Why do you live where you live?

[Rain Man]

This is about your general community or area, not about your specific house. Think of it as the metro area you live in, or the county you live in.

Poll coming as soon as I file of change of address form for it.

For me, I live in Denver because I got a job here. I didn't know anyone here and had never seen the city. However, I had always thought it would be a good place to live. My wife and I were generally targeting the region of the US that was west of the Austin-Minneapolis line, and generally excluding the Pacific coast states (per my wife's preference on the latter). A job came through in Denver and we jumped on it. That was 25 years ago, so obviously it was a good outcome.

[gblowfish]

I am the ultimate tree hugger. Except for when I went away to college, I've lived in the same home my whole life. I bought the family homestead when my parents retired in 1993. Have basically called the same house home for 60 years.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

I am the ultimate tree hugger. Except for when I went away to college, I've lived in the same home my whole life. I bought the family homestead when my parents retired in 1993. Have basically called the same house home for 60 years.

So did you move into your parents' room when they retired, or did you keep your childhood room? And have you remodeled anything or is it exactly like when you grew up?

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by In58men

Born here and stayed. Only 4 hours from Las Vegas and San Francisco, 1.5 hours from the beach, 3 for Disneyland and 4 to San Diego and 5 minutes from the fire department.

Can’t beat the location really.

Makes sense.

[patteeu]

The air here is thicker than it is where you live. I enjoy that.

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

My wife and I had always talked about moving to the beach or water for years. As soon as my son finished High School we were going to leave this suburban, coach little league baseball, participate in PTA life behind.

About 2 weeks before he graduates I get an job offer. $45K raise full benefits for the family and moving expenses paid to Tampa. Ended up in St. Petersburg across the bay. 8 years now. One of my better decisions,

I have condos (3 plex) that I rent on the north edge of Safety Harbor. I love the area and spend a month there every year even though i am usually working on them. I plan to spend time in retirement between Payson, AZ and Tampa/ St Pete area starting in a couple of years.

I live where I do because of the architectural diversity and for financial benefit, because of the availability of turn of the century estates that do not have "historical" designation or powerful home owners associations to have to deal with. Real estate values here didn't hardy blink during the Great Rescission and grow consistently at a high rate yet ownership is not out of reach.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by cooper barrett

I have condos (3 plex) that I rent on the north edge of Safety Harbor. I love the area and spend a month there every year even though i am usually working on them. I plan to spend time in retirement between Payson, AZ and Tampa/ St Pete area starting in a couple of years.

you and BRC are a match made in heaven

[The Franchise]

Got out of the Air Force (AZ) and my brother had already been stationed in this area (Northern Cali). About half way through my enlistment....my parents moved from South Dakota, where I grew up, to where my brother was stationed to be closer to their grand kids. Dad found me a job with the company he was working for and I moved here for a job/family. Ended up finding the job I'm in now and made a family.

Funny thing is.....my parents moved to Wyoming a year ago to retire because California is too expensive. And now my wife and I are throwing around the idea of leaving California....possibly South Carolina.

[ChiTown]

Transferred to Wichita from Chicago years ago. I got settled in to the ease of lifestyle and we just planted roots here. There is absolutely nothing keeping me here now, especially now that my kids are in college (last one graduates HS in the Spring). Most likely, we'll move from here within the next 5 years - probably move to the DFW area.

[PunkinDrublic]

I’m currently on a sabbatical from my normal life in the states. About a year and a half ago I decided I was bored and deeply unhappy with my job so I got my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification after doing some research. I got lots of job offers around Asia but picked Shenzhen, China because of it's proximity to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Next month will be my the end of my first contract. I extended my visa and decided to stay one more year.

I’m teaching at a training center for young professionals trying to speak better English. I love this job. I get smoking hot Chinese girls in their 20’s and 30’s. I get all of the holidays off and I can fly to Thailand or the Philippines for a few hundred bucks round trip. It’s easy to save money here and I’ll have easily saved $12k to start over when I get back. Hong Kong is amazing but expensive. I haven’t gotten to see the rest of China because every holiday there’s a massive movement of people who go back to there hometowns and it’s a huge cluster****. I do plan on visiting the Great Wall in November.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by patteeu

The air here is thicker than it is where you live. I enjoy that.

There's a part of me that kind of wonders if I'm worse at math up here or something. It seems like humans are optimized to working with more oxygen, and we know there's a physical cost, so ... am I stupider as well?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

Transferred to Wichita from Chicago years ago. I got settled in to the ease of lifestyle and we just planted roots here. There is absolutely nothing keeping me here now, especially now that my kids are in college (last one graduates HS in the Spring). Most likely, we'll move from here within the next 5 years - probably move to the DFW area.

You can live anywhere and your top contender is the DFW area? Umm...what's the draw?

[seclark]

my old man was a park ranger and moved a lot. i went to 13 schools by the time i was 16 years old. he again was transferred. i had 2 part time jobs, a car and a girl friend. found a place to live and talked the parents in to letting me stay.

married the girlfriend and had 3 kids. told her that no matter what, they were going to stay in the same school until they graduated.

we're still here.
sec

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

There's a part of me that kind of wonders if I'm worse at math up here or something. It seems like humans are optimized to working with more oxygen, and we know there's a physical cost, so ... am I stupider as well?

If it weren't for the thin air and the Broncos fans, Denver would be at or near the top of my list of places to live. It has better winters and summers than KC among other attractions.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

So did you move into your parents' room when they retired, or did you keep your childhood room? And have you remodeled anything or is it exactly like when you grew up?

Heh, yeah the master bedroom is where my wife and I hang out. My childhood bedroom is now my wife's office. Some remodeling. I repainted the whole house inside when I bought it, new flooring in kitchens and bathroom, that kind of stuff, but most of it is the same as when I bought it in 1993. I have steel siding so I don't have to paint the outside of the house. I pressure wash the siding and aluminum awnings every summer to keep them clean. My wife is a retired teacher so we have a lot more books and art stuff than when I was a kid. But still, everything goes in the same place its always gone: Pantry, broom closet, linen closet, etc etc etc. I've never had to wonder where something was stashed. It's certainly given me a solid sense of "home" and what that means. I'm sure some of our friend here on the CP that are generational farmers know that same sense of being grounded to a piece of land.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by seclark

my old man was a park ranger and moved a lot. i went to 13 schools by the time i was 16 years old. he again was transferred. i had 2 part time jobs, a car and a girl friend. found a place to live and talked the parents in to letting me stay.

married the girlfriend and had 3 kids. told her that no matter what, they were going to stay in the same school until they graduated.

we're still here.
sec

wow