In Britain, the countryside was usually seen as healthier than the cities because plagues and illnesses festered in cities. Medieval kings would travel to various castles and not linger in London too long to avoid illnesses. That was the common way for centuries. Poverty, slums and begging were associated with moving off the land to the city for opportunities that didn't arrive. Cities were also associated with industrialization and factory production. Numerous writers wrote nostalgically about pre-industrial countryside - Thomas Hardy, George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell, etc. Cottage Living is kind of drawing from that; it's also a setting that was not fully developed before.
The CL trend seems to have blown up in the pandemic as an ideal. Like all ideals, it's a glamorization. I laugh at the people wanting mock American rustic but that's also a trend.
A lot of players really wanted an extended countryside world since there were neighborhoods but not one fully like it. I actually like having subtly different worlds that really set a scene and are fun to explore.
