Side of Town vs. Where you came from

[Zeldar]

This is really a simpler idea than its description may be.

Relative to the center of the downtown area closest to you, consider the main compass direction (NESW) from it where you live now. That's the "side of town" part of the question.

Now consider the direction from your current town or city that your "home town" is situated. That's the "Where you came from" part.

In my case I live on the South side of town and came from further South. I'm calling that "same direction" for purposes of this poll.

If I were living on the North side of town, that would be "opposite direction."

In my case, East and West sides of town are the "neither direction" responses.

What about your case?

Poll on the way. Anonymous.

Comments welcomed!

[Hbns]

Came from way up North of the city. Now east of the city.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Hbns

Came from way up North of the city. Now east of the city.

My wife hailed from West of the city and when I first met her she lived on the West side of town. Now she's between East and South of town so the choice for her would have to be a toss-up between "opposite" and "neither."

I was hoping to keep things as simple as possible in the OP but when the directions are more like NE, SE, SW and NW vs. N, E, S and W, fudge in favor of the "same" or "opposite" rather than "neither."

I have a personal theory behind this nonsense, and I'm hoping for some data to support or refute it.

[Terra1041]

I'm on the east side of downtown (although not the Eastside), and I was born about 2000 miles further east. So same direction.

[Little Nemo]

I live on the northwest edge of town now.

I grew up in an area that was too rural to really be considered any side of a town. It would be like asking which coast Nebraska is on.

[Rhiannon8404]

I'm guessing mine is neither, so that's what I voted. I live on the north side of Sacramento, but I was raised in San Jose, CA, which is a couple hours south south west of Sacramento. I mean, it's more south than west, but in no way would anyone consider San Jose to be "south" of Sacramento.

[Zeldar]

Thanks for the votes and comments, y'all. I suspect I wasn't precise enough in trying to describe what I was trying to find out.

FWIW, my theory is that people tend to move to the portion of a town that is nearest the direction of their "home town" or birthplace or former community, however it's best to say it. Of course, people still living in the same town they always have, are immune from this notion.

Another way of thinking about it is that if you want to be able to "go home" (to the old place) as quickly as possible then you will select to live on that side of town that gives you the quickest route out of town towards "home."

If you could revote based on this expanded set of instructions, would you?

[kunilou]

Originally Posted by Zeldar

If you could revote based on this expanded set of instructions, would you?

I'm not sure I understand the expanded version any better, but I suspect you're overlooking something.

My wife grew up in Cleveland, which stretches east-west. She was born on the East side, later her family moved to the western suburbs.

Then she moved to St. Louis. St. Louis stretches north-south. She lived in the northern half before eventually moving to the southern half. But there's no particular difference in travel time between north or south st. Louis and Cleveland for my wife.

Our sons now live in Chicago, on the North side, because the South Side has a bad reputation, and because public transit is better in the North. But when my sons want to come home, they are just as likely to fly out of O'Hare (north) or Midway (south) or take the train from Union Station (downtown.)

[panache45]

Same direction. In fact I am currently living in the same house my family moved to when I was 13 . . . 53 years ago (for over 30 of those years I lived hundreds of miles away).

[Zeldar]

Yes, kunilou, you've raised reasonable exceptions to a simplistic view of how those things may work. If I had said something like "all other things being equal" about my "theory," then maybe it would be more universal.

Surely the shape and layout of the current town/city with plus and minus preferences of neighborhoods or sections will override speed of exit as reasons for selecting one part of town over another.

And pointing out that driving may not be the mode of travel to get "home" is another reason my theory may fail.

[Johanna]

I'm a native of the East Side of Cleveland, and always lived on the East Side. The differences between East and West Sides in Clevelanders' minds there can get like the Berlin Wall. One of the many arguments I've heard in favor of east side is that the sun is at your back when commuting downtown to work in the morning. I really enjoyed that while I was still there. But now I live to the west of Washington DC and have to get the sun in my eyes in the morning.

[Siam Sam]

I'm not sure I understand the premise. I grew up on the northwest edge of my hometown in Texas. I've lived in central Albuquerque and north-central Honolulu. Now I'm on the other side of the world in what can only be described as central Bangkok.

[Eliahna]

I grew up on the west side of my hometown. I've moved west of my hometown, and I live on the west side of the new town.

My results may be irrelevant because I moved in to my SOs house and had nothing to do with choosing the location.

[Arrendajo]

I lived west of my home town and have kept moving west. Only an hour to the Pacific!

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by Zeldar

Thanks for the votes and comments, y'all. I suspect I wasn't precise enough in trying to describe what I was trying to find out.

FWIW, my theory is that people tend to move to the portion of a town that is nearest the direction of their "home town" or birthplace or former community, however it's best to say it. Of course, people still living in the same town they always have, are immune from this notion.

Another way of thinking about it is that if you want to be able to "go home" (to the old place) as quickly as possible then you will select to live on that side of town that gives you the quickest route out of town towards "home."

If you could revote based on this expanded set of instructions, would you?

Okay, I misunderstood the OP. I thought you were asking if people who grew up on the east side of their hometown were more likely to live on the east side of whatever town they moved to.

So to amend my previous answer, I currently live on the side of town that's furthest away from my hometown. (Although it's a trivial difference. My current town is less than three miles across and it's over 300 miles to where I grew up.)

[Paintcharge]

Originally Posted by Zeldar

Thanks for the votes and comments, y'all. I suspect I wasn't precise enough in trying to describe what I was trying to find out.

FWIW, my theory is that people tend to move to the portion of a town that is nearest the direction of their "home town" or birthplace or former community, however it's best to say it. Of course, people still living in the same town they always have, are immune from this notion.

Another way of thinking about it is that if you want to be able to "go home" (to the old place) as quickly as possible then you will select to live on that side of town that gives you the quickest route out of town towards "home."

If you could revote based on this expanded set of instructions, would you?

I've been in my current town for 13 years. For the first 6 of those, I did live, renting, on the side towards my home town. Since then, I bought a house on the opposite side from from my home town.

So, perhaps there is something to the theory. I rented on the side closer to home until the new town became more of a home.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Paintcharge

I've been in my current town for 13 years. For the first 6 of those, I did live, renting, on the side towards my home town. Since then, I bought a house on the opposite side from from my home town.

So, perhaps there is something to the theory. I rented on the side closer to home until the new town became more of a home.

Just out of curiosity (thanks for the support vote to the "theory") how conscious was that first decision? In my case it wasn't really a choice I made, but the idea did strike me some years later that that's what I had done. Then I started to notice that pattern in other people I met who had moved here from elsewhere.

[HeyHomie]

I was born and raised in the south-central (heh) end of town, now I live on the north-east end of town.

[robert_columbia]

I live on the west side but I came from further east.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by robert_columbia

I live on the west side but I came from further east.

It's beginning to appear that "my theory" is so much bullshit!

[Alessan]

I live almost exactly in the middle of the city. I come from up north.

[Nametag]

I 'm from east of San Diego -- far enough east that I had neighbors with horses. I now live on the southern edge of San Francisco. So "no direction" was my answer. If there were a "downtown" in the craphole I grew up in, I imagine we'd have been west of it, or maybe northwest.

Here's the thing about California, though; most people here live near the coast, but not that many actually live between the ocean and the nearest city center. So for most Californians, the answer will be "same direction" or "no direction," because you'll need to change your circumstances considerably to move in the opposite direction.

Now what might be interesting is a theory about how nice a part of town people tend to relocate into. How many people grow up in the "bad" part of town, grow up and move to another city, only to end up in the bad part of that town?

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Nametag

Now what might be interesting is a theory about how nice a part of town people tend to relocate into. How many people grow up in the "bad" part of town, grow up and move to another city, only to end up in the bad part of that town?

You have my encouragement to start that very thread. It ought to be fun!

[TokyoBayer]

I grew up on the east side of Salt Lake City, (but below 13th East so it was more middle and lower middle class compared to the better neighborhoods about 13th East).

We are located in the south-west part of Tokyo, and the major reason for locating there is the schools. However, if you were to go further out in the same direction, then the schools are not a good.

I suspect that neighborhoods and schools play a more important decision for families, and people try to buy into the best areas that they can afford.

[Hbns]

Zeldar perhaps you need to adjust for how long people have lived in or near their current city. For a decade I lived in the same direction as my hometown. When I was younger and both my parents were still alive I traveled back to my hometown often and that arrangement made the commute easier. Since I have gotten older and have only a sibling left for family in my hometown, I rarely return and now live in a direction that is most convenient for my daily commute.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Hbns

Zeldar perhaps you need to adjust for how long people have lived in or near their current city. For a decade I lived in the same direction as my hometown. When I was younger and both my parents were still alive I traveled back to my hometown often and that arrangement made the commute easier. Since I have gotten older and have only a sibling left for family in my hometown, I rarely return and now live in a direction that is most convenient for my daily commute.

Good points. At the very least I ought to try to express what it is I'm trying to find out. I don't think I was all that clear to start with in this thread/poll. Either that or too many people thought I was asking other questions. In any event I'd say my "theory" needs some revamping or fine tuning.

[FuriousGeorge]

Was raised on the North side of town in one city (Syracuse, NY) and currently live on the South side of town (Denver, CO). However, I always (save a short 6 month period) lived on the Northside of Syracuse before moving to Colorado. I chose the Southside of Denver cuz that's where the Tech center, my job and most of the other opporutnities for my skillset are located.

[Hypno-Toad]

I grew up west of Rockville. Now I live on the south side of Ft Myers.

[Dead Cat]

I live in the Northwest sector of the city, and my home town is in a Southwesterly direction from there, so I voted "neither direction". I can also say that although the two relevant points are only 10 miles apart (so the difference between where I live and living in, say, the Northeast part of the city would involve a significant difference in travel time, unlike some other responders), this fact had no bearing on where we chose to live - it was simply that we wanted to live in a nice part of the city that was still within walking distance of the city centre, and within our budget.

As I write, there is no correlation whatsoever in the poll results, being as they are 14, 14, and 22.