Quote:
Originally Posted by Citykid3785
We moved away from the Twin Cities in favor of Atlanta several years back, and we prefer the life down here, and certainly the weather. If we ever moved back (not currently in the plans), it would have nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with being close to family and childhood friends.
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It is interesting that, even as an adult, you and your partner retain close friendships with your childhood friends. I assume that you and your partner lived in your hometown for a much longer amount of time than I did. Also, it is likely that your hometown is more economically vibrant than mine, which has allowed your friends and relatives to remain in the local area and blossom in their respective career fields.
Unfortunately, many of my childhood friends and even some of my family members no longer reside in Providence, Rhode Island, which is where I grew up. Of course, many of them live in nearby Boston or New York City, but still, almost none of them are living down the street or around the corner from my childhood home. The childhood friends of mine who are still living near my parents' home have largely stagnated in life due to addiction, divorce and underemployment among other reasons. In other words, they have morphed into people with whom you do not want to associate, assuming you are a normal, well-to-do person yourself.
Sadly, Rhode Island is a very economically depressed state and has been for at least four decades now; the state's economy never fully recovered from the departure of heavy manufacturing in the late 1970's and early 1980's. As a result, the prevailing assumption among bright, talented, upwardly mobile young adults is that, in order to be successful in your professional career and earn a decent income, you must relocate to a larger, economically healthier metropolitan area after graduating from college.
Personally, I never enjoyed the weather of Rhode Island/New England. When I lived there in the 1980's and 1990's, the cold season would begin around early October and last until late May. Thankfully, global warming has been just dandy for Rhode Island, so now the state is much sunnier and warmer than it was 30 years ago. In fact, as of 2020, Rhode Island is the fastest-warming state in the country. Regardless of the recent warm-up, though, Rhode Island still has absolutely terrible infrastructure, an incredibly high tax burden and one of the bleakest economies of any U.S. state, all of which has been more than enough to keep me away for 20 years and counting.
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