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How did you decide what city/town to call home?

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KimberlyH

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I'm curious as to how everyone picked a place to settle down in. Is it job/job opportunities? Is it the place you grew up? Is it a place you visited and fell in love with? Is it for some totally different reason that I didn't list?

ETA: I guess I'm not done asking questions...once you settled in did you ever contemplate moving? If so why? And what did you end up doing?
 

WTNLVR

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Hubby and I grew up in our hometown. When it came time to get a bigger house we had to leave town as the prices are out of this world. So, we looked in surrounding towns, looking for a really rural feel- lots of woods and a country type atmosphere. Went from a town population of about 12,000 to one of about 7,000 and 12 miles down the road more or less. Couldn''t be happier- in easy driving distance of everything and in the rare event we want to go to a major city it is less than an hour away. Area feels like we are living in the back roads of NH but with most of the conveniences of living in a large town. Bought new construction double the size of our old house for a really good price and it has appreciated over 300K in 10 years- even with the market the way it is now. All our family and friends are in the area so we had no interest in moving any further away.
 

mrssalvo

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I moved here to go to grad school. met my now hubby would moved here for work 10 years earlier. I never really thought about whether I''d move home or not after grad school but decided to stay after getting engaged. My sister also moved here to start her undergrad at the same school and then my parents moved here 2 years later so it''s really become home to me. Of course I grew up in Cincinnati and that will always be *home.* Hubby is up for a new job though which could have us moving to a new city in a few months though.
 

bee*

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In Ireland, a lot of people, if born in Dublin, tend to stay here, unless they are wanting the country life. I was born and bred here and I cant ever see myself leaving. If I was to live anywhere else in the world it would be New York, but I dont think that I could ever get D to live there. My university is in Dublin too, about 20 minutes from my house so I have everything close by. You can travel the whole way across Ireland in 4 hours too so if we want to go for a spin, we dont have very far to travel!!
 

akw94

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Kimberly, I went out of state for college. While there, I had my son. I never planned to stay in my college town but wasn''t necessarily wanting to come back home. I was accepted to law school so I moved back to my home-town so that my parents could help w/my son during my schooling. I have been here since but always planned to move. I''m in a cold weather state and have never liked that. But where I''m thinking of moving has changed drastically. Now, due to my FI''s daughter living elsewhere, we will move there when it''s possible. Luckily, it''s a warm weather location too! I''m excited but nervous about moving. It''s not definite due to career issues but likely w/in a year or two.
 

KimberlyH

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bee: my parents are taking their first vacation outside of the US this spring, they are spending 10 days in Ireland. Two of my aunts and an uncle will be traveling with them. I am so envious and excited for them! It sounds like Dubln is home to you for good!

So it sounds like college towns ended up being "home" for several of you, and family influenced where you live.

As an almost 30 year, whose DH is 9 years her senior it seems like such a tough decision to make! I''ve lived in CA my whole life, up and down the state. DH has only lived in San Diego, he''s a rare bird around here, a true native. His business gives us the ability to live whereever we choose, and I am currently attending school so I am not obligated to a career at this point, which presents quite the issue as there are several places we are both interested in living, but they are nowhere near family. We''re in no rush to make a choice, thank goodness, as this presents me with quite a quandry!!!
 

bee*

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Kimberley, they''ll have an amazing time over here. They should definitely travel around Kerry, Galway and Mayo as well as a couple of days in Dublin of course
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. They''re visiting at a lovely time of the year too-although you can never plan for the weather over here! If you need any info for them, just give me a shout!
 

KimberlyH

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bee, They are so excited. They land in Shannon and will travel to Dublin, stopping along the way for a night here and there, then stay in Dublin for 3 days, I believe. I''ll be sure to seek you out if they have any questions.
 

zoebartlett

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Well, I''m not sure we settled down here by choice necesssarily, but where we live now is close to my "new" job (this is now my 2nd year teaching at my current school). I''m from the area originally and I happen to work in the same school district that I grew up in. I always loved the thought of going back and teaching in the same area where my former teachers taught (and some still do, which makes it hard when I see them. I still want to call them Mr. or Mrs. X, although I know that professionally, we''re on a first name basis now).

I still really miss the town and area we lived in before moving here because I had lived there for 5 years and had come to think of that as my home. Where we are now will always be my childhood home, and that''s comforting in a way. My boyfriend and I were born and raised in our state and at times we talk about seeing a different part of the country. I''m not sure I could move easily though -- I''m a home body who likes to have my parents nearby. I''ve never actually lived more than a 90 minute drive from my parents''.
 

Maisie

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I have ended back in the city I grew up in. I moved away in my early 20''s and spent 4 years in Germany. I always said I would never live come back here but when my first marriage broke down I needed the support of my family.

I sometimes yearn to travel again but being a busy mum I don''t think its something that will happen anytime soon. The way I see it is I want to live near my family as my parents are getting old. My children are happy here so it would probably not benefit any of us to move on.

I will just have to have lots of overseas holidays!
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aljdewey

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Kimb, I live in the North Shore of MA...on the NH border. My family moved around a bit when I was young due to Dad''s job, but Maine was home to me mostly. My folks still live in Portland (about 90 minutes north of us), and hubby''s family still lives in Plymouth, MA (about 90 minutes south of us).

When I was in my mid-20s, I wanted a little more activity, so I moved down here to Northern Shore area of MA. Lived here nearly 14 years or so before getting married. Hubby is from MA too, but orig. from South Shore.

We both work at a company about 15 miles North of Boston. When we were deciding to buy, things we considered were:

1. Ease of commute (only 30 minutes and totally non-stressful commute).....highway for 10 min and then charming backroads for 20. Ease of travel recreationally, too - we live directly off one major highway, and we are 15 min from either of two other major highways.
2. Affordability/value for money in housing: Our city used to be more blue-collar about 50-75 years ago, but morphing nicely. It''s safe, and surrounded on all sides by upscale, desirable towns as well. Our tax rate is the lowest of any surrounding town as well, so that helps.
3. Ties to the area: my best friend lives in the same town (about 3 miles away) and her husband and mine are quite close too. Her husband has a local business here. One of my other girlfriends lives about 10 miles from here (owns house w/fiance, getting married, and grew up, so she''ll be in this area long-term). Two other close gals live about 25 miles from here - see them at least every 2 weeks.
4. Good access to things we care about: good places to eat, easy shopping, close proximity (15-20 min) to the ocean (hubby and I both grew up near the ocean).

Another significant reason we decided to stay in the area for now was family. My folks are still fairly young (in their early/mid 60s), but I''m more aware than ever that they won''t be here forever, and I feel strongly about not squandering that time I have with them. As long as they are around, we won''t be going anywhere.

We''ve thought that eventually (15-20 years or so?), we''d like to move. Since becoming homeowners, hubby has developed a penchant for puttering in the yard, so we''d eventually like to move someplace where he can spend more of the year outside in his yard. Our priorities then will be:

1. More temperate climate - no snow, and hopefully more of the year can be spent outdoors. We ideally want someplace with less humidity.
2. More reasonable cost of living - more value for the dollar than metro Boston area offers
3. More reasonable "life pace" - more laid back than this area, we hope.
 

littlelysser

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Very interesting question.

I lived in Pittsburgh, PA from the time I was born until I was 7. My parents then moved to Denver and then to Cincinnati. I was living in Cincinnati when I applied to law schools and luckily, I was accepted at a law school in Pittsburgh and so I moved back, not really knowing anyone or having any close family here. It was odd, but I came back and it just felt like home. I''ve been here almost 10 years now! Which is really scary.

I met my FI 5 years ago (he''s from Holland, actually) and he has a great job. We live in a great part of the city - it is literally a 6 minute drive from my house to downtown. Housing is completely affordable. There are wonderful restaurants here. The people are great. I like the work ethic of the city. Good museums. I like that is a decent sized city, but it is kind of divded into little cities. I just love it here. There is a surprising amount of culture. I just love this city. Oh, and I happen to LOVE the Steelers. And finally, I love when people come to visit us and leave with a totally different impression of Pittsburgh than they did when they came.

That having been said, I would move if one of our job''s required it. I can''t imagine any other reason, honestly. Perhaps if I decide to get my Phd and...but really, I really love this city...

Kimberly - where are you now? are you considering moving somewhere else?
 

KimberlyH

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littlelysser,

We live in a suburb of San Diego, DH''s is a San Diegan born and bred. I am not beholden to the area, but my parents are a 2.5 hour car ride away, my sister her family and my closest friends are a 1.5 hour airplane ride away, in a tad bit different directions. DH is the last of his line, and his mom recently passed away so his family ties don''t keep us here. He has some good friends nearby, Ibut doesn''t see them too often and have not created great ties within the community. We live in a beautiful home iin a safe community, close to great food/restaurants, the beach, a lively downtown, etc. I have no complaints about where we live, nor does he, in fact there is much to love about our wonderful life, we both feel truly blessed.

We have toyed with the idea of either moving to Oahu or Chicago, but lately we keep coming back to Chicago. It was where we had our first "date" and we travel there about 3-4 times a year (so we''ve experienced every season); when we arrive a feeling of being at home comes over both of us. Hubby has expanded his business a bit and recieved an unsolicited job offer there recently which has really gotten the wheels turning. He isn''t interested in the job, although the offer was outstanding, but it did spur a conversation about us possibly moving.

His biggest fear is that I would miss my family tremendously. I talk to my mom about 4 times a week and we email throughout the day. My sister has a 1 year old that I already feel removed from and I''m not sure how I would react to being further away.

The lifestyle we would live in Chicago would be quite different from that which we have here. We would choose to live in the city in a condo as opposed to living in a rural area, with property, producing crops, as we do now. Both lifestyles appeal to us, as opposite as they are. I guess the biggest issue would be leaving my family. We have yet to decide whether or not we''ll have children, but if we do, that would present another issue as I always imagined rearing a child/ren near my parents. They are and would be terrific role models and grandparents, aside from being a great support to both DH and myself.

We are in absolutely no rush to make a choice, as their is an up and down side to any decision we make, but many conversations in our household have revolved around this as of late so I was wondering how people made such a big choice, if they are presented with it.
 

KimberlyH

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alj,

Your priorities seem quite similar to mine and DH''s (good food, close to a body of water, shopping, etc.), except that we would be changing slow paced for fast paced in that we would move from the suburbs to the city. But the feel of SD is much different than that of Chicago, Chicago has big city style with mid-western friendliness, San Diego can be a bit cold in regards to how people treat one another. The value of a $ is much different here than it is there, as well in regards to housing.
 

ellaila

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Cool question!

I'm Boston born and bred (well, actually Boston born but suburbs-bred) and we currently live in Boston. My hubby is orig. from Venezuela but raised in Florida from the age of 10 and came to UMass for college.

We're currently in a condo but desperately want a house, so we're in a really big indecisive phase of where to live. We've been tossing around Boulder, CO, for the past year and a half as a potential place to live ... any Colorodoans (Coloradites??) out there?

The only family we have here is my Dad and a few cousins -- all our other family members are scattered across the country, so really there's not too much keeping us here other than a fear of the unknown!
 

KimberlyH

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Ah, the unknown, ellailia, I know that feeling well. The discussion continued at dinner and continues to become more serious and contemplative.

I wish there was an easy answer to this. DH is really drawn towards moving, especially because he''ll be close to some of the greatest medical schools/facilities in the country and would be able to finally put his master''s degree to good use while continuing on in his current business on the side.

My brain hurts!!!
 

Skippy123

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Hey, nice question.

I grew up in New Mexico; I always planned to move away. My husband moved here from Richmond, VA. I went to his hometown and did not like it so we stayed here. I always wanted to move to CA. If he is ever offered a job out there for sure I will tell him to jump on it!

My husband has an awesome job and mine is great; that is what makes it hard to leave. Albuquerque is great for the outdoor activities (hiking, biking,skiing). I would actually like to live closer to water, but every year we go to Hawaii for at least 2 weeks so that is when we get our ocean needs met.
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coda72

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The suburbs of Philadelphia are my home right now, but eventually I want to move to Hawaii. I hate winter and the cold, and I''ve always loved Hawaii. I dragged my husband there 3 years ago, and he fell in love with it also. So, we bought a property and hope to be able to move there in a few years. I grew up in northwestern PA not far from Erie, and I really hated the winters there. After college, I decided to move to the eastern part of PA because of better job opportunities, and I hate to admit this, but also because I had a crush on a guy that lived in Philly. In the end, I''ve had a good life here and I''m happy here, but I know I''ll be much happier where it never gets cold.

Kimberly, I can''t believe you want to move from San Diego to Chicago. Are you really sure you want to experience cold winters!?!? As a person who hates the cold I would never contemplate moving to another place with cold winters. San Diego seems like a nice place from the one time I was there. The pace did seem much slower than what a bigger city like Chicago might be. I find I''m really wanting a slower pace. I look forward to early retirement and just relaxing!
 

KimberlyH

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Coda,

You aren''t the first person to say that to me/us. I will actually handle the cold winters better than DH, he is not a fan of cold weather, I rather enjoy it (especially if we lived in a condo where we didn''t have to break out the snow blower just to leave the house!). But he''s experienced the cold of Chicago (we''ve been there in a few occasions when it is below 0) and is still extremely interested in moving. The expansions he could make within his business, as well as the proximity to a few places he''s always dreamed of working, among other factors are a huge draw for him.

As for moving to a big city, I was raised in LA county, so the busy-ness is a non-issue, I actually love the buzz of a city. DH grew up 5 minutes from downtown SD, near one of the busiest tourist areas in the city and is quite used to it. As for a comparison: San Diego is the 8th largest city in the US, Chicago is the 3rd. But the feel of the two cities is quite different. SD can be a very cold city, personality-wise, it is in many ways a smaller version of LA. Chicago has a totally different feel to it, very old and warm.

I told him last night I could only move if it was on a trial basis, we would each have a year to say we wanted to move back to SD. ANd like I said, either way we have a lovely life, it''s just about making a choice regarding which lifestyle we''d prefer (condo living, suburban living) but we like them both equally for different reasons.
 

Mara

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well i was born and raised here in the silicon valley area...i have never really lived anywhere else. greg was born and raised in the east coast and came out here for a job opportunity. he never really intended to stay here very long, and certainly not 7+ years as he has done so far.

the pace here is very fast and people are always on the gogogo. most of what people care about around here is what you do, how much you make, where you live. it's a very material kind of area. having been raised in this environment, it's funny to actually see what it is like when you grow up and are actually living in it. the weather is great, there are tons of great places to go (water, mountains, big city all within a drive), lots of great places to eat, lots of great people to meet. but it's very expensive.

often i daydream about a big house in the country with lots of land around it and the ability to do what i actually would want to do with my time. both greg and i have hobbies that would be realized if we had a big house and a lot of land. we talk about retiring to a place like that...but we think that right now if we did anything like that we'd be bored. as much as we don't love the gogogo lifestyle here, we also may miss it if we left because we are still young and still fresh and lively and we do enjoy parts of being in such a busy, thriving area. just not the work stress part and the super expensive part!

we are considering leaving this area and going elsewhere, especially if we want to raise a family. i don't want to be a working mom, or i'd like to work part-time max...and around here it's really hard to do that and have 1 or 1.5 incomes and still 'get ahead' for the future. also we are starting out with kids later in life, and we are not that far from retirement. so do we want to struggle with a 900k mortgage payment on a tiny house on 1 income and not be able to afford the better things in life we have now with 2 incomes? and what about schooling for our child, helping them get ahead, could we afford it AND also plan for our retirement? and greg would be seriously stressed all the time about being the sole breadwinner in a super competitive arena. anyway, we are considering a bunch of options. practically we should move away and give ourselves and future kids a better and more relaxed and yet still priveleged lifestyle in a suburban area of a smaller state where there is tech opportunity. there are a few out there we are looking into. but on the other hand, my entire family and life is here and always has been, it would be really mentally hard for me to leave. i see my parents like 2x a week so they are very enmeshed in our lives. but we are also trying to think about OUR family, aka Greg and I and what is best long-term. so it's tough.

in any case we have set apart this year 2007 to mentally try to make some decisions on what our plans are. we plan to take a few trips to areas we have been checking out and see if we can imagine our lives there. so we'll see!! it might show us that there are other options for us, and make us excited, or it might make us realize that we should stay here a little longer...who knows. change is scary!
 

KimberlyH

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Change is scary, Mara. My parents aren''t physically as close to us as yours, but they are such a huge part of my/our life, and I can''t imagine being so much further away from them. Especially with the potential for grandchildren still in the mix.

I never thought I''d be faced with a decision like this, so making it is going to be quite difficult. I always just assumed I''d end up near my mom and dad, but that doesn''t coincide with this.

We agreed to hold off on the discussion about having/not having kids until we''d been married 1.5 years, but it came up last night in light of our considering moving. There is a private school in Chicago that is linked to the private school DH attended here. We couldn''t afford to send our child to the school here, but we could if we moved and that means a lot to him. We both also love the cultural offerings in Chicago, the museums, the plays, the Shedd Aquarium, etc. that we don''t have here and would be terrific for children, as well as us, we would both be in heaven if we had such close access to those things. The downside is I can''t imagine traveling on an airplane with kids, I am one of those passangers who seeks out children and avoids them at all costs, I think it''s frightful what parents subject entire planes full of people to, and I would have to become one of those parents in order to see my family. That doesn''t sit well with me.

So many things to consider!!!
 

diamondfan

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We moved to the suburbs of Philly because my hubby bought a company in South Jersey 10 years ago and we love it and even when we could have moved (company sold) we decided to stay here! I was born and raised in Beverly Hills, Calif, so the cold was a shock, but I am fine now!
 

MichelleCarmen

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We chose our location based on a few factors. We wanted to be near the city, but not in the city. We also wanted privacy, but not be out in the middle of nowhere w/out decent grocery stores or schools with diversity. Plus, of course, we had to look at housing prices and what we could afford (and we ended up spending $100,000 MORE than our budget - which was painful then, but now with how much prices have gone up since, we lucked out!)

We basically wanted to find a house with 1 acre, privacy, and near to where we were currently living. . . luckily we found a house by looking at the MLS database and finding the perfect house the VERY day it went onto the market. It's on 1.23 acres with privacy and a great japanese maple landscaped yard. It's also in the best school district in the surrounding region.

Even though we are settled, the ONLY reason we're contemplating moving is our house isn't big enough. It's 2,600 sq. feet and now as my kids are getting older, we need another bedroom and a rec. room. We're thinking of hiring an architect and building on.

(ETA - we live 30 min. NE of Seattle)
 

KimberlyH

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Thanks for sharing your stories, everyone! I really appreciate it. DF, you''ve given me food for thought re: the weather. I think I''d react the same way you have. MC, we''d be trading acreage for non, and have no kids at this point. I am not someone who needs a lot of space, but DH is and I think he wants to move more than I do even though we''d be losing land and sq. footage (we live in a rather large home) and property. In the end the adjustments will be harder for him, if we move, because I''m the more flexbile of the two of us. I would just really be missing my family. I don''t know if it''s better or worse that this isn''t something we have to decide right now.
 

Cehrabehra

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My husband and I met in 1975 in san diego, ca and that is where (aproximately) we plan to move next year - finally. I was living in san jose when he joined the military and after moving to florida, new york, back to CA for 1 year, wa state, and then here to oregon (where I *never* ever wanted or planned to live) where we have been living for over 10 years now.... When the dh got out of the navy he got a good job and we''ve been saving to move back ever since. We came very close in 2000 but he was in school and just as we said "pass" the housing market there boomed and our stock took a dive.

It would be very easy to say that where we are now is home. Both boys were born here, we have two houses here, a great network of friends, my daughter has been here since she was 2.5 and is in 7th grade now... we''ll be moving right before she starts high school. It would be VERY easy to say this is home.... but it isn''t.

We are californians in our souls and long like nothing to be back home. I''m a 5th generation californian and it really kills me I didn''t have a child in california
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In a big way home to me will always be san francisco and to a lesser degree san jose... but also san diego. My family isn''t large (dad, half brother, step mother) in oakland... extended family spread out... where as dh''s family (mom and dad still married, 3 siblings, 8 cousins) are all within 5 miles of each other - mostly within 1 or 2. We plan to live about 30 minutes away (can''t be TOO close haha) because I''m a bit of a snob and I want better neighborhoods and schools for my kids. But having known my inlaws for 22 years almost, they are also MY family and family has a pull for sure :) If it wasn''t for them we''d probably stay here out of convenience. But I HATE the weather here 3/4 of the year.
 

KimberlyH

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Date: 2/22/2007 1:02:01 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
My husband and I met in 1975 in san diego, ca and that is where (aproximately) we plan to move next year - finally. I was living in san jose when he joined the military and after moving to florida, new york, back to CA for 1 year, wa state, and then here to oregon (where I *never* ever wanted or planned to live) where we have been living for over 10 years now.... When the dh got out of the navy he got a good job and we''ve been saving to move back ever since. We came very close in 2000 but he was in school and just as we said ''pass'' the housing market there boomed and our stock took a dive.

It would be very easy to say that where we are now is home. Both boys were born here, we have two houses here, a great network of friends, my daughter has been here since she was 2.5 and is in 7th grade now... we''ll be moving right before she starts high school. It would be VERY easy to say this is home.... but it isn''t.

We are californians in our souls and long like nothing to be back home. I''m a 5th generation californian and it really kills me I didn''t have a child in california
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In a big way home to me will always be san francisco and to a lesser degree san jose... but also san diego. My family isn''t large (dad, half brother, step mother) in oakland... extended family spread out... where as dh''s family (mom and dad still married, 3 siblings, 8 cousins) are all within 5 miles of each other - mostly within 1 or 2. We plan to live about 30 minutes away (can''t be TOO close haha) because I''m a bit of a snob and I want better neighborhoods and schools for my kids. But having known my inlaws for 22 years almost, they are also MY family and family has a pull for sure :) If it wasn''t for them we''d probably stay here out of convenience. But I HATE the weather here 3/4 of the year.
Cehra,

I was born in AZ, but have lived in CA (up and down the state) my entire life, I wonder how I would feel about leaving the only place I know to be home, even if I''m not connected to a particular city. Home is where my husband is, and secondarily where my family is but I''m not necessarily attached to the city we live in. Hmmm....so much to think about.
 

ImpatientOne

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Well, I was born and raised in this area. I currently live in a suburb about 25 miles form where I grew up. I have lived in many different suburbs (and the big city) in this general area.

I often longed to move somewhere else, but once I had kids my sisters told me they would kill me if I ever tried to take my kids and move away. So I stayed. I'm glad I did as I was a single parent and having family around for my kids was important, I think.
Now that my youngest is almost out of high school (one more year), I am close to being free to move where ever.

My fiance is active duty military, so it is pretty much guaranteed that we will have to move within the next 2-5 years. It will be weird (but exciting) for me to live somewhere different after so many years here. We might even shoot for an overseas assignment
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butterfly 17

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I was born in the Phillipines and came here when I was 3 with my grandmother. My parents and brother were already here and I think my parents chose Brooklyn, NY b/c that is where they had some family already living.

So, I grew up in Brooklyn throughout my childhood and into my 20''s.

I never thought about buying a house in Staten Island, NY, but I always considered it my lucky place as this is where I passed my road test for my DL and my NYS Nursing Boards.

We originally planned to buy in Long Island, in particular I liked East Meadow,but as we started looking at houses and thought about the whole babysitting situation, we decided that SI was closer and easier accessible to both of our jobs, but also not too far if we wanted to visit family, needed a babysitter, etc.
Also, we realized that even though the houses were smaller and there was less land in SI, compared to LI, they were also newer which was important to us since we both don''t know how to fix a thing and since we probably wouldn''t have any money left once we put all our money for the down payment, we figured it would be better to buy new than to buy a fixer-upper.

We actually planned to move from here to Texas or Georgia when my husband retires in a few years and buy a really really big house with lots of land, but I didn''t want to be that far away from family, so we sold our semi-detached house and just bought a detached house here in Staten Island.

If we didn''t find this house, I am pretty sure we would keep our original plan and move out of state, but for now I am content.
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Staten Island is easy to get to, everything on the island is easily accessible by car, it''s easier to find parking than in Brooklyn and Queens, it has all the things of the other boroughs, but it''s just not as crammed.

The mall is 10 minutes away, NJ is 10 minutes away as well.

The downside is the toll bridge, but residents pay a discounted fair and they also have a car pool plan so it''s not too bad for residents.
 

firebirdgold

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
2,216
I was born and raised in LA, and was happy to move away. I picked where I am now solely because it seemed like a nice place to live. It''s beautiful, lots of outdoor space, it''s small and can be crossed in 15 minutes, my parents live here half the time (now a minus), and it has great restaurants and cultural stuff. He came out here for his dream job, and because it''s beautiful.

Since I met him my priorities have changed. I''m more interested in a good nightlife (interesting bands, etc), living somewhere with a younger demographic, being farther away from my parent. and green. I really miss green.

Now we need to move. (dream job morphed into nightmare job) We very much want to move to Eugene, Oregon. We think we''d have a better quality of life, that''s more suited to us, than we could elsewhere. Besides, he went to college there and still has friends in the area, plus it''s only 2 hours from Portland and his family by train. I think he worries about his father''s health. I''d rather be closer to his folks than mine anyway!

I''m really close to my parents and talk to my mother all the time. Quite frankly I need to distance myself and be more independent. I don''t know, it''s just important to me to change the dynamics now that I''m getting married. And that''s a whole lot easier with physical distance.

Anyway, we''re not sure we can make Eugene work, but where ever we end up we''ll try to pick an area within it that offers us best lifestyle:
1) Proximity to work and entertainment
2) I won''t get run over if I ride my bike to the market.
3) Can afford a pretty house with a yard for the dog and a vegetable garden
4) Doesn''t feel crowded with people
5) Relaxed feel with no social pressure to look a certain way or buy stuff
6) Music we like comes through frequently
7) Stuff to do on the weekends
8) Sushi
9) No more than 3 hours total travel time to his family in case of emergency.

But most of all, home has to feel comfortable and like.. well... home.

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jcrow

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
7,395
i wasn''t born here, but i don''t claim where i was born b/c my dad was in the marines and i was born where he was stationed. but i was RAISED here. here (louisiana) is home. a couple of years ago i contemplated moving. i was considering austin. but other things fell into place. i met my now husband and he moved here. he found a job where he could be mobile if needed since we weren''t sure where we were going to live and i wasn''t sure my job was stable. since then, we married and i changed jobs to a more secure one as did he (within the same co.) and we bought our first home. i''m not sure if this is where we''ll end up, but i must say i really love it here. the culture, the people, the food, the music. it''s very very unique and we''d miss it dearly if we moved.
 
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