Anyone here relocate out of the area only to return?? (Philadelphia: homes, unemployment)

[daboywonder2002]

i moved to minnesota back in dec 2010. but i really miss home and want to return. but im not sure if philadelphia is the best place to raise my daughter. who here has returned to philadelphia and what made you come back??

[FindingZen]

I left the Philadelphia area in '05 though I visit often. While I've come to appreciate some of the positive differences between Philly and the DC metro, slightly milder winters (in between the odd Snowmageddon ) and my wife's well-established career discourage me from moving back.

If you're talking raising your daughter in the city proper, you've probably already read a lot on this forum about the challenges of the Philadelphia School District and how minimizing said issues often requires living in some of the more expensive areas of the city as well as being proactive as one's child approaches high school age.

As far as the 'burbs go, the vast majority of them are good to great. It just depends on the usual variables of amenities vs. convenience.

[frankgn87]

Like tone says. This is a wonderful area to raise a family. We have the mountains and the beach with a few hours drive of each other. Lots of places to see and go. Lots of good universities too.

[bryson662001]

I was born in Philly but left in 1967, age 16 with my family. Dad took a job in NY. I lived in Long Island and NYC until 1989 when I came back to Philly for a job. I retired in 2007 and will stay here now.

[Avalon08]

I moved to my dream destination, Southern California, but moved back two years later. It's not that I didn't like CA -- it was like two years of being on vacation -- I just missed Philly. However, you have only been in Minn. for two years. I don't know what your original reasons were for moving there, but two years is not enough time to adjust and assimilate. I sure don't feel like I gave CA enough of a chance. I missed home and I therefore had a negative attitude about CA, rather than being open and trying to embrace the cultural differences. Philly is a very special and unique place with a passionate hometown spirit. It's a place that many people miss when they move away. But please don't make a major decision like this just because you're homesick after only two years. Give it some more time....and be open to the "good things" about your new location in the meantime.

[rotodome]

When I moved to NYC for work reasons I always meant to come back in a couple of years. That was 7.5 years ago, and I'm still planning to come back...but it gets more and more complicated with career stuff, and family stuff.

I think that liking a place, or missing home are NOT the best reasons to move to or from a new city. You can grow to love most anyplace if you give it a chance. IMO you have to also ask what it is that that place objectively has to offer you (and by this I do not mean things like "restaurant options" or "shopping"), and how it fits in to your long term goals.

[bryson662001]

Originally Posted by rotodome

When I moved to NYC for work reasons I always meant to come back in a couple of years. That was 7.5 years ago, and I'm still planning to come back...but it gets more and more complicated with career stuff, and family stuff.
.

There is a joke i used to tell people when I lived in NY, particularly a couple of years in Queens. I told them I was born in America before I moved to NY and would probably return to my native country some day. Of course 1st I had to find someone who spoke english.

[daboywonder2002]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

I moved to my dream destination, Southern California, but moved back two years later. It's not that I didn't like CA -- it was like two years of being on vacation -- I just missed Philly. However, you have only been in Minn. for two years. I don't know what your original reasons were for moving there, but two years is not enough time to adjust and assimilate. I sure don't feel like I gave CA enough of a chance. I missed home and I therefore had a negative attitude about CA, rather than being open and trying to embrace the cultural differences. Philly is a very special and unique place with a passionate hometown spirit. It's a place that many people miss when they move away. But please don't make a major decision like this just because you're homesick after only two years. Give it some more time....and be open to the "good things" about your new location in the meantime.

i love minnesota. it has a lot of things to offer(great education, its safe, an affordable cost of living). but i miss the philly area. i dont care if i have to live in delaware county, delaware, or even south jersey. i cant take only being able to visit twice a year. its not driving distance at all. i have a one year old daughter who i prefer is around all of her family. not just mom, dad, brothers, sisters. oh and i moved because my job was laying everyone off. the company moved from bala cynwyd to minnesota. so either you could relocate or get a severance package/unemployment. i chose to relocate. and im glad i did

[drive carephilly]

I lived in NC for 3 years. Could not wait to get back up this way. I moved to SC for a work/school opportunity a few years later and couldn't wait to get back up this way.

They had their advantages but to me they were just boring, sterile, uninspiring.