I Might Come Back...Am I crazy?? (New Orleans, Marrero: crime, mortgage)

[Chilly Gentilly]

Sooo...as some of you know, my family and I decided to leave New Orleans a year ago and move to Los Angeles. We arrived there on July 4th and after only 7 months it was apparent that we'd made a mistake and needed to get out ASAP. My wife didn't want to entertain going back to N.O. even slightly...so we packed up again and boarded a one-way flight from LAX to ATL on February 4th.

Atlanta has treated us well so far...much better than the barrage of BS and disappointment we encountered in Cali. I'm working for a global IT company and am on the verge of moving up already, we live in a very nice suburb surrounded by forest and the Chattahoochee River, and our kids are in great schools.

With all that said, I still miss New Orleans...never stopped missing it. Southern California is gorgeous beyond words and super diverse. Atlanta is full of financial opportunity, is cheap, and in a forest. But New Orleans is HOME... I miss my family, the old streets, old houses, streetcars, boiled seafood, tradition, the festivals and parages. So what I'm thinking is once I'm able to move up I'm going to propose that we establish a territory in New Orleans for me to manage. I want to come back, but I now know just how expensive it is to live the life you want to live in N.O. with a family and school-aged kids.

I kinda feel crazy because why would we leave a place so abundant in opportunity, inexpensive housing, and blah blah blah to come back to New Orleans when Atlanta is clearly more conducive to the lifestyle we need? Eh maybe I just felt like talking about it and not really looking for an answer...I mean hell, we had decent jobs in New Orleans though they didn't pay much...our kids were actually in great schools(not private) and we'd just gotten our mortgage approved for a decent amount for our first home on the Westbank. I kinda feel like we shouldn't have left in the first place, but then I start to remember why we did. New Orleans is becoming increasingly expensive while wages suck bad...it leaves you wanting more without an apparent legal way to get it. That plus the crime just doesn't bode well. We didn't deal with any riff-raff at all, even living in Marrero, but being surrounded by it still doesn't feel great...ya know?

Anyway, man I miss New Orleans and I want to come back in 3 years with the 6 figure salary that my new position would pay...but am I crazy?

[annie_himself]

Take back that comment on bounce music and we'll talk.


But seriously, I feel you. I want to find better opportunity but I would miss it here.

[norb123]

I don't think you're crazy Chilly. I've been in your situation before. I had to leave to see how much this city meant to me, and how much I would miss it.

I won't try to tell you what you should do, but I will say it was much easier to move here the second time. If you could get your company to move you down here and pay you what you need to be happy, it sounds like a win win. Good luck either way.

[cBach]

Just stay in Atlanta and visit New Orleans once or twice a year to get your fix.

It isn't worth the hassles of living there.

[Chilly Gentilly]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

Take back that comment on bounce music and we'll talk.


But seriously, I feel you. I want to find better opportunity but I would miss it here.

LOL...man this is really sad.

Originally Posted by norb123

I don't think you're crazy Chilly. I've been in your situation before. I had to leave to see how much this city meant to me, and how much I would miss it.

I won't try to tell you what you should do, but I will say it was much easier to move here the second time. If you could get your company to move you down here and pay you what you need to be happy, it sounds like a win win. Good luck either way.

I can't make this decision based solely on romantic nostalgia though...which sucks

[Jimbo_1]

If you have the money, you love the city, and its what you and your family want to do, then do it. It's not crazy at all. Plus this is a three year time plan, you have plenty of time to mull it over before doing it.

[norb123]

Originally Posted by Chilly Gentilly

LOL...man this is really sad.



I can't make this decision based solely on romantic nostalgia though...which sucks

I said the same thing, and honestly I never thought I would live down here again. I had interviews lined up in Salt Lake city and Portland and decided to make a couple calls down here last minute. Needless to say, I never made those trips out west. Everything that I needed to happen to move here just fell in line perfectly. I guess what I'm saying is if you really want it, it doesn't hurt to try...but definitely don't make the decision on romantic nostalgia.

[Senna - Daytona]

It's easier to have feelings for a place like Nola, tropical, gritty, traditions than money...

I have been thinking of same places like you, wanted to go to the Gulf Coast after living in Apple Valley/Victorville area 100 miles inland from L.A. for 3 years. I'm from Denmark originally, and thought of Houston, where at least many jobs, but Nola and Pensacola also strong pull as so much to fall in love with.
This summer I left the Southern California desert and took a round trip spending much time in Houston and Tampa and Naples....ended up by sis in Washington D.C. as couldn't make a decision.
Now that school year is over I'm on my way to San Francisco next week because of the modern way of working which I will appreciate big time. And I know for certain I'll often think of the Gulf Coast as it also got lots going for it.
I hope I would get a job working remotely, and then move to the Gulf Coast

[jamesducote]

New Orleans definitely has that pull on people. If it's in your blood it's hard to shake.

[Senna - Daytona]

to Norb123:

How do you feel about Nola the second time around; you feel you are there for good, or same things that made you leave the first time still bothers you? How long time where you there the first time and how long have you been there now? And where did you hail from?