RBS sums it all up rather accurately, the old saying of 2 buckets still rings true.
There is of course a 3rd option, which for me involves having the family live at home and between us we commute as best we can. Not ideal, but it works for us.
I'd come here again given the same set of circumstances as I faced at the time and that is as true today as when I joined.
Don't live in a fools paradise thinking the management/local tier will view you in any other way than labourers with a specific skill set, its never going to change and the only currency here is supply v demand.