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I have moved many times in my adult life. I usually do a tiny bit of research about a place before I go, but not much. Some places I have never even visited before. I enjoy plopping myself in a new, strange place and starting from scratch, not knowing a soul, and seeing how far I get. Somehow, I always seem to make it, find a good job fairly quickly, get settled...until a few years pass and I want to experience a new city or area.
One exception is when I moved to Salt Lake City when I was 18, got a job in a hotel that worked me 8 hours a day 7 days a week - I was too timid to demand a day off and I wanted the overtime pay. Well, I ended up sleeping in my car because I never got the time off to look for a place to live. After two months of this I called it quits and drove back 2000 miles where I came from. I only blame this on being young and too shy to stand up for myself.
So who of you have made the move to a brand new place and failed? What happened? Did you honestly tap every resource to get yourself started and settled in a new place, or did you give up early due to homesickness or some other reason? What kind of hardships did you endure before saying forget it and just going back to where you came from?
I moved to TN, lured by the warmer weather and cheaper housing. Well, I got there (Clarksville) and quickly settled into a small home with family. I was out several hours a day putting in applications, etc. Best paying job in town was for Trane, but they were always laying off employees. After a few months I was homesick beyond belief. The humidity in TN was horrible, the jobs didnt pay squat, the homes were all cookie cutter and had no soul whatsoever. Fun in Clarksville was hanging out at the Best Buy parking lot on Wilma Rudolph Blvd, waiting for fights to break out. I wont even mention the horrid food in those parts.
After a few more months I closed shop and came back to Chicagoland. Within a week I found a good job that paid over twice what the same position would pay in TN. I dont care that the housing costs way more here, its 100% worth it. Ill deal with the winters here over the summers there.
Summary: I moved back home for jobs, food, homesickness, better weather.
I have moved many times in my adult life. I usually do a tiny bit of research about a place before I go, but not much. Some places I have never even visited before. I enjoy plopping myself in a new, strange place and starting from scratch, not knowing a soul, and seeing how far I get. Somehow, I always seem to make it, find a good job fairly quickly, get settled...until a few years pass and I want to experience a new city or area.
Wow, you sound just like me. I've done similar blind moves plenty of times. I've never had a problem finding housing or employment but never really wound up loving where I was living. Some places were okay, but most places wore out their welcome after a few months. I guess I'm just a bit antsy and commitment-phobic, but that's waning with age. For me, I just have an indescribable feeling of being "done" with an area and move on. I feel like I've seen the stuff I've needed to see, got some more stories under my belt and just get bored with places I suppose.
I moved from Long Island (where I grew up) to CT for grad school, then up to VT for my husband's job, then to northeast PA for my husband's job, then to the suburbs of Philly for my husband's job and at the end of the month we will move to the Lehigh Valley - you guessed it, for my husband's job.
All our moves have been good ones. I was happy everywhere we went. I think mainly it's what you make of it, and being very outgoing I make friends easily and settle in pretty quickly. I kind of like "new kid on the block" status - gives me a good opening line.
We moved to Central PA in 1994-1995 and it was not a good situation. Some of it WAS our fault (we didn't make much of an effort to join anything). We were too busy having 4 temporary jobs each that year.
The vibe there was odd (no offense to anyone in C.PA) and I found many of the people anti-NYers (what a surprise...it dogs you wherever you go.. ) They were also very racist. (We're white by the way). I didn't like how insular they were (and weirdly religious).
On the plus side, I did meet some nice folks in my last job there.
We've moved from LI to PA to LI to England to LI to VT. (in Vermont now).
I can't say too much as we just moved here. It's a lot more rural than I expected but has it's good points.
Once I get a real job I will be able to make comments.
My husband & I were both in the military, so we've moved around quite a bit...7 out of the 8 were not by choice Learned to make due. Military towns are military towns. You learn to adjust really quick b/c as everyone knows, the government gives the business to the lowest bidder, so most bases are not in prime locales But, it was a lifestyle we were accustomed to & everyone we lived by lived the same lifestyle, so there was a comfort zone.
My husband's return from Iraq & contractuary obligation with the Army were in a less than 60 day time frame. He was able to find a job fairly quickly in SW FL. What a disaster this place has been. I've never been more miserable nor has he & we are use to living in some strange places. SW FL...wow, what a bizarre & odd place. Cannot wait to leave.
Circumstances have worked in our favor & we get to move back to my hometown where majority of family are & many friends. We are moving back to an area that is family oriented, safe, friendly, good schools, average lifestyle, affordable homes, is not 90 degrees plus every day of the year, and just so many other things that SW FL is not.
I've learned something everywhere we've lived. Here, not much. We move in a little less than 3 weeks & we cannot wait.
My husband & I were both in the military, so we've moved around quite a bit...7 out of the 8 were not by choice Learned to make due. Military towns are military towns. You learn to adjust really quick b/c as everyone knows, the government gives the business to the lowest bidder, so most bases are not in prime locales But, it was a lifestyle we were accustomed to & everyone we lived by lived the same lifestyle, so there was a comfort zone.
My husband's return from Iraq & contractuary obligation with the Army were in a less than 60 day time frame. He was able to find a job fairly quickly in SW FL. What a disaster this place has been. I've never been more miserable nor has he & we are use to living in some strange places. SW FL...wow, what a bizarre & odd place. Cannot wait to leave.
Circumstances have worked in our favor & we get to move back to my hometown where majority of family are & many friends. We are moving back to an area that is family oriented, safe, friendly, good schools, average lifestyle, affordable homes, is not 90 degrees plus every day of the year, and just so many other things that SW FL is not.
I've learned something everywhere we've lived. Here, not much. We move in a little less than 3 weeks & we cannot wait.
AMEN.... Skidaddled outta there ASAP!!!!! Weird, rude, miserable, hot , sticky, smokey, and oh HOT!!!!!!!! 83 Degrees is not christmas, it hellllll aka Naples Fl
In my early moving days, I was a blind mover. I am originally from California but moved to three different East Coast states in three years. I loved each state but I couldn't quite tell myself this is it for me. I missed my parents a lot. What's funny is I don't consider those moves as failures but more of learning curves. Well, my husband and I just relocated to Arizona this past April and I have to say I don't really like it here and do not want to settle and buy a house. There's just something about living here I don't like, aside from the heat. I mean I've given it a chance (we have some friends now, Charlie and I both have good jobs) but I just don't that feeling of contentment.
We'll probably stay here for at least a few years because we need to 1) find a new place to live (I am currently doing research on a few states back east again as well as planning on visiting these states PLUS I am trying to convince my parents to move there as well. They want out of CA); and 2) need to save for a moving truck.
In 2005 we moved to SC. Did a lot of research, found a house we could afford. Spent 14 months looking for work.
I do animal massage. In a town so horse oriented that there are traffic lights that will stop cars in all directions so a rider can cross the street I could not give equine massage away. I tried. I also have 9+ years an an accounting clerk and my husband is a maintenance man with EPA certification for HVAC and swimming pool certification. He also spent 8 years installing floors. Neither one of us could find a job. We had 4 different employment agencies looking, and were at the employment office weekly.
When we ran out of money we sold the house & moved back here to miserable FL. Fortunately we were able to sell the house quickly. We had used up all of my IRA and most of my husband's.
I loved living up there, but we could not make the $480/month we needed to pay the bills. It broke my heart to move back here.
Wow, you sound just like me. I've done similar blind moves plenty of times. I've never had a problem finding housing or employment but never really wound up loving where I was living. Some places were okay, but most places wore out their welcome after a few months. I guess I'm just a bit antsy and commitment-phobic, but that's waning with age. For me, I just have an indescribable feeling of being "done" with an area and move on. I feel like I've seen the stuff I've needed to see, got some more stories under my belt and just get bored with places I suppose.
That's pretty much how its been for us though there have been times it's been because of jobs (lack thereof)/housing. I think after awhile you can tell within 6-7 months if its a place we want to stay. I get the same "it's time to move on" feeling. Maybe if we found a place we loved..hasn't happened yet.
It's not necessarily that we dislike where we are, more "there are other places we haven't been".
It's never as good as before when we've moved back to a place. Done blind moves and well-researched moves...same result.
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I wont even mention the horrid food in those parts. 
) They were also very racist. (We're white by the way). I didn't like how insular they were (and weirdly religious).
Learned to make due. Military towns are military towns. You learn to adjust really quick b/c as everyone knows, the government gives the business to the lowest bidder, so most bases are not in prime locales 