Anonymous wrote:We've lived in the DC area three different times each time for about three years. We always enjoy it for a couple of years. But we are always, always, always ready to get the hell out of there.

Sorry if that offends. But my idea of quality of life does not include long hours for my husband, horrible weather, super competitive helicopter parents, traffic, insane cost of living, on and on and on.

We live in a beautiful suburb in Florida. My home backs up to a lake. My kids are in excellent schools. My youngest rides his bike to school every day. My husband's commute is about 20 minutes...and he works across town. There is no traffic. None.

People stop and talk to each other. I know all my neighbors....well. Kids don't have "play dates"....they just go outside and play. They come home from school, grab a snack, and then head outside. They know to come in when the street lights come on. We have one of the best public universities in the country. It's as difficult to get into University of Florida as it is to get into an Ivy League school. Yet, my kids will go FREE! Florida pays 100% of in-state tuition at any state school for kids with decent grades.

There are some good things about living in the DC area. But I can't understand why anyone would willingly stay in that place.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the feedback. I am from CA so I don't find DC to be as diverse and fast-moving as what I experienced growing up and I've assimilated. I simply want the core things which are important to me. I don't have family here and neither does he so I think that makes it easier to uproot and not look back. Again, I'm in the minority. DH agrees he's "open to it" but my conversations around moving anywhere not just the Texas area get very little response. I simply want to give my children what I had: family time, trips, a nice house and big yard to play in. Right now we're both so exhausted from work, save, work and I look around and wonder what's it all for?

OP, I know I'm being picky here but your first comment about not finding DC as diverse and fast-moving as growing up in "CA" struck me as kind of funny. I'm a native Californian too and I feel the opposite as you do (only found diversity, etc. after I moved to DC), so I definitely wouldn't generalize - which you probably didn't mean to do. (I'm from the San Joaquin Valley, FYI...one of the parts of CA that kept Prop 8 from being defeated.) Anyway, FWIW, I lived in DC for 11 years and loved it but eventually DH and I decided it was time to move on to a "quieter" place that was more affordable and family friendly to raise our family. We live in Portland, OR now and though I had a much harder time with the transition than I could have ever imagined and missed DC a lot more than I thought I would - things seem to be turning around now and I can honestly say it's a great place to live. Many of the benefits of Northern Calif. w/o many of the negatives. (Just don't move here w/o a job.) We also strongly considered Texas - Austin, though, as DH is from San Antonio and went to grad school in Austin and we have family there. I'd never think of moving to the Dallas or Houston area but Austin is wonderful for sure. And, sometimes we still struggle with the question of why aren't we there when we could have family support vs. going it alone. Though, DH and I still think it doesn't hold a candle in terms of things to do, culture and beauty as the Portland region/Oregon does.

Good luck! It's always amazing to me how many of these posts I see on here of people looking to get out of the DC area. In Portland most of what you hear about is how much people love living here. Funny.

Anonymous wrote:Austin reminds me a lot of the west coast. It may not have the scenery that you get in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, but the mentality there isn't too far off. Austin is still Texas so you get that feel as well but it's really the San Francisco of Texas. If that makes sense. i.e progressive thinking, free-spirits, interesting culture (particularly the music), etc. Most different from Houston or Dallas- you don't see people dressed up to the hilt just to go the grocery store or dry cleaner. I love Dallas and Houston but I'm still blown away that I'm the only without makeup at the dry cleaner. Best way to put it- Austin is very organic. And there are hills! (unlike the rest of TX)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: OP, I know I'm being picky here but your first comment about not finding DC as diverse and fast-moving as growing up in "CA" struck me as kind of funny. I'm a native Californian too and I feel the opposite as you do (only found diversity, etc. after I moved to DC), so I definitely wouldn't generalize - which you probably didn't mean to do. (I'm from the San Joaquin Valley, FYI...one of the parts of CA that kept Prop 8 from being defeated.) Anyway, FWIW, I lived in DC for 11 years and loved it but eventually DH and I decided it was time to move on to a "quieter" place that was more affordable and family friendly to raise our family. We live in Portland, OR now and though I had a much harder time with the transition than I could have ever imagined and missed DC a lot more than I thought I would - things seem to be turning around now and I can honestly say it's a great place to live. Many of the benefits of Northern Calif. w/o many of the negatives. (Just don't move here w/o a job.) We also strongly considered Texas - Austin, though, as DH is from San Antonio and went to grad school in Austin and we have family there. I'd never think of moving to the Dallas or Houston area but Austin is wonderful for sure. And, sometimes we still struggle with the question of why aren't we there when we could have family support vs. going it alone. Though, DH and I still think it doesn't hold a candle in terms of things to do, culture and beauty as the Portland region/Oregon does.

Good luck! It's always amazing to me how many of these posts I see on here of people looking to get out of the DC area. In Portland most of what you hear about is how much people love living here. Funny.

Hey, this is the poster who is moving to austin again - I actually am a bit envious of your move to Portland. It sounds slightly more my speed than deep in the heart of TX, but there is no WAY we're ever getting my husband's family out of TX. Austin was a compromise since my mom and dad are willing to come with us - benefit of being an only child, though.

Glad you are happy in POrtland - hoping we will be in Austin, too.

Anonymous wrote: OP, I know I'm being picky here but your first comment about not finding DC as diverse and fast-moving as growing up in "CA" struck me as kind of funny. I'm a native Californian too and I feel the opposite as you do (only found diversity, etc. after I moved to DC), so I definitely wouldn't generalize - which you probably didn't mean to do. (I'm from the San Joaquin Valley, FYI...one of the parts of CA that kept Prop 8 from being defeated.) Anyway, FWIW, I lived in DC for 11 years and loved it but eventually DH and I decided it was time to move on to a "quieter" place that was more affordable and family friendly to raise our family. We live in Portland, OR now and though I had a much harder time with the transition than I could have ever imagined and missed DC a lot more than I thought I would - things seem to be turning around now and I can honestly say it's a great place to live. Many of the benefits of Northern Calif. w/o many of the negatives. (Just don't move here w/o a job.) We also strongly considered Texas - Austin, though, as DH is from San Antonio and went to grad school in Austin and we have family there. I'd never think of moving to the Dallas or Houston area but Austin is wonderful for sure. And, sometimes we still struggle with the question of why aren't we there when we could have family support vs. going it alone. Though, DH and I still think it doesn't hold a candle in terms of things to do, culture and beauty as the Portland region/Oregon does.

Good luck! It's always amazing to me how many of these posts I see on here of people looking to get out of the DC area. In Portland most of what you hear about is how much people love living here. Funny.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the feedback. I am from CA so I don't find DC to be as diverse and fast-moving as what I experienced growing up and I've assimilated. I simply want the core things which are important to me. I don't have family here and neither does he so I think that makes it easier to uproot and not look back. Again, I'm in the minority. DH agrees he's "open to it" but my conversations around moving anywhere not just the Texas area get very little response. I simply want to give my children what I had: family time, trips, a nice house and big yard to play in. Right now we're both so exhausted from work, save, work and I look around and wonder what's it all for?

Anonymous wrote:
DO NOT EVER COMPARE DC TO NYC. No comparison. None. NYC is a fun city with so much more to offer!

Anonymous wrote:

DO NOT EVER COMPARE DC TO NYC. No comparison. None. NYC is a fun city with so much more to offer!