Has anyone moved away, then regretted it and moved back? (Arlington: home, neighborhoods)

[queenswake]

Include me on the list of people who is eager to get the heck out of here and return to my home state. But I do realize that the grass is always greener and I know I will miss some aspects of DC.

So how many people regret moving away and either moved back to DC or are wanting to?

[kutra11]

I think it all depends on the reason why you wish to leave DC. For example, if you are leaving DC primarily to be closer to your parents/siblings, then it wouldn't make sense to move back because that would mean choosing DC over your parents/siblings.

[SteelCityRising]

I'm gone, and I haven't been happier!

[Teebyrd86]

There are definatly things I would miss.. but I have learned that having family close by means a lot. I miss my family alot and will probably move back home in the next 3-5 years.

[mlv311]

We moved away for 4 years and came back. We moved for what a seemed like a great job opportunity to a state where we have family. It was great to have family there, but the job was not what we anticipated at all. As soon as another opportunity opened up in DC, we came back.

[Alicia Bradley]

No - I haven't left, and if I did, I certainly wouldn't regret it.

[Caladium]

Moving away from DC might be different from moving away from Northern Virginia.

FWIW, I was raised in Arlington and couldn't wait to get away when I was in my young 20s. For years I had a great time in Manhattan Beach, CA and if you had asked me the first 4-5 years that I lived by the beach if I missed Nova, I would laughed. For a while there I was really into the whole California scene. The funny thing is, by my 30s my interests started to change and over time I developed a new appreciation for Virginia.

When we moved back, we were ready for suburban living in western Fairfax. Eventually we moved to Loudoun and liked that even more. We've been back in Virginia for a little more than a decade now and are happy we returned.

I think it's a good thing to move and try out life in different cities. Different places have different appeals as you grow and change--enjoy as many as you can.

[cdmurphy]

I went to college in DC, left to go to graduate school in Texas, and after two years I was more than ready to come back to the area (though I ended up in NoVA because my job was in Fairfax). I didn't hate DC proper, but I'm a weirdo who wants representation in Congress and services for my tax dollars.

[marie5v]

I left a couple of times, but always came back for the job opportunities. After a long while, I realized that I probably wouldn't like living back home so much - I've gotten too used to things here, like the conveniences, the culture, the general education level. I'm not sure small-town life would be that appealing anymore. In any case, most of my family has now moved down here to be near me, so there really isn't a "back home" anymore anyway.

[robbobobbo]

I lived in upper Northwest DC and moved back into Northern Virginia mostly for raising a family (private school out of my budget).

Every time I go back to my old neighborhoods off of Connecticut Ave, I regret moving away.

I know, not exactly what you were shooting for with this thread.