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I'm Boston born and raised. It's my home. My friends are here. My family is here. I've traveled extensively throughout this country, and have no interest in leaving.
Side note...I don't see people moving to other parts of the country 'in masses'. I don't have a single family member who's left the area. I have had a few friends try their luck in NYC/LA/SF, but most have returned. In fact I see more people moving in, than out.
For me, location/proximity to great cities in the US and Canada and outdoor offerings, good area to raise a family while having enough to do in the area, pretty laid back, family, overall cost of livng isn't too bad/average(give or take) and 4 seasons.
Agreed! I don't really like the 4 seasons, but what I do like is that the summers back home aren't as intense as they are down here which allows for a lot of different outdoor activities without having a heat stroke.
Quote:
Originally Posted by garmin239
Close to many older, interesting cities. Close to many cities with more of an urban vibe than other areas of the country. Close proximity to great outdoor activities. Many cities within short distances of eachother have their own unique cuisines.
I definitely agree with this post. Culture and cuisine in the Northeast are unbeatable, in my opinion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cliff Clavin
I'm Boston born and raised. It's my home. My friends are here. My family is here. I've traveled extensively throughout this country, and have no interest in leaving.
Side note...I don't see people moving to other parts of the country 'in masses'. I don't have a single family member who's left the area. I have had a few friends try their luck in NYC/LA/SF, but most have returned. In fact I see more people moving in, than out.
I know a lot of people from Boston who moved to NY as well and then moved back after school. They didn't like NY's overbearing feeling as compared to Boston. In my opinion, Boston has lots and lots of families who've been there for generations, similar to NY, but tend to stay there despite cost of living and dreary weather.
I grew up and was educated in Delaware. After getting an advanced degree in Virginia, I worked in Boston, Delaware and a brief stint in Kansas City before moving to Houston, all before I was 30. I really enjoyed my 26 years in Houston and the opportunity to experience a culture very different from the east coast. After completing a satisfying career, however, my roots which were calling to me so returned back to the northeast. I am happy to be back where there are four distinct seasons, urban density, good mass transit, easy access to a numbers of cities and beautiful countryside, progressive politics and laws, and a value placed on historical preservation.
I like it here. I like NYC, proximity to other great US cities, the people, the food, the climate, the vibe. We make more than enough to afford it. The only way I'd move from the region is if my kids did, but I know that my son will probably stay here (he hates the south, west, midwest - but he's only just about 15 so that can change).
"moving en masse"....kind of an overstatement. I think the reason that there is this perception that everyone is moving away from the northeast to the sunbelt stems from two misleading factors....
1. The huge spur in population of the sunbelt.
A large gain in population in one area tends to lead folks to believe that there is a mass migration there from another area; and typically they think of those people coming from within the country. True; there are a lot of people moving to the south/west from the northeast. HOWEVER; there are also many immigrants (and especially the children of immigrants which are born at a much higher rate than citizens') coming from Latin America at a very high rate to that part of the country which is much closer. It is very similar to how during the population-boom days of the northeast; the majority of that population growth wasn't coming from people from other areas of the country moving to the northeast; but rather many millions of immigrants coming from Europe (with the northeast being the closest region of the US geography-wise to the Europe).
2. The northeasterners "Stick out".
I lived in the Raleigh, NC area for many years. An area that is a hotspot for transplants from the northeast; but also other areas. HOWEVER...those stronger accents, Yankees/Mets/Jets/Giants/Patriots/Red Sox/Bills fanboyism compared to the emphasis on college sports in the south and much of the midwest (two other regions that also send a large amount of transplants to NC)...they make their presence as being from "someplace else" more known. Also, going along with this....there ARE more transplants from the the northeast than from other areas to the south. The higher population and higher population density of the northeast mean that if a small amount of people move from there to a less populous/populated area of the country (the south or the southwest); it might appear to the natives of those fast-growing less populated areas that "everyone from the northeast is moving here"...when in reality it is a tiny, tiny percentage of people who are moving.
Now; to the original question. We chose to move BACK to the northeast from the south not only because this is where out family still lives; but going along with that is also the fact that there is a great sense of home/community that one finds in the region compared to the very transient nature of the Raleigh-Durham area and many sunbelt metros overall. Also COL (yes, I just said that, not all of the northeast is the expensive BosWash corridor; Upstate NY has a COL that is actually lower than many areas of the sunbelt) though that was pretty much a wash and definitely the far superior school systems.
"moving en masse"....kind of an overstatement. I think the reason that there is this perception that everyone is moving away from the northeast to the sunbelt stems from two misleading factors....
Agree. While this survey is not to be construed as a fully accurate measure of internal migration patterns, it is inserting to note that 5 of the top ten destination cities are not sunbelt cities (Note: I include LV as a sunbelt city): U-Haul Names Houston as Top 2012 U.S. Destination City -- PHOENIX, April 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Two of the top 10 destination cities are in the northeast.
Last edited by Pine to Vine; 04-17-2013 at 09:57 AM..
America started here.
For the most part socially liberal.
Tons of great food in every city big and small.
4 seasons.......though winter hasn't really been much in SE PA the last few years.
On the other hand I do wish to live in the west at some point.
The biggest appeal of the Northeast to me over other regions is stability, relative affluence, history, natural beauty (although not as dramatic as the West, it is more consistent in the East), and its much more "established" feeling. While it can be perceived as "brashness" by outsiders, people are generally more direct, which I much prefer.
That's not to say things don't change at all -- certainly they have and will continue to. But there is a feeling throughout the Northeast that gives you a sense that although this region has been around the block, it seems very ready to take on the future.
If you enjoy living in the Northeast, what do you enjoy about it so much that makes you stay?
The chicks. :-)
Seriously though, the reasons given already by other posters. Plus, the northeast is what I call the "power zone" of the United States - the most important region economically, politically, militarily, academically - and the population epicenter of the nation. And it's right next to the power zone of Canada as well. Not to mention the frequent flights to and from Europe - the richest continent on Earth.
This seals the deal for me. I will never voluntarily leave this region.
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