost while still being acceptable for children. You can't find that though in the major metro areas. Cost almost always translates to safety or school quality.
Not shackling yourself to a high cost of living area and all of the trappings that go with it allows you a crazy amount of options (our burn rate is under $24k/year with my income many times that).