Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I absolutely love this place--but I'm coming from a rural little town in Ct. that felt like somewhere you go to be old and die. In a condensed version, what I will say is that loving where you are geographically is really dependant upon where you're at emotionally and what your needs are. Am I stating the obvious that your body is trying to tell you it's time to leave???
My spouse is also with the gov't and we've lived ALL OVER. One priority we've always honored is to make sure that my spouse is always within a half hour's commute. That's so he can have time with the family. Life is just better when most of the time isn't on the road. We've been to Tx quite a bit (visiting) and I gotta tell you, you couldn't pay me enough to live in Texas. Not enough money--no way. I love it here!!!! It's all relative.
We've been to Tx quite a bit (visiting) and I gotta tell you, you couldn't pay me enough to live in Texas.
Me too. We lived in Corpus Christi for an entire year & I wanted to hang myself from the top of their tallest Whataburger fast food chain. Went to San Antonio & Houston a lot too while we were there & they were nothing to write home about.
BUT, Austin is one of the coolest towns I've been in. Only problem, its in Texas!
I'm originally from Texas, yet I moved to the D.C. metro area six years ago to stake my career with the Federal government.
Now, I absolutely love my job. But when I first arrived in this area, I noticed that I immediately felt ill at-ease. The people seemed cold and harsh, incredibly rude and selfish, everything was expensive and crowded, and traffic was relentless.
I naively presumed that I merely had to give the area enough time, to "make the best of it", and I'd find myself comfortable enough to consider this place home.
It's been six years, seven in July...and that hasn't happened at all. In fact, I've only found myself hating this place more and more. I love, love the work I get to do for a living, but there's the unfortunate consequence that by its nature, one can only pursue it living in this god-forsaken place.
For a minute, I thought the President of the United States had joined our little forum!!!
(This is going to be a mere rant, an effort to conduct some badly-needed venting. Feel free to disregard.)
I'm originally from Texas, yet I moved to the D.C. metro area six years ago to stake my career with the Federal government.
Now, I absolutely love my job. But when I first arrived in this area, I noticed that I immediately felt ill at-ease. The people seemed cold and harsh, incredibly rude and selfish, everything was expensive and crowded, and traffic was relentless.
I naively presumed that I merely had to give the area enough time, to "make the best of it", and I'd find myself comfortable enough to consider this place home.
It's been six years, seven in July...and that hasn't happened at all. In fact, I've only found myself hating this place more and more. I love, love the work I get to do for a living, but there's the unfortunate consequence that by its nature, one can only pursue it living in this god-forsaken place.
I'm sick of spending a minimum of two hours on the road everyday, primed like a feral cat to be wary of reckless, irresponsible drivers. I'm sick of having entire weekend plans torpedoed by accidents shutting down highway arteries at random intervals.
I'm sick of spending even more time trying to scratch out a parking space wherever I go that doesn't charge gouging prices and that isn't a marathon's-length away from my ultimate destination.
I'm sick of the rude, childish, horribly self-absorbed people that seem to make up the overwhelming majority of those who live here.
I'm sick of the snobbery and cliquishness and the subdued racism that seems to pervade every "decent" neighborhood, and the overwhelming crime and apathy that overwhelm the rest. It amazed me, a Southerner, just how racist some parts of this area can be.
I'm sick of having to commute long distances because I can't afford the astronomical prices of living closer to where I actually work (and go to school).
I'm sick of renting, I'm sick of rents going up every single year. Additionally, I'm sick of paying such exorbitant amounts of my income to rent what amounts to a tiny hovel when similar expenditures would've landed me a *mansion* back home.
Worst of all, I loathe the fact that after nearly a decade in my profession, that I'M NOWHERE NEAR BEING AT A POINT WHERE I MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO AFFORD A HOUSE! I've lived here long enough to know that there's no way in hell I can actually afford a *house*, much less a condo that isn't roach-infested, for myself and my family for the modest $350,000 we could afford.
So, my dilemma is the fact that although I love my job and can hardly imagine myself doing anything else...that I just *despise* living here so effing much, it causes me such endless stress and anger that it's even beginning to affect my overall health.
I don't know what to do; on the one hand, I can't see myself going back to Texas to the civilian sector making the faceless rich even richer (I admit that sounds a little anti-free enterprise of me, but it's not at all what I mean), stuck in nowhere towns where no one can point to places like Iraq on a map (nor care to). On the other hand, well, I've made it pretty clear what it is about this place I don't like.
Where the hell is it possible to live like a human being *and* have a family here when you're not making over $150,000/yr? Every time I thought I'd found an answer, I turned out to be horribly wrong.
Take heart, my friend. You are not alone.
I moved out here from rural southwestern Michigan, after I got downsized out of my job back home. I had a choice of two jobs -- one in metro Detroit, where my wife was from, and one in DC. I thought the DC job sounded more exciting. I loved the idea of being right in the heart of the nation's capital, and I moved us halfway across the country.
Now, my wife was used to the commute in Detroit, and I'd been stuck in Chicago rush more than once, but nothing could prepare us for the aggressive lunatics out here who will cut lay on their horn, cut you off, run red lights, and speed like maniacs without a second thought. And then there were the people. The first day I rode the Metro, I couldn't believe how deathly quiet everybody was. No friendly conversation, no eye contact, just a bunch of emotionless automatons whose only thought was to push you out of the way so they could grab their own sardine-tight standing-room-only spot on the train.
I have never seen such a huge concentration of self-absorbed, rude, Type A ladder climbers as in this area. I've apologized to my wife profusely for ever moving us out here, and I told her that she can pick our next spot. So once we get our debts a little more in hand -- no easy task out here; even though we make double what we made back home, we're even further in debt now than when we first came here, and we'll NEVER be able to afford a home -- we're heading out, probably for the Pacific Northwest.
Living here has affected my health and demeanor, too. I just can't deal with this constant crush of rude, self-absorbed people. (Yes, I know, you find people like that everywhere, but unless you've lived in the DC area, you can't appreciate just how prevalent it is here.)
Fortunately, I've found a job that I enjoy (not the one I moved out here for; that first one turned out to miserable), and I think I'll be able to hang on to this one as a contractor after we move. And we are counting down the months.
But if you can't take your job with you, when it comes down to it, the job isn't worth the aggravation. Hang in there, and good luck with whatever you choose to do.
I grew up in Kensington and moved to California at age 30 in the mid-80s. I go back to the DC area only when there is a family emergency or funeral. Fortunately, what little family I have left comes out this way on vacation often, so I'm able to maintain ties that way.
I was extremely depressed the entire time I lived back in the DC area, and only after I moved did I realize it was because of the people and place. The racism that another poster mentioned really bothered me, too. I had a friend in Maryland who married a black man and they and their kids were constantly being hassled. Where I live now there have been so many mixed marriages for so long that half the kids at the University where I work are honey-colored mutts (I am using that term in an endearing, positive way) and no one gives a hoot whether they're bi-, tri-, or whatever-racial. Obviously, it's not perfect out here, either, and we have growth, immigration, and cost of living issues, too. But the people (at least in northern CA where I live) are so much more down to earth and friendly, that it's just a more pleasant place to be.
If you love your job but hate the place, seriously consider moving. I had a wonderful job at the Smithsonian, and I've never been able to quite duplicate my position and salary, but I've come close enough, and have been MUCH happier the last 22 years since I left DC.
I have only been in DC for a couple months, but I see what you mean by the snobby culture. I personally believe it stems from the hoards of young grads from prestigious schools and wealthy families that are here to pursue careers in any one of the more glamourous gov agencies (State dept, Justice, CIA, FBI, etc. among most sought after careers anywhere). Lots of these students and grads have financial backing from home (which partially explains the high rents). The culture here reminds me of college: the obsessive sports culture, the elitist mentality (my dept is more important than yours), and the self importance everyone seems to carry around being an "information worker". People make a big deal about their "academic credentials," which i wasn't used to back in the business driven economy of Minneapolis, where most people just get their degree, forget about it, and get REAL EXPERIENCE. No, people here try to trump themselves up with their PHDs and Masters. Most will tell you you have to go to this or that school and have a 4.0 blah, blah, blah to get a job. It's all a facade to justify the years they wasted getting a piece of paper that says they're smart. Luckily there are some real people in DC, I find most the snobs stay away from the nightlife. Also, as a regular, down to earth guy with a little style (which most the above mentioned tools in this town have none of), it's fairly easy to meet decent women. As far as the traffic, I blame the geography and the street layout, plus the staunch 9-5 work of government. Although, one of the less mentioned gems of DC are the parkways (g washington, clara barton, and rock creek), which are very scenic and fun to drive (during off peak hours).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yeah-right
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
