I grew up in the valleys but have been living in Cardiff for 20 years. I liked growing up there and have many family and friends that live around the valleys, but I just prefer the convenience, transport, facilities, nightlife, eateries, shops, big events, etc you get with City life. Plus getting to home games is so easy.
One thing I often hear is that people are more friendly in the valleys and no one knows their neighbours or talks to you in the City. I think that is just a big pile of horse shit. I’ve lived in various different parts of the capital and generally speaking I’ve found people to be great.