Would you move back to your home town? A poll.

I voted “Oprah/Yes” because I would if we could afford it. When I moved my mom out here in August 2019, it was hard because that cut my ties with Tarzana/Woodland Hills - where I grew up. I loved being able to go and visit her once a year.

I grew up in Boston. All my friends and I moved south. All of us. Cost of living in the city, even suburbs of the city is crazy and the schools are terrible, we all went to private catholic schools. So I don't know I'd ever move back b/c all my friends are 'here' 40 minutes south.

I live on Long Island. Its rare for people to grow up and move away here, especially in my town. lol  My parents went to the HS I did.. and now my kids are there as well. Everyone knows everyone, and we like it here. I'll hopefully retire elsewhere but eh, the family doesn't have a great track record of setting up shop somewhere new as you can see. 

I grew up in a small "blink and you miss it" kind of town. It has grown a wee bit but not by much.

And back then, if you weren't homegrown, you were not included. We moved there when I was 7. My mother was never invited for coffee with all the other neighbour women. Bunch of bitches lol.

I'm sure it has changed since then, but it is still to small town for me - no grocery store close by, no store of any kind really. So as a teen you needed to be driven everywhere until you could drive. It sucked!

Probably not my home town, but definitely to the area. It's all smaller towns, and it's a beautiful area.

I chose "Moved back" but actually, we moved to a small town just north of my hometown, West Palm Beach, Florida. It's quiet, sleepy, red, but there's plenty to do and if we get bored, we can go south then come back to our quiet little nest. We love it and our town makes all kinds of lists of beautiful seaside towns.

Absolutely not. I moved away 22+ years ago because not only was it a typical small town but it, as well as my family members, were/are extremely close minded, racist, bigots. I've only gone back to visit a few times over the years and when I go, I'm quickly reminded why I won't ever move back.

Not a chance.

I grew up in very small town. Nothing close by, nothing changes. I moved right after graduation and other than the summers during the first couple years of college, haven't lived there since.

I'm amazed how many classmates still live there. I have a couple cousins left in the area, but no immediate family. When my mom died in 2010 my dad offered the house, but even a free place couldn't make me move back.

I live in a good size suburb now, but would love to live in an even busier area. I love convenience and being near everything.

No, they are way too conservative, politically. It's a pretty town but I've no family left there either, so there's that.

I am from the “big city”. But now live in a MUCH smaller place. I may move elsewhere but not back “home” Big city life has too many hassles, is expensive and would mean apartment life. I am so over that.

I'm so glad you were able to think for yourself and find a new, healthier way to be in the world. 
You had to have an open mind to do so.

If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to know what made you realize you didn't believe all the same things your family and others around you believed?  

I sort of did. I moved the day I graduated only because my mom was moving. I didn’t have a car and really didn’t have a choice. I didn’t want to but I did. I spent the summer here and left for school that fall. I stayed there 1 semester. Then when I came home for Christmas, I stayed. Eventually met my husband. We were dating about 4 years when he decided he wanted the opportunity to open up a new division of the company he worked for. Just so happened to be in my home town. So we got married and moved. We were there about 9 months and realized the business wasn’t going to make it. I was pg with DS. So we decided to move back here.

I miss it sometimes. It was all before social media. I have reconnected with friends and wish I could see them more. I also miss the family that is left there.

Nope. Four years ago, I wouldn’t have blinked at living in a red state. Now, it’s no fucking way.

I ALWAYS felt like an outcast in my family... like there was something wrong with me. It was just an inherent feeling. When I was 18 and moved away to a large university and met SO many different people, it REALLY opened my eyes.

I grew up in an area that was 99% white people and 1% Mexican. And SO many people in the area (including relatives) where I grew up felt it ok to use racial slurs when talking about them. For me as a young kid, all I knew is that they were my friends. I distinctly remember my dad telling me to never bring home an African American boy.

While I never graduated college because I met my dh and moved halfway across the country...I will forever be thankful for what it taught me outside of the classroom. What's ironic is that I moved to another small town that's primarily Caucasian... for no other reason that living in a bigger town was out of our price range. Thankfully people here are much more open minded than my hometown.