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My parents owned the home I grew up in for 50 years, the first and only home they bought after getting married. I lived there until I got married then the moving began.
I think because I never moved as a child I looked forward to changing homes every couple of years. Here is my list:
22 years in childhood home
6 months in apt after marrying
18 months back home to save money for a house
18 months in a patio home
2 years in a real house, then divorced
1 year renting a home after divorce
10 years (remarried) renting trying to afford a house again
This is the longest I have been in a home since leaving my parents home. I have never lived more than 20 miles from where I grew up but we eventually want to relocate to the east coast for awhile. Probably crazy I know. We stayed put to raise kids and it is worth it while they are young. Hopefully giving them stability will give them the desire to explore and feel secure about their roots. My husband and I would love to experience living somewhere other than where we grew up even though we will probably end up right back here (unless we can talk our kids into going with us).
Born at a very early age in Charleston, SC. Was the Son of a Sailor, so we moved up and down the East Coast, living in ME, MD, VA & FL. I went to 12 different schools before I earned my H.S. diploma. Then I joined the USAF and lived in dormitories and apartments all over the world. Until we retired here in OH, I had never lived in one place for more than 8 years. This year will be a tie for the same city (township, in our case) But we've owned this house longer now than any other building I'd lived in previously. I loved the moving when I was younger but am SO glad that we won't be doing that any time soon. (We're thinking that our next move might be to the retirement home...)
We hate moving with a burning passion, so we do it as little as possible.
1957 - 1975: parent's home in a suburb of Detroit
1975 - 1977: various dormitories at Western Mich Univ interspersed with a few months at home
1977 - 1978: rented a room from a co-worker in Kalamazoo
1978 - 1980: apartment with my betrothed
May 13, 1980 - early June, 1980: a spare bedroom at betrothed's parent's home, after our apartment in downtown Kalamazoo was destroyed in a tornado.
June 1980 - Aug 1981: another apartment in Kzo
Aug 1981 - Jul 1982: apartment in McAllen, Texas
1982 - 1983: rented house in McAllen
1983 - 1988: rented duplex in McAllen
1988 - 1999: home (owned) in McAllen
Jul 1999 - Feb 2000: rented townhouse in Madison, Wisconsin
Feb 2000 - present: home (owned) in Madison
Despite the fact that we still had two teenagers when we bought the present house, we intentionally chose our "empty-nest" home, because we figured we'd be empty nesters within a decade or so, and we didn't want to move again. That whole empty nest thing appears to be a myth from where I'm sitting, but I hope that someday the current long-term resident will get tired of living with the parents and will move on. And I'm changing the locks when she does!
Growing up, it was just my mother and me (she divorced when I was a toddler). She loved moving and was always on the lookout for someplace "better". As a result, from the time I was born until I went off to college, we lived in 10 different apartments in 3 different cities. Funny, once I moved out, she stayed put, although she did transfer from a one-bedroom apartment to a two-bedroom (same building). She's been there ever since, probably 25 years now.
As for me, I continued the tradition (now you understand my screen name!). Obviously, I had a different residence every year in college. Once graduated and married, the husband and I have always been on the move. Since the mid-70s, we've moved about 15 or 16 times. Thank goodness our son is pretty comfortable with moving because 7 of those moves have been with him! He's on to his first solo move this fall, starting college.
My shortest time in one place was a roach-filled apartment in NYC. For some reason, I didn't see the roaches during the walkthru but when I moved in, holy cow! They were EVERYwhere. Coming up through the floorboards. All over the walls in the kitchen. INSIDE the fridge (yes, you read right). In the shower with me!!! I lasted about 5 days in there, then took up residence in a hotel in Jersey for a couple of weeks. Then I just gave up and moved out of the area.
My longest time was 7 years in a condo husband and I bought. It was our first piece of owned property (no more renting!) and we were pretty psyched about it!
House I grew up in, lived there until 1980
1980-1984-apartment
1984-1987-my first house
1987-1988-got married and moved into husbands condo. Lived there less than 6 months.
1988-1989-townhouse we bought, stayed 13 months.
1989 to present-same house. Would love to move to another house, always been my dream to work with a builder and semi custom a ranch home we can live in forever.
I'd love to move, it would force me to consolidate and get rid of things.
Wow, this is my kind of thread! I am 32 and have been a gypsy since I was 20! My husband and I are getting very tired of this lifestyle now, but can't seem to stay or feel settled anywhere.
Here is my list of shame:
1976-1991 Illinois (with family)
1991-1997 Wisconsin (with family)
1997-1998 Tampa, FL (had to escape the Midwest - a lifelong dream)
1998-1999 Wisconsin (couldn't afford to live in FL at age 20)
1999- stubborn, tried Tampa, FL again
1999-2000-couldn't afford it again, back to Wisconsin
2000-2004 Miami, FL (I got married here in 2000 and husband and I finally got our lives "together" - Florida worked finally!
2004- back to Wisconsin to save for move to Los Angeles (another dream of mine)
2005-2008 - Los Angeles
May 2008- escaped back to Florida, this time to Orlando. We were sick of L.A., but then missed it and the job opportunies...SO...
Sept. 2008- back to Los Angeles! And here we are now, kinda missing Orlando...LOL
We have lived in 11 houses in 22 years. The shortest time was 5 months. Longest time was 4 1/2 years. We moved in and out of two houses twice. We just moved three months ago. Hope this is the last move. Ten of the moves have been with in Idaho and one from California to Idaho. We are 59,me , and 68 hubby. We have done every move all by ourselves even this last one. This time it was very hard on us and took us a few weeks to get over the pain of the heavy lifting. This last move was only 11 miles.
I have lived so many places! My dad was military, then did contract work with Boeing and RCA, so we moved nearly once a year. Stayed four years at a college dorm, then four years at apartment for higher degree, both near DFW area. Lived seven years in Portland, OR; seven years in Wichita Falls, TX, now three years up in Panhandle, TX. Now, fixing to make another move!! Hopefully, since I am getting "older" we can stay put this time.
interesting thread. I get bored pretty quickly with places and yea houses too. I love to do interior decorating so once I've done a house it seems like I'm ready for Next! Maybe I should just go into that line of work??
For those with children who move around a lot-I have 2 words for you that worked most excellent for us--Home Schooling!
Longest is growing up in Mississippi 1975-1993
As far as own my own, longest would be the almost 13 years i've been here in Dallas.
My shortest span has been in California at 2 months and Kentucky at 3 months.
Update
Shortest: Chicago 4 weeks
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My dad was military, then did contract work with Boeing and RCA, so we moved nearly once a year. Stayed four years at a college dorm, then four years at apartment for higher degree, both near DFW area. Lived seven years in Portland, OR; seven years in Wichita Falls, TX, now three years up in Panhandle, TX. Now, fixing to make another move!! Hopefully, since I am getting "older" we can stay put this time.
