If you left DC: are you happier?

[Anonymous]

In these threads, many of the people who have left DC and now regret it have moved to some place drastically different. Like a small town or a very car-oriented bigger city without a lot of culture. So this miss DC.

The thing is, there are many cities where you can get the culture, food, diversity, etc of DC but in a smaller package. I know of several cities that fit this bill.

[Anonymous]

Moved away to elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic for a job. Missed DC. Moved back three years later. Very happy to be here -- I have a great sense of community, both my physical neighborhood plus my community of good friends -- which are expanding/improving as my child begins school. Only move I can imagine considering away from DC would be Seattle or No Cal, in part to be closer to family.

Cheers to those of you who happily moved away -- I think some places are just not "your place", and DC apparently isn't for everyone, but I love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In these threads, many of the people who have left DC and now regret it have moved to some place drastically different. Like a small town or a very car-oriented bigger city without a lot of culture. So this miss DC.

The thing is, there are many cities where you can get the culture, food, diversity, etc of DC but in a smaller package. I know of several cities that fit this bill.

Please share - we are always in search of the perfect smaller town to decamp too while keeping much of what we live for DC but with a smaller cost of living!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In these threads, many of the people who have left DC and now regret it have moved to some place drastically different. Like a small town or a very car-oriented bigger city without a lot of culture. So this miss DC.

The thing is, there are many cities where you can get the culture, food, diversity, etc of DC but in a smaller package. I know of several cities that fit this bill.

Please share - we are always in search of the perfect smaller town to decamp too while keeping much of what we live for DC but with a smaller cost of living!

Yes, please do share. I am PP who moved back and am much happier. Please don't say Charlotte (hated it) or Denver (zzzzzz) or Austin (ok, it may be the closest but still the driving!) because we have lived in all of them and still came back to DC.

[Anonymous]

There are clearly many cosmopolitan places that offer many opportunities. Surely you are not all that closed minded. It depends on your area of professional expertise. I would assume OP's first on her to do list is the ability to earn a living.

Given that, there are so many world class museums in those cosmopolitan places, education and attractions - just because they don't say "National blah blah" in front of it, doesn't mean it is less impressive once you step inside! But surely you already know that. RIGHT?!?!

OP and PPs, assess what is priority to you. Do you need to be close to your family? Your childhood friends? The ocean? NYC? CA? Only you can decide. As you know, DC certainly is not for everyone. In fact, I enjoy laughing about it once in a while. It brings it on itself, after all.

[Anonymous]

I am the poster in MA on this thread but no I am not the poster that always hates on MA. In general I am enjoying my time in MA. I love fresh seafood but on the whole there is only so much English food or pub food a person can take. No we are not in Boston or Cambridge but we are in a close in suburb. It's not a diverse area (which I don't really care about) but as a result the ethnic food options are pretty slim.

[Anonymous]

15:28 - if you are in a close in suburb, take advantage of the situation! Hop on the "T" (clean commuter train or old school) with your little ones and make it an adventure! Go into Harvard Square, Newton, Downtown, anywhere! Enjoy - I am jealous There are nothing but options in MA, it seems. You need to find the right people and places.

[Anonymous]

I so much want to sell my place and move back to my home town.
Coming here did not benefit us at all. It has been 10 years now. I just want to go back

[Anonymous]

We were happy in DC but are now in Philadelphia and happier. It was a big quality of life jump. We love not having to deal with traffic, being able to get together spontaneously with neighbors/friends (I don't know why this never happened for us in DC, but it didn't), the incredible public schools, and having a good-sized house. The house size thing sounds materialistic but in DC we were obsessed with decluttering, storage, and plotting to build on, and now we just live our lives. It's liberating.

[Anonymous]

20:05 - good on you! I wish!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We left for a NY suburb a few months ago and we are thrilled! I have made more friends here in the past few weeks than I did in my 10 years of living in Washington DC. I can actually see some of these friends becoming very close and I love how many casual last minute get togethers we have. It just seemed so difficult to penetrate the surface of people in DC.

is your lifestyle still the same? Meaning, in each city you worked outside the home or were a SAHM?

[Anonymous]

I've been here for 10 years, had career opportunities that I couldn't have imagined where I am from. But I know that as soon as I move back, I will instantly regret the amount of time spent in DC being pretty lonely and letting work dominate my life. I came from a midwestern city with a very strong sense of community and so moving here was a very different experience. I am very much looking forward to moving back. Nothing matters expect family and friends, and for me, I haven't had hardly any of that here in DC.

[Anonymous]

Holy crap! Is everyone here from the midwest or what?!?! Are there no jobs or grad degrees there? Wow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In these threads, many of the people who have left DC and now regret it have moved to some place drastically different. Like a small town or a very car-oriented bigger city without a lot of culture. So this miss DC.

The thing is, there are many cities where you can get the culture, food, diversity, etc of DC but in a smaller package. I know of several cities that fit this bill.

Please share - we are always in search of the perfect smaller town to decamp too while keeping much of what we live for DC but with a smaller cost of living!

Yes, please do share. I am PP who moved back and am much happier. Please don't say Charlotte (hated it) or Denver (zzzzzz) or Austin (ok, it may be the closest but still the driving!) because we have lived in all of them and still came back to DC.

I've always thought I would like Denver. What didn't you like? Was it really boring? Are you a skier? That's part of what appeals to me. What do you do here in DC for fun tht didn't translate to Denver?

ANd I agree, Charlotte is horrid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In these threads, many of the people who have left DC and now regret it have moved to some place drastically different. Like a small town or a very car-oriented bigger city without a lot of culture. So this miss DC.

The thing is, there are many cities where you can get the culture, food, diversity, etc of DC but in a smaller package. I know of several cities that fit this bill.

Please share - we are always in search of the perfect smaller town to decamp too while keeping much of what we live for DC but with a smaller cost of living!

Yes, please do share. I am PP who moved back and am much happier. Please don't say Charlotte (hated it) or Denver (zzzzzz) or Austin (ok, it may be the closest but still the driving!) because we have lived in all of them and still came back to DC.

I've always thought I would like Denver. What didn't you like? Was it really boring? Are you a skier? That's part of what appeals to me. What do you do here in DC for fun tht didn't translate to Denver?

ANd I agree, Charlotte is horrid.

NP here. If your idea of a perfect day consists of sleeping in and going out to brunch, hitting a world-class museum or two, and then having dinner at a really nice restaurant, Denver may not be your thing. If your idea of perfect day is getting up early, going for a hike, and then relaxing with a microbrew, you'll love it. The best thing about Denver, in my opinion, is the people. In general, they're happy and they love living there, and the positivity just kind of gets stuck on you. Other than the mountains, Denver is a little generic, but the happy, welcoming, laid-back people made it for me. Every city has a culture, and in Colorado, it's: "We live in Colorado; aren't we lucky?" There are plenty of nice people in DC, too, of course, but the overall culture here is a little more blase and even cynical.