My wife and I are from different towns and we met through work. We spent the majority of our married life living in a different town to where I was born and grew up. We were very happy there.
I then felt a yearning to return to my roots. Now recently retired we live half a mile from the house that my parent’s owned and where I grew up and lived until I got married at 29! The air of familiarity, despite some inevitable minor changes over the decades, really suits me and I feel completely at home in a way that I don’t think I would anywhere else.
2-300 miles. But that’s absolutely absolutely nothing: for my wife it’s more like 6000!
As for why, the reason for most of my home moves were for work, and having retired we stayed put because the place has many, benefits, which Covid did very well to remind us.
I grew up on the edge of London, and my journey here, with time spent in each area, was via Berkshire, Tyne and Wear, South Wales, and Greater Manchester, before leaving the UK and EU and entering this small British island.
Unlike my children, who have experienced several places while growing up, there were no home moves when I was a child. Then gradually after my siblings and I left home, my parents and siblings all migrated to the Lake District!
You are right that I’m less than a million miles from that place (I guess that makes us neighbours? … and on that basis, so is (I assume!!) everyone else on the forum!)
As for why I don’t name my location (which isn’t Douglas!) I just have a preference not to do so - partly a fun thing I suppose, and partly because today’s all electronic world makes me prefer not to name some things
As I lived in about 10 places growing up I it is hard to say.
According to Google Maps, the furthest place away is 328 miles and the closest is about 10 miles.
Until 18 months ago, I would have been about 4 miles from the closest place, I moved along the coast as I wanted a quieter place to live, partly because of retirement and partly COVID.
I moved to this area in 1984 due to a 3-month contract in a Therapeutic Community that became a permanent position. Then all my subsequent jobs were based in the area even if there was a day or so a week in London at times. I never really intended to move here or to stay but did and am very happy that I did.
This is an interesting thread, although the subject is probably better served over a glass or two, as the reasons behind people’s moves can be many and varied.
In my case, I was born in Bangor, Co Down, Northern Ireland and, until I was 65 years old, I lived in five different locations there, but never more than 17 miles from Bangor Hospital, where I was born. On retirement, I moved to Dordogne, France and Google Maps tells me that I am 1,053 miles from Bangor.
The five moves within Northern Ireland where all connected to work and family, but the move to France was because it’s not Northern Ireland!
I was born in Manchester and grew up both there and, alternately, in North Yorkshire due to parental divorce.
I was a proud northerner who was fairly keen to stay there, so York and Durham were the first places I lived by myself. I then met the future Mrs Ebor who lived in Dorset. Durham and Dorset are close alphabetically, but not geographically, so at the age of 25, I took a deep breath and got a new job in Wiltshire. We married and have lived in Wiltshire since, with a ten-year sabbatical in West Berkshire. I now consider myself a proud but very ex-pat northerner.
So, 170 or 250 miles, depending on which side of the Pennines you’re measuring to.
Born in Nottingham, parents moves to London shortly after with the housing estate being condemned - we moved to Milton Keynes, we were some of the first families that moved up (mid 70s). Aged 16 I joined the Military vowing never ever going back to MK and I didn’t. Spent most of my years in London and recently relocated to Devon and this time I’m staying put.
I grew up in the Peak District near a place called longshaw , I moved away because off love to Liverpool off all places unfortunately she passed away in 2003 that’s when I moved to Southport and now in a place called heskethbank just outside off Southport towards Preston . I open my door onto the ribble river and Irish Sea estuary so it’s not a bad place it’s a bird watching paradise and the dogs absolutely love it oh and my wife , if I could move back home I’d be there like a shot I miss it so much the hills and moors ,
Mind you I spend my time driving around the Nelson , pendal , Clitheroe aria so it’s not all bad .
So all in all about 100 miles away
Born and raised in Boston MA and have lived in Seattle since January 1996. Distance: The shortest distance (air line) between Boston and Seattle is 2,485.54 mi (4,000.09 km). Driving route: 2,988.03 mi (4,808.76 km).
I relocated from Dallas, TX to Seattle WA after accepting a new career opportunity. I soon fell in love with the Pacific North West and have never left. I have changed jobs a few time over the years before retiring but decided the quality of life here suited my lifestyle. I enjoy sailing, seakayaking, motorcycles and hiking. The climate here allows you to do all these activities year round.
Other Cities I have lived in for shorter periods of time include: Beaufort, South Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida, Larkspur, California and Dallas, Texas. I also had year long projects where I commuted from Boston to Rutland, Vermont and Miami, Florida for work.
Many years ago a colleague of mine from Sudbury MA moved to Vancouver Island and stayed for the outdoors, the more gentle climate, the fact that his kids never watched TV because they mountain biked and kayaked instead, and for the Canadian healthcare system which back then at least was excellent on the island. As I recount that now I realise those kids will be grown and he’ll be a grandfather. I’ve also felt the pull of that part of the world. It is very special.
I love Vancouver Island and my wife and I have spent many weekends and week long trip to the Island. Most memorable was back in the summer 1997 when my wife, daughter and I joined a group lead by a couple of guides and spent a week kayaking/camping on the Inside Passage. We left from Telegraph Cove and crossed over the Inside Passage and camped on different islands each night. Highlights were seeing gray whales and orca’s while out an about during the week. We also had plenty of fresh salmon for evening meals during the week.
The Island and Pacific North West is very special but thankfully it is not everyone’s cup of tea…
For me, it’s experiences like meeting some First Nations members, kayaking from Tofino to Meares Island, dodging the float planes, forming a ring of 12 people around a tree with arms at full stretch, the boat ride up to Hot Springs Cove, or taking a rib across the Juan de Fuca straight towards the Olympic Peninsula, looking straight into the eye of a grey whale as it silently glided under us and then heading back to Victoria just ahead of sunset, with the salmon fishing fleet spread out behind us across the orange horizon and getting airborne over the wake of an RCN fleet tanker heading back into Esquimalt. Happy memories!
I should add I have great memories of WA and OR too but spent more time in BC.
Left the town I grew up in at age 21 to follow work, continued further afield in the UK, and then wider Europe. Found the French attitude to work and life in general attracted, along with the space in the countryside, so decided to get a place here in retirement. I have never thought of going back to my childhood town, and won’t do so when we eventually move back to the UK as age makes its demands.
