I came here when I got married. The wife eventually went away and I’m still here.
Born and raised in Vancouver… stayed here because (in the winter, anyway) it is easily the warmest place in Canada. I hate the cold. That said, if Canada had a Hawaii or a California, I would have moved there a long time ago. I have never wanted to move to the States, but I did at one time seriously consider moving to Australia… but that would have been expensive, and unless I was an “in demand professional”, getting citizenship or even a visa, would have been too difficult.
After grad school I needed to find a place to relocate (no jobs in the area and I hated the local climate), so I took a map, colored in all the states I’d already lived in, and all the states I wouldn’t live in on a bet (due mostly to climate, I hate heat). I ended up with big holes in the Pacific Northwest and the upper Midwest. I figured Chicago would be a good as any place to find a job.
I’ve been here five years.
I’ll try the PNW next time.
Money. As in, “they paid me to move here”. As in, I have a job here, after going months without finding one where I lived in Houston.
That said, why here and not Silicon Valley, or Boise Idaho? We were looking for someplace cooler, in a medium-sized city - big enough for shopping and entertainment, but not so big to be too crowded. And not California.
But overall, it was mostly the job.
I moved to Seattle in 1996 because I was sick of school and a friend here offered to connect me with a job. The job fell through before I even started packing, but I came anyway. My wife and I left for 2 years so she could get a degree; at the first opportunity to come back, we came back. That was 2001 and this time we hope to stay a good long while.
We love it here. The weather is mild, the people are friendly and moderate/liberal, and in our neighborhood we can walk or bus to work, shopping, restaurants, movies, concerts, parks, library, etc. An almost European level of urban civilization. Driving a car only once a week or so does wonders for one’s stress level.
This is where all my stuff is.
No, really, because I went to law school here, and then got a job here. But I may be moving soon.
murfreesboro, tn . . . i’m here cause of college . . . all this town really has to offer is a whole bunch of restaurants and one of the top aerospace and recording industry schools in the country . . . i like it cause it’s close to nashville . . .
It’s where the job was!
Such is the way it works in academia. Every year, about a dozen or so positions open up for what you do. Each one may or may not be where you want to work, but you apply anyway… get an interview if you are lucky… and if you get the position, you move.
Luckily, I love everywhere. I find the whole “roll the dice” aspect of it strangely appealing.
To answer your query: although I like it here, I do plan to scram at the first opportunity!
I was born and raised here, but I’ve been trying to get out since I was in middle school. My best friend said just the other day that she’s really happy for me that I’m moving, even though it means we won’t see each other again for at least a year, because for as long as she’s known me I’ve been wanting to head south.
So I’m trying again - moving to Longview, Texas in 23 days - and hopefully this time it will take. Why Longview? Well, I’ve always been fond of Texas, and Gunslinger lives there. I’ve been there pretty often and I like the area; it’s pretty, is reasonably near to Dallas without being too close, it’s a big city by my standards (seems at least as large as the Albany Suburbs, although it’s smaller than the Tri-Cities of course), it has a nice climate, it’s close to some lakes, there’s lots of antiques stores… all-around a nice place.
We might end up moving, of course - we’re thinking Virginia or east Tennessee if we do - but Longview’s home for now.
Also answering Ringo’s hijack:
When we were in Houston, I think it was “scram at the first opportunity”. ([in my wife’s voice:] “I do NOT want to spend ANOTHER summer in HOUSTON!” [/wife] - repeat for a few years )
Now that we’re here, I think we’ve decided we like it here. Besides, we’ve just about gotten the house the way we like it (could be a whole thread on home redecorating), and we don’t want to move out now.