Most of our parents, including mine, were at the SES level that they could send their kids away. They just opted not to. There was a university in town and there was no reason for it, in their minds. That’s why my hometown is so insular - people cling very tightly to their children and nobody ever leaves! My dad even told me after I graduated that he spent more on my sorority costs than he did on actual college. He might have saved money in the long run had I gone away, but he was willing to absorb that cost to keep me where he could stalk me easily.