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Anyone actually leave the DC Rat Race?!?
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Anonymous
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We love DC, but I think that DH is very stressed out here and finds utterly depressing being a small fish in a very large pond.
Has anyone here actually left DC for, say, the Midwest? or the Northwest? Or do you know anyone who has? How are you/they doing? |
Anonymous
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We have! We are in the mountains of NC, and absolutely LOVE it. Left in January and are not looking back. There are things that we miss, but we are sooo much happier here. We could actually afford to buy a house (a NEW one, on a creek!) We have more quality family time(even though DH worked from home in DC.) We wanted a slower paced life for our child. Wanted to see endless amounts of trees and not buildings or cars.
Best wishes, it takes time to make a move. |
Anonymous
| Thinking about it. We have an opportunity to move to a small midwestern town. My main concern is the schools -- we are currently in a small private that we love, and the only option there is a big public school (or big Catholic equivalent). The kids do 4H and marching band ... totally foreign to us! I know my kids would benefit from less stress during the high school years, but I'm so afraid they would have no way out of the midwest if they didn't like it. I remember when I applied for jobs in law school, people always said it was better to start at a big firm, because you could always move to a small one if you didn't like it, but that it is hard to go the other way. While DH and I might be ready to move from a big(ger) to a small(er) town, I don't want to limit my children. |
Anonymous
Um, DC and NYC and LA and all big cities are lousy with Midwestern and Southern and other small-town transplants. Why on earth would you think your kids would be stuck anywhere? |
Anonymous
Yeah - I'm from the middle of nowhere in the midwest, and came out here for college, with thousands of others. I wouldn't have, though, if my parents hadn't pushed me to move here, so you can influence things. We're moving back to the midwest as soon as we can find jobs. |
Anonymous
Just what I was thinking. I'm from a small town, and here I am. |
Anonymous
| Some friend came to DC to make big money and save as much of it as they can. They are very frugal and live modestly. Their plan is to return to their home country and retire young and debt free. |
Anonymous
| DH is from VA and I am from CA. We have lived in DC for the past 8 years. We finally left DC for the midwest in January and we love it. We have a great quality of life here. There are some things in life that are truly priceless. Good luck with your decision. |
Anonymous
Yup. I'm in the Northwest (Seattle) and left kicking and screaming (sort of). In my field, pay is MUCH LESS here, and the cost of living isn't that much less than in DC... but you do get more for your $$, there's way less crime, and people are just much um... more relaxed and nicer, overall. I would give the quality of life index here two thumbs up over DC (where I was born, mostly raised, and worked for the biggest and most recent chunk of my professional life. And I love DC, so this isn't an anti-DC rant!) For significantly lower cost of living, check out Portland, OR. I recommend Seattle VERY highly. Amazing views, urban city life if you dig that, smart people (don't let the relaxed atmosphere fool you -- they may not be Federal policy wonks, but there is plenty of intellectual depth here). Trying to get my family to make a move so we can have them close to us again! This is the #1 thing I miss from our move out west! |
Anonymous
| OP, great thread! Love that people on here are bright and realize it is not an anti DC thread, but instead a pro other place thread. Otherwise known as "it's not all about you", which is part of what is so tiresome. DC is not the be all and end all (God forbid it would be). There is a better quality of life and there are jobs pretty much anywhere. I miss proximity to the beach, mountains and other nice things that money can't buy. PP's, HOW did you convince your significant other to move without there seeming a "sacrifice"? Life is just too short to be stuck in a crowd of miserable people. This is not to get flamed, just wondering how you did it. |
Anonymous
I'm so jealous....I've been complaining to DH for the last 2 years about how I want to get the heck out of here (I'm an area native as well) and I think he's starting to come around. He mentioned how much he liked Seattle and Portland when he visited for work. I've never been to either city, but my bags are packed if/when an opportunity arises. |
Anonymous
I lived in Seattle for years before moving here. I did not feel like we got more for our money there. True, Washington state has no state income tax but home prices are/were sky high. |
Anonymous
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Next week we'll "celebrate" our four year anniversary of leaving DC (I was there 11 years) for Portland, Ore. Here's a thread I started a while back that sums up my experience:
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/118241.page#997854 PS - I am still unemployed and we are looking at Seattle as an option...bigger city, much better job market. But I would get a job before we moved there (and DH would do a transfer with his current company). |
Anonymous
The issue may be when you moved relative to the peak in real estate... but even so, are you living in the actual city of DC? Because I did. And the DC housing prices were and still are obnoxious. We bought 5+ years ago in DC and could afford only a 'transitioning' neighborhood (Col Hts), a 3 BR townhouse with slightly less than 2000 SF, no garage (but two spaces in back), and only a very small urban plot in front. Fully renovated, but with the cheapest accessories ('brass' chandelier, anyone?), holes in the wood floor, and significant foot traffic, visible drug use/dealing, and other petty criminal activity on a regular basis. Here in Seattle city proper in Magnolia we have a 2900 SF 3BR single family home with finished basement, home office, front yard, back yard, nice fixtures, calm neigbors without any criminal history that I can discern, and great schools. Oh, and views to die for. All for about what we paid in DC five years ago. For quality of life, DC does not compare. And, yes, I do miss DC, but not because of anything I've mentioned! Purely for sentimental reasons, proximity to cultivated job networks, and proximity to family. |
Anonymous
Would LOVE to pack up and leave (DH agrees) but both of our families are here... we just can't bring ourselves to move the kids away from their grandparents. 
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