Some honest opinions about relocating to the midwest?

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm from a small town in the Midwest, have been in DC for about 10 years, and my DH and I have thought about moving back. Not necessarily to my hometown, but to a town or small city. Here is a short pro/con list from my POV:

Pros of moving:
1. More reasonable pace of life. Normal for people to leave work by 5 or 6, be home for dinner, not work on weekends. 2. Cheaper COL, would be able to easily afford bigger house with yard.
3. Easier/faster to get everywhere. (Not true in all places of course.)
4. Less complicated schools vs. DC public/charter craziness
5. Less "what do you do"-focused social scene. At a friend's Midwestern wedding a few years ago I talked to lots of her friends and "what do you do" never came up. That never happens in DC.

Cons:
1. Have to make new friends, and this may be harder if you are DC parent age--in your late 30s or 40s with young kids--people our age in smaller towns in Midwest probably have kids 10 years older than ours.
2. Have to navigate a new school system, and fewer fallback options if it isn't working.
3. Much colder weather in some places, although this varies a lot (Mpls much colder than Des Moines, DM colder than St Louis).
4. Career options more limited
5. Kind of the flip side of pro #5: I think I'd miss the wonky, everybody-works-on-interesting-issues vibe of my friend group in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cold, fat and white.

You sound cold, thin, and white, not to mention narrow-minded.

Exactly. The principle attraction of the midwest is that people like pp don't live there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm from a small town in the Midwest, have been in DC for about 10 years, and my DH and I have thought about moving back. Not necessarily to my hometown, but to a town or small city. Here is a short pro/con list from my POV:

Pros of moving:
1. More reasonable pace of life. Normal for people to leave work by 5 or 6, be home for dinner, not work on weekends. 2. Cheaper COL, would be able to easily afford bigger house with yard.
3. Easier/faster to get everywhere. (Not true in all places of course.)
4. Less complicated schools vs. DC public/charter craziness
5. Less "what do you do"-focused social scene. At a friend's Midwestern wedding a few years ago I talked to lots of her friends and "what do you do" never came up. That never happens in DC.

Cons:
1. Have to make new friends, and this may be harder if you are DC parent age--in your late 30s or 40s with young kids--people our age in smaller towns in Midwest probably have kids 10 years older than ours.
2. Have to navigate a new school system, and fewer fallback options if it isn't working.
3. Much colder weather in some places, although this varies a lot (Mpls much colder than Des Moines, DM colder than St Louis).
4. Career options more limited
5. Kind of the flip side of pro #5: I think I'd miss the wonky, everybody-works-on-interesting-issues vibe of my friend group in DC.

Here's another "pro" for ya: you'd be around folks who don't use the word "wonky." Hard to believe that a sevond rate university in the area actually used that word to market itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm from a small town in the Midwest, have been in DC for about 10 years, and my DH and I have thought about moving back. Not necessarily to my hometown, but to a town or small city. Here is a short pro/con list from my POV:

Pros of moving:
1. More reasonable pace of life. Normal for people to leave work by 5 or 6, be home for dinner, not work on weekends. 2. Cheaper COL, would be able to easily afford bigger house with yard.
3. Easier/faster to get everywhere. (Not true in all places of course.)
4. Less complicated schools vs. DC public/charter craziness
5. Less "what do you do"-focused social scene. At a friend's Midwestern wedding a few years ago I talked to lots of her friends and "what do you do" never came up. That never happens in DC.

Cons:
1. Have to make new friends, and this may be harder if you are DC parent age--in your late 30s or 40s with young kids--people our age in smaller towns in Midwest probably have kids 10 years older than ours.
2. Have to navigate a new school system, and fewer fallback options if it isn't working.
3. Much colder weather in some places, although this varies a lot (Mpls much colder than Des Moines, DM colder than St Louis).
4. Career options more limited
5. Kind of the flip side of pro #5: I think I'd miss the wonky, everybody-works-on-interesting-issues vibe of my friend group in DC.

Here's another "pro" for ya: you'd be around folks who don't use the word "wonky." Hard to believe that a sevond rate university in the area actually used that word to market itself.

+1,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it me or could this poster get the entire laid back life she wants by moving to Olney, putting the kids in public school, and using the money they save to let her husband get a lower stress job?

Yup. Or even in the part of Loudon that might secede from the rest of Loudon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you've been unhappy with you life for years, I can't imagine someone who lived in NY and DC wanting to move to the midwest. I'm from a mid-szed city in another part of the country and see a big difference between the lives and interests of my friends at home. Not saying it is better or worse, but just that I prefer DC or NY.

You can't make yourself be someone else just because deep down you know you should be focused on family, church picnics or whatever else it is yoi think is better about one of these cities.

I can see someone not wanting to leave NY if they liked it because there is nothing like it. But, DC? Most of the DC area just looks like other parts of the country, only at a much higher price. Nothing special.

You haven't lived in one of these cities if you think DC is like Milwaukee. There is a lot going on in DC and tons of history. Movers and shakers, great school, a well educated population, public transit white people use and proximity to the beach and mountains.

Also no, DC doesn't look like other parts of the country. Now suburbs of Virginia do, but so do suburbs of new jersey. Virginia is not DC. There are not dozens of Georgetowns and Logan circles across the country.

Logan Circle? Really? Maybe you need to travel more. There are thousands of interesting and beautiful places outside the Beltway. But, while the world turns, you can enjoy all the "movers and shakers" and the "public transit white people use."

There definitely are some great places and yes, I travel and have lived in quite a few cities. That being said, I don't think DC has a similar feel as the city if Milwaukee. The suburbs, maybe, but not DC proper.

Nope. The Milwaukee suburbs are generally racist throwbacks to the early 1970s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you've been unhappy with you life for years, I can't imagine someone who lived in NY and DC wanting to move to the midwest. I'm from a mid-szed city in another part of the country and see a big difference between the lives and interests of my friends at home. Not saying it is better or worse, but just that I prefer DC or NY.

You can't make yourself be someone else just because deep down you know you should be focused on family, church picnics or whatever else it is yoi think is better about one of these cities.

I can see someone not wanting to leave NY if they liked it because there is nothing like it. But, DC? Most of the DC area just looks like other parts of the country, only at a much higher price. Nothing special.

You haven't lived in one of these cities if you think DC is like Milwaukee. There is a lot going on in DC and tons of history. Movers and shakers, great school, a well educated population, public transit white people use and proximity to the beach and mountains.

Also no, DC doesn't look like other parts of the country. Now suburbs of Virginia do, but so do suburbs of new jersey. Virginia is not DC. There are not dozens of Georgetowns and Logan circles across the country.

Logan Circle? Really? Maybe you need to travel more. There are thousands of interesting and beautiful places outside the Beltway. But, while the world turns, you can enjoy all the "movers and shakers" and the "public transit white people use."

There definitely are some great places and yes, I travel and have lived in quite a few cities. That being said, I don't think DC has a similar feel as the city if Milwaukee. The suburbs, maybe, but not DC proper.

Nope. The Milwaukee suburbs are generally racist throwbacks to the early 1970s.

+1
Also every gathering includes massive drinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm from a small town in the Midwest, have been in DC for about 10 years, and my DH and I have thought about moving back. Not necessarily to my hometown, but to a town or small city. Here is a short pro/con list from my POV:

Pros of moving:
1. More reasonable pace of life. Normal for people to leave work by 5 or 6, be home for dinner, not work on weekends. 2. Cheaper COL, would be able to easily afford bigger house with yard.
3. Easier/faster to get everywhere. (Not true in all places of course.)
4. Less complicated schools vs. DC public/charter craziness
5. Less "what do you do"-focused social scene. At a friend's Midwestern wedding a few years ago I talked to lots of her friends and "what do you do" never came up. That never happens in DC.

Cons:
1. Have to make new friends, and this may be harder if you are DC parent age--in your late 30s or 40s with young kids--people our age in smaller towns in Midwest probably have kids 10 years older than ours.
2. Have to navigate a new school system, and fewer fallback options if it isn't working.
3. Much colder weather in some places, although this varies a lot (Mpls much colder than Des Moines, DM colder than St Louis).
4. Career options more limited
5. Kind of the flip side of pro #5: I think I'd miss the wonky, everybody-works-on-interesting-issues vibe of my friend group in DC.

Here's another "pro" for ya: you'd be around folks who don't use the word "wonky." Hard to believe that a sevond rate university in the area actually used that word to market itself.

+1,000

PP who said "wonky" here. Another pro/con: "Midwestern nice" can be sweet or can be claustrophobic and judgmental depending on your perspective. But if you get sick of it, there's always DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you've been unhappy with you life for years, I can't imagine someone who lived in NY and DC wanting to move to the midwest. I'm from a mid-szed city in another part of the country and see a big difference between the lives and interests of my friends at home. Not saying it is better or worse, but just that I prefer DC or NY.

You can't make yourself be someone else just because deep down you know you should be focused on family, church picnics or whatever else it is yoi think is better about one of these cities.

I can see someone not wanting to leave NY if they liked it because there is nothing like it. But, DC? Most of the DC area just looks like other parts of the country, only at a much higher price. Nothing special.

You haven't lived in one of these cities if you think DC is like Milwaukee. There is a lot going on in DC and tons of history. Movers and shakers, great school, a well educated population, public transit white people use and proximity to the beach and mountains.

Also no, DC doesn't look like other parts of the country. Now suburbs of Virginia do, but so do suburbs of new jersey. Virginia is not DC. There are not dozens of Georgetowns and Logan circles across the country.

Logan Circle? Really? Maybe you need to travel more. There are thousands of interesting and beautiful places outside the Beltway. But, while the world turns, you can enjoy all the "movers and shakers" and the "public transit white people use."

There definitely are some great places and yes, I travel and have lived in quite a few cities. That being said, I don't think DC has a similar feel as the city if Milwaukee. The suburbs, maybe, but not DC proper.

Nope. The Milwaukee suburbs are generally racist throwbacks to the early 1970s.

+1
Also every gathering includes massive drinking.

Thank God for that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you've been unhappy with you life for years, I can't imagine someone who lived in NY and DC wanting to move to the midwest. I'm from a mid-szed city in another part of the country and see a big difference between the lives and interests of my friends at home. Not saying it is better or worse, but just that I prefer DC or NY.

You can't make yourself be someone else just because deep down you know you should be focused on family, church picnics or whatever else it is yoi think is better about one of these cities.

I can see someone not wanting to leave NY if they liked it because there is nothing like it. But, DC? Most of the DC area just looks like other parts of the country, only at a much higher price. Nothing special.

You haven't lived in one of these cities if you think DC is like Milwaukee. There is a lot going on in DC and tons of history. Movers and shakers, great school, a well educated population, public transit white people use and proximity to the beach and mountains.

Also no, DC doesn't look like other parts of the country. Now suburbs of Virginia do, but so do suburbs of new jersey. Virginia is not DC. There are not dozens of Georgetowns and Logan circles across the country.

Logan Circle? Really? Maybe you need to travel more. There are thousands of interesting and beautiful places outside the Beltway. But, while the world turns, you can enjoy all the "movers and shakers" and the "public transit white people use."

There definitely are some great places and yes, I travel and have lived in quite a few cities. That being said, I don't think DC has a similar feel as the city if Milwaukee. The suburbs, maybe, but not DC proper.

Nope. The Milwaukee suburbs are generally racist throwbacks to the early 1970s.

And Potomac, Bethesda, McLean, and Great Falls are such bastions of diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you've been unhappy with you life for years, I can't imagine someone who lived in NY and DC wanting to move to the midwest. I'm from a mid-szed city in another part of the country and see a big difference between the lives and interests of my friends at home. Not saying it is better or worse, but just that I prefer DC or NY.

You can't make yourself be someone else just because deep down you know you should be focused on family, church picnics or whatever else it is yoi think is better about one of these cities.

I can see someone not wanting to leave NY if they liked it because there is nothing like it. But, DC? Most of the DC area just looks like other parts of the country, only at a much higher price. Nothing special.

You haven't lived in one of these cities if you think DC is like Milwaukee. There is a lot going on in DC and tons of history. Movers and shakers, great school, a well educated population, public transit white people use and proximity to the beach and mountains.

Also no, DC doesn't look like other parts of the country. Now suburbs of Virginia do, but so do suburbs of new jersey. Virginia is not DC. There are not dozens of Georgetowns and Logan circles across the country.

Logan Circle? Really? Maybe you need to travel more. There are thousands of interesting and beautiful places outside the Beltway. But, while the world turns, you can enjoy all the "movers and shakers" and the "public transit white people use."

There definitely are some great places and yes, I travel and have lived in quite a few cities. That being said, I don't think DC has a similar feel as the city if Milwaukee. The suburbs, maybe, but not DC proper.

Nope. The Milwaukee suburbs are generally racist throwbacks to the early 1970s.

+1
Also every gathering includes massive drinking.

Thank God for that!

I mean the drinking part, of course!

[Anonymous]

I think if you have a pre-existing network there, it can be a great move. A good friend of mine spent 10 years grinding it out in Brooklyn. She moved back to Cleveland about 2 years ago and is loving it - fun art/music scene, cheap and interesting housing stock, as an RN she's making waaaaaaaaay above the median income instead of living paycheck-to-paycheck in NYC, etc.

It can be liberating to be a big fish in a small pond.

[Anonymous]

I would be bored out of my gourd but it's up to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think if you have a pre-existing network there, it can be a great move. A good friend of mine spent 10 years grinding it out in Brooklyn. She moved back to Cleveland about 2 years ago and is loving it - fun art/music scene, cheap and interesting housing stock, as an RN she's making waaaaaaaaay above the median income instead of living paycheck-to-paycheck in NYC, etc.

It can be liberating to be a big fish in a small pond.

Yeah but doesnt sound like OP is living paycheck to paycheck or dealing with career related issues. Seems she wants to move to focus more on family and live a slower life, which she could do here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The funny thing is that there is so much self hatred in the Midwest. People will think you are crazy for leaving DC.

Self-hatred? Surely you're only speaking for yourself!

No. I never lived there. Just based on my observations. And my observations are rarely incorrect.