making drastic changes in life

[shootingstar]

Love some of these personal stories!

Drastic relocation from one city/region/climate area may need to be weighed against other drastic life changes caused by loss of partner / family member, etc.

Sure I spent lst 40 yrs. in 4 cities in southern Ontario -- before British Columbia, then Alberta. A significant life experience imprint on me, was the destabilizing, childhood phase of learning English starting in kindergarten. Extra ESL support continued for next 2 years for me. Though born in Canada, I never learned English until school. So in essence, I understand in my heart, intimately, what a non-English speaking immigrant feels like. The experience was nearly equal to moving to a different linguistic /country to live, where you are forced to learn to survive. No choice and it was a major upheaval.

"I am at home" place as north woods gal alludes to....to me, is feeling loved/accepted in a place/community where one feels safe, healthy with local possible avenues of more learning / exploration.

[VeganBikeChick]

We moved 11 times before I turned 11. And I seem to have the gypsy gene in my blood. I have lived in over 15 different apartments since turning 21. I've moved away and returned to Seattle 4 times now; to and from Denver twice; all over California (as a travel nurse), and even lived in Australia for 6 months. While I love adventure and traveling, I can't help but think I keep moving to find happiness - and yet it still eludes me. I love the city of Seattle yet hate the traffic, especially now with Amazon taking over - it's become a nightmare to go anywhere during waking hours, and forget about house affordability. Once I'm done with school, I'd love to find a warm climate, or at least an area with a lot of sun. I'm thinking I may return to Colorado, although torn because I have many memories of being there with my ex and know it will be a difficult emotional transition; or maybe to California, although it's hard to imagine I'd find a place up to my standards and affordable for my salary. I'd love to be able to put down permanent roots somewhere - at least for longer than a couple of years.

[rocknrollgirl]

I am glad that you started this thread. Ever since I read Pax's failed experiment I have been nervously questioning our retirement plans. Given a choice, my hubs would sell it all do the motor home thing. I need a home base. Unfortunately this will not be able to be our home base because of the property taxes. It is so expensive to live here that we are going to have to move. Even if we downsize, which we plan to do, we still would have outrageous taxes. I am not tied to "stuff", but I have lived and worked in the same town for over 20 years.

So in our summer travels for the past few years, we have been picking spots and going for a few weeks with the intention of "could I live here?" We need a lower cost of living and would like to be closer to the outdoor activities that we love, and drive long distances to do. I also want to be past of a community. I like knowing the folks at yoga class, or having a biking group.

We have spent lots of time out west, my Mom retired there. Love Colorado, but up in the mountains, again very expensive. We love east coast mountains, NY, and Maine, but I am not sure I want to live there. So this year we are heading to new territory, western NC and revisiting NH to spend some time in the Whites. I have high hopes for NC. If we like it we plan to start to travel there lots of the new few years and maybe rent long term before we make a jump.

It will be tough to leave here when the time comes only because I am comfortable here. My closest friends are spread all over and I know we will make new friends where ever we go. Most of the time it is just the two of us anyway. I only have one sibling left. DH has family, but is only close to one of his sibs. So we are not leaving kids and grandkids.

[Crankin]

I love the Whites, but I hate NH, if you understand what I mean. The "Live Free or Die" mentality is real, and plays itself out in the lack of services and the constant refrain of "no new taxes." NH still does not have mandatory kindergarten. I always caution people to not overlook the political climate and culture of a place, because no amount of good weather or physical beauty can make up for that.
North Woods, you describe exactly how I feel about Massachusetts. I still remember how I felt when the plane landed, when I moved back here, after 23 years. Sure, a lot has changed since I was a kid, but it was the best thing we ever did. I always have a difficult time explaining why we left AZ; we both had terrific jobs, lived in a great city and had tons of friends. But, I knew it wasn't what I wanted. When a couple of my friends started flying to LA, to buy gold jewelry, something in me snapped. I am glad I lived in 3 other places, because it gives me a perspective that others don't have here. I hate when people complain about the weather (I'd take this over months of endless summer; boring) and like you North Woods, winter is something I embrace.