Thoughts on living in/near one's 'home town'

[BuckeyeRyn]

I think at some point in life you have to get away from your childhood memories,and sometimes it's hard to do that living close to where you were raised.

I had a great childhood... I would never want to "get away" from those memories. I love being able to take my kids places that I used to frequent at their age, explaining to them what has changed, what has stayed the same. In fact, there used to be a tree on Kenny Road, by the golf course, people would always paint messages on it.... I miss that tree. Having dinner at the Chefo, I smile and take a stroll down memory lane each time I walk in that place.

yep, I'm glad I have the memories I do and hope they stay with me until my dying day.

 

[Taosman]

One word............monsterinlaw! :( Uggggg!

I'm with grad in not wanting to move back to the Ohio Valley.

New Mexico and this climate(sunshine 300 days a year) is the best! New Mexicans love their state!
Taos is a unique small town. An artist colony and tri-cultures. But, just mostly great, warm, caring people.

 

[Mike80]

One word............monsterinlaw! :( Uggggg!

I'm with grad in not wanting to move back to the Ohio Valley.

New Mexico and this climate(sunshine 300 days a year) is the best! New Mexicans love their state!
Taos is a unique small town. An artist colony and tri-cultures. But, just mostly great, warm, caring HIPPIES.

Fixed moon-dancer :p

 

[powerlifter]

I had a great childhood... I would never want to "get away" from those memories. I love being able to take my kids places that I used to frequent at their age, explaining to them what has changed, what has stayed the same. In fact, there used to be a tree on Kenny Road, by the golf course, people would always paint messages on it.... I miss that tree. Having dinner at the Chefo, I smile and take a stroll down memory lane each time I walk in that place.

yep, I'm glad I have the memories I do and hope they stay with me until my dying day.

I totally understand where you are coming from in all honesty. I once told my gf who was 2000 miles away that I could walk by different trees (I do a lot of cardio for a guy my size),and remember things I had done in that exact same spot many many years ago back to my childhood and that is something that I never will forget....I'm a very hometown person...I just meant that too much of something with no balance is never good...I didn't necessarily mean someone can't be happy in ohio by no means...I've always been proud to live here..

 

[osugrad21]

Gulla's to the left before the bridge...damn I miss it.

 

[Thump]

It's cool to see a lot of people who have moved out west. I will be heading out to utah within a month.

To meet the girl you met online?

 

[stxbuck]

I have always lived in the Miami Valley, except for when I went to tOSU. I have been to other parts of the country, but I love SW Ohio-people, climate, Columbus and Cincinnati are interesting cities, and real estate prices are not insane. I'm sorry but I do not want to live in a place where it
A- is brutally hot in the summer ,continuously
B-has a preponderance of "Taco Bell" style architecture
C-has real estate prices 7x those in Ohio
D-has large #'s of gang members, hurricanes, and earthquakes (the West Side of Dayton is disorganized chaos-they don't have gangs!, and Xenia is close enough to attract any tornadoes away from my house)
Colorado,Omaha, and the Pacific NW are the only places I have been that I like, and I don't/didn't have any desire to pack up and move just for the heck of it. My students got mad at me one day when I told them that, yes, they might want to move to some someplace warmer or more happening than Dayton or columbus, but after they got married and had kids, they would wind up living in a place remarkably similar to Hilliard or Centerville, except they would pay 3x more for their house in Chicago or LA or Boston than they would in Ohio.

 

[buckiprof]

I knew once I graduated high school, there was no way I would ever end up living in my hometown. A "thriving" metropolis in Auglaize county wasn't for me. Went to OSU and the only summer that I came home for was after my first year.

Absolutely loved OSU and most of what Columbus had to offer, yet when graduated with the Masters degree, the wife and I moved to Phoenix, maninly for my first full-time position, but to also "get away". Lived in Phoenix for 3 years, mid-July to mid-Sept can get rough with the monsoon bringing in some humidity, but it was nice there. (However, the pollution is really bad in the winter.). While I did miss snow and the change of seasons, that wasn't enough to have us move.

When mrs. buckiprof informed me that she was expecting our first child, well, the search for a position in Ohio started. We both wanted our children to grow up knowing their families and seeing them more than once a year. We both felt that Ohio was/is a damn good place to raise a family.

Found a position in NE Ohio which is perfect. My folks are still in Auglaize county and the wife's folks are still in Worthington, so family is close enough but not too close .

BTW, that first year back in Ohio from Arizona was Fall 1994. Without a doubt, that fall was the most amazing fall I had ever experienced. I couldn't believe how amazing the trees were (I guess growing up and seeing it every year, I kinda took it for granted).

 

[Best Buckeye]

I was born and raised in Marion and had no plans out of High school so I joined the Marines. While in the Corps I traveled extensively all over Europe and the Easten USA. While traveling I realized that no matter where I was or what language was spoken people are the same. Once I realized that I knew that no place would be better for me than Ohio, The place I love.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I have always lived in the Miami Valley

Is that anywhere near the Fredo Valley?

 

[stxbuck]

Is that anywhere near the Fredo Valley?

Hey, the university stole it's name from the river!

 

[Brewtus]

Grew up in the Cleveland area, went to Ohio State then got the hell out of Ohio and moved to Chicago. I'd never move back to Ohio again and the last time I was in Cleveland about 5 years ago I realized how much I don't miss anything there. The more I travel around the country the more I realize I fit best in Chicago. It's a big enough city that good jobs are plentiful in my field, pay scale is several times what I would get in Ohio, there are a thousand places to eat and drink just a short walk or cab ride from home, and in general the people are pretty cool. Daley keeps the city clean and safe, and the growth and new construction going on here is like no other place in the midwest.

I get back to Columbus once a year for a game and while I enjoy two days reliving my college years, by Sunday I can't wait to get home. Others may enjoy the slow pace and familiarity of small towns, but I need the opportunities and variety of a big city.