Do you ever hsve the urge to live in your home town?

Yes because it is West London and now not dull but gentrified and would be much easier for work. I have thought about it but my DH didn't grow up there so not keen he prefers North London where he grew up as a child but it is completely disneyfied now and more a tourist attraction than a place to live!

I did move back (not UK) in 2019, having left in 1993 to study abroad, and lived in lots of different places, including London for ten years. It was a work opportunity that brought us back, plus a desire to see more of our parents (DH is from the same place) and have our child grow up in our culture, but it’s been a good decision, even moving just before Covid. I wouldn’t say it’s straightforward encountering the ghosts of your child self at every corner, but it’s been interesting. Very few friends left here, though — we all emigrated. I had to make new ones.

I would hate to live in my home town again. I had a good upbringing there, but I don’t even like driving through there now.

No. I used to feel it closing in on me when I went back to visit family. Much as it was sad to lose my parents, the one good thing was that I never had to go back there again.

I've ended up nearby but not in the same town. I started coming back to the area regularly when my parents were getting old and ill, and that reminded me how much I love the area. However, the town itself has poor transport links, a vibe that is not my vibe, and a lot of social issues, so I wouldn't be comfortable there. I'm now in a town that I really love, and I can visit places that mean a lot to me really easily.

I think the difference kicked in when the mines closed.

Nah. My hometown was like Trumpton back in the day - community feel, historic market town, a bit rough around the edges but cheerily so. Now it's like a suburb of Hell - people stabbing each other in taxi queues, all vape shops and bargain booze... 🙁

I do see that my home town has a lot going for it and if I hadn't grown up there I probably would have moved there by now! But too many memories, and not all of them good.......

Yes, I do, occasionally. It's just an ordinary town in Scotland but it's friendly and has all the amenities I'll ever need and it's within easy reach of good transport links, and my parents would love to have me living on their doorstep. But DH would hate it and we're quite settled where we live now.

Have you read coming up for air by George Orwell? The main character goes back to his home town. Worth a read.

No, because I didn't have one - born in the suburbs of Melbourne and lived in half a dozen over fifty years. I don't think of childhood suburbs (most of which I don't remember) as a home town - Melbourne is too big and sprawling to have that feel, imo. We moved so often I always felt rootless. Still am, but I like the smaller city I live in now and wouldn't go back.

I’m still in my home town, as are most of my family, it’s great.

I'm 30 miles away from my hometown. In nostalgic moments, I would like to move back, but it's just that nostalgia. It's never going to be 1976 and I'm never going to be 10 again.
The town has changed, the town centre is dead, vape shops and nail bars.
New housing estates on the fields I played on.
Although there are a couple of family members still in the town, it's not enough to pull me back when my sensible head is on.
Although, realistically, there's not much to hold me in my present place either. My DC have on from here too. I like where I live though.

I love my home town - would live there if I could ! Go back when I can . My family still live in the area - I feel very much like I could just slot back in .

Yes, my home town is Islington in London, which is quite an aspirational place for young graduates to live in. I ended up living in Hackney (the borough next door), which gentrified and became even trendier than Islington. I lived near the Islington border and spent a lot of time going to restaurants, kids activities etc there, and DD1 went to nursery there.

Well, I'm the reverse and definitely wouldn't go back to Birmingham from Solihull! I love how much safer it feels and closer to the countryside for cycling. If I feel nostalgic for home, I just watch Man Like Mobeen!

Fuck no. Mine's Solihull. An odd place full of people obsessed with being Not Birmingham. Last time I was out there in an ordinary pub I order two pints for me and my friend. Barman told me he assumed I meant bottles rather than pints. The absolute cheek of it. I was the only woman in the place not in black trousers, a shiny top and 2 foot high heels.

I would happily live in Birmingham though. And visit Solihull and refer to it as Birmingham just to annoy people.

No - it’s one of those “naice suburbs” that often gets mentioned as a good place to move to, great schools etc but now I just find it really boring and the traffic is awful.

No I’m from a small town in Scotland that was recently voted cheapest place to buy a house in Scotland. There’s a reason for that. It’s a very deprived area, poverty, drug use and unemployment are very high. It’s so sad to see how much the town has declined. It could be a lovely wee town.

Never in my wildest nightmares did I think I'd end up back in my 'home' town but the arse fell out of my life and here I am. I hate it. I feel like I'm haunting my own life. It's like some creepy, claustrophobic parallel universe. I want to go home and this place never felt like home. If I allowed myself to accept the reality of the situation I'd never stop crying!

I left for university at 18yo and never moved back. I would not have had the career I am now in, met my husband or had my children had I gone back. I've lived in several places and enjoyed them all So no regrets here, my life has been fuller for leaving my home town.

I'm spending lots of time back in my home town at the moment, caring for my elderly mum who still lives here. It's a beautiful part of the UK and there is something special about knowing a place well and feeling part of it. Spending time with old school friends where you both know each other inside and out. Knowing the town and your way round. Memories triggered of childhoods climbing trees, biking, walking to school, first kisses etc. I'm aware when my mum is no longer with us, it will break my link to this area.

This town will be part of my past but not so much my present,or future, like it is now. I've thought about that when considering my mum is in her last years and it brings another dimension of sadness to losing her.

Sort of. My mother died last year and we have had to clear out and sell the family home. It was really nostalgic and a bit of me wanted to buy out my brother and keep the house to visit! I had a great childhood there in many ways. But the reality is I'd hate living there full time as there just aren't the same opportunities there as in the places I've lived since, nor the good weather! The friends from school who I've kept in touch with and haven't left have lives that I don't aspire to at all. So I think it's mainly nostalgia. If I moved back it wouldn't be like it was when I was 16, and I probably mainly just want to be 16 again.

I will never return to my home island to live. It's a beautiful place and my family have lived in there for centuries (and in the same house for nearly 200 years) and still do, we go back regularly to see my family. But there's no work for me there and I've actually lived in the town I live in now for longer than I lived at home and can't see us moving now (we're in our 50s) so this is home now.

Conversely my sister lived in her University town for about 20 years then returned home, she's very glad she made the move back. But our mother, brother and his family, aunt and uncle, cousins, second cousins, third cousins etc etc all live there andwe've lived in the same place for generations so there is a deep connection to the place. We've broken that with our DC and they won't have the same connection to where we live now. DH and his siblings have no real connection to where they grew up, I can't see them visiting regularly after MIL dies, they have no family there but her.

I never left my hometown! Not intentionally but that's how it just turned out... Met DH who's from the same town and we just stayed!

DS left to go to Uni, he's 25 and I don't think he'll ever come back. DD is 22 and still at home, she's quite a homebody but works in a city about 40 miles away so not sure where she'll go!

Yes! I was born, and raised in "the north" - various places from the midlands upwards.

Hardly any relatives left up there anymore, but I still feel like I'm home when we visit.

I can't see us ever moving back, our boys will definitely stay in the south and having spent my childhood separated from my extended family and wouldn't like that now