Crap - this was supposed to be in off-topic. I'll copy it over there. Disregard! Come over to the convo side and join the discussions!

Not really, but I do appreciate where I am. I live in an upscale area and it has taken many years to gather my small group of close friends. For some of these years it was difficult living here, not being part of the "in crowd" so to speak.
When we bought our home, it is a small split level, I rembered thinking that this is a house old people could live in.
We do enjoy and appreciate the amenities that this town offers. We can walk to a marina or a beach, and we do so often. We are a 45 minute commute to NYC.
Most of my family lives out of state and far.
We have recently purchased a house in Florida that we are currently using as an investment property. But, I would never want to live there full time.
So, this is a good question and one we ask overselves often. But, we have yet to come up with an answer.

This is where we have been forever, DH grew up about 15 minutes away in one direction, I did the same distance away, but another direction. It was a good place to raise the boys, close to most of both families.

But NOT where I want to be, or really have wanted to be for a long time. I HATE winter, and being outside of Chicago means winter (except this year, I guess). I hate the snow, the cold, the ice....

I had hoped we could move when younger DS was done with his first year of college. But he ended up coming home and going to school around here, DH switched jobs, and our house is worth nothing compared to what it was. So I am stuck for another couple of years.

But if there is any way to make it happen, I want to be somewhere warm, in a small community, ranch style house, somewhere I can find a job. Have thought maybe NC or SC, perhaps GA. Would love to be near a pond or river or lake or some body of water besides the puddles in the driveway! LOL

Love where I live, which is the safest city in America with a population greater than 100,000, eight years in a row now.

Very convenient to so many Southern Calif. attractions, beaches, desert, places to hike, etc.

My house and yard are way too small, but wouldn't dream of moving, we have the very best neighbors.

Jodi-

Yes, our recent move has brought us to the state we wanted to live in for a long time. Our children both went to college in this state and we spent many hours driving back and forth. Now that they have both graduated, here we are. Better late than never, I guess! We have an acre here, which is mostly woods. Yard will be easier to keep up once we get it under control. Shopping, library, and job are all within 5 miles, yet we are in a rural location. Very thankful to be here! Even found our new church home close by.

I like my town, but not my exact address as it is not very walkable. I'm also a bit frustrated with the tax burden of my location (sales, property and personal income). Eventually, I hope to downsize and move to a more walkable neighborhood, but I'm unsure whether I will leave the state or not. I guess I'll have to see what my overall economic situation is at that point.

Something we (I) consider it. DH could die in this house...I have been gone from my home state for 35 years. I met and married my husband here who was here on a transfer from his home state. I've had to make a life for myself here but just today I was thinking of how superficial I have to keep it. I must be up, happy, agreeable, not reveal too much and am and have been basically party filler type friend all these years. I have some people who would call me friend but it is only because I listen to and help them with all of their "events" and fundraisers ad nauseum. I don't really feel I could call them friend or even call on them to help me if I needed a ride to the airport or anything like that. There are a lot of divas in this town. I get so tired of them. But they are my connection here so there isn't much I can do about it. I long to be around some "real" people. The people here are fairly nice, but they would never think of considering anyone they haven't known since kindergarten and whose family hasn't been in the area for generations an actual person of true value. On the other hand, it's pretty here, there is lots to do, we have a beautiful home, most of the neighbors are acquaintance type nice. I'm sure everyplace has it's flaws, just tired of feeling on the outside all these years, even though we are involved in plenty of things. No one would guess I really feel this way. I blamed myself for years until I started hearing other newcomers mention it in whispered conversation. Newcomer? Did I mention 35 years living here? lol

Thanks for the replies! For some reason, I cannot add a topic on the convo side. ???? Maybe one of the powers-that-be will see this and move it. Thanks in advance!!

tina

In my nearly 47 years of marriage, I have lived all over the country. More years in Colorado than anywhere else...30 yrs. I miss it terribly, but now when I go back, it seems to have grown up to big metro areas. More traffic than I remember, just more of everything. Currently live in small town, on a beautiful lot, in a new home, with the very best neighbors anyone could ask for. Will probably spend the rest of my days here. I've always said as we've moved around the country..."Bloom where you are planted". Life is too short (ask me, I'm old!) to lament being in another place or time.

I love my house, yard, neighborhood and city but the summers are too darned hot. That is the only thing I would change!

LOVE my home and my area.
Hopefully I will never leave western PA.

We adore our town! It is a small town that is home to a super-competitive college...so many benefits to living in a college town. Our local schools are top notch, fascinating cultural events and fun athletics, and lots of smart babysitters for my children! :) Love the climate in the SE, love summer heat and mild winters, and we just built our forever home in a lovely small neighborhood of custom homes. Seriously, you'd have to bomb me outta here!

Yes, I love where we live. It's a very small town but very close to a major city -- I think from our house to the middle of downtown Boston is 7 miles. Our schools are excellent, I really like most of my neighbors, and we have wonderful friends in our town. My older kids can take a bus (the stop is 3 blocks away) to Harvard Square and from there, the subway to Boston. Our town is small enough that my kids can walk to almost all of their friends' houses, and our house is situated so that my kids have never taken a school bus -- they have always walked to school. I love that. And as a result, my older kids have not been in a rush to get their drivers licenses. There are some drawbacks -- we have a tiny yard, for example -- but overall, I am really happy with our choice to live here. We've been here 16 years. Before this, we lived in another town for 5 or 6 years, and I never felt "connected" there.

I too love my area. I think it is the location and not the house that has made my home a "dream house" for me. I can walk to the beach, train, shops, my marina, Jazz concerts on the green (every thursday), my child's school, Drs and many ethnic restaurants along with one small french bistro that has a Zagot rating of 29. Our schools are good but they also offer more diversity of race and economics than many of the surrounding areas' systems. The trade off is that my lot and home are small but I have a tree lined street and it is quite private for its size. Even though the homes are smaller, no one ever seems to move from my hood. Most of my neighbors, including myself, are only the second owners of homes built in the 20s.
Last week the grandson of the orginal owners rang my door to ask if he could take a picture of his children in front of the house. He said he has such wonderful memories of the house and the street and wished to share them with his daughters. I love that this house has such a happy past too!

I do, but it took me a long time. We moved from Nebraska to California about 25 years ago, and I missed Nebraska- the change of seasons, the big beautiful trees,- well, it was home. It took me about 5 years to learn to love it here, and I do love being close to the ocean and the warmth and sunshine. Now I probably couldn't live in Nebraska, couldn't take the cold!

I love where we live, too. We have a quiet, woodsy property around 30 minutes outside of NYC. So we feel like we're in the country, but it's a short trip to all the things a big city has to offer. Ironically, we live one town over from where I grew up-- a town I couldn't wait to leave when I was younger. Now I can appreciate all the area has to offer, and hope to be here long after I retire.

yes - and no. Dh and I both love where we live, love the way we set it up and had planned on staying here forever.

Unfortunlaty our adult childern have taken a likeing to living much farther south, and I don't think we'll stay living so far from them. It's about 16 hours of driving between us.

It about broke my house when Son bought his house, as then I knew my dream that some day he might move "home" wasn't going to ever happen. There are no jobs for him in his chosen carrer around where we live, and now that he's gotten use to GA winters, he has no desire to ever come back to SD. Then his sister decided she felt the same way.

Guess I should have had a few more kids. Now they are both badgering DH and I about when we're going to move south so they can see more of us.

I love my state, Texas. About the only thing I don't like about my 'city' is the traffic. Ugh! If all those people in all those cars would get out of my way, I could get where I'm going faster. lol

I like being in a metro area...you can find a great restaurant, cheer for several pro sports teams, take in a live play, symphony, or opera. Tour museums. Etc. I like having that close by.

As for my house. I like it. Really I do. Sometimes it seems like a great pair of shoes that don't feel as good to walk in as they do to look at. My house could be a slightly different layout or something to be more fit for us. Still thinking on whether that's the house's problem or mine.

I LOVE my gardens. Our acre was a former cattle pasture turned construction site when we moved here. Every tree, bush, and plant we put in ourselves...and it's pretty. If I could add some additional hardscape and an inground pool, I'd be even happier.

I love my sweet little town, it's so Mayberry. I mean, we have a drive In movie, a soda grill, a real main street, parades, festivals, fireworks on the 4th that I can see from my porch, beauty queens, fresh vegetables, cobblers, dry counties, gossip, make up, high humidity, churches, college football, turnip green fall gardens, train whistles, and homemade everything.

I love the south, I spent most of my life denying that I was even born here. Alabama was not to popular back in the fifties and sixies for obvious reasons.

I lived in every kind of place from cookie cutter subs to look a like row apartment buildings to cute duplex's in the northern suburbs to a very luxurious high rise in a large northern city.

I have lived in my house for ten years, it's a Victorian cottage built in 1895. God in Heaven knows I have had my share of problems here. You name it I've probably had the problem, only multiple it by five with this house. I've had squirrels in the attic that come every spring and fall, foxes that had pups in the grawl space that wanted to stay too.
The house is on the historical register and naturally is named after the builder of the house. However, I've called it Gray Gardens behind it's back, especially when I reached my limit. My friends would laugh, but I felt like they laughed in agreement. But, with all the problems and tears and Bubba fix it guys and all the money I've spent, I've truly loved it. I mean genuinely loved it.
I use to take the long way home, no matter how tired I was, just to see the farms with the long horn steers and the beautiful horses running wild behind the black fences that went for miles.

But, now it is time to close this chapter on my life and start a new one. I finally put the house up for sale last week and it wasn't hard at all. I didn't think I could do it, but I did.

I'm not completely sure what's in store for me after I sell Gray Gardens, but it will be part of my new dream. It could be living in a loft in Atlanta or living in a nice subdivision in Georgia.

I always said people that don't have children can have white sofa's. I plan on being happy no matter what the color.

.....Jane

Gray Gardens...

{{gwi:1507256}}

Jane! We will be anxiously waiting to hear about this new chapter in your life. Bittersweet I am sure to sell your grey gardens. Love your attitude and I have no doubt something great is in store.

tina

Oh Tina, your the sweetest, you are. I will keep you posted on Gray Gardens.

....Jane

We live in the suburbs of Atlanta and love it. It's a smaller town and we have no interest in moving anytime soon. We live in a fairly small neighborhood with lots of great neighbors and I wouldn't change a thing other than my commute to work which is about 45mins one way. My DD is 8 and says she never wants to move. Sure hope not because she is our only and if she moves too far away, I am afraid we will be following

Absolutely!
{{gwi:1446015}}From Lavender's Garden

Macy, lots of beautiful areas in Georgia. Once you leave those northern winters behind it's hard to go back.

Jane, I enjoyed your post. Sounds like you're leaving the house and Alabama. Best of luck with the sale!

I live in an unincoporated area, about 15 minutes outside of Asutin~~I have to drive 15 for groceries, etc. That drive takes me thru the country where I see fields of wildflowers, sweetcorn, cows, horses and whatever else you would expect to see in the country. After living in the cement city of San Diego, do I love it? Absolutely without a doubt!! ;o)

Thank you Natal and Goldust. You girls have meant so much to me over the past four years, all of you.

I like it, I grew up here, I raised my kids here, it will always be my hometown. But now that most of Southern California is really one big city, I'm ready to leave.

Everytime I get into the 4 corners area and up into the pinion trees, my soul feels like it is home. I'm dying to retire outside of Santa Fe somewhere on a 5 acre lot and have chickens, a few foster dogs, space, privacy, seasons, and brilliant blue skies.

Moving is more of a 5 year plan, but with a grandbaby on the way in Colorado, the timeline might be shortened. Just wish our retirement account was big enough to let me retire at 50!

I like November through May, but June through October is just too hot for me. I disliked my house for years but am finally beginning to make it mine and like it. But I could leave in a heartbeat if it meant living closer to my children. Now that dd is married, I don't think she'll ever move back here. I keep telling dh that the minute I find out they want a baby, I'm putting a sign in the yard.

I love the mild Carolina winters (we both grew up in the Northeast and Midwest) but summer can be incredibly hot, though this weekend is amazingly beautiful. It's no different than snow because you are sometimes stuck inside.

We live in a large metropolitan area with a hub airport, so travel can often be done nonstop. There are good restaurants, arts, and and music scenes. We love rock concerts, so we get to see most of the major ones here.

Marti, I will make a 75% bet you will eventually move when the grands start coming. I moved to Austin from San Diego and have never regretted it~~i'm as close to having my dreamhouse as i'll ever be, too! Those litte'uns just grab a hold of your heart strings and won't let go. ;o)

Interesting question. We live where we do because originally it was where my DH found a teaching job after college. Then we stayed put because one set of grandparents was 20 minutes away and the others only 1-2 hours away (my parents got the moving bug several times in later life). It was a good place to bring up kids and we've been in this house for 38 years. Now the kids are gone. One will forever be in the DC metro area unless he gets posted overseas again, which is possible. One has followed her DH to a job in N.CA, they're expecting #2, and the last just got a job, also in the Bay Area. Will we stay? We're just doing all the things to the house and property that we've always wanted to do. A garden doesn't just spring into life overnight, you know. On the other hand, I'd like to be closer to the two that are still on the west coast. My grandson needs lots of snuggles. I could be talked into a move. I think.

I am hoping that I will love my new address. I moved to this area four years ago because I needed a change of scenery and have family in this area. After renting for a while I just bought a house a few miles outside Seattle on a mountain. It has beautiful views and is walking distance to the smallish nearby town.

I do like the polite reserved people around here. The cultural activities are good, and employment in my profession is also good. The only thing I really do not like is the cold and rainy springtime. I am ready for the rain to be over by March and it continues through the end of June. That part is not so nice, but I am getting used to it.