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Besides my time in the Army, I’ve never lived more than two miles from a beach. As much as I love the west for other reasons, I don’t think I could ever live more than a few minutes from sand and water.
Even 30-40 minutes would probably feel strange to me, though at some point in the future it will likely happen.
I'm jealous. Other than living in Carmel, CA, one year, I've always lived an hour or two or more from an ocean. I love the smell of low tide in the morning.
I've lived close to Lake Michigan (blocks away now, previously a mile) so my move to Iowa will be an adjustment. When we were kids, my dad would take us to the lake when there was a NE wind. He wanted us to appreciate storms, what the lake could do. Now I can hear the lake most days, which is nice.
I'm in my 70s want to be closer to family. When my sister passed away, my niece, nephew, came from Iowa to help get the house cleaned out. We got it done, but I thought do they want to do this if something happens to me? I love living here but common sense tells me better to be near family.
...do you regret it? I'm curious to hear from people who lived within a couple of hours of the ocean and then moved to a land-locked state where they had to take a plan ride to visit the beach. Do you miss being within driving distance of an ocean? Did you move back? Or are you happy with the water/lake features in your state?
Thanks in advance for sharing!
I grew up a few hundred feet from the ocean, now I’m landlocked and about a 10hr drive away.
Absolutely I miss my drive to work being a straight drive along the coast, but if/when I went back there, I’d also miss things particular to where I am now.
I’d suggest making the move and not giving a single thought to what you may or may not miss. The absolute worst outcome is after a year you learn that you can’t live without being by the ocean, and so you go back. Even then, that aligns with my belief that you need to move around some, even if you think where you are is perfect, because at a minimum it reinforces your belief and helps you understand what exactly about it is perfect for you.
Giving some brief thought, if I went back, I’d miss the trees, mountains, snow, and outdoor fun like shooting and hiking. But I’d fill the void with walks along the beach
Thanks for sharing your beach nostalgia! Never been to Long Beach. Jones Beach was famously crowded, hardly any space between the beach blankets. As a kid it was fun to watch the tide come in and hear the screams as each row of blankets got soaked with the advancing waves and sent people scurrying.
But I preferred the relative quiet of the North Shore beaches. We gathered mussels for dinner, played with jellyfish (avoiding the pink ones) and launched our little Sunflower sailboat out of the station wagon for a spin. The Good Humor ice cream truck always paid a visit. I liked the Italian ices.
I never slept by the ocean except when visiting my folks in Florida. When the surf was up, the relentless crashing of the waves made sleep difficult.
The beach was a great place for gathering, and so contains so many memories: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends from far away coming to visit, in the summer we'd always end up down at the beach for fun, games, relaxation, and conversation.
Could not rep you just yet. Your description of the North Shore was also very fitting. I grew up in Oyster Bay. For some reason, the ponding of the surf helped me to sleep.
Besides my time in the Army, I’ve never lived more than two miles from a beach. As much as I love the west for other reasons, I don’t think I could ever live more than a few minutes from sand and water.
Even 30-40 minutes would probably feel strange to me, though at some point in the future it will likely happen.
For me my 'max' has has been just under 80 miles (currently).
I've lived my life (other than traveling) in the SF Bay Area, LA/OC, Mammoth Lakes, CA (a ski season), Incline Village, NV (a few blocks from the beach (Lake Tahoe)), and in the Houston Metro. My house is just under 80 miles from the Gulf (Galveston), and my GF's place (where I spend more time) is a bit closer and in a different part of the metro (west vs. north).
It would take a lot to pull me away from having a beach or at least a decent sized lake within a reasonable distance.
I've lived on the central coast of California for the past 6 years. I can't wait to get out. I lived in Las Cruces, NM (about the farthest that you can get from a coastal place) and preferred it to here. I also grew up in MI -- it's not an ocean state but it's has more beautiful beaches than most of CA. The only problem with MI is that those beaches are really only available a few months out of the year.
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