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As I've traveled, I've often wondered why people decide to live and work in the towns/cities in which they live/work.

Mostly, I think about this in terms of the small "mom and pop" type stores or shops or service centers that cater to only a small geographical region. Of course, with the internet, in most cases, those same businesses can reach farther than ever before. Yet, I wonder what brought them to set up a brick'n'mortar business and home in the location they have chosen.

Was the decision made because of the location of family? The location of friends?

Or, was it the cost of living? The cost of doing business?

Or, was it due to a particular opportunity?

And, given how much I love to travel, I've wondered if people ever think/dream about moving around from town to town every so often.


For those that HAVE moved around a lot ... or travel a lot ... I've wondered if they've ever thought about "settling down" somewhere in particular.

*shrugs*

Or, perhaps I'm odd enough to wonder about these things ... he he.


Heh ... I'm not even sure I can answer any of those questions for myself ... but, what about you ... why do you live and work where you do?



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
my radio show:CD SHOWCASE.7p-11p central.Friday/April 6 = www.wrmn1410.com
 
I am back in Ohio because it is "home" - born and raised. However, I have lived in New Jersey and California and loved both. We kept our home here when we moved to California and came back because it just got too expensive there and we needed to think towards retirement.

I am ready to head out again. I would like to sell everything and buy an RV and just travel all the time. If I can get Chris to let go of all his "stuff", we are outta here.
 
I am pretty transient..
However.. I live in PA now b/c my dh's job is here.
I only have my mom about 2 hours away.. I could move today and be fine..my siblings live all over the globe (NZ, HI, NC).. and my older children are finished with school and moving on and I homeschool the younger 2. I suffer greatly from S.A.D... and Crave the southern warmth and light! (lived there for years)...
but.. my dh isn't budging...
So.. Unless I want a divorce... I am stuck in PA:(
 
Both Dick and I were born in New London, raised in New London and after college returned to New London to raise our family- Dick to join his father in the practice of law. All our siblings except for one of Dick's sisters lived there too. It was a good life with lots of family support and we were fortunate to be able to travel the world. Our children have ventured out - Steve to practice patent law in DC (hard to do that in a big way in a small town) and Nancy to Boston where she got her graduate degrees, married and now practices law, but is soon to move to Tampa due to her husband's work. By the way, my SIL is also a native New Londoner with 8 siblings and although they are scattered all over the US, they all love to come back to New London too. Dick and I crave and love the warmth of FL in the winter once the temps drop, but we could never live in FL year round. It's back to New London for the summer and our children still love to come "home".
 
Good question Cort.

My wife is from another country, came to NYC for vacation and we were introduced by friends. She had no real attachment to the area and I was looking to move. I had enough with traffic and stress and wanted something easier. I was lucky enough to get a work at home job with good salary and the company didn't care where I lived so we started looking.

I admit that we would both like to live in Europe for a while, Vienna and Lago di Garda being the top picks. Unfortunately moving to another country is a bit difficult, especially with kids.

We looked for areas that fit specific needs. East coast so we could visit her family without long flights, major airport close enough to go on the occasional business or pleasure trip. Mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, good job market for my career, schools etc. After we had finished looking at everything we ended up in Georgia just outside Atlanta. I love it here although there are quite a few things I miss about NY. The food (native georgians have no idea what good food is), museums and concert halls (to see Carnegie Hall again and the Vienna Philharmonic). If I could do it over again I would get a job while single that required extensive travel and use that to see as much as I could. There are lots of beautiful places but once the kids come along they have a solid impact on where you live.

How was that for the short answer? :p :D
 
I was born in Chicago and lived there until I was 5-then my dad's job at then Standard Oil transferred him to Kansas City. I have lived in this area ever since-and I am 38 now. My husband grew up on a farm in Western Kansas-his high school graduating class had 16 kids in it...we live south of KC in a fairly rural/suburban area-close enough to KC for jobs but country enough for Jim.:) I do wonder what it would be like to live in other places, esp by the beach. I did not even see the ocean in person until I was 19!! Another cool thread Cort..isn't it interesting what happens in our lives to bring us where we are today? If it wasn't for my dad's job-I would probably be in the burbs of Chicago closer to our extended family....Deb
 
My wife & I moved from Atlanta to Florida 6 years ago to be nearer to my parents who were both in their mid-80s at the time. My dad has since passed away, and my mother could not have managed his illness and the lonely aftermath without our presence. She is now 91, and we see her quite often to make certain she is doing well.

We have never had an attachment to any specific area. I served in the military for 26 years, and we did the typical career path of moving about every 2 years, including 4 overseas assignments. We settled in the Wash, D.C. area after my military retirement, and I started work with a government contractor. I then finagled moves to Atlanta and Orlando with this same company. After my second retirement, my wife and I started a third career as tour guides and traveled all over the world (and the U.S.) over the past several years leading walking tours. We actually had an overly ambitious and hectic schedule the past two years, which I thought was the reason for my exhaustion/fatigue. Then our doctor discovered my aortic stenosis, followed by OHS, which has grounded us for awhile.

We have now been in Orlando for 6 years and tend to like it here. This is a diverse, growing, dynamic area not at all resembling the stereotypical Florida retirement communities.

After moving so often, we do tend to get itchy feet after a few years, so we do not know whether we will stay put here in Orlando forever. If we do move, it will still be in Florida. We like the warm weather and large number of attractions available here.

This is an interesting question, Cort. Because of our pre-disposition for travel, I have never understood why some people stay put in their hometowns and never move around. I guess it is because everybody is different.
 
Wow, another great thread.

I was born and bred in Long Island....all my family is/was here and there was never any question that this is where I would live. Went to college in Jersey, but came back home to roost.

Tyce is a Michigan, California, Arizona, Maine boy, but met me and we've been together on Long Island ever since.

We are planning a move south to Virginia.....whenever our house sells.....He'd like warmth, I like seasons so it's a compromise. It would NEVER be Florida....great to visit, but not for me. He would love love love Arizone....I like trees and water, so it's Virginia for us.

We have a mhome and are looking forward to getting in it and going cross country before we start to build....can't wait. Thanks, Rain, I can't wait to see Durango. Who knows, maybe we'll visit ya'll as we pass through.

Evelyn
 
It may take a book to make ya all understand......

It may take a book to make ya all understand......

Evelyn,

YES!! Please do plan your travels around our reunion. That would be fantastic!! :)
 
Debster said:
Another cool thread Cort..isn't it interesting what happens in our lives to bring us where we are today?
Click to expand...

*nods*

Indeed it is ... which is why I posted this. I know some people may think it's nuts, but ya know what, it sure does help you get to know people better ;).


And, Jim ... maybe people don't move around as much because they want roots. I suspect that might be part of the case for me ... yet, at the same time, I obviously sssoo want to travel ... he he ;).


Glad ya'll are enjoying this....it IS neat to read all of these observations....



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
my radio show:CD SHOWCASE.7p-11p central.Friday/April 6 = www.wrmn1410.com
 
My story is almost like Ginas. We came back here to Georgia to live because its home. We had lived in California for 10 years and loved it. I also would love to sell our home and buy an RV and travel. When we retire in the next 2 to 3 years I want to travel as much as possible. I love road trips and seeing different places. I would be perfectly happy to just get in the car and travel to wherever.
 
Family members bought property here many years ago and decided in late 80s to move here because it's not far from where we born. My sister, my parents, my brother and Joe & me. All are gone except me, however my daughter eventually came along, her daughter came and married here and has 4 children. There are also a couple of cousins here. otherwise, I'd have to move someplace else as I need family around!
 
We moved to the Toronto area because I was transferred by my employer. However, we choose to live way out in Waterdown (almost 1.5 hour car & train commute to work each way) as we didn't want to live in the city. We prefer the quality of life in smaller communities.

To be honest, I went to university in Toronto and it was the last place I wanted to live. Neither my wife and I have close family around here. We do enjoy Waterdown, though.

Funny, I grew up in a big city (Montreal), but after living in smaller cities like London (Ontario) and Windsor, I couldn't imagine living in one again.
 
Because No Matter Where I Look, Here I Am!​

Seriously... hmmm... 30 yrs in Boston, then wanted a complete change of life, Dallas Tx was booming.. flew there to check it out..liked what I saw...so went back to Boston, made plans to move, and did a few months later.

From there was transferred to Austin, TX for the same company..
Then, I was presented with a great career opportunity so moved on to Nashville. I've been living there ever since .... I really like the TN area, haven't owned a snow shovel since 1979!

That is :rolleyes: .... unless you also count my home away from home which is The Kranz Park Hotel in Siegburg Germany. This seems to be where I live most these days. :)

Rob
 
Me, I was born in Glasgow, Montana....

Me, I was born in Glasgow, Montana....

And moved out here to NH when my father got out of the military....been stuck here ever since...LOL...Harrybaby:D :eek: :D
 
I moved (immigrated) to Montreal fin 1973 rom a suburb in St. Louis because of many reasons. One important reason was that I had majored in French and studied in France, and although the French is very different up here, I wanted to be somewhere where I could use my French and still be close to the States. Another reason was that the St. Louis summers just about killed me and that's despite air conditioning. I lived like a mole during the summer, never going outside!! Also, since I was single, I wanted to be in a city where I could live downtown and not be afraid to walk around outside in the evening. Now, I live in the suburbs with my husband, a French Canadian, but used to work downtown until I took early retirement in 2001, and I now go downtown very often for my Italian courses and to meet friends for lunch, etc. Although every city has its problems, Montreal, all in all (or should I say "in general") is a great city! By the way, I have dual citizenship.
 
terryj said:
When we retire in the next 2 to 3 years I want to travel as much as possible. I love road trips and seeing different places. I would be perfectly happy to just get in the car and travel to wherever.
Click to expand...

*grins*

You and me, BOTH! Oh my goodness ... if I could just drive and drive and drive and meet people along the way every day ... I'd be in HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!

;)



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
my radio show:CD SHOWCASE.7p-11p central.Friday/April 6 = www.wrmn1410.com
 
Cort,our 40th anniversary is in Nov. We are taking 2 weeks off for it. Everyone says we should do a cruise,or fly to Vegas,etc. We already know what we are doing. We are driving to Tullahoma.Tn. for a few days,then Tunica,Ms. for a few days,then to Branson,Missouri for about 5 days,then back to Biloxi,then back to Tullahoma(granddaughters live there) and then back to Ga. That is my idea of a great anniversary trip. We are taking our time and stopping at every place that looks interesting. I would love to have a month to do this. But, we will be retired in a few years. The first road trip I want to do is to drive to Las Vegas and stop everywhere we want to along the way. I don't care how long it takes. We are buying me a new car right before I retire with no miles and then we will rack up the miles on our trips.
 
cooker said:
Witness protection program:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

I.M. Hiding
Click to expand...

Boo, hisssss. It's not like Cort is going to "out" us all on his radio show.....or is he?? :eek: :p


As for me, grew up in Maryland (government baby with 2, 2-year detours to Africa and Micronesia). Spent summers visiting relatives in San Francisco and Oregon. Went to 2 different East Coast colleges when it suddenly dawned on me that there must be a university somewhere in Oregon and why wasn't I living in the most beautiful place on earth? So. My dad drove me across the country to his old hometown, I finished college here and have never left. He eventually retired from Wash DC and moved back out here. My mother, remarried, is now living here with her husband also. The West is Best!!

:) Marguerite
 
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