Direct service from YZ would be nice but as you pointed out there's lots of US gateway cities offering direct service that are easily assessible from YZ.
We have had a number of our pilots commuting from SJO to YZ & VR for tax reasons over the years and all of them have moved up to Caribbean domicles offering easier and more direct non-stop service.
The last time I was there was while transitting the Panama Canal and it really was a fairly short visit but it did seem fairly modern with a good lifestyle.
What's the crime like there?