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Original poster

Do you still live in the area where you grew up?

160 replies

layingunderthestars · 18/10/2021 19:31

Do you still live in the area you grew up in, if you don't how often do you travel back home to visit family? For me personally I live about an hour away from where I grew up so it's not that far to travel to see family.

OP posts:
Katkincake · 18/10/2021 21:19

Moved back to my hometown last year to be near my parents and get a better quality of life, it’s also very beautiful. Lived 130miles away between two large cities for previous 18yrs, though parents were living abroad for a chunk of that time. Love being where we are, but it’s v small and lots of people know each other, which makes DH chuckle. I have moments when I think “what have I done”? as we miss friends and the buzz of a city, but only momentarily. We may move back again once we retire, but for now we’re happy.

Snoods · 18/10/2021 21:19

Live only a few streets away from where I grew up. My close school friends also live only 10 mins drive away max and we meet up regularly. Love being close to family and friends.

Bloodybridget · 18/10/2021 21:20

I live 8.4 miles from where I grew up, according to Google maps. But my parents are both long dead and my DB moved away from there about 45 years ago. This is London - difficult for me to conceive of going back "home" and finding friends and family still there.

Thehogfatherstolemycurry · 18/10/2021 21:20

I live about an hour away but I never go back. My kids have never seen the houses I lived in as a child. No family now.
Dh on the other hand lives 2 streets away from his childhood home. He never left the area, I find it so odd he has the same friends from childhood. Nice though.

Pinkbottles · 18/10/2021 21:22

Nope, I’ve lived all over but currently about 5 hours away.

MyCatEatsPrawnCrackers · 18/10/2021 21:23

I live a 15 minute walk from the house I was born in.

WakeMeUpin22 · 18/10/2021 21:23

I live 50miles from my childhood home. Havent been back in years and I'm happy with that. I love where I live now.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 18/10/2021 21:23

I live in the house over the road from the one I grew up in. My parents still live there. Wouldn't have it any other way!

Allthesefolks · 18/10/2021 21:25

God no it’s a shit hole, I practically skipped away to university! I’ve moved about a bit but am now 2.5 hrs away. Now I have kids I do feel sad that I’m not nearer to my family but I could never live there again.

muddyford · 18/10/2021 21:27

I'm five hours away but plotting to move closer. We moved here for DH's job and now he doesn't want to live anywhere else.

RobertaFirmino · 18/10/2021 21:27

I'm from a big city, moved 150 miles away for university at 19 and still live there today. Me and DH would have moved back there a long time ago if it wasn't for the in-laws, who require a great deal of care and attention. We'll be moving to my home city when the time comes, IYKWIM.

generalh · 18/10/2021 21:29

Yes. 10 mins drive.

GoddamnCars · 18/10/2021 21:30

Moved away.
Moved somewhere else roughly same distance as the previous place.
Came back for support and ended up with my teenage boyfriend. It worked out great for me, and I was able to look after my grandparents, which I'm happy about.
Always expected to end up further away tbh but it's going well and I hope to travel a bit more in the future.

CausingChaos2 · 18/10/2021 21:31

Now live 3.5 hours from where I was born and grew up. It was a nice place to live but glad to have moved for a different lifestyle. Very rare to go back to my hometown now.

Have to suppress my itchy feet as even though I love living here, there’s a whole world out there to explore.

Seafog · 18/10/2021 21:32

No, I'm about 4000km from where I grew up.
I get to go home every other year for a few weeks.
I miss everyone so much, but the jobs were scare and the housing expensive, so off we went.
We have now lives on both coasts of Canada; I love island life and I'd miss the sea if we went back for good.

didireallysaythat · 18/10/2021 21:39

No. Family moved every 5-6 years. So they don't live where I grew up either

madaboutrunning · 18/10/2021 21:41

No. I left when I was 18 and have lived at least 200 miles away ever since. I do go back a few times a year to see family but have no friends there - they all left at 18 too and went even further away than me, mostly abroad. I'll never move back - next time we move it will be even further away.

qualitygirl · 18/10/2021 21:43

Yes I do now but I did live abroad for 9 years before moving back.

PufferFishGoneWrong · 18/10/2021 21:43

Nope, live on the polar opposite. It was never planned, but that's what happened and it been almost 20 years.
Would like to visit more often, but is very expensive even before Rona.

DeborahAnnabel · 18/10/2021 21:45

I live in a different country. I go back a few times a year. I like where I grew up but I wouldn’t want to live there, although sometimes I wonder.

AlexaShutUp · 18/10/2021 21:47

Haven't lived where I grew up since I was 18, though I did go back quite a lot as a student. Then lived abroad for a few years, so went back every 18 months or so.

No longer have any family living there so don't go back at all. DSis lives miles away in the other direction and my parents moved down the road to where we are!

hopjumpskipplop · 18/10/2021 21:47

I don't, but I do think once you have kids it is nice to be able to nip around for a cup of tea. Or for family or friends to pop over. I live 58 miles away, about 1 hour 15 in good traffic conditions, depends on the whims of the M25.

Yes there is a world out there, but the world in my shire has the same things as were I grew up. We do the same things, it's cheaper to live here, maybe more green space, but it's also a new town, so built up.

AnitaMani · 18/10/2021 21:48

I live 45 minutes away by car.

Previous to where I am now, twenty minutes.

I want to continue moving further away, just because I can!

Hottubtimemachine · 18/10/2021 21:50

Yes same village I grew up in. Most of my school friends are high achieving professionals and most have moved back with partners in tow. It’s a beautiful placed ranked as one of the best places to bring up kids so that might explain it. Quite unusual I think for professionals to move back, what more unusual is lots of the boys I went to school with have brought their female partners they met at uni/work back here to live.
I love going down the pub and seeing people I went to school with 30 odd years ago, and now our kids are all at school together too.

Redskyatmorn · 18/10/2021 21:54

No, I live 1,126 miles away and last went back 4 years ago. I miss it, but it feels like another lifetime ago. I’ve lived in different countries and been away for nearly 20 years ago. I couldn’t have stayed in the same place all my life, leaving at age 23 was already 4/5 years too long. I was ready at 18 and wish I’d travelled even more.
Going back is lovely and gives me a real sense of comfort, but I don’t know how people can stay in the same place, visit the same haunts, with the same people..all their life. It’s like nothing has changed when I go back, which I love, but it’s quite bizarre. I often wonder about going back and settling maybe for good in a few years, but I’m not too sure how I’d adapt