Move back to DC from Denver (crime, home, living)

[2bindenver]

Mike FBE & I have longings for crab - I miss the cherry blossoms, the Smithsonian's - who heard of paying for entry to a museum?

[rusty289]

I have moved alot (NY, FL, VA, NY, FL, NM, CO, FL, PA, and back to CO). I have noticed that it takes at least 6 months to start feeling settled. Longer if things aren't working out job/career wise. We just moved back to CO. We lived here 7 years and then moved away for 1 year. While I'm happy to be back and not where we just left, I'm still re=adjusting or resettling. I did expect to just feel comfortable here but moving takes getting acclimated to all the changes...good and not so good. If you are torn about moving you need to look at your big picture. Missing things from another area is expected, no area will have everything. That's what vacations are for. You have to put a value on each thing and decide what means more to you and what you want from your life. Basically, where do you want to wake up every morning, rain or shine. Good luck to you in wherever you choose to live!

[5280milehiguy]

rusty, wow, you've been all around. I've moved too (TX, DC, VA,TX, UT, CO) but agree, you have to be comfortable with where you really want to wake up every morning. Nice!!!

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by georgethecat

How long does it take to get used to a new place?

Of course, it varies by individual, but having moved to a new geography at least ten times in my life, 3 years seems to be the 'magic' number. Basically, it goes like this:

Year 1: Disarray, the place may be exciting and fun but wholly unfamiliar, and you tend to miss 'home' a lot even if it wasn;t nearly as nice.

Year 2: you get to know the streets, forge some more meaningful friendship, and being to accept the bad as well as the good of your new place.

Year 3: By the ned of the year, the place truly becomes home, with it's own set of friends, quirks and memories that would be very hard to leave.

That's all assuming that you have a viable living during most or all of that time. If you sacrificed so much to make the move here that it's thrown you into abject poverty and/or made your future highly uncertain, then you may never really settle in. However, if you can live a decent lifestyle here, I say stick it out a while longer and see if the place does not transform itself into your new home in a couple more years.

[frisbiec]

Originally Posted by georgethecat

I can't believe I'm saying this after months (years) of deliberation about moving to Denver from DC in the first place, but we are thinking of moving back to DC from Denver. We're quite torn up about it, but we can't seem to find comparable jobs here - and telecommuting to DC (which we're both still doing) isn't feasible in the long run. We love the outdoors - we have spent every weekend in the mountains since we moved here 12/08. But we miss friends, familiarity and success. How long does it take to get used to a new place?

I would agree with most everyone's points here. Getting used to a new area goes through many stages. I find it helpful think to about exactly what you don't like about an area and decide if the positives will outweigh the negatives overtime.

Personally, I know when I lived in the DC metro area, I made significantly more money than I made anywhere else and could afford to go on vacation much more frequently. So, If your salary/professional life is that much better there and important to you, you could easily make it back to the places that you enjoy, but still be close to family, etc.

However, I know I moved from DC to Seattle, but moved back to DC because of money, family and friends. To make a long story short, after a short stay in DC again and a year long stay in Denver, I am going back to Seattle because I know that it is the best place for me and have missed it since I left. The odd thing is that I came to Denver all negative and have grown to accept it for it's positives and negatives both and find it a very livable place, but know it is not for me.

Sorry that this post is probably more confusing than it is helpful, but I'd thought I'd share anyway.

In all reality, you probably already know what you want to do and you should just follow your heart.

[2bindenver]

oh and I miss lightening bugs.

If I left, I won't miss miller moths.

[markfromCA]

Figure out the job thing for now to get by. The job you want will come but if you move you will be living for the job and not life. I am doing that now in California and I hate it. I would be in Colorado in a second if I had even a job that just got me by. I don't know how old you are but I am 40, own a nice home in one of the nicest neighborhoods in the bay area and make well over 100K a year and I would trade all that for job that paid the bills just to get a foothold so I can get away from what has turned into a crappy place to raise a family. Life is way too short to not be happy where you live. Trust mei am working on the whole get the hel out of California thing.

[nele]

Originally Posted by 5280milehiguy

I say give it some time. At least a year perhaps longer.

If you are outdoorsy, DC is not the place, CO is. Good luck.

I've been here 3+ years and still miss DC very much! I still telecommute to my job there, and go back for "face-time" a couple of times a year. I just miss the green lushness (although CO is pretty lush right now!) , the museums, the culture, and just my old stomping grounds (I moved there right after grad school).

Au contraire on the lack of outdoor activities. There's fantastic bicycling trails there, and the Potomac river and C&O Canal don't have any equivalents here. On the biking, when I bike on Denver trails I'm always annoyed by how many street crossings there are. I didn't find that in D.C. Just like here, I can drive an hour and easily find peace and country.

[80skeys]

I lived in DC for several years. There's no comparison between there and here. It's a lot better here.

Originally Posted by georgethecat

I can't believe I'm saying this after months (years) of deliberation about moving to Denver from DC in the first place, but we are thinking of moving back to DC from Denver. We're quite torn up about it, but we can't seem to find comparable jobs here - and telecommuting to DC (which we're both still doing) isn't feasible in the long run. We love the outdoors - we have spent every weekend in the mountains since we moved here 12/08. But we miss friends, familiarity and success. How long does it take to get used to a new place?

[80skeys]

Cherry blossoms are one month out of the year. If you give me a choice between the smithsonians and the rocky mountains, I'll take the rocky mountains.

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

Mike FBE & I have longings for crab - I miss the cherry blossoms, the Smithsonian's - who heard of paying for entry to a museum?