# Why do you live where you live?



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I've been sitting here in Starbucks in New York City watching as it comes alive for the day.  We've been here since Monday (NYC not Starbucks).  We've been to NYC before (years ago in another life, I was even part of Macy's Thankgiving Parade with my high school band) but never fail to marvel at the size and volume of this city.  It's gotta be one of the most anonymous places one could live--with this many people, no one stands out.  (Unless you're Katie Holmes divorcing Tom Cruise.  )

And I was wondering if I could live here.  Hubby decided not.  So I got to thinking about all the people here and the millions of reasons they came to NYC to live.  And why I live where I do (born in Washington, DC, moved to northern VA to be closer to work).   My parents both came to Washington, DC because of WWII to get jobs.  

Why do you live where you do?  Did you pick the place or did it just happen along with life?  I guess for me, it just happened and I've gone along for the ride.  

Betsy


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

A little of both, I guess.  The place wasn't picked specifically for the place - it was due to a better job opportunity for II.  Staying was partly due to it just happening and going with the flow.  However, he has worked for the same employer for almost 35 years.  Had we stayed in Wichita, there would have been multiple layoffs through those same 35 years - if he had stayed in the aircraft business.  My job skills were such that I would have been able to find work almost any place we lived.  And I picked the employer that offered an opportunity where I had a pretty successful run of almost 29 years before retiring early.  We've never been sorry we made the move.  It has been a good place to live and raise our sons.

I don't believe I could live in NYC.  Just too many people and too much noise.  I appreciate my quiet neck of the woods.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

since i have to head out into the anonymous-ness of NYC to meet you, i'll answer your question later, bets....

and why are you in Starbucks if we're meeting for breakfast?


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Because I always have.  Why did my parents move from Des Moines, IA to the big city of Chicago in '41?  They're gone so I'll never know.  I lived my first three years in Chicago.  After that have always lived in one or the other of two neighboring 'burbs west of the city.  It's home.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

My father and mother were both born in New York. I was born in New Jersey. After the War, my father's work took us to Phoenix, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Albuquerque. Twenty-odd years ago, I was hired to design and patent some proprietary machines for a Waco based, international company. My children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are Texans now so, like it or not, here I'll stay.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio (lived in many different parts - both east and west side which distinction only means something to someone from Cleveland).
After marriage and the birth of our first son, we moved to Washington, D.C.'s Maryland suburbs with General Electric.  In 1967. Been here ever since - back in those days the computer field provided variety and excitement in NY (financial markets), LA-area (some scientific stuff) and D.C. because the federal government was funding a bunch of things.  So having moved here, it seemed to make career sense to stay.  Proud to say I was a programmer for more than half of my working life (still working).  Always been involved in data  communications - so I am both a wire-head and a data-dink.  

Like it here - the climate is nice - not too cold in the winter (but we do get winter - lots of it) and not as oppressive heat and humidity as some other places in the summer.  Most of the time major storms go around us.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

That's an interesting question for someone like me. DH has been medical traveler for the last 7 years so I've gotten to live lots of different places. I've lived in some wonderful places they most people think they would kill to live and have hated it. I've discovered that I don't like BIG cities but I also don't care for an area that is too rural.

It seems like the number one question people ask us, is where will we retire. Right now, my three choices are so different they are almost shocking...Missoula, MT; Kihei, HI (Maui); or back home in southern IL.



telracs said:


> since i have to head out into the anonymous-ness of NYC to meet you, i'll answer your question later, bets....
> 
> and why are you in Starbucks if we're meeting for breakfast?


Probably because you don't get up at 4:30 in the morning!  She'll be on her second breakfast by your meeting time.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

We have lived in Maine (in the same house) for 32 years, although I grew up in New York and lived in Baltimore (1 year) and in exile in Chicago (2 years). I say in exile because I did not like being away from the ocean! When I finished graduate school in Chicago, my husband and I wanted to move back east, but I didn't want to go back to NY (too crowded and too expensive) and he didn't want to go back to Baltimore. We both liked New England, having spent many summers here (not together) on family vacations.

We love Maine and can't imagine living anywhere else. My son moved back to Maine last year after 5 years in NY. It's good to have him home.

L


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

sebat said:


> That's an interesting question for someone like me. DH has been medical traveler for the last 7 years so I've gotten to live lots of different places. I've lived in some wonderful places they most people think they would kill to live and have hated it. I've discovered that I don't like BIG cities but I also don't care for an area that is too rural.


I don't like big cities and I don't like even visiting big cities on vacation. I much prefer cities like Basel, Stockholm, and Leuven (Belgium) over Paris, London, or Rome.

L


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I just kind of ended up here. I moved out to Illinois to live with my now-husband, then we both got jobs, and now we're buying a condo, so we'll be here for some time. I'm originally from Oregon and although I do miss it, there are a lot of things I really like about Illinois, so I don't mind living here for the time being.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

Leslie said:


> I don't like big cities and I don't like even visiting big cities on vacation. I much prefer cities like Basel, Stockholm, and Leuven (Belgium) over Paris, London, or Rome.
> 
> L


My husband and I are the same way. We were living in Rutland, VT, had a 3 day weekend and chose Niagara Falls over NYC.

I liked the size of Tulsa, OK but not tornado season. 7 months in San Francisco was about all that I could stand but it's a beautiful city. I've lived in Honolulu 3 different time, 3 months is about our limit before the traffic and crowds out weigh the beauty. At 9 months, I've lost all my Aloha and am screaming like a maniac at the traffic. DH had a 2 hour drive home from work each night and we only lived 10 miles away!


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## Joyce DeBacco (Apr 24, 2010)

I was born in New Jersey, then moved to Pennsylvania for my husband's job. After parents retired and moved to Southwest Florida, we began visiting, liked the area and snowless winters, and moved here ourselves when we retired.

Joyce


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## Raffeer (Nov 19, 2008)

Not every one who lives in NYC lives in an apartment house. I grew up in Flushing (Borough of Queens) in a private home in a section of other private homes on treed streets. Went back not to long ago to find the infrastructure has not changed a bit. (large homes, lawns, trees etc) but the population/stores now is predominantly asian).
We eventually moved to Manhattan where I was able to walk to work and to darn near everything else I needed.
Noise will, of course, depend on the neighborhood you choose.
Now I'm in Florida (back to large house, trees, lawn etc). No snow, no ice and until recently family members.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I grew up in the Washington DC area and always disliked it; probably because it was my parent's choice.  I always know I had to move away.  In my early twenties I wanted to move to Atlanta, never having visited before, and flew down to get a room to rent; no one wanted to rent to me without having a job first.  A few years later a friend of a friend  in Florida let me crash at his place until I could rent a room or get a job and that decided my new location; but only lasted a few months (you don't want to live in Florida) and I went back to DC.  Only in my forties when my wife got a job offer outside of Seattle did find a place I'd like  to call home.  I wish I know what it was like out here when I was younger because I would have been hell bent on moving.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Because home is where the Navy sends you. 

We originally moved here when DH was on active duty, after being stationed in Orlando, Iceland, Gainseville (FL), Kaua'i, Point Mugu (CA) and London. When he retired he got a job so here we stayed.  It is pretty close to where I grew up in Frederick, MD.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

telracs said:


> since i have to head out into the anonymous-ness of NYC to meet you, i'll answer your question later, bets....
> 
> and why are you in Starbucks if we're meeting for breakfast?





sebat said:


> Probably because you don't get up at 4:30 in the morning!  She'll be on her second breakfast by your meeting time.


Exactly...had to wait somewhere till hubby wakes up! He barely got up in time for us to meet y'all...

Betsy


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

An interesting thread. Our only son decided to work in CA bay area and tried for many years to convince us to move here.  We were flying almost every three months from east coast. Finally the weather appealed to us and we made the decision to live here... 

The first move was more related to carrier opportunity.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I am an implant to Texas. I also lived in Oklahoma. I didn't really pick either of the places, just the way life goes. I don't think I'll be getting out of Texas anymore now  . 
I do wish I didn't live in such a large city. It makes me feel somewhat isolated as I despise driving here. So I only do it when I absolutely have to and I hate every minute of it. 

I miss walking to the bakery, strolling down and sitting down at a street cafe. But it is what it is and at least I don't have to deal with the winters anymore. I try to tell myself that when the temps go up over 100 degrees each summer  

Sometimes we just have to do what we have to do and that is that. Make the best I guess.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

telracs said:


> since i have to head out into the anonymous-ness of NYC to meet you, i'll answer your question later, bets....


So, we never got around to your answer....

Betsy


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> So, we never got around to your answer....
> 
> Betsy


sorry, just got home.....

i'm second generation NYer. Both sets of grandparents came to Brooklyn from Russia/Poland/Austria in the late 1800's/early 1900's. Both my parents were born in Brooklyn. My mother lived in the same house from the time she was born until the day she died. As Rafeer said, not all of NYC is big apartment buildings. I grew up on a block of 2 or 3 family homes, tree-lined and 3 blocks from a nice city park. I went to college in Brooklyn and rarely ventured into Manhattan. I loved here for 5 years for work (lived in a smaller NY city, then a SMALL town upstate), but then moved back here. What I love about here is that I don't need to drive, I have theater an hour away (and the subway runs 24/7), I can get to a pretty nice beach in the same amount of time, and I can avoid the crowds easily.

It does help however that I have a non-traditional work schedule and don't have to deal with rush hour subways.

Having loved in a small city and a small town, I'll take the city advantages. They outweigh the headaches.

Oh, and one last nice thing about NYC proper.... our powerlines are underground.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I was born in my home town and have lived here all my life. Even my kids were born in the same hospital I was!  It's not a place I would have chosen if I were randomly picking cool spots off a map. We have lots of tornadoes, sweltering summers, and freezing winters. Also, if I want to go to an Olive Garden, B&N, Target, or a big mall I have to drive forty minutes to Tulsa. But since all the family are here and hubby's job is here, I don't see us ever leaving.


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## Colette Duke (Mar 14, 2011)

I moved twenty-some times as a child, then stayed for six years in the small town I'm living in now. Being a teen in a small town, I couldn't wait to get out, so right after high school, I moved to the city with my fiancé. We got married, had kids, and after six years living in the city . . . life was too hectic, so we came back and settled down in our hometown (well, out in the country about 20 km from town), next door to my in-laws. We've been here for seventeen years and aren't likely to move anytime soon. We don't have an Olive Garden or a Walmart, but we do have a Tim Hortons, and what more does a Canadian girl need, right?


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## John Nelson (Jun 7, 2011)

After a twenty-year career in the military, I landed in California. My wife is a professor and now I'm a healthcare executive. We ended up in Utah primarily for my wife's job. 
It's where we both have good jobs. The LDS church controls the state and it isn't easy being a "heathen" among the saints, but we've found a counter-culture that's quite close-knit. I wouldn't have selected Utah by personal desire per se.... I think many of us make those choices based on job opportunity.


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## Starfire (Jun 25, 2012)

Health reasons for me.

I was born in Berkeley and lived in the east SFBA until 2003, when severe health issues meant I needed to find an area with much less air and water pollution. I found the home we have now online, moved up here in Jan 2004, and it's made a big difference for me.


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## anne_holly (Jun 5, 2011)

I headed out to Ontario because there were few PhD programs in my field back east, and I've stayed because this is my best bet for finding work. The city I am in now, I also feel a good deal of affection for. If I can't raise my son "back home" I feel this is an okay substitute for the time being.


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## sheiler1963 (Nov 23, 2011)

I live where I live because it's what I know how to do. I was born here, raised here and all that. My childhood was chaotic/traumatic and that lead me to a series of poor choices that followed me into young adulthood when I had a kid and finally realized I had to pull myself out of the chaos. I did just that and I pulled myself up right. I got a job that I didn't love, but enabled me to bring stability into our lives. I kept building on that to the point where I own a home, my kidlet is raised up right with a college degree, I have enough friends and the respect of those I live and work among. I'd love to leave here just the same. The kidlet has moved 2000 miles away to the east coast, I have no relationship with the 'dysfunctionals' and I still don't love my job. However I feel as though I'm stuck here now. This job I don't love, pays a pretty good wage, I have great 'bennies' I get 5 wks paid vacation, good retirement program etc; etc. I have no formal education (I dropped out of high school after the 10th grade) so starting at the bottom of a low end job at my age (I just turned 49 today actually) in a new place is just too scary.


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## C_Routon (Jun 7, 2012)

Moved to Alabama from a very small town in Georgia where my family still lives. It We'd moved around in the military but Georgia was always "home". Decided to move to Alabama two years ago when hubby's family - mom and brothers - decided to move there. Ended up in Tiger Country halfway between the Georgia line and Montgomery due to hubby's job in Georgia. 

Irony is that last year hubby and I divorced, he moved BACK to Georgia and I stayed in Alabama. I knew no one, no one knew me, but I could not go back "home". If I was going to make it work, I had to stay where there were job opportunities. 

Last October hubby and I reconciled and remarried, he came back to Alabama, we're still in Tiger Country (War Eagle!). We enjoy being both small town and rural, I have a pretty good day job, he's no longer driving 45 minutes to work in Georgia, we're able to rent a nice house, our son has a job and better chances of getting better jobs than in the small town we came from. 

I don't know that we'll stay here forever and ever, but for now it's home.


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## That Weird Guy.... (Apr 16, 2012)

My parents moved here in 1987 and of course, me being a child, _had_ to go with them. And truth be told, I really like it here. You don't have to drive more than 2 hours to get what you need. Big City, Mountains, Ocean, Desert. Plus we actually get all 4 seasons. Granted the cost of living is insane, but I do have a very inexpensive apartment and it works for me. Plus, there is the theatre scene in Seattle. Wonderful. Not nearly as wonderful as New York, but it will do. I like Washington. But of course if I had an expendable income I would be somewhere else.


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## WilliamEsmont (May 3, 2010)

I spent most of my twenties in Colorado, chasing the career thing. Then I got married and decided it would be good to be close to family for awhile so my wife and I packed up and headed to Virginia.

Almost immediately, we realized what a terrible mistake we had made, and we began plotting our return to the west. When the time came, we chose Tucson because of the weather, the recreation, and the food.

It took almost 40 years but I finally feel like I'm home.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

No particular reason.

Went to Manhattan School of Music for masters and stayed here.  Thought I'd move after graduation for an orchestra/university teaching job, but that never happened.

I live on the back of my building, so I it's quiet.  The first four years I lived on the front near a noisy, busy corner where Broadway meets Amsterdam.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

telracs said:


> .
> 
> Oh, and one last nice thing about NYC proper.... our powerlines are underground.


So are the ones where I live....

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


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## Nick Steckel (Sep 2, 2010)

Because staying in Chillicothe is the path of least resistance.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I am a 5th generation Californian. Went to grad school in Seattle, then spent 27 years in Montana. My kids were raised in MT, now live in CA. Twelve years ago DH and I decided to move to central WA, where we are staying for a while. California is still "home.'


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

I decided a long time ago that I was going to work where I wanted to live.  I now live in Central Oregon where there are 10,000' mountains, a top notch ski resort 20 minutes away, very healthy people and lifestyle, tons of outdoor activities, and only 4 hours to the beach.  The Visitors Center says we get 350 days of sunshine a year.  We have flannel sheets on the bed year round, and don't need air conditioning.  We live 20 mi. south of Bend which has 90,000 people.  If I really need something, I can buy it there or if really desperate I can drive 3.5 hrs to Portland.  Our nearest neighbor is 1/4 mile away.  Cannot imagine living in a big city with the congestion.

However, where we live it does snow about 4 FEET every winter!  But the next day is usually bright sunshine and powder skiing!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I live in the city I live in because after getting out of the Army, I found a job with my current employer, and ended up making a career out of that "entry" job, even though I had no intention of doing so when I started.  Once I made a career of it, I was stuck here, as there is only one location for my specialty with this employer!

I live in the particular place I live in because when my employer moved to new offices about ten years ago, I had a chance to relocate and live in an apartment a four minute walk from where I work.  One of the best decisions I ever made!  Not having the commute at the beginning and end of the work day is like having an extra hour (more or less) in each week day, not to mention that it saves a lot of wear and tear on my car and my nerves.  And is especially nice since gas prices have gone up so much.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

spotsmom said:


> I decided a long time ago that I was going to work where I wanted to live. I now live in Central Oregon where there are 10,000' mountains, a top notch ski resort 20 minutes away, very healthy people and lifestyle, tons of outdoor activities, and only 4 hours to the beach. The Visitors Center says we get 350 days of sunshine a year. We have flannel sheets on the bed year round, and don't need air conditioning. We live 20 mi. south of Bend which has 90,000 people. If I really need something, I can buy it there or if really desperate I can drive 3.5 hrs to Portland. Our nearest neighbor is 1/4 mile away. Cannot imagine living in a big city with the congestion.
> 
> However, where we live it does snow about 4 FEET every winter! But the next day is usually bright sunshine and powder skiing!


My grandparents lived over that way, down in La Pine. I looved hiking around on the buttes in the summer. 4 feet is nothing, though! I lived for a couple years in Houghton, MI, where it snowed an average of 17 feet every year!


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

_*THIS...*_










*.......................(view from my gates)*


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## Aaron Scott (May 27, 2012)

I don't believe "other places" really exist.


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## traceya (Apr 26, 2010)

Both sets of grandparents emigrated to Australia from Scotland, Wales and Germany, and settled on Queensland to live. My Mum was born in a little town called Mackay which is about 10 hours drive north of Brisbane city [Queensland's capital] and lived there for many years before eventually moving to the Gold Coast, about an hours drive from Brisbane. When she married she moved around a bit because of my father's work but had settled back on the Gold Coast by the time I was born. I lived there until I was 21 when I moved to Christchurch, New Zealand for a couple of years just for fun. When I came home from NZ I wanted to be close to my family so settled into Brisbane's southern suburbs and I've been here ever since. It's quiet, close to the beach, only 20 minute drive to the city and I'm close to most of my family. As Robbie's family is also local it's unlikely we'll move from this area although we are currently looking for a bigger house but in the same neighborhood. So I guess you could say I live where I live cause that's where life took me.


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## kindlequeen (Sep 3, 2010)

I live in the SF Bay Area, on the peninsula about 25 miles south of SF.  After some extensive research done by a distant relative, it's been determined that I am 7th or 8th generation (on my maternal Grandfather's side) San Franciscan.  Something super rare around here!  I am cheating though when I call myself a San Franciscan since I am the ONLY family member not born in the city limits (less than 1/2 mile outside though).  

I have dreamed of leaving here and got an education that could take me anywhere.  I have a culinary degree and a real estate license - everyone needs to eat and have a place to live right?  Why have I not left?  Because I know I will never come back since wages and living expenses around the country are vastly different from here (most who leave can never afford to return).  There is another reason though... My brother lives in Illinois; he's in Springfield which is the capital but it's pretty rural.  Every time I visit, I am itching to go home.  My experiences of the Midwest are strip malls with chain stores and flat land.  I need to be able to see the mountains and the ocean in the same day, eat in a hole in the wall that serves 4 star cuisine, and feel like there's endless opportunities to try something new.  I would also miss the fog.  As an adult I've come to appreciate our home, after all people who've lived in all corners of the world have come here and settled in so it can't be that bad.  I often sail on the bay and think about what promise and hope the Golden Gate Bridge has held for so many, how can I take that for granted?

If I were to move away, I could see myself in Chicago or Seattle, perhaps NYC but I've never been there.  Someday my DH and I are going to sail around the world but we both know in our hearts we will end up right back here inside the Golden Gate.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

I came to the DC area in 1968 as a kid with my parents, after moving within Europe seven or eight times before that. My dad had taken a job in DC which we thought would be for 2-3 years. (It ended up being the one he retired from 22 years later.) I went back to Germany at age 17, returned to the US at 29, and settled in the same area again because my parents were here.

Over 20 years later, I'm still here, partly because my parents are close by, and partly because there's nowhere else in the country I'd rather live. The DC area is a couple of hours from the beach and a couple of hours from hike-able and ski-able mountains. Gastronomically and culturally it has everything one might want. Schools are decent.

What kindlequeen said about the SF area applies here too....


kindlequeen said:


> I need to be able to see the mountains and the ocean in the same day, eat in a hole in the wall that serves 4 star cuisine, and feel like there's endless opportunities to try something new.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Hey all long time no see?    Seems everyone is active as ever and glad to see familiar face too.  

For me I feel it's fate. Just follow what was happening in my life. Come to the US lived here for 13 years then went back to Japan got married thought I will live there forever but now back to the US. Now I will live in both country. lol  Never know what might happen next though.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Shizu, haven't seen you around in _months_!! Welcome back. Hope all is well.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Susan in VA said:


> Shizu, haven't seen you around in _months_!! Welcome back. Hope all is well.


Hi Susan and thanks. All is good. How about you?


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Shizu said:


> Hi Susan and thanks. All is good. How about you?


Great to see you post, Shizu!


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Well, I grew up in Chicago (where I live now).  I spent three years living in St. Louis and have great friends there and fond memories, but I ultimately decided to move back to Chicago.  I love this city.

At the same time, I have, in recent years, grown fond of a small down in Western, PA.  I found it thanks to my fiancee whose grandmother lives in the area.  So, suddenly, the idea of moving to a small town in PA doesn't seem like such an outrageous thing to me anymore.


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## KTaylor-Green (Aug 24, 2011)

I was born and raised in Ohio. I have moved around a lot, but always in the same general area. Some of that was when I was a kid. We moved from the small town of my birth to a rural area about 40 miles away to the small city of Springfield. I graduated high school there. I moved south from there when I married the first time and my husband and I settled in the small town of Hillsboro because of our jobs. I stayed there for several years after my divorce because it was a nice place to raise my girls. But I  moved to Chillicothe for another job. I stayed there for 3 yrs then moved back to Hillsboro. 
My girls are married with families of their own now and I am remarried to a great guy who loves country living so I live where I do now because of him. I was never a career woman so moving some place for that kind of job opportunity never arose. Besides, my family is all fairly close. Most of Jess's family live in Chillicothe. Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton are only a 50 mile drive away for shopping or cultural pursuits. It all works and is comfortable.
We have done some traveling around the country and I have seen several places I thought I might like to retire to when Jess is ready. I do know one thing, it will be rural. I guess I love country living too!


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

We just moved to Honolulu, on purpose, to find a better home. My sister lives here, but it was the combination of ocean, mountains, community, education, and family that swayed us. Hubby is semi retired so we weren't tied to a job finally and could choose a location based on its merits for once. We were torn between Virginia where we also have family, but Hawaii won us over pretty easily. Once the kids were accepted to amazing schools we decided to make the jump. We should be closing on our house the week school starts if all goes well!


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

The Spouse Thingy and I were both military/government brats and moved around a lot as kids...we met in HS near Sacramento, where his dad had retired from the USAF. My family eventually moved onto San Antonio, but by then I was in college. Northern CA has always just felt like home, so even after the USAF moving us around for 20 years (including twice at Travis AFB, near home) we just wanted to come back here.

We settled in Dixon, CA after bouncing around in Vacaville for a few years; Dixon is very small, very quiet, and just a nice place to live. But it's also only a 40 minute drive to my MIL's house, a 2-3 hour drive to Tahoe or Reno, 50ish miles from San Francisco (probably my favorite place to just wander around), a couple hours to the coast, and Disneyland in only about 6 hours away. We're close to fun stuff, but not stuck in the middle of chaos.

I've really liked other places we've lived, but I love NorCal. Still...I would like to go to Hawaii to see how that feels. For research purposes. Yep


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

My parents were both born and raised in Atlanta. They never left. I was born here, too, and I never had any reason to leave. I went to college twelve miles away at Georgia Tech, then worked the next 34 years in downtown Atlanta. Actually, I've never lived more than 17 miles from the State Capitol.


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## William Peter Grasso (May 1, 2011)

My wife and I are both NYC born and raised, but we left it a few years into our marriage to follow my aviation career. We never looked back.

All our subsequent moves--and there were a few--were for that same reason. When I retired from the airline industry in 2006, we decided to live close to our grandkids, who were in Ohio at the time. Before any moving plans could be made, however, our son followed his career--and the grandkids ended up only a short drive away.

So here we stay, in a location necessitated by career, and now cemented by family.  

WPG


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## cc84 (Aug 6, 2010)

I'd love to experience New York but been from the UK i couldn't afford it. I still live in the city i was born in 28 years ago, and just a 5 minute drive from the house i lived in until i was 7, and i still live in the house we moved to. I like where i live, it's all i've known, i like the City and it's up North so it's not as expensive as living near London  

I'll probably never stray too far from my roots


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Well before now, we lived where my husband went to school at. He just finished grad school this last month and now we're in Chicago for his new job. Stay here for a few years and then off to the next step. So I guess, where ever the Feds want us. Personally, I'm hoping for Hawaii here in a few years but we'll see.


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