Business & Money | Tuesday 21 April, 2015 8:14 am |

Many Saudis are now leaving the big cities and heading back to their small towns and villages because of lower rents, available jobs and adequate health and education services.

In addition, they say that these rural areas offer a better standard of living than crowded and congested cities. They are much less stressed, their children can grow up in more natural surroundings, and they have more contact with their families and friends.

Khalaf Al-Dosari, who works in the media, said: “Moving from Riyadh to Wadi Al-Dawasir was the right decision. Congested and crowded places, and high rents for homes have forced many families I know to leave Riyadh.”

He said that small towns have no traffic jams, a more natural environment and low living costs. The government should further encourage this trend by building large hospitals and malls, and holding festivals and exhibitions, he said.

Mohammed Al-Mater, who left Dammam for a village in Al-Ahsa, said that when he worked in the city, his family had remained behind. “My family did not want to leave the village for the big city. I developed a psychological disorder because of difficult daily commute.”

Abdulwahab Al-Manna said he left Dammam for Al-Nairiyah to escape from the city’s congested streets and high living costs that had forced him to get up early every morning for work. In addition, he missed his family. He is now more comfortable in his hometown and visits Dammam and Alkhobar when needed.
Mohammed Al-Shamrani said he left Dammam for Asir because there is more peace of mind at home. There are various services and places of entertainment in his village, he said.