Wherever your current home is, why do you stay there?
I stay in Louisiana due to fear of the unknown. I have what I consider a really good job. I have a decent income and the whole typical benefits package.
But, what I have that is unusual in my profession is that I support four really awesome attorneys who are essentially my direct "bosses." None of them is a micro-manager; all of them are smart and easy to deal with; all of them put up with my quirks - including often wanting to leave early on Fridays. I have freedom of movement within reason. I put my time in and do my work and I get along with each of them very well.
I could go anywhere in the country and get a job. My fear is the unknown. Working for a jerk. Somebody who tells me you HAVE to take lunch at noon and take scheduled breaks. Somebody who requires x days notice of my desire for time off. Somebody who doesn't talk to me like an equal human being. Somebody who micro-manages - "How's your workload? What's on your plate? Did you finish that expense report I gave you an hour ago?" Et cetera.
That's why I stay in Louisiana. The two best side benefits are the nice weather most of the time and a relatively low cost of living.
When I retire or win the lottery, I will be happy to relocate.
What keeps you where you are? Under what circumstances would you relocate, if ever?
I LOVE my home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is a great college town with an extremely well-educated (and liberal) population. There are tons of things to do - restaurants, museums, book stores etc. all of the benefits of a big city without the city! I grew up here. My parents are here, my son is here (for now). The university means lots of job opportunities.
I would not leave here just to live somewhere else - there would have to be a good compelling reason, like an educational/career or relationship reason.
We moved here for a chance to give our kids a chance to be bi lingual and experience a country other than our own. What keeps us here is a balance between loving the area and paying a mortgage, but the costs are not horrendous so you can make a decent living here on very little.
And the landscape, fetes, neighbours.....we have already picked out our retirement home when we sell the family house.
I did all my adventuring when I was in my twentys- hitchhiked all over Europe and Noorth Africa, mostly alone. Lived in a commune, occupied houses in Amsterdam, marched in countless anti-Vietnam War marches. Had my kids in the commune and then started thinking on how to raise them.
Bought this house from 1860 because the vibes in it were strong. College degrees, interesting work, many opportunities. A large city close enough to commute. My little hamlet with good neighbors. Planted things. Now I am here for good. My neighbors all know and love me ( or at least tolerate me) and I don't feel the itch to move anymore.
Family and extended family. Some years ago, my wife and I looked at the area up in Washington around Port Angeles to Sequim and thought it might be nice. Decided that didn't want to get that far from the little grand kids. As they have grown up, not as much a tie to here. But we have worked hard at establishing a group of friends, musicians to make music with, and most of our kids and grand kids are here in Oregon. Plus like the mild climate, close proximity to the beach, and the mountains. And in a blue area. Would like the adventure of living in a foreign country, but will probably keep that to short trips. Like to spend a month in Denmark, and a month in Crete.
You’re very fortunate. It means so much to have a good relationship with your work, and in my experience, it’s not easy to find. I wouldn’t give that up except for the most extreme of circumstances.
I could probably move somewhere else now because I’m retired, and I wouldn’t mind better weather, but I have friends and family here, and moving is a lot of work and expense. I’ll say inertia is probably what’s keeping me here... and I like it well enough.
Wow! This is a loaded question for me. LOL! I have been a resident of California for a long time now. Longer than anywhere else I have lived (and those places are numerous). I love the great diversity of this state (geographically, culturally, climate), but there's a lot to hate too. Taxes are awful here. Government has its tendrils in everything and currently is pouring billions into a waste called High-Speed Rail (don't even get me started on that). With that said, I am a gov't worker myself and have a decent-paying job with a great benefit package. I don't love my work, but am trying to change that. There are many factors that keep me where I am geographically. I'm legally separated and have a teen-aged daughter I am responsible for, so I need to stay put, at least for the next several years. I'm married to a brand new mortgage, but that could be changed easily enough.
What I'd love to do is hang in there with my state job long enough to earn a decent retirement and then move to a more tropical climate in semi-retirement. Possible locations would include San Diego (not tropical, but pretty warm, year-round), Hawaii (too expensive), or Florida.
I live in Pennsylvania. I have a stable job that pays relatively well. I have a 70 year old mother with heart problems and a serious genetic disease that my siblings inherited. I guess for the moment, as long as both those situations remain unchanged, I am stuck here.
My contract to the U.S. Air Force. But I like the reliable pay and benefits.
I stay put because my current financial situation doesn't allow me to move freely. Also, my sisters and niece still live here and I'd hate to miss out on seeing my niece as often as I do. I worry about jobs, too. Finding bearable work with decent wages is tough, and my current job would be hard to compete with. But, more than anything else I've mentioned, I HATE moving. Nothing makes you realize how much crap you have like packing to move!