Your father was not wrong. It's depends on what you want to run.
Residential, commercial, industrial have their own location. F&B (ihmo) is the most critical when selecting location.
**Pls note, when selecting location for the above, you have to consider many factors....let's talk about coffeeshop (cause I into it) factors like.... rental, crowds, operating hours, able to sell alcohol, cigarettes? halal or non halal? Nearby School, offices? What food can sell well?.....CBD area you have to compete against food courts ,your crowds might be in only few hours a day. The list can goes on.
Jurong may sound out of the location to some but it may have all the points I wanted for a Coffeeshop...
There are just so many factors when I decide to target a location for F&B.
If you want to venture in Aviation industry, you should know where to buy now.