New Yorkers: Were you born and raised in NYC or did you move to NY on your own? What made you come to NYC? (Lenox: co-op, home)

[angrypuffballs]

NYC is the best. I was born and raised there and now i live upstate. I plan on moving to Park slope in brooklyn after i get my bachelors. Thats my dream plan.

[Dewdroplet76]

Born and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, went to Michigan for college, and moved here right after. I'm a musical theatre performer so New York was the obvious choice for me - like it is for you, too! I've been here 12 years now and I love it more and more every day. We just moved to the suburbs in Westchester County - but we still go into the city all the time. And I agree with BMWguydc - you are going to find that, despite the fact that the city is enormous, your social circle isn't going to be as big and distant as you might think. Being a performer - it seems that everyone I meet in the industry is a friend of a friend. That being said -
You're gonna love it here!

[TheMachineStops]

Born and raised in Queens. Earned a B.S. in Applied Math from Stonybrook. Also had 2 years graduate school at Syracuse University but no masters degree (long story for another thread).

After saving money by living with my parents in Lindenwood for about 2 years I got my first apartment. A studio sublet in a doorman building in the West Village. The time was 1991.The rent was around $950.

I had the opportunity to buy the place at the end of my sublet term (by owner) and have been here ever since.

There are some disadvantages to studio living. It can feel confining at times. And it's easy to get "bedroom envy" when you see other peoples living situations. But it's less to keep clean and utilities are generally cheaper.

But all in all, NYC has treated me well. I'm currently a VP in IT and really starting to enjoy the spring.

[Rachael84]

Born in Queens, lived there until I was about 3 years old. My family was part of the "white flight" in the late 80s--we moved to Long island. Went to college in Maine and upstate NY, then moved back to Queens after college and lived there for a few years. Didn't want to live there permanently and don't want to raise our future kids there, so we just bought in Nassau county. I'm close to Queens, so it's a short drive to go to my old neighborhoods to visit family and go get my greek and polish groceries

[Doobage]

I've been around the general Mid-Atlantic area with a stopover in Indianapolis. I can't exactly tell people where I'm "from".
Born in Pittsburgh, PA. Spent early childhood in Indianapolis. Spent later childhood and preteens in Syracuse, NY. Spent teenage years in Princeton, NJ. Lived in Philadelphia throughout college. Moved to NYC, hopefully to stay for a long, long time.

[TheTruth08]

Like Rachel I was born in Queens and moved to Long Island when I was 3. But still on the Queens border so I was in Queens a lot growing up. Moved back to Queens in the middle of my High School Senior year. Now I go to college upstate in Albany while spending breaks back in Queens.

After college I have no idea where I will end up. Hoping for somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic or maybe even Cali/Tex. Can't even lie, I envy some people who grow up in those cookie cutter developments that you can buy a big house for 250k. City-data made me realize so many problems that I never saw before with my own eyes.

[Rachael84]

Originally Posted by TheTruth08

Can't even lie, I envy some people who grow up in those cookie cutter developments that you can buy a big house for 250k. City-data made me realize so many problems that I never saw before with my own eyes.

You have probably seen a lot of those types of people here on the city CD forum who moved to places like Texas and Georgia and wanted a big, cheaply built house for little money. Like many say, you get what you pay for. You couldn't trade me a mansion in a small town with little to offer compared to the average size house I have on LI just 15 miles outside of Queens.

[Doobage]

Originally Posted by TheTruth08

Can't even lie, I envy some people who grow up in those cookie cutter developments that you can buy a big house for 250k. City-data made me realize so many problems that I never saw before with my own eyes.

I grew up in a cookie-cutter development in NJ (though it was a little more costly....600k) and I'd rather have grown up in the city. Or at least in a unique, REAL house, not a McMansion (they are SO not all they're cracked up to be ). It seems like people who haven't lived outside of those environments can be very sheltered. Not all, but most.

[LadyR1990]

Originally Posted by Doobage

I grew up in a cookie-cutter development in NJ (though it was a little more costly....600k) and I'd rather have grown up in the city. Or at least in a unique, REAL house, not a McMansion (they are SO not all they're cracked up to be ). It seems like people who haven't lived outside of those environments can be very sheltered. Not all, but most.

I grew up in a big house in cleveland. Cleveland has a lot of 70's neighborhoods still around. We had 1 friend who lived in a "development" and we always made fun of her. "How do you even know what house is yours?" "your house isn't special its just like ALL the other houses"

[StinaTado]

I grew up outside of Los Angeles, went to college outside of Los Angeles, and then moved to England for a couple of years. I eventually moved to NYC because of my career (theater) and my BF (who grew up in LI and Rockland suburbs and now lives in the city with me). He went away to college (with me in LA) and couldn't imagine moving anywhere but NYC when he returned because it's home to him. I recently broke down and got my NYC driver's license after a year and a half because that's when it finally felt like home. . . and with grad school, I know I'll be here at least 3 more years. It was definitely weird to cut my ties with CA, but that's a sinking ship and I'd rather be here.