Have you ever left everything you know and moved to a new state? (relocating, packing)

[ontheroad]

Thanks, KoZmiCNinJa, I hear you. I know that a town can make or break an experience and a move. I moved to Taos (NM) and probably would have been better off in Santa Fe for some of the same reasons you name. It also paints a picture of what I might find here in Maine, and makes me think much harder about a permanent move.

Hope you find a good, new home, and I wish the same for myself. Take care.

Originally Posted by KoZmiC NinJa

Sure Ill share , ontheroad !
I have many posts in the VT forum outling the misery so sorry
for redundancy to forum scanners like me

We came here, looked at many places, did the math, homework etc.
Obviously, we were spellbound by the intense beauty. Rutland Schl.
Dist. called and offered my Wife a very nice contract. Despite Rutland
being a place of no interest to relocate to , we took a chance due to
the built-in employment positive. We found a beautiful house in Proctor
life goes on....After as little as 9 months we knew were leaving. 15
months sealed the deal. For the sake of brevity, I could not find
suitable work. I was a mid-level computer operator in the pharmacuetical
industry with zillions of crossover skills in PA. I could find nothing here
that required any of those skills....Its all service and agriculture related.....
9.00 an hour, wack hours, etc. The taxes in our town went up twice
in 18 months, water doubled....Our mortgage got upped due to a new
flood law congress enacted...so on, and so on...The worst part though
was the lack of culture and amenities. Im not a MALL person so I
dont mean that, but there is NOTHING here. Nowhere to get a cup of
coffee after work. No reading rooms or gallery type shops/hangouts...
Nothing........There is just a pawl of gloom and negativity over the
whole town on any given day. In all fairness though, I think if we stuck
to our original plan and bypassed the Rotland area it might have been
different.

[ThanksABunch]

Originally Posted by wilkermoo

I was wondering if anybody else has ever walked away from their life and took a leap of faith to try moving to a different state. Specifically I mean moving away from somewhere where you had a good job, your family was there, you spent your entire life there without ever living anywhere else.


What was your experience? Do you regret it? Did you end up moving back home? Would you do it again and why? Where did you move from and to?

I did just that about 10 years ago. I left everything I knew in Texas. I was 30 years old, single, and wanted an adventure. So...I moved to Oregon. I lived on the coast for a time and eventually moved to Portland. That entire decade was amazing. I "found" myself....and found it very healing and transformational to be away from family for awhile. Funny, but I should have been scared when I did it, but I was so excited about it, there was no room for fear. I made friends gradually and had a few different jobs. I didn't put down roots, like big career or home purchase. I just explored and experienced life.

Now, I'm 39 and I'm being drawn back to my home state of Texas once again. But this time, I am ready to put down roots and get more settled. If I hadn't tried a new place for a portion of my life, I know I would have regretted it.

Look at it this way, you can always try it for a time..and you can always go home if it isn't working out. But you'll probably love the adventure and stay awhile..or perhaps forever. But you'll never know unless you try.

good luck!

[dd94595]

Originally Posted by House4Sale

I left my birth place and home town in upstate NY and relocated to S FL. I met my current SO here and stayed and tried it out. I missed home for about a year to two and when I went back, I seen a huge difference and returned to S FL. If I ever go back to upstate NY, it would be to live out my years and to go from dust to dust in the town I was born. Right now I just love these cool May-evening breezes we are enjoying and am enamoured by the palm and coconut trees, blue skies and so much more. As far as I can see, I am staying in FL for a long, long time.

Now about you. What are you contemplating? I'll look through the posts and see if you've noted that here.

I am contemplating a move to Arizona. I have lived in Northern California my entire life and I always talked about someday living outside the state I grew up in. I just would like to know if there are opportunities out there that I do not know about. Experiences & Memories to be made.

Living in CA, many people I know think I am crazy for wanting to leave. The only people who can relate are those that want to get away from the high prices. I do have a good job. My husband also has a good job. We have money to pay the bills and we get by. I guess I just feel like I would like to take a leap and try something, but I worry too much.

I posted in the Florida forum to see if I would get a different response and it is funny because 43 people replied so far. The Arizona forum got 2.

I'm 22 years old living in Southern California. I've lived within 50 miles of my current residence my entire life. Next Thursday I leave my pretty good job and I'm going up to the Seattle, Washington area. Most of my family has moved away but all of my friends are here. I'm looking for something cheaper that fits my lifestyle better. I should be able to give you an answer within two weeks or so on how well I like it. Of course those will be my short-term opinions, who knows how I'll feel about it in the long run.

I just had to go with my feelings, Washington seems like the place for me and only time will tell. I am a bit nervous and prone to worrying but I just had to make the jump.

[dd94595]

Originally Posted by ShadowXOR

I'm 22 years old living in Southern California. I've lived within 50 miles of my current residence my entire life. Next Thursday I leave my pretty good job and I'm going up to the Seattle, Washington area. Most of my family has moved away but all of my friends are here. I'm looking for something cheaper that fits my lifestyle better. I should be able to give you an answer within two weeks or so on how well I like it. Of course those will be my short-term opinions, who knows how I'll feel about it in the long run.

I just had to go with my feelings, Washington seems like the place for me and only time will tell. I am a bit nervous and prone to worrying but I just had to make the jump.

This sounds like me. I am 26 though, but I have lived within 50 miles of my hometown all my life. Five years ago or so I got a feeling that Arizona might be the place for me and I have not been able to get rid of that feeling. I have even applied for a mortgage to buy a house here in CA, but it just did not feel right. It wasn't even about the prices either, it was more about this feeling of missing out on something that could be great.

Reading through this forum I was really happy with all of the responses that I got to my post. It is hard to take a leap of faith and move to another state, especially when you do not have any ties to that state. Of all the people that responded, most had very positive experiences. It is difficult to me to leave CA and maybe end up coming back because CA is always more expensive than other places. I am worried that I will not be able to come back because of prices, but I guess that is part of the risk. No risk, no reward.

[rgb123]

Ive done it -- a few times -- always with intentions of returning to the Chicago area to settle down.

I moved to Florida, California, and had extended stays in Europe, and grad school in Minnesota (that hardly counts

I am back in Chicago and about to settle....and having serious doubts!!! All that travelling showed me there are some really great places out there that might be a nicer place to settle....and here I am again wondering if I should uproot myself one final time!

I say...go for it! I was reading pirate girls story...she is brave! But a great story. I also found a job quickly in Florida when I went....but in California my job was lined up. I would definitley have a job lined up!!

[rgb123]

ps...I just read your last post.

california is really one of my favorites...if that makes any difference. I would be happy (probably) renting there if I could never afford it! I would not let the cost of living stop me....you will find a way back to California if you want to later..

It is very hard to get a job lined up before you move, I would say have a large savings and find a job when you get there, you'll waste money flying out for interviews and they will probably just give the job to local people anyway!

[dd94595]

Originally Posted by ShadowXOR

It is very hard to get a job lined up before you move, I would say have a large savings and find a job when you get there, you'll waste money flying out for interviews and they will probably just give the job to local people anyway!

I was wondering about the job thing. My husband moved to Oregon once and nobody would give him a job when he first got there. Once he got his Oregon License the jobs were easy to get. I have saved up $35,000 and have no car payments or any bills other than my cell phone. I do not know if this is enough, but it sure seems like $35,000 should be able to get me somewhere.

Originally Posted by wilkermoo

I was wondering about the job thing. My husband moved to Oregon once and nobody would give him a job when he first got there. Once he got his Oregon License the jobs were easy to get. I have saved up $35,000 and have no car payments or any bills other than my cell phone. I do not know if this is enough, but it sure seems like $35,000 should be able to get me somewhere.

Um...wow. How did you do that? I'm moving with $1,500 in my pocket, a large car payment, and some credit card bills.

I would say that you are good to go and I wish I had that kind of money! I've been on my own for a while and it has been tough but I'm making it. I'm going to catch up soon, I've been on the right track for a while now. I made the standard mistakes most people do when they're young.