Did you move back?

[ZachnElli]

Yes, we moved away twice and moved back twice. I'll only go kicking and screaming now! We're in Omaha, so I know all about crappy winters. First time we moved to the Dallas area and we liked it, but weren't happy. The next time Dh took a job in Boise and when he lost it, I wanted to move back home and we did. Our parents are older and dh's mom's in bad health, plus it's nice to have my mom babysit every once in awhile.

 

[mrsklamc]

DH has moved twice for his job, away from where we grew up to take the job and then once more when his office relocated. They were already here in central IN when we got married and I joined him here. We'd like to move back, but only because of family.

 

[StephMK]

We moved away 3 yrs ago & have no plans to move back. I'm not opposed to moving again, but don't want to go back to Northern VA. We lived in the same neighborhood I grew up in and walking distance from my parents. DH's parents were 20 min away. While I miss them terribly, that is the only thing about our move I ever question.

The reasons we moved still stand. Traffic, cost of living, lifestyle, traffic and the feeling that I wanted to try something new & we needed to see if we could make it on our own so to speak.

It was harder than I thought to start over & create a new support system and an odd feeling not to know many people for a long time. DD#1 was in middle school so I didn't meet many of her friends or their parents for a long time. The winters stink and it's not as pretty (colorful) as VA IMO.

However, the people are generally awesome, it's a perfect sized city for us and we are very happy w/the schools, jobs and lifestyle here. DH has a stable job with banker's hours after years of shift work then a start up that failed 6 mo after we moved. DD is in a fantastic music program at the HS & all the kids have nice groups of friends. We still go back to VA in the summer & visit the kids' best friends & mine. DH's parents retired back to MN, their hometown. We now know other sides of DH's extended family that the kids & I had not met. We've had chances to road trip to many parts of the US we'd never have seen otherwise.

If you had asked during year 1 or maybe even year 2, I might have said I wanted to move back but I'm finally used to being away & like our new life. There is some talk that DH's company might be sold in 3-5 yrs so if that happens, we may move again. I'd love to be a shorter drive to a beach or a set of family.

 

[mumom95]

We live outside of Chicago, and for many reasons, want to move to another part of the country. Yes, I know, the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. But, number one, we are tired of the winter weather around here. There are multiple other reasons we want to move as well. However, 99% of the people that I know that have moved away, have moved back again. I don't want to go through the work and most of all, the expense of moving (twice), just to end up back here again. We wouldn't be moving for a couple years, but I feel it's time to start the long range planning. So, what is your experience? Thanks.

My dh and I moved across country (from Ohio to California) the summer we got married (he took a job out there). We lived out there for four years and then when we had our first child, we asked for him to be transferred back to Ohio (to be closer to family). I imagine we'll stay here until retirement, and maybe forever.

Am I glad we moved back? I honestly don't know. Moving out there when we first got married was the BEST thing in the world I think we could have done for our marriage. We learned to rely on each other, without any kind of family intereference.

I'm glad my kids are able to grow up here around family and I really am happy here. But there are things about California I really miss, and I think we would have been happy if we had stayed there too.

I'm a firm believer that life is what you make of it. I really think you can be happy anywhere, you just have to make up your mind that you want to be happy where you are.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We moved from NE Ohio to the Lexington, KY area in 2003. The only time we go back to that dying god forsaken place is to visit the parents. The type of lifestyle is so much different in KY, it is just a better fit for our family. Getting paid well also helps when there are no jobs around "home".

If you are looking to move because of weather, that is the wrong reason. You really need to research the area, find out if your career is in demand, look out for the kids, and compare costs of living before making the move.

 

[penn19]

I moved with my parents to Florida riight after graduation, met my husband, moved to TX from there and have NEVER looked back. You couldn't pay me to move back to Fl. Or PA for that matter, and he has been offered jobs there. Love my life here.
But as another poster said, a lot might depend on your family situation. We aren't missing anything by staying here!

 

[jodifla]

I think your enjoyment of a new place depends on how "hooked in" you get to a new place. If you build up a community of friends, it makes all the difference.

We relocated to Michigan to be near my husband's family. But we don't love it here, and the main reason is all our friends back in Florida. Michigan is a notoriously tough state to make inroads in for outsiders, so we don't have close friends here. We do love our home and our neighborhood, but we'll be returning to Florida -- and sunshine, beaches and Disney World -- when the time is right.

 

[Mom2micayla]

I grew up in Southern Indiana and no way in heck would I move back. I've been in Arizona for 14 years now and love everything about it, even the hot summers. The general vibe of the midwest is just not for me, although I know plenty of wonderful people there. I certainly don't mind visiting every once in a while (going to IN this summer, even), but I'm officially a desert gal. It would take something major to make me move back.

 

[PigletsMommy]

I'm originally from MI and moved in 2003 to TN. Best thing I ever did for myself. My family moved around a LOT while I was growing up. Lived in small towns in northern MI and quite a few suburbs of Detroit. The long winters are not for me. The spring before I left (April) we got a really bad ice storm and did not have electricity for almost a week. Here the winters are usually the end of December to the middle of February. This year has been the worst winter since I moved here. We've gotten 3 snow storms and its been cold a lot longer than normal.

I love living in TN and I really love Nashville. We are only 20 minutes from downtown city life and 5-10 minutes from being in the country. I can turn right out of our driveway and drive for 5 minutes from my house and be surrounded by nothing but land with farms and crops growing. I can turn left and drive for 5 minutes and be at Super Target or countless restaurants, grocery stores, and anything else you can think of I love that we have so many options that are so close by. We have 3 Walmarts within a 20 mile radius. Or we can go for a road trip for an hour and be surrounded by mountains.

I do not miss MI at all. I feel like TN has a lot more to offer our family. Plus, Detroit is only an hour by plane or 10 hours by car when we want to visit my side of the family.

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

We moved away from outside of Chicago and have never wanted to return, other than visits to family. I cannot live in all the ice and snow and dark dreary days.

My parents have both passed on, and so I may have felt differently if I had a mother or father who needed our attention.

I have found that with our moves, and there have been several, we were happiest when we "jumped into" our new homes. So, we joined a church, got active in local sports, actively made friends, joined play groups and built a support system. Immediately make appointments for dentists, pediatricians, gynecologist, optometrist, and any other medical personnel you might need for your family.

You do NOT want to end up in an Emergency situation and not have a doctor. (We learned this the hard way)

If you hunker down, then you don't have people to lean on, nor people who need you and that can be very isolating.

Grass can look greener because you dont' know the "down side" of where you are headed, and every place has its down sides. With the internet, you can get a much better "low down" for a place than was available just a few years ago. If nothing else, just ask us here on the boards. Someone is living where you are considering.

Oh, and I have to throw out a recommend for New Mexico. The weather, culture, and natural wonders make it a great place to live. Every kid who graduates from a licensed high school gets a lottery scholarship to a state college for 8 semesters of tuition. You have to pay for the first semester, but if you get a C average, the state pays for the next 8 semesters. Great Deal in this economy. Did I mention over 300 days of SUN per year. Bliss, and I promise you we are not nearly as hot as Chicago summers with all that darn humidity.

 

[Baloosgirl23]

DH and I moved from the burbs of Chicago to Ohio 3 1/2 years ago. When we first moved, I was scared and wasn't sure what life would be like. We had only been married for 18 months, had just built a brand new house, both had full time jobs and I was going to start grad school ~ until DH was offered an opportunity of a lifetime! We didn't have kids at the time and only were 'required' to stay in OH for 1 year so we thought we'd try it. I'm so glad we did because we really love it here. It was the best decision we made and now we have our beautiful DD too! We make more $$ here and I am able to be a SAHM now, which would have NEVER been possible in Chicago. We're only 6 hours from our family or a short 45 minute flight. It is hard to hear about my DN(newphews) doing lots of fun things with their grandparents, but for now it works. I never thought in a million years I'd ever live outside of IL, but here we are I think the nice thing was we had an 'out' by only have to live here a year and knew we could go 'home' if we needed/wanted to. I'd say move ~ you never know what life has in store for you!!! Good luck

 

[gisgt]

NW Indiana native here and while I haven't moved back, it's only because it's not feasible at this point. I would go back in a heartbeat! In fact, the ONLY thing I don't miss is the snow.
Some big things I miss:
World-class museums - unless you move to NY, you will be stepping down in this dept.
Lake Michigan - Nothing but the ocean comes close to comparing
Food - Ethnic cuisine...I don't even mean crazy ethnic like Thai, even good German/Italian/Greek food is hard to find in the South. As in, they don't know what Italian beef is down here
That's just my case, YMMV. I'd just be really careful to consider all of the plus and minus for your situation. Think of all the thing you would/might/could possibly mix and compare that with the replacements available in the area you choose. And if you have any interest in TN, let me know - maybe we could work out a trade

 

[snowbunny]

After many years in PA, we moved our family to coastal Maine when our kids were little. This is home now (for 12 years) and we would never move back to PA.

I never had family in PA though (went there for college and ended up staying, met DH, etc.). I grew up in the midwest and personally love it there, especially Chicago -- which is a place I would consider moving to if I were ever to leave here.