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With so many people on the move, a lot of us are now living in "other" places. My hometown in Southern California was bucolic while growing like a weed. I remember when a new area opened up in 1968 and the gorgeous new homes near the new golf course were $50,000 - the horror! None of us could believe it. My parents bought a house in 1963 for $22K. It's now assessed at $800K (yeah, everywhere's overinflated but anyway).
If money were not an issue, would you ever move back? There are lots of variables, of course. I recently spent time in my hometown. It went through a slump in the 90's and early 2000's but it's come back up in the world and is really nice again - even better than before (except my high school now looks like crap since they took out all the beautiful trees). I might move back if the opportunity arose but I wouldn't want to go back to the traffic. I do miss the mountains, deserts and beaches and that would be a major draw.
What would be a major draw for YOU?
The house mentioned above is now estimated at $947K. L.A. County. Would I move back to my hometown? Maybe, if I were not priced out..
Texarkana Texas/Arkansas? Hell no. No job prospects, nothing to do, high crime, people are like zombies on auto pilot just going through the motions day to day!
Suburban L.A., not far from OC. There are plenty of worse places to live
(anywhere that gets serious snow), and in some ways it's better than it used to be
(smog is not as bad as it was in my HS days, for one thing).
Of course, there's no end of things to do... whether it be museums, architectural tours,
trying new restaurants, etc etc. And the nearby San Gabriel Mountains are an enjoyable
destination... they're not as spectacular as e.g. the Colorado Rockies, but they're a refreshing
place to spend a day.
OTOH, L.A. is just too crowded... the metro area has a larger population than all but a few states.
So getting out and about to see the many great things... also means sitting in traffic... a lot.
And the heat is a bit much for me... I can put up with it, but I'd rather live in a place with milder summers.
And of course the cost of housing is a big negative.
So, to sum up, it wouldn't be the end of the world... but I wouldn't choose to move back.
North Jersey, Essex County. Absolutely not. Despite NYC being a 20-30 minute train ride away and some of the best suburbs in the country nearby, you couldn't pay me to move back. Too much riff-raff and low QOL, BAD job market if you're not a tech bro or in HC, out of control rent/housing, zones for riding a bus, the whole state has a lack of pride and hates its own.
Philly was my home away from home as I visited often during my childhood/young adulthood, and lived in the area from 2012-2019. Bad job market, bad governance. Good transit can't make up for those 2.
Pre-pandemic, yes I would have if I was making about double the amount of money I was. I have a very nice life here and would want to have some semblance of it if I moved back there. Its just way more expensive so Id need more money.
Post-pandemic, California is out of the question. I did not like the way restrictions continue to drag on.
Grew up in Kansas City. I've come to love KC the more I go back to visit family, but would only consider possible relocation back to my hometown if I were forced out of Chicago. I grew up in love with the idea of urban living in a huge city, so Chicago has been a great fit for me. Also, my partner is an immigrant and Chicago has great amenities and community that connect him to his home country. We love it here.
Last edited by thefallensrvnge; 06-21-2022 at 10:32 AM..
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