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What's your opinion? Does place play a key role in shaping our selves and our families? Or is it just the backdrop for lives that would unfold more or less the same anywhere? Something in between?
When I had to earn a decent living I lived in the Midwest or on the East Coast...when I decided where to retire, I chose the West Coast of Florida...for the backdrop...would my life have unfolded the same way if I lived here all my life...no...there is no way I could have earned the same salary here that I earned up North..thus..the quality of my retirement would have been affected.
Is it important? Definitely. Is it as important as we sometimes make it out to be? Probably not.
I feel like that as long as a place meets all your needs (employment, education, climate, entertainment, relationships, recreation, etc), the exact WHERE doesn't matter too much. I used to think I'd only be happy in a certain city in a certain state. Now that I'm a little older, I can look at what exactly that location offered that I liked, find other areas that offer similar benefits, and chances are I'd be happy there too.
Absolutely. We live in a fairly expensive place, with very little crime, a great community and amazing outdoor space, we sacrifice some financially to be here, but get so much more back in quality of life. We've lived all over the US and have returned to this area 4 times, everything falls into place when you are surrounded by 11,000 foot mountains.
Dogmama50, can I ask you where you live, generally speaking? Sounds really nice.
Colorado Mountains. Vail area this time after a 15 year break, we've been in the Aspen area and Telluride too. It's expensive, slightly isolated and we had 6 inches of snow today after having shorts weather last week, but if you can find a good job it's a great place to live.
Like so many things... it depends.
If weather and daily sights (mountains, trees) matter to you, it will matter if you have those things. If access to certain things make or break your day, those things will matter.
I personally cannot stand to live in an apartment or area that is dreary. Modest, plain, fine, but not dreary/drab. Forget ugly.
The physical manifestations of the local vibe might matter. I would be uncomfortable in some Baptist type place with Jesus billboards by the road, since it's not my world. I don't like busy commercial roads with strip shopping malls and chain stores for miles (Rt. 9 and 1 in Mass., this means you! Route 70 in south Jersey, you you and you!) I don't care about "shopping."
I think the internet has helped ease the disadvantages of some areas. For instance, you can find like-minded people to chat with, no matter what "like minded" means. You can buy stuff, especially books. When I lived in Maine, I had a store reserve the Boston Globe and said I'd pay for every issue even if I didn't get into town. Now there's the internet for news and so on.
I have found that fresh air and quiet means more to me every day, although when in the city, I hated having a dreary apartment/environment even though it was "near the action." I have been drawn to "town-like" areas of a city, a town ambiance/density. Of course I'm not alone in that, and those areas of the city tend to really cost.
So many things go into what we need or don't need from where we live. I think it comes more into focus when you have the chance or necessity to move, and have some choice in what matters.
Yes, try imagine yourself living in different parts of the world, let alone US and tell me it doesn't matter. Certain places just don't maximize our potentials and feed ourselves, literally and/or metaphorically.
yes it matters. You can make do with a place till you can move but if you have to make do with no light at the end of the tunnel in sight, the place will drive you crazy. If the people, the weather, jobsituation, etc, those things that make a place and the things that are important, aren't what you want and need, you can be really miserable and feel like you're treading water.
Last edited by MaggieZ; 04-16-2012 at 01:58 PM..
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