Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Why do you live where you do??

Born and raised here. Family and friends are here. I haven’t been anywhere I like better.

I live here for my job, and the abundance of public land.

After first college graduation, wife and I left PA where our families had been settled forever and brought our 1 year-old daughter to Arizona. It was a paradise in the 60s. Lived four different places (all very good) in AZ as career progressed. After final degree, left for career purposes - 4 years each in DC area and then Seattle area - that was enough. Back to the southwest in AZ for 15 years and then 21 years in a chunk of mountain heaven in Western New Mexico. Surrounded by huge NF and lots of BLM land nearby.

Eventually my sweetheart could not live at 8k altitude to we tried to find the best area that met the important criteria. SE Arizona since 2019.

Work

Dad was a career Air Force pilot. I was born in Germany, but he moved the family to the Phoenix area (Mesa) in 1964 to be an instructor pilot at Williams Air Force Base. There was less than a million people in AZ when we moved here in 1964. I grew up there in Mesa, but wanted out as the Phoenix area was getting to urbanized for my tastes so traveled around the West building large heavy civil construction projects. There are almost 8 million people in AZ now.

So I designed, built my house, and raised my daughters in Flagstaff. I live less that 1/2 mile from the Coconino National Forest boundary. I can go for a 100 miles of forest when I need to get out in the woods.

I currently though live back in the Phoenix metro area again during the week to work as after I retired, my oldest daughter (both daughters now live in the Phoenix metro area) needed a very serious surgery to improve her quality of life as she has a rare and incurable health condition. I see my daughters 1-2 a week and have dinner with them.

I come up to Flagstaff about 2 weeks a month just to see my house, go out in the woods, and decompress. I hope to have her surgery related medical expenses all paid off in 2-3 years so I can live full time back in Flagstaff.

I live on the same land that my family has been on for about 200 years.

Getting off active duty staying in MD allowed me to continue to fly in the reserves and there was lots of work here so we've been here for 24 years, the longest I've ever lived in a place.

My wife retired in Nov and I'm using up the last of my leave and will formally retire 10 march. New house in NH should be ready mid-April and we're out of here.

Prior to this? Pittsburg, Chicago, Greenwood IN, Muncie IN, Pensacola FL, Oak Harbor WA, Anacortes WA, Monterey CA, Waldorf MD, and here

Family anchored me here.

Don't know any better.

Born and raised 3rd generation Arizonan. Kin was involved with railroad throughout southern Arizona and Mexico. Moved 10 years ago to panhandle of Florida, then back to southeastern Arizona this last year, back to home place.
No place like the high desert of SE Arizona for me.

40 years ago left a nice college town for a small rural community to secure a shorter commute for wife and extended family daycare for the kids. My sibling's education, professional and family obligations took them to Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, and then Washington state. Family roots in SE PA and S Central VA. SE PA now over run with $$$ commuter home developments and rural VA still pretty quiet the last tiem we were there.

Here we are rural residential with farm fields within sight and sound. Great place to raise kids and wife's family nearby. Deer hunting out behind the pole barn and neighbors who don't mind us crossing over to recover game. Couple of big box stores a few miles away. Pretty deep rooted here now despite limited shopping and entertainment options. I agreed to the relocation contingent upon regular excursions to other parts of the country. We've traveled to DC, FL, CO, WA/PNW, San Juan Islands, PA, KY, SC, AZ, VA, TN , Vancouver Island, and AK. 12 years ago we bought a UP camp...small cabin...near Cedarville and get up there several times a year. Trips to PA and SC planned this spring.

We're halfway between the kids and their families. About an hour and half each way. 3/4 hour each to Flint and Lansing for shopping and medical service not locally available.

Glad to hear you went back home!

Cause So Cal is so fuggen awesome, the people here are so fuggen awesome, the roads are in excellent shape, theres no traffic. no gang bangers, taxes are low, the political climate leans to the right. low crime, I just cant get enough...

Born on the coast. Work brought me to NE AL. I didn’t know what I’d think. 16 years later this place feels much more like home than Mobile.

I still love Mobile and miss it from time to time. But this area has been an awesome environment to work and raise my kids. We just got our first grandkid.

I’m very thankful for the blessing of the Lord. He blesses universally. But I’m glad He led us here.

No porch apes around here.

Was raised here , my dad was an avid houndsman , big time outdoorsman , have chased hounds over most of this countryside all my life, moved away right outa high school gone for 1 1/2yrs could not get back soon enough. I live less than 2 miles from the homestead ! My soul lives here !

Moved to north Idaho in 64. Just out of high school. 1300 from where I was born. Came for the hunting and fishing the mountains and water in every direction. The lack of people was a big plus. It all still the same except for the people.

Born in the U.P. , parents moved us to Chitcago when I was ten. Job moved me to Georgia when I was 38. Retired now but wife still works and just accepted a job in Appleton, Wi. Looks like we'll be moving there in the spring. With any luck
maybe move back to the U.P. when she decides to retire for good.

Work brought me here. Making a career out of the Coast Guard meant being on the coast somewhere. I like the mild winters and love the inshore fishing. Everything else about it sucks. Have to stay until I can fully retire and start drawing SS in less than 2 years.

Chocolate City?

I live in the Pritzger's Republik of Illinois. Born and raised, raised my family here and while I hate the corruption, taxes, repressive government and being held captive by three blue counties, I have too many reasons to stay.
My kids and grandkids all live within minutes. We have a great church, a good gun club (where I'm a director), a supportive circle of friends and neighbors, a paid for house and an hour away, 45 paid for acres of timber, creek, food plots, and a heated cabin.
And, at 78, I'm too darn old to start over somewhere else.