# Why Do You Live Where You Live? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 22, 2000, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308 "2000-08-22T14:22:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/1 "2000-08-22T14:22:35Z")
I was thinking about this while watching a TV show on the San Andreas fault . . . I’m in the New York City area for business reasons, mainly: I’m in publishing, and New York is the place to be. I also like the East Coast, and I hate driving, so I like living in an area where I don’t need a car. Sometimes I think, gee, I’d like to move back to my hometown, or London or Boston or Savannah. But it looks like I’m pretty much stuck for life in the New York area. How about y’all? ---
**Author:** ![aenea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/2 "2000-08-22T14:28:22Z")
I was really happy living on the West Coast. I love the Sierra Nevada mtn. range. Heck, I love mountains period. _sigh_ Well I ran off and got married almost 2 years ago, and he has already put in for his transfer back to the East Coast. So a few months after we married I joined him out here in the hot and humid SouthEast. Woooo! We bought a house, and it looks like I’m here for a while at least. It’s not so bad, but it sure is humid, and I’m not too comfortable with the idea of hurricanes. Give me a good old fashioned earthquake any day. That is why I live where I live. ---
**Author:** ![Yankee\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7ea924/32.png) [@Yankee\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankee_Blue)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/3 "2000-08-22T14:31:59Z")
Like you I live where I live because it is where my job is. Unlike you my job is a little more flexible than the publishing world. I think I may manage to change my local a couple of time before my career winds down. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/4 "2000-08-22T14:32:48Z")
I moved to rural VA becuase Mrs Chance told me we were. Then I began to like it. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/5 "2000-08-22T14:33:41Z")
I live on a big island north of Seattle. It’s beautiful, and very rural. We’d lived there before, in fact were married there, and both kids were born there. We moved away in the early 80’s. When I had the opportunity to live anywhere on the west coast about 4 years ago, we moved back. I promised the kids they would graduate high school there – last move for them. Unfortunately, there really aren’t any jobs for me on the island, so I have to work elsewhere. Right now I work in Wisconsin. Hey, it’s only 1800 miles away! I travel about 50% of the time, and I’m home about 25% of the time. It’s worth it. The island’s home. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/6 "2000-08-22T14:38:32Z")
I just graduated school in NYC, and decided to stay and work here for awhile. Despite the almost prohibitively high cost of living, I adore the convenience and the freedom from owning a car. I am trying to work several different jobs here for a few years, whereupon I will probably go back to school… Hey Eve, I have been interested in publishing for a long time. Got any good leads for me? 🙂 Regards, MR ---
**Author:** ![Damhna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Damhna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damhna)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/7 "2000-08-22T14:39:44Z")
I live in Helsinki because the Fraud Squad wont give me back my passport ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/8 "2000-08-22T14:40:07Z")
I moved to the DC area for college nine years ago this week. After graduation, I toyed with moving out west (Seattle or Portland), but never really got going enough to move there. I’ve always lived on the east coast (born in PA, raised in FL), and I feel more comfortable here. I’d like to live elsewhere at some point, but I’m content to settle on the east coast when it’s time to grow up and be an adult. Where I’m at now is perfect for me. I live just outside the Beltway, but right near it, as well as I-270 and a Metro station, so I’m able to go anywhere on quick notice. I can be downtown in 15 minutes, in Baltimore in 30, and in Philly to visit my family and friends in two hours. I’ve been in my present location (Rockville, MD) for four and a half years and while I love my apartment, I’ve outgrown it. If I could upgrade it to a larger place in the exact same location, I’d do it today. ---
**Author:** ![soulsling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@soulsling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulsling)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/9 "2000-08-22T14:43:16Z")
NYC 'cause that’s where I grew up, went to school, and got my first job out of college, but I’m thinking of moving to DC since I can work there as well, and I hear the women are looking for some extra single straight men to stock up on down there… ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/10 "2000-08-22T14:46:03Z")
My SO got a promotion at his job, and the job was here in Denver. So we moved here from Downers Grove, IL. I cried my eyes out when I found out we had to move, but we’ve lived here about 2 1/2 years and I really like it now!! ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/11 "2000-08-22T14:46:27Z")
In 1995, at the same time we were wanting to move away from Winnipeg, my dad’s employer, CBC Radio, offered him the job of covering the sovereignty referendum, which was held in October of that year, as the national reporter for Montreal. He accepted, and we moved to Montreal in July/August of that year. (We moved in July, house-sat for two people, and then moved into our new house.) I plan to stay in Montreal indefinitely because (the official reasons) I’m going to university here and because French-English translating work abounds; and (the real reason) because I absolutely love the city and can’t think of any city wherein I’d prefer to live. ---
**Author:** ![zwaldd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a9adbd/32.png) [@zwaldd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwaldd)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/12 "2000-08-22T14:51:54Z")
austin, tx. i stopped here to work and replenish funds during a cross country camping trip in '93. fell in with the music and chick scene and, subsequently, the high tech scene, the lake scene, the disc golf scene, and the mountain bike scene. it turns out austin’s pretty scenic. ---
**Author:** ![SouthernStyle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@SouthernStyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouthernStyle)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/13 "2000-08-22T14:57:41Z")
The obvious (and so far ignored) answer is, “because if I lived somewhere else I wouldn’t live here”. :: apologizes :: I went to college here. One day while returning from a weekend visit to my parents, I crossed the county line and said to myself, “it’s good to be home again”. That’s when I realized that this was home. I’ve moved away twice. Both times lasted about a year and each time I found a way to come back. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/14 "2000-08-22T15:01:58Z")
I live in the LA-area for two reasons–my family moved here from Indiana when I was 14, and I went to college at a university in the nearby area. After I graduated, I moved back in with the folks while I completed my teaching credential. I moved out into an apartment near my home town when I got my first teaching job, but was miserable–all of my friends had left the area, my college friends were all at least an hour away (most several states away), and my then-boyfriend (now fiancé) was three hours away in San Diego. Then he moved back to the college town area, and I decided I needed to move…most of my current friends are in this area, our church was here, and of course, my boyfriend was here. _And_ the teachers’ salaries where I applied were **$9,000** more than I was making in Ventura County. So, I moved…and here I am. I love L.A. for its cultural diversity…well, just it’s _general_ diversity. Earthquakes notwithstanding, this is a great place for me to live. I love being so close to mountain snow, sandy beaches, all variety of theme parks, countless music/performance club…yup, I like it here. Some day both the Llama and I are interested in moving to the Santa Cruz and/or San Diego areas…but for now, L.A. works wonderfully for us. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![inoci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/50afbb/32.png) [@inoci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inoci)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/15 "2000-08-22T15:08:43Z")
i live in indy because my job is here. and so are my friends. and most of my family is withing the state, so its a good location. i grew up here, and i’ve never had a solid reason to leave. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/16 "2000-08-22T15:08:43Z")
I live in Northern VA for job-related reasons. I saw the opportunity to take a position in my company’s Washington, DC office which would allow me greater opportunities for advancement while staying with the company. I talked it over with Leigh-Anne, and we decided to go with it. Prior to that, I lived in NE Ohio because that is where my mother was from, so that is where we moved to after my parents divorced. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/17 "2000-08-22T15:13:55Z")
after attending military school in Missouri from age 12-18, then college in the same state, then living there full-time for a couple of years, then more college, I moved back to Dallas to be near my family again. As for why I live here now, the main reason is that if I had the audacity to remove my mom’s grandson to another town, she would hunt us down, kill us, and take him back home with her. So there won’t be any relocating as long as she’s around. ---
**Author:** ![Tymp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Tymp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tymp)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/18 "2000-08-22T15:14:02Z")
Oddly enough, I don’t have much of a reason at all for living where I live. About three years ago, I moved here from New Orleans, Louisiana because that’s what my love of the time intended. She has family here, you see. She and I parted ways about nine months ago, and I find that I really have nothing keeping me here in Connecticut aside from the money I am earning and the comfortable life to which I have grown accustomed. I will not be staying here much longer. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/19 "2000-08-22T15:20:09Z")
Hey soulsling, where did you go to school? MR ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2000, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308/20 "2000-08-22T15:22:11Z")
I came here to Michigan for grad school. Then I married a guy who lived here. Now that we have an offspring, it’s good to be living just an hour away from my inlaws. My family lives 750 miles away, and all the places I’d consider moving to don’t close that distance, so that’s not a factor. May as well be close to ONE branch of the family. Ann Arbor is actually an excellent place to live, so it’s been a good thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-live-where-you-live/30308.md?page=2)