Yes,I totaly that would. The benefits would be endless. First of all waking up in the morning, knowing that you're in Space is fantastic.
Second of all it would skyrocket science research absolutely and bring us even further than we could possibly think of,.
The biggest question is whether we bring artificial intelligence with us up there and asteroid impacts would be a big danger aswell.
Its overall a human idea, captured in your brain, waiting to be free.
The question is whether generator work they way they do now in space aswell.
AI will be a given. If humanity develops the ability to stay in space indefinitely, AI will be so advanced that it would be beyond our imagination.
And yes, I agree that it would set humanity up for the next phase of research and development.