Just curious how many managed to stay where they grew up. Anybody wanting or wishing to move back where they came from? I came from a small town in PA and there was never much going on there. I hunted, fished and trapped etc... Now I can't believe I lived around that much green country. So many options to be outdoors. VA is one of those states where 99% of the land is owned so options to get outside is very limited and if you go to national forests (3 hours away) the laws prohibit most things like metal detecting.

I took the military route and got stuck in Hampton Roads. Frigging hate this place and wish I could go back home but no jobs. Been thinking about raising cows and doing some other stuff to make up for the lost money if I quit my job. Not like I will be getting a fat retirement from my short time in the federal job system. Currently looking for a full remote job and a star link satellite system located on top of a mountain. Until then, I spend most weekends in Shenandoah and West Virginia. Been looking into starting a couple AirBnB's.

Not me, too many people there now, it's not the same place.

No me...3000 miles from all them peoples.....ahhhhhh.....

Nope, we bounced around quite a bit when I was growing up. I'm about 750mi from where I started off life.

5200 population in the 70s. 3x that now. Don't live there anymore.

yes.. currently even exactly in the same house..

Mom is from down your way[Suffolk proper].
She came here to college, met dad and stayed.
2 of their 3 kids are still here in the NRV as well.
I just went to the house that I grew up in to pick up mom for her Dr's appointment.

Nope. We left NorCal in 1995 for west Texas with work. I moved twelve times in the following twenty years and settled here in Texas and a place in north Idaho. I did enjoy growing up on the Sacramento Delta.

Half a world away, for us !

I moved back to my old hometown about 5 years ago. When I graduated high school, there were 117 people in the city limits.... now there is 132. Damn it's getting crowded!

I'm 200Mi from home and if it wasn't 200Mi the wrong way from the In-Laws I'd be headed that way by sundown. My folks have both passed and my sister is 2K Mi away, so momma's parents (who are magnificent people by the way) are the only grandparents my kids have and they're 2.5hrs away right now. Close enough for day-trips and they make quite a few of my kids' activities. It wouldn't be a good move to take the family 3hrs further away.

The thing moving would do is to put more outdoor activities much closer, but, that's not reason enough to move further from family. I just sleep a little less and drive a little more.

Live 40 miles from either of the two towns I grew up in. Still got a Girlfriend in each of those towns.
Each town over 20,000

Tacoma/Seattle? No, we’re good.

112 people and that included the outlying ranches. Had a population booma few years ago. Around 130 now

Small town in North Central Vermont, When I grew up there, population
around 560 - 570. Just checked, now increased to 750.

My great grandfather bought our 10 acre patch with his GI benefits from WW1. My grandkids live next door to me, making 6 generations to live on the same property. Ours used to be a small town and good place to live, but urban sprawl, refuges from other states, and illegals are overrunning us.

30 years where I grew up. 32 years where I live now. Someplace completely different when I retire soon...

Same. And not a chance! 400 people when I left 55 years ago, under 300 now. No one I want to visit with.

I do. Moved away from my home town right after high school but a great job offer brought me back 11 years later and we raised a family here. My kids (and now grandkids) go to the same elementary school that I attended in the 60's.

Only 18,000 people here when I grew up, now it's 60,000.

Moved just up the holler

I grew up in Huntsville, AL. The current population is around 230,463. We moved out of the city about 15 years ago, and now the city has moved out to us. We are in the county as far as jurisdiction is concerned, but we are completely surrounded by the city limits of Huntsville and Madison.

Still live in the same town. Growing up population was 2000 today it is 50,000 Need to get the heck out of here.

I live about 3 miles from where I grew up. 40,000 in 60 and 54,500 now.

I live about 3 blocks from where I was raised. Left home to go to school for two years ,left that for 3 yrs. in SVN, 6 ,months in Delaware , and back home ever since.

Haven't ever had the urge to live, anywhere else!!

I grew up about 5 miles outside a small town in SW PA, Monongahela. Probably about 2000 people at most. Now it is wall to wall people from there all the way into Pittsburgh, about 30 miles.

I did not know it then, but after living in the west for 60 years, all those people have a completely different outlook on life. Plus the humidity, I could not live there now. My son lives there along with his two kids and their kids.

I was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana. When I was born the population was around 12,000, and when I left in 1970 it was 19,000.

Today the "metropolitan area" population is around 120,0000. My wife and I live in a town about 70 miles away that's around 2000 people--and never even go to Bozeman anymore, even to just drive through on I-90, because the traffic's so crazy.

I grew up in Jackson, Ms but in 21 years active duty we moved nine times including two tours out of CONUS, (Hawaii and Japan). My last tour brought us back to the Naval Air Station here which is about 90 miles from away from where my two brothers and sister live a little north of Jackson. Jackson is NOT the town I grew up in by a long shot.

We all get along, so 90 miles is close enough, but it’s also far enough. 😁

Moved about 200 miles North almost 30 years ago. I go back to visit family a few times a year. The first 15+ years had me wondering about possibly moving back some day, but it became clear several years ago that this is my home now. I'd feel out of place living back down there now.

7100 people live where I grew up.
I don't though. I moved about 10 miles south.

I grew up across the river from Jackson.
Jackson is run by morons (Democrats).
It is as bad as almost any Democrat run city in the USA. per capita.
They can't even handle their own water and sewer properly.
It is a hell-hole.

I'm about 3 hours from home and am routinely glad for each minute between me and there.

I live on the same piece of ground where my Great Grandfather moved from Mississippi, after the civil war. Deed is dated 1889, but they moved here earlier. I know that His father made the move with my great grandfather, but don't know where he lived. Anyway, my Grandfather lived here,my Dad lived here and now I live here. miles

My mother lives on the farm I grew up on,I live about 14 miles away at the edge of town, last time I checked the population was about 650 including dogs,cats, and squirrels.

500 people when I grew up there. Probably 20x that now but moved on.

Nope. Left at 18 never to return. Found a place at age 23 and put down roots. Will move seasonally but home will always be up in AK.

Grew up 14 miles from where I currently live. Too many people back then, too many here now.

-Ken

Air BnB’s et al are part of the problem. Everybody wants to make as much money as possible, then move to a low income rural area and live like a king. Or buy “investment property” and trash it with the short term rentals.

A buddy said he was going to buy a property by me when it came up for sale, throw some cabins on it and pimp it on air bnb to the tourons. I told him I’d burn the fücking things down every time they were almost done.

Nope. Left when I was 18 for school not far away.

Finished college and 2 days later was on my way west where I had been recruited to go to school.

Set roots there as a young guy. Been around here in this area a little after that but settled in the same place now for nearly 25 years. Don't see anything changing. It is about 1800miles from where I grew up. I most certainly am not returning from whence I came. Not a chance in hell.

Wife keeps talking about moving to the beach or some such drivel. Told her she's welcome to....on her own.

Still on the family farm that was settled in 1836.

My home is in the Northwest and I have spent my life there (barring some government mandated travel). It's an 800 mile circle but that's home, and I've lived all over it. I visit my actual hometown (Potlatch, Idaho) often and still feel at home there, but we'll never live there again. GD

I wish I lived where I grew up and who knows I might end up there.

That makes you a bad person apparently.


I live a mile and a half from the original 1914 homestead....which we now own too.

My wife and I owned rental properties 20 years ago. They are simply not worth it especially when they were in a blue state and 500 miles away.

People get sucked into that Airbnb dream without realizing what a cluster it is after a while.

There is actually fewer people in the town I went to school in today then when I was a student.

It's probably 900 or 1000 now.

Yep and now the pilgrims have ruined it.

No ,your ILK has ruined most rural properties.

Way too many people now.
Used to be all farms. Now there are houses, fences and no trespassing signs everywhere. A repectful kid used to be able to roam, hunt, ride horse or dirt bike all over without any problems. The cityots have swarmed the area and ruined it.
Could have got my parents place when Dad died. It was an awesome place to grow up, but wouldn't be able to stand living there anymore.

Every time I go back to visit I am reminded of why I left. I love it but I can't stay. Best place on earth aside from the people. Family .. can't live with them, not supposed to shoot them. We're good for an hour or two, then the masks start to come off and it's back to same-shidt-different-decade.

No fuggin way.

Population in place I was born, and place I was raised has increased astronomically.

Never going back to either unless it's to visit and even those are a complete and utter pain in the rear with traffic, crowds, and general azzhattedness.

I live 90 minutes from my home town. Population growing up 3600 and today whopping 3900. Mom and Dad still living on our farm there. They have lived in the same house dad grew up in and me and my siblings were raised in. I got to hunt and fish everyday did some trapping for beer money, it was a good child hood.

I was just there this morning, have some business in the area and get there every week for a few hours. Checked some cows and stopped at the house to visit my parents a bit, and stopped and picked a few morels before I headed home. Doubt I would move back. Did that once and ended up moving away again. Been here where I’m at now 25 years and got grandkids here to. Guess this is home now.

Not me. No desire to go back.

Was a great place to grow up, but there is too much to see.

I live 8 miles from where I grew up. It's a whole lot different that it was when mom and dad brought me home from the hospital in 1953.

While I still live in the same state, North Carolina, I'm about 175 miles west of where I was born.

I was born in a small town (then 10,000 people), moved to a city when I was 9 (then 140,000, now 300,000) and through college, and eventually moved to the mountains. We now live in the largest county in the mountains population wise and it is getting very crowded and very woke. The population has grown by about 100,000 to 270,000 now from when I first moved to the mountains. I swear all 100,000 are either hippies or woke liberals.

We are considering moving closer to the grandkids to a county with about a 170,000 population but it is spread out. The county seat only has 20,000 residents. More importantly, it trends conservative and has lower taxes. The funny thing is I'd be about 25 miles from where I was born.

Grandma told me pick a spot and give her $1 I did so

Subaru dealer is not complaining about being there I can assure you that.

Yes . Just across the bayou from where I grew up. I can see my Mom's house from my kitchen window.

Went on an ambulance run this morning 20 miles south of me.

It was on my road so I went straight to the scene.


The wife of the elderly patient introduced me as their neighbor.

That was kinda cool.

I was born and raised in west central Alabama in the same area where my father's family were from since the 1820s, having moved from South Carolina. My mother's family were from the south eastern corner of Alabama and also settled there in about the same time period from North Carolina. When I was 24, I concluded there was much better economic opportunity for me in Texas, so I moved here, near an aunt and uncle that had been here since 1939 or so. This was in 1979. This was a good move, but I had always had moving back one day on my mind. For years I had considered myself a temporary resident. Over the years I would visit my "home area" several times a year. I noticed as the years passed that while many landmarks remained, some have not. Most of my various family members and friends moved away or died. Those that remained in the area got on with their lives which did not include me. I did the same. In time, I came to realize that the world that I once knew so well growing up, is now just a distant memory. It is not now the same place that I once knew and loved. The people are all different and so are some of the places. The graves of my ancestors are still there with the addition of many others. I have reserved my spot amongst them, realizing that I will most likely be the last of my family ever to be buried there. I know that I made the right decision for my particular situation to leave there when I did, but I do wish things had been different. Where I'm at is not a bad place at all, but it has gotten much too crowded. I may, but I really don't want to die here. It is just so hard to pull up roots and leave. I have lived in my house since 1989 and in this area since '79. This kinda reminds me of an old once popular song by Joe South, "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home, Now". My father died back in 2000, and I well remember him telling me a few years before that, when I was there for a visit, and told him that I eventually wanted to move back. He told me that once you really leave, you can never come back. I knew what he said then, but I really came to understand it years later.

That's funny right there.

My home town used to have 3200 people there. It has since dwindled down to about 2000 now. It's dying a very slow death, but it's dying. I moved away about 50 years ago (not my choice), but I manage to "go home" a couple of times a year to visit with family and keep an eye on things.
I didn't live in "town" anyway, I grew up about six miles out of town on a farm. I'm still a farm kid at heart.

Not I

My mom was born on the dining room table of the house I grew up in.
76 years later she passed away in the dining room in the same house 20 ft from where she was born.
She lived out side of that house less than a year when she married my dad and moved back in after her mom passed.

My sister is 57 and has only lived out of that house for 6 months of her life.

She can have it.
I have my memories and that is all I need.

Moved from here to Alaska to Mississippi to Florida to Alaska and ended back here in north central North Dakota. Stated farming and retired 6 years ago. Population of about 3500. Not a stop light in the whole town. Edk

I grew up here and the population was about 1200. Got out of school and moved 4200 miles away to see the world. Had a great time and some great experiences for a decade. Moved back and brought my wife and baby boy going on 7 years ago now. Population is still about 1200.

Sometimes I miss the adventure but living where I live and having the connections I have gives me a several thousand acre playground I don’t really have to share with many others. Outdoors stuff to do year around. Family and friends I love close by. And cheap living in a quiet small town.

I've been gone from where I was raised for 50 years. Can't really see us going back there because of the traffic and all the tourist. But I have some commercial waterfront property there and we've thought about going back and charter fishing the winter season from my slip at our restaurant. I keep telling myself the weather is really nice in south Florida during the winter.

Way, way, way more people now.

You assume I've finally grown up.

Was born and spent most of my life in Chicago. Now that I am in Wyoming for 12 years I wish I would have got here sooner.

4th generation on current land I had to buy some to square things up the 5th generation has picked out home spots not got going any where

East central Vermont here. Grew up in a town with a population of about 750.
Moved two towns north, current population 675ish. That’s plenty of people for me!

I live within 6 miles of where I grew up.

Within 35 miles as the crow flies...

Born in a hospital 25 miles from here.
Grew up on a farm 5 miles away.
Will never leave this country.

My cowboy dream was to drift onto some ranch, marry the rich man's daughter and take over. Instead my crazy mom, while my dad was out of town building churches, thought we should join some giant evangelist movement to the fastest growing town in the country. Long Island from Texas was a different universe back then. Culture shock is a weak expression pre Interstates, pre McDonalds, etc. On the other end, my daughter is now living within a few miles of our maternal progenitor from 1750's and moving closer to my great grandfather's farm. He left to homestead Indian Territory then Kim Colorado desert to strike it rich as the abnormal wet era ended in the dust bowl days. Greener grass syndrome. Nothing is the same anywhere anyway. You can't go home again even if you stay put.

Within 150 miles. Would never think of being down South where the problems are. No Thank You. Will deal with the cold winters and snow. Don't deal with the BS other problems either. Call me a Yank or whatever. You have far more problems than we do up here.

Yes I live about 3 miles from the family farm I grew up on . when I got outa school I could not get outa here fast enough ! got a really good paying job in the oil fields in oklahoma ( 7hrs away from home ) was there for about 2 1/2 yrs when they shut the oil down in the early 80s had a hell of a time finding a good paying welding job anywhere , so came back home and as things go my mom got very sick . I settled in and stayed to help take care of her , and, got into construction , been here most all of my years !

I live 32 mi. from where I grew up. I lived in Menomonee Fall, Wi. Population 15,000 in 1970 and now 32,000 . I moved north so I could afford a few acres. Now I live near Allenton , WIs. However, I would like to move to Upper Michigan, or stay for the summer.

Southern Chicago has problems.

I was born in New Orleans and grew up in rural New Hampshire, but have no desire to live in either place. The land that I grew up on has been subdivided, so the 80 acres of woods, grown up sheep pasture, and orchard that I roamed as a kid doesn't exist any more.

My wife wants to retire in the mountains of NH or VT, while I want to retire around Durango, CO. Unless someone else takes over the management of our resort rental business, it would be more convenience for me to drive from Durango to Breckenridge then it would be to fly halfway across the country to do onsite inspections and manage maintenance and upgrades.

truly unbelievable.....bob

I live in a small town with not much crime about 2 blocks from where I was raised. If I want excitement, I'll travel.

I grew up in St Lawrence County NY. Beautiful country. Good hunting, fishing and trapping. Economically depressed compared to much of the rest of the state. I left NY after college to move out west.

The small school I attended had 31 people in my graduating class, 1977. 16 girls and 15 boys and I still couldn’t get a date. I guess girls back then didn’t find trappers too attractive.

Not sure how big the school is now. The town doesn’t look to have grown much since 77.

I went back often when Dad was still alive and gave serious consideration to retiring back there. I came to realize I missed the NY of my youth. It has changed greatly. I knew after living out west and in Alaska I couldn’t live with the restrictions in NY.

Hell Randy, I wouldn't be surprised if there are 15 people living in the place I lived in when I graduated High School. All foreigners of course. Last time I was back that way, last year, my cousin Donna was living in a town house there in Manassas, Va. There were 21 people living in the town house next door to her, who were from Afghanistan. There are only 4 people on the lease. Asians next door on the other side of her, 4 people on that lease, but about 15 to 18 people living there, depending on time of year.

Manassas was where the 2 Battles of Bull Run were fought during the Civil War. In 1862, the population of the town was 2500 approximately. I lived there in 1960 to 1963, before my dad got transferred to England in the Air Force. Mom worked at the Pentagon. The population was 2500 in 1961 and 1962, within the city limits, same as 100 years earlier during the Civil War. Its 30 miles into DC from there.

Something like 65 % of the land around Manassas is Battlefield Park and can never be sold or built on. By 1980, with the growth of our government, the population of Manassas was 485,000. I'm not talking Black people, but the number of brown people around the entire town seemed like a lot more than White People., just an observation, not a fact.

Living there in my youth, ya saw a boatload of Confederate Flags everywhere and there certainly was a lot of southern pride.
2022, I bet most of the people living there now, have no idea what the Civil War or what the hell southern pride IS or WAS.

The 3 bedroom home my folks bought on 1.2 acres of land in 1960, went for $11K, the two bed room house next door was a single story, (ours was a 2 story), sold for $9K in 1960. Went by there with my cousin Donna, just reliving where we use to live. The house next door to our old home, was up for sale in 2020, with an Asking price of $900,000. Its a 1000 square foot house, on 3/4 an acre. It sold in a week for $950,000. My house from my youth was for sale next door. It was in foreclosure. Some Pakistani people were living in it. The bank had an asking price of $1.15 million on it.

There was NO open property to buy to build anything. My elementary school, was half a mile away from our house. Past it was open fields and a dirt road. Half a mile down the dirt road was Bull Run. We use to go down there on our bikes, and play around the Creek, just looking for Civil War Relics. Always found tons of mini balls, and sometimes, rifle parts that hadn't rotted away, or rusted. We even found the remains of a Casson and Cannon once, and our folks turned the location over to the National Battle Field Park. Also found a couple of Sabres, or what was left of them, those were handed over to the Park also. Even came across the remains of some skeletons, as the creek flow, use to change each winter, and sand piles would shift, and uncover stuff.

Al that crap is now Super Suburbia.... The town of Centerville just to the north on US 50 and VA Rt 28, was just a cross roads, with maybe 50 people living there.. even had an old store that had stood during the Civil War and was still in use when I was a kid. Went thru there, its all apartment buildings...

I'd never return to what I called home growing up there in High School. Its long gone and filled up with Foreigners...

I've considered moving back home to Virginia, but it would be in the SW part of the state. But sure are a lot of people there, and nothing is affordable like when I was young. I'm 17th Generation Virginian, descended from the first settlers at Jamestown in 1607, only about 20% of those survived after the first two years there. I'm descended from those guys.
Recently looking up something about the time period, from 1607 to 1620 roughly 20,000 immigrants left England to settle in the Virginia colony. From Sickness and Indians, the population of the Virginia colony was only about 1200 to 1500 people in 1625. Those that survived were either real hardy, or just luckier than hell... probably the latter, I am descended from those people.

About 20 miles straight line from my first home to this one.
Over 40 driving. The other places I've lived are only a little off the path
between them. Bedford or Somerset County my whole life, worked away, drove truck,
home has always been here.


First known ancestor settled near my 1st home in the 1700s.





Seafarers,
I find it very confusing going back to places that have grown so much.
I get lost, it's like colliding dimensions.
Things are familiar, but your are all discombobulated. Kinda can't tell where you are,
then recognize something, but it seems misplaced.

Me

The place I am from no longer exists as I remember it. Lots of changes. I moved away right after high school to go to college and as soon as college was over I ended up very far away. I go back to visit and hunt for a few weeks every year. I love to visit but I have just gotten used to life where I settled down. I have no plans to move back as I dont want to retire from my profession and my work is here.

i live 2 1/2 miles from where i lived when i was born.

There is a TV tower due north of downtown Cincinnati. I was born, raised, and currently live within 5 miles of that tower.

I live about 20 miles from where I grew up, but am about 5 miles form where my grand parents and aunts and uncles lived.

25 miles east of where I grew up.

Ron

I live next door to the house I grew up in. It was a great neighborhood back then and it's still a good place to raise a family. Unfortunately the rest of our town has taken a real beating. Our town only has about 3,000 people but it's not the place I grew up in. There used to be 4 factories here but now there's only one. 2 floods ravaged our downtown area in 1996 and 2006 and the business district never recovered. About all that's left of main street is a few places that sell used crap and a couple dollar stores. We hope to move to someplace warmer and more conservative than NY when my wife retires. I guess that gives us a lot of options.

I'm back on the family property where I grew up. Moved away for 24 years lived in Kansas, Colorado, Missouri & Arizona. I miss the mountains of Colorado and the fishing on Blue Mesa Reservoir, but need to stay where I'm at for a while.

Yep, still here. I live about 15 miles from where I grew up. Two of my brothers live a couple of miles from there.

I know you disagree with my sentiment, but I’m not wrong.

For the record, and the 3 letter analysts keeping tabs, I wouldn’t really commit arson. Buddy was jabbing me trying to get my dander up and I obliged.

Back on the home ground for the third and final time until I assume room temperature. I can see the home farm a quarter mile away, and the first place I built and raised our children is couple hundred yards away on adjoining property.

I grew up in a town of 740 people that is now 450. I do not want to go. A into a dying town. Nor do i want to deal with Minnesota's DFL.

I'm four miles from Ruby Street, the street I grew up on. Ruby was my grandmother. The property was given to her by Felician, by great grand father. My Dad and one sibling still live on Ruby, as does several first cousins. I moved because I wanted some space. Bought 20 acres thirty years ago and the area exploded about three years after. An acre goes for what I bought the original 20 for now.

I have had the opportunity to move to many places but I just enjoy staying close to my roots.
I drink coffee at a local place in the morning with 15-20 guys I went from kindergarten to my graduation with. It is sometime surreal. Especially after I travel for business.

What I have learned is rural America is mostly the same regardless of where that "rural" is.

What has this country messed up are those that have lived their entire life surrounded by concrete.

65,000 whan I was a kid. About 1.7 million now. Metro area about 4.7 million. Smaller town in the metro we moved to was about 10,000 when we moved there, now about 520,000, maybe more.

Re: BillyGoatGruff's post above. Was visiting with a fellow in the grocery checkout line who had a couple of AirBnB's. People came in for something and trashed the place . $100,000 damage, NOT covered by the AirBnB people and his own insurance said ;'No', it's a rental. ... AirBnB's are a scourge around here, imo.

Live in what was my grandparents old house just a few miles from where my parents lived until I got married 1985. Even then lived around halfway between those two places. Moved to the old farm in 1998.

I've never been out of the southeastern United States. Mid-north Alabama all my life.

I grew up in Springfield Or. Was born in Eugene in 1952, two years before Springfield got a hospital.

I'm a fourth generation Lane County Or. native. I live about 30 miles from where my Great Great Grandfather settled in the mid 1800's

Virgil B.

Oof!

All I know is folks around here are making bank. Supposedly less risk than long-term renters in re squatters.

Left "home" as soon as I realized I was free to go.

Military sent me all over the world. Had lots of adventures and lived more than anyone I know from "home".

Used to visit often but it's the same people sitting at the same bars complaining about the same things for decades.

No thanks.

Only reason to return is to put my folks in a box.

NOPE, it ain't the place I left and is only going more downhill with every election!

I can only think of one other state where I might chose to live!

I am the only one of my family to leave Roanoke. Didn’t go far but 4.5 hrs is far enough I suppose.

After ranging over the West packing guiding and cowboying. I moved back to the family ranch. I live in my grandmothers house 100 yards south of my mothers house, renting her house out. It will be easier to explain to grandmaw in the promised land why I turned her house into a dog house than mom. Not nasty just a lot of dirt and dog hair. My ideal home would be a nice dry cave by a river. The Neander runs strong in me.

Going by the nearest census figures to each event:
When I was born, the population was 736.
When I left it was 683.
Today, it stands at 677. This ranks it as the 11,970th largest city in the United States.

I grew up in rural Wyoming county in PA but spent much of my youth 3 hours away at my uncle's Potter County cabin. Work had me out west for 30 years but when I retired I came home to Potter county to stay, we have state forest land on 3 sides of us and on the other side folks from down country that rarely get up here.. It is really quite and perfect!

Left west PA in 1980

N E V E R going back

N E V E R

Port Arthur, Texas was an "All American City" in 1973. Not huge, but it had it all, and was considered one of the best places to live in America at the time.

Last year, it was listed as the second most miserable city in the US, behind Gary, Indiana.

No, I don't live there anymore.

Now I live in a little place listed as "The Whitest Town in America".

I have my reasons.

I left SW PA. Forty years ago and never looked back.

KSMITH: I hung around the town I was born in for 50 years then I retired and moved to my dream place and have been here for 25 full years now going on 26.
Probably here for the duration we love it so much.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

L I K E

No way.........

haven't seen one of those in 5+ yrs

And I'll bet that all of us would agree with the reasons.

Port Arthur - Janis Joplin, right?

Born in Tucson,
Bishop California,
Tucson,
Missoula Montana age 5,
Lolo MT 6-9,
Las Vegas at 10,
Missoula age 11,
Bozeman age 12,
Palmer alaska age 13-20,
Gunnison Colorado, Vista California, Peck Idaho, Great Falls MT age 20-21,
Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole, Valdez age 22-39
Great Falls, MT since then.
Might move to Helena next..........
or Kentucky

Vidor or Jasper ??? 😜

I would suggest that is the extreme minority.

Departed SW PA in 1972. I would never move back. To many taxes and toll roads. You could give me a house for free and I still wouldn’t move back.

Grew up in rural nebraska on the farm
Dad was just about bankrupt and holding on by a thread in the 80d I sold my skills as a welder and went west chasing oil work
Ended up on the west coast and did well
For 25 years. Packed it in and left the communism 10 years ago to take over the farm
I miss the big money but not that life

Jasper is mostly black and we consider Vidor a culturally integrated neighbor.
We just play it a little smarter.

All my life right here in Port Angeles Washington, fourth generation.

Bob you’re always good for a well reasoned post. Wondering g what you found objectionable in mine.

About 32,000 where I grew up. I live 30 minutes away now and the population here is 7,400. We’re in the middle of the “Tri-Cities.” Two towns with populations of about 42,000 twenty minutes away and the one that I grew up in of about 32,000 that’s about a 30 minutes drive.

There isn’t a town within the rest of the state to the North of me that has over about 20,000 PPL and that’s over five hours drive to the NW up in the UP.

I traveled a lot between between 18 and 28 when I moved back here. I’m starting to have one eye towards retirement and a cabin up North with a permanent home down South.

Dad was a career naval officer (30 years) and I a career Army officer (26 years) so I never lived anywhere longer than 3 years until I retired in 1996. I've lived all over the world and wouldn't trade it for anything. However, I can understand those who have lived in the same place their entire life.

Still live in the southeast... but not close to where I grew up and I am glad. Way to crowded where I grew up. However, I know several people where I grew up that are in their 80's now and have never left the state they were born in... some have barely even left the county except to go hunting as urban sprawl has made them do that.

Always thought that part was strange. Never been to the ocean and some never to the mountains or ocean...

My grandkids are 5th generation Seattle.

We are engineers, mostly; Boeing, Microsoft, Fluke, Amazon, Google, Mitutoyo, Kenworth, Axon, etc

Nope, after college graduation, I took a job that took me to many places to live. The closest was 800 miles from where I grew up. I enjoy going back occasionally, but no desire to live there.

Born and raised in Omaha. Dad, my grandfather, and my great grandfather grew up there. Always lived in west suburbs,. 9th grade, 1971, could walk across the street and hunt squirrels, rabbits, and birds.
Tried college and in 1978 came to Alaska. Been here ever since. Can't imagine living anywhere else. I'll die here but my ashes will be returned to a family plott in an Omaha cemetery.

I’ve lived in the house I grew up in for 13 years now.

Where I grew up I don't even like to go back and visit anymore. It was ok growing up but it's not me. It was a small town of 211, so living in a town of almost 400 is about right for me. I love the prairie but the mountains have called for me a long time so I'll probably go back one day. I'll probably go back to the black hills but for now I'll be content to have a little acreage in remote South Dakota. One never knows what the future holds though. Just remember, when the game is over the king and the pawn go in the same box. I'm most thankful my kids have an upbringing similar to to what I have. I've seen the evils of the world, and thankfully we don't have much of that here, although they are aware of them

Formative yrs in Tenn, Va, and WVa. Came to Oregon for grad school and never left. Family is still east, but I like it better here.

Were I a bit younger though, I'd go to Alaska.

I was born in Clarkston WA, ended up in the Lewiston orphanage at five. Was adopted and moved to Mountain Home ID. We lived in Mountain Home until dad got transferred to Elmendorf where I finished the ninth grade. Been living in the Anchorage area for the last 52 years. I'm in the process of tearing down the family house in Chugiak.

I know Menomonee Falls real well, use to live over in the Twin Cities, but use to do a lot of business in Wisconsin...
I love Wisconsin, good folks there....

A lot of people don't know it, but Menomonee is an Chippewa Indian Word for being Dirt Poor Broke.. True Story.

Grew up in the California Bay Area, left 26 years ago for Alaska which has been home ever since. Have absolutely no desire to ever live in California again, and if I never set foot in the state again I'm ok with that.

I think I could handle Montana, Idaho or Wyoming, not so sure about the other states.

Bozeman, Montana:

1960: 13,500
2020: 50,000

12 miles from my childhood home.

About 2hr from where I grew up.

of course grew up out the sticks but if you say the closest town or the town we went to high school in. the closest town is about 150 people tell me what the high school ends like 1320 was back then still is the days population's been pretty steady...

My 74 yo neighbor has never been over 45 miles from where he was born and has no plans on changing that.

After moving out of the parents house, I've moved an additional ten times that has included two additional states. Now I'm 50 miles from where I grew up. Current job is 50 miles from my house and 25 from mom's. I stay there a night or two every other week to save on gas and to help her with stuff around the house.

Yep. I was joking, of course.
Several great C&W singers came out of the Vidor area.

Same town 55years now. Have looked around, never saw anyplace I'd rather live.

Our mom died in February, she was 87. She lived roughly 5 miles away from the house she was born in.

Over 1100 when I was born, 787 last census.