Convince me to stay? (Boston, Florida: best city, low crime, loans)

[squishy_peeps]

I'm a long time lurker and this is my first post.

We've been in Boston for almost 8 years (transplanted from Texas) and lately I'm feeling an itch to leave. I don't think I really want to uproot again, but I feel like the PNW is calling me! Anyway, if you are staying, what things keep you here?

Things I hate (in no particular order):

-The Weather. I've finally tired of all of the snow. Spring is a joke- too short and wet. Summer is OK, but also too short and the humidity is stifling sometimes.
-The cost of housing. It's just insane and I can never get over what I would be getting for this amount of money in other places.
-The people are not friendly. I know this has been debated ad nauseam on here, but coming from Texas I do find that this isn't exactly a friendly and welcoming place. It depresses me sometimes.

Other than that, I do like a lot about being here, but the things I dislike weigh pretty heavily. I know I'm not the only one that dislikes these things, so how do you make peace with it?

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally Posted by squishy_peeps

Anyway, if you are staying, what things keep you here?

Friends/family
Job
The beaches/ocean
The mountains
The weather (I actually like snow)
The people
The fact that I can live carless
I could honestly go on and on...

Boston is a unique city when compared to other cities in the country, and obviously isn't for everyone. I'd say look into moving on. Life's too short to stay someplace that doesn't make you happy. I'm fortunate in that I was born in my happy place.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by squishy_peeps

I'm a long time lurker and this is my first post.

We've been in Boston for almost 8 years (transplanted from Texas) and lately I'm feeling an itch to leave. I don't think I really want to uproot again, but I feel like the PNW is calling me! Anyway, if you are staying, what things keep you here?

Things I hate (in no particular order):

-The Weather. I've finally tired of all of the snow. Spring is a joke- too short and wet. Summer is OK, but also too short and the humidity is stifling sometimes.
-The cost of housing. It's just insane and I can never get over what I would be getting for this amount of money in other places.
-The people are not friendly. I know this has been debated ad nauseam on here, but coming from Texas I do find that this isn't exactly a friendly and welcoming place. It depresses me sometimes.

Other than that, I do like a lot about being here, but the things I dislike weigh pretty heavily. I know I'm not the only one that dislikes these things, so how do you make peace with it?

It sounds as though you are leaning in the direction of leaving, and in some ways I don't blame you. The cost of living ( Re: housing) is simply ridiculous here, and yes, it's not the friendliest. I've grown accustomed to it ( I came here as an adult about 25 years ago), but I've never really accepted it wholeheartedly. I'm quite certain that I won't be living here when retirement, comes, and there's a good chance that I'll leave before that day, anyway.

If I could sum up my experience here, I'd say that it general, it's been good/OK, but it certainly hasn't been great.

The weather here doesn't bother me ( I'm used to colder temps/more snow), but your other two factors certainly ring true for a lot of people.

[Bruins_Fan]

The housing costs are definitely the hardest part about staying in the Boston area. My wife and I almost left back in 2008. She grew up in the Philadelphia area, and while it is a bit cheaper, it's not inexpensive.

Reasons why we stay:

Boston truly is the best city in the US! (in our opinion) We will be moving into the city at some point!
-History, architecture, culture, medical care, education, sports, quality of life
Being near the ocean
My family still lives in the area and her parents really want to move up
We now have an established business and extensive professional contacts
Good schools
Low crime (I lived in FL for a couple years...big difference from Mass.)
Blue state (we're both pretty liberal)

[rranger]

Originally Posted by MassVt

It sounds as though you are leaning in the direction of leaving, and in some ways I don't blame you. The cost of living ( Re: housing) is simply ridiculous here, and yes, it's not the friendliest. I've grown accustomed to it ( I came here as an adult about 25 years ago), but I've never really accepted it wholeheartedly. I'm quite certain that I won't be living here when retirement, comes, and there's a good chance that I'll leave before that day, anyway.

If I could sum up my experience here, I'd say that it general, it's been good/OK, but it certainly hasn't been great.

The weather here doesn't bother me ( I'm used to colder temps/more snow), but your other two factors certainly ring true for a lot of people.

Ditto, except for the housing and weather. Ironically, I have a very reasonable housing situation and I have grown to hate the winters (I've never lived anywhere south of PA and I'm tired of it).

Unfortunately, nowhere in this country outside of CA (and maybe OR) "floats my boat." And CA is going to be grim in the coming years with massive budget cuts.

Frankly, the tea-baggin' mentality that's run rampant in this country in recent decades has finally completely worn me down, so we're looking for other options for retirement. I can't imagine, for example, what health care in this country is going to look like by the time I reach retirement.

Best of luck wherever you end up.

[MA2NC2012]

I am considering to leave MA next year for exact same reasons.We (my DW & me) have decided to give NC a try.....

As of now i can take my current job along with me. But if things change at this current job i will still take my chances & try to get a job in NC.

Life is too short to just dream & wonder how it would be if you were in State A or B... I just gonna move & see how is it out there for real...

I am comfy with NC as i have been going there from last 5-6 years for work... done my research & i am willing to take my chances with the dicey job market ...

Originally Posted by squishy_peeps

I'm a long time lurker and this is my first post.

We've been in Boston for almost 8 years (transplanted from Texas) and lately I'm feeling an itch to leave. I don't think I really want to uproot again, but I feel like the PNW is calling me! Anyway, if you are staying, what things keep you here?

Things I hate (in no particular order):

-The Weather. I've finally tired of all of the snow. Spring is a joke- too short and wet. Summer is OK, but also too short and the humidity is stifling sometimes.
-The cost of housing. It's just insane and I can never get over what I would be getting for this amount of money in other places.
-The people are not friendly. I know this has been debated ad nauseam on here, but coming from Texas I do find that this isn't exactly a friendly and welcoming place. It depresses me sometimes.

Other than that, I do like a lot about being here, but the things I dislike weigh pretty heavily. I know I'm not the only one that dislikes these things, so how do you make peace with it?

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by rranger

Ditto, except for the housing and weather. Ironically, I have a very reasonable housing situation and I have grown to hate the winters (I've never lived anywhere south of PA and I'm tired of it).

Unfortunately, nowhere in this country outside of CA (and maybe OR) "floats my boat." And CA is going to be grim in the coming years with massive budget cuts.

Frankly, the tea-baggin' mentality that's run rampant in this country in recent decades has finally completely worn me down, so we're looking for other options for retirement. I can't imagine, for example, what health care in this country is going to look like by the time I reach retirement.

Best of luck wherever you end up.

I have a little ways to go before retirement, but thanks for the kind words anyway

I don't mean to be overly pessimistic about Boston; I just want to be realistic. There are quite a few good things about the area, as New England is one of the better places to live in this country, and certainly one of the more progressive ones. If you do make good salaries, this area can work very well. But I caution new college graduates to at least consider the cost of housing before committing( remember, it could easily cost $4-5,000 just to move into an apt here), especially if you have substantial loans to pay back.

I sum, know what you're getting yourself into, and adjust accordingly...

[INstix]

I'd say you gave it a good try. Why should I try to convince you to stay? I'm no authority, but if you are getting "the itch" then take off. Life is too short.


Cara

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by squishy_peeps

I'm a long time lurker and this is my first post.

We've been in Boston for almost 8 years (transplanted from Texas) and lately I'm feeling an itch to leave. I don't think I really want to uproot again, but I feel like the PNW is calling me! Anyway, if you are staying, what things keep you here?

Things I hate (in no particular order):

-The Weather. I've finally tired of all of the snow. Spring is a joke- too short and wet. Summer is OK, but also too short and the humidity is stifling sometimes.
-The cost of housing. It's just insane and I can never get over what I would be getting for this amount of money in other places.
-The people are not friendly. I know this has been debated ad nauseam on here, but coming from Texas I do find that this isn't exactly a friendly and welcoming place. It depresses me sometimes.

Other than that, I do like a lot about being here, but the things I dislike weigh pretty heavily. I know I'm not the only one that dislikes these things, so how do you make peace with it?

Well Boston isnt your cup of Tea, if you feel like this way, its not truely uprooting if you can't call a place home.

[PerfectlyHumble]

I understand what you're saying. I did not like living in Florida. Okay, I actually hated it with a passion. I dread having to go back to visit over the holidays (*shudder*). There are so many things that I love about the Boston area, any of the things that I'm not thrilled with are really non-issues because of all of the positives.

Any way, I think where we live is a huge part of our lives. If you are not happy in your environment it can bring you down quick and overshadow the good things. As previously posted...life is far too short to be unhappy. It's certainly too short to try and force joy out of a situation when you want to be somewhere else.

Moving is a real pain, and I having just moved from Florida to Boston (on our own dime) I completely empathize with not wanting to be uprooted again. Find your groove and you'll find your joy. If the PNW doesn't work for you, you know what is waiting for you here if you want to come back!

Be well and I hope you find the place where you are really happy!