Do you feel trapped in the DC area because of good jobs, but really dream of living elsewhere?

[Anonymous]

How about quality of life measured by issues other than pure intellectual pursuits? Mountain climbing, skiing, surfing, etc. Clean air instead of smog. Cool air instead of 100 degree 100 percent humidity. Lots of places are way nicer than DC on that scale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 13:53

"an effing"

You still got the message, irrespective of corrrect grammar. You are AN EFFING snot. Is that better?

[Anonymous]

To 14:46 - those things are much less important to many DC residents than job opportunities and excellent public schools. If you're into those things, you'd probably dig Colorado more than DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love it here! I love that when I take my DD to the baby pool she plays with childrend from Argentina, Brasil, Germany, Siberia etc... There are so many things here for us to do and I have wonderful friends and family here. Life is full and good! But then again I own my own business, don't work in politics, barely commute and set my hours. I wish it was less expensive but overall our quality of life is great here.

Definitely off-topic, but.. Siberia is not a country, it's a part of Russia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me count the ways I love DC:
* our friends. We are incredibly lucky to have a GREAT group of friends here. I don't think we could replicate this support system in another city, as it has taken us ~15 years to develop these relationships.
* cultural opportunities.
* raising our child in an area where people are (relatively) open-minded and tolerant of differences.
* I don't have to fake a love for Nascar or SEC football.
* It's OK that I don't scrap or make my child's halloween costume.
* good doctors and hospitals. If your baby has a heart defect or your spouse develops a rare form of cancer, this is a pretty good place to be living.

I also grew up in Chicago and do miss some things about that city. If we could bring five or seven other families with us, and find equivalent jobs, we might consider moving. But I don't think the COL would be significantly lower.

When comparing salaries and cost of living, think about how much you can save for retirement. You generally want to live where you can earn the most (and suffer through the higher COL) during your earning years, and move to a lower COL area for retirement. If you can save 15% in your 401k, wouldn't you want that to be the highest amount possible?

For those complaining about your commutes, think about trading in the big suburban house (with more volatile value) for a smaller place closer in. More time to spend with your family and less house/yard work.

This is an excellent point. I'm surprised that I never hear it made during these discussions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love it here! I love that when I take my DD to the baby pool she plays with childrend from Argentina, Brasil, Germany, Siberia etc... There are so many things here for us to do and I have wonderful friends and family here. Life is full and good! But then again I own my own business, don't work in politics, barely commute and set my hours. I wish it was less expensive but overall our quality of life is great here.

Definitely off-topic, but.. Siberia is not a country, it's a part of Russia.

So sorry I did not know the specific cities of Brazil and Argentina in which my child's playmates are from. I'll make sure to strictly post either cities OR countries next time. Horrible of me to have mixed the two. Mon Dieu!

[Anonymous]

I'm curious about specifically where everyone is living in the DC area. When I lived in the city I absolutely loved it. I could walk to so many great places, great restaurants, cultural events, great diverse group of friends etc... I'm not in politics and not rich and I don't buy into all that materialistic stuff. Maybe that's why I'm happier? If you're into keeping up with the neighbors it could be depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love it here! I love that when I take my DD to the baby pool she plays with childrend from Argentina, Brasil, Germany, Siberia etc... There are so many things here for us to do and I have wonderful friends and family here. Life is full and good! But then again I own my own business, don't work in politics, barely commute and set my hours. I wish it was less expensive but overall our quality of life is great here.

Definitely off-topic, but.. Siberia is not a country, it's a part of Russia.

Not sure why you had to make this point about PP's post--she didn't say it was a country. It happens to be listed with countries, so what?

[Anonymous]

To 19:15 - do you have children?

[Anonymous]

I used to feel this way until we moved. I love it where we are now, not as many people, and not nearly as stressed out and cranky.
We now have a creek on our property, go mountain biking as a family, go swim at the lake, or go for a beautiful hike.
I do miss the different nationalities, but not enough to have stayed!
I life is so much simpler and happier.
BTW we bought a new home. About 9 months ago I posted about buying with very little down payment. The majority here said "you shouldn't be buying a home you need to save more, you"ll never get a loan." They may have had some good points, but were so snarky about it and rude. And they weren't totally right!
Those types of attitudes are ones that are not missed!
Now granted I don't think everyone in DC is stuck up and rude, but alot are.
However my DH and I knew we wanted to raise our fmaily in a smaller town. The city life was fun at first, but then got old.
To all who want to move for your families sake-don't give up it can happen!

[Anonymous]

*Our* life is so much....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to feel this way until we moved. I love it where we are now, not as many people, and not nearly as stressed out and cranky.
We now have a creek on our property, go mountain biking as a family, go swim at the lake, or go for a beautiful hike.I do miss the different nationalities, but not enough to have stayed!
I life is so much simpler and happier.
BTW we bought a new home. About 9 months ago I posted about buying with very little down payment. The majority here said "you shouldn't be buying a home you need to save more, you"ll never get a loan." They may have had some good points, but were so snarky about it and rude. And they weren't totally right!
Those types of attitudes are ones that are not missed!
Now granted I don't think everyone in DC is stuck up and rude, but alot are.
However my DH and I knew we wanted to raise our fmaily in a smaller town. The city life was fun at first, but then got old.
To all who want to move for your families sake-don't give up it can happen!

b*tch