Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
See - it is different for each of us. It may happen for you -- in your own time. As long as your not unhappy -- just relax and enjoy. If your unhappy -- then you have decisions to make.
The moment my feet hit the ground here, it *felt* right. Can't really explain it. Our first year here, we felt like we were on a vacation, especially in the colder months. On all of our trips back to where we both grew up, we couldn't wait to come back to Charleston.
A military wife once told me that if you didn't like where you live, or didn't feel like 'home' after TWO years, then you would probably never like it.
There are many places with nice weather and beautiful scenery, but Charleston has the PEOPLE. It is the PEOPLE who make this such a nice place to live.
The moment my feet hit the ground here, it *felt* right. Can't really explain it. Our first year here, we felt like we were on a vacation, especially in the colder months. On all of our trips back to where we both grew up, we couldn't wait to come back to Charleston.
A military wife once told me that if you didn't like where you live, or didn't feel like 'home' after TWO years, then you would probably never like it.
There are many places with nice weather and beautiful scenery, but Charleston has the PEOPLE. It is the PEOPLE who make this such a nice place to live.
Ditto here. No doubts from the moment my feet hit the soil. It was a very spiritual moment actually.
We worked for four years from that moment towards being here. Now there's one last piece of the puzzle to complete.
To that end, I was sharing my frustration about working in Chicago while wanting to be in Charleston, with someone I call my muse. We were standing by her car as she was leaving the job (She's a designer) She paused for just a moment, and with a wry smile said "There are still some things you have to learn before you can live in Charleston" then hopped in her car and drove away.
Has anybody else felt like this? Did your feelings change? I moved here 7 mos ago and enjoy living here. The problem is it just doesn't feel like home.
I've lived here 10 months. It doesn't feel like home, but I don't feel like an outsider or anything like that. I have moved a lot and feeling like an outsider is the worst. I lived in a tiny tiny town a couple times where they didn't accept transplants at all and they just made it known they didn't want you there. At least here half the people are transplants and most of the locals are kind and welcoming.
I've only felt like I was at home a couple places. Wherever I move, I keep in touch with people from the past, but I don't live in the past. I embrace where I live and figure out the local customs and support the local teams (though I still can't bring myself to say go *****) ... I make friends and get involved in the community etc. You have to work at it a little.
If I can help you with something specific please feel free to PM me...I have tons of experience . And hey come to one of our meet ups...
See - it is different for each of us. It may happen for you -- in your own time. As long as your not unhappy -- just relax and enjoy. If your unhappy -- then you have decisions to make.
So true. Everyone, every experience, everyones expectations and needs are different. We were totally unhappy in NC...but that is different from making somewhere feel like "home." Making somewhere feel like "home" can just take some time.
You may never feel like it is home here. To me , home is where you were brought up. What I have found is that if people love where they are from they will always miss it and that is home forever. I am in this group. I love Tidewater (Va. Beach, Va.) and it will always be home for me. I lived in Charleston 11 years, and I like it, but it is not "home".
People move here from other places they hate, and it seems like Paradise here in Charleston. But, if you love your home like I do, you will always miss your hometown.
Regards,
Coastalbum
Having been here almost 2 years now......... let me chime in.
It feels now and felt like home from the beginning.
Was a drastic and I mean drastic change of venue from Brooklyn, NYC... but it fit and felt like home more and more as the weeks, months passed when we moved here. Now 2 years later, still feels like home. But I go with the flow, bend so you do not break, roll with the punches that life serves up kind of guy.
My wife on the other hand, it does not feel like home I will venture to say. Made many friends here she did and close friends. Originally from Turkey, but schooled and educated here. We were amazed to find quite a large Turkish community here. Attended many parties and hosted our own party for Turkish friends. But we have 'local' friends as well. Our 4 yr old has many friends. To my wife though only 3 years in NYC that place feels like home to her still I know. I miss it none of it. Born and bred there in Brooklyn.. but do miss it or anything about it.
I actually still travel for work to NYC almost every month and it actually reinforces it is not home anymore and reinforces S.C. is. When I drive back and forth and I usually drive, when I drive home and pass the N.C. state line I get a warm feeling.. I know I am getting closer to home. Well also I have family in Raleigh. But when I pass South of the Border and then the S.C. state line.. I literally clap my hands in elation knowing I will be home soon. I did live in Upstate NY which might have helped. Laid back area, 1 acre plots and easy going... so this might have prepared me a bit
But while I am a city 'boy' and feel right at home walking the streets in NYC and taking the subway all hours of the night... I am right at home here in S.C. and Charleston and MP.
It is such a dichotomy being in NYC that once a month and living down here. I get into my NYC mode when I arrive there and switch back to here. It is completely day and night there and here. The people, the streets, the stores.. I switch back and forth internally.. but at home here.
We also left no family in NYC. As mentioned above I do have family in Raleigh so we are closer now, a 5 hr drive compared to an 8 hr drive. Our other family members are in Turkey and Israel. I know people start missing home due to family they left behind, which we did not.
My wife does say suburbs are suburbs.. you can be anywhere in a suburb in the US practically. I know it might have been the same in TX where we were also thinking of moving. We also thought of FL and I know FL would have been different. No state pride there I felt.. no togetherness I felt. A nice place to visit but not move to, especially with our young son.
But anyway back to the original posting question... yes I feel like it is home here for me.
I love Brooklyn and proud of growing up there. My son was born in the same hospital as me. Always will love and be proud of Brooklyn and all it offered. But miss it... nah. That was then, this is now and happily now.
Here if anyone is interested is our journey before and during and after our move here.
MichaelNYC....funny, when we kept moving south from New England (to NC and then SC) people would always say "why don't you just move to Florida if warm weather and beach is what you're looking for"....I couldn't really put my finger on why FL. just did nothing for me until I read your comment: "No state pride there I felt.. no togetherness".....yep, that's exactly why Florida wasn't a choice for us. I feel that here in SC though!
MichaelNYC.......I couldn't really put my finger on why FL. just did nothing for me until I read your comment: "No state pride there I felt.. no togetherness".....yep, that's exactly why Florida wasn't a choice for us. I feel that here in SC though!
I did quite a lot of research for FL.
Was offered a $50K bonus to move to certain areas (Naples) at the time.
Been there often and scouted it all out. We went as a couple to seriously look at some areas on the west coast of it, Dunedin, Clearwater etc. Was all nice.. but kept remembering what I would read on-line from residents. They knocked each others area/town/city. Hey ok here as well.. with the back and forth sometimes here between Summerville and DI and MP etc residents. Locals I do not think participated, newcomers did I would venture to say. But in FL everyone knocked. It is ok to love where you are and say it is the best (it is the best for you) but to go on top of that and knock other towns, areas stuck in my mind. As well as no pride to Florida. Searched all over the west coast as well as east coast just staying away from Miami and Ft Lauderdale area... never interested in those areas for us and our son. Also did not like the 'gated' communities all around.. that stuck out.
Ok here Dunes West is gated.. but the joke is... it is gated to keep the riff-raff out.. the riff-raff as in Park West people
Glad I came across S.C. and specifically Charleston and more specifically MP.. did quite a lot of research and came down for a look see myself and we all did as a family for 13 days following year and then moved.
Has anybody else felt like this? Did your feelings change? I moved here 7 mos ago and enjoy living here. The problem is it just doesn't feel like home.
1/2 pastnoon,
This is normal! I still do not feel like I am 'home' after living here more than 10 years in Charleston!
Again, if you love where you are from , where you grew up, and you have a real connection to where you are from , family, memories, love of the area, ties to the community, etc. It will always be home, and that will never change for me from Tidewater, Virginia.
Many of these other people do not like or even hate where they are from. This is why they can call Charleston home after a a short time period. They are glad to move from where they grew up.
I miss where I grew up and always call it home. Many others feel like Charleston is some Paradise because they hate where they moved from, or it is too cold, etc.
You have no problem. Maybe it will never feel like home here, and you can always return to your 'home' like I plan to do one day.
Regards,
Coastalbum
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
On all of our trips back to where we both grew up, we couldn't wait to come back to Charleston. 
. And hey come to one of our meet ups... 
normal feeling
