If you’ve never left where you grew up

[Lasagnafortea]

Why not?

Sort of inspired by another thread.

Did you want to leave but couldn’t, never had the yearning to see more? did you want to stay, are you happy?

Just curious really!

I’m fiercely proud of where I’m from.

Why would I want to leave my tribe?

I haven't because I chose not to. It's a really lovely town. We are within walking distance to a variety of shops (some just a minute walk away - really useful when out of milk!), restaurants/takeaways, play parks, countryside walks nearby, schools for when my son is older (including the ones I went to!), the beautiful river Ouse where we can feed the ducks and swans. Also a few local animal/farm attractions.
To top it all off I have my sister and my mother living within walking distance. No reason to ever move.

If you live in a decent, pleasant place, have family nearby, and aren't motivated to pursue a career that requires relocation, why would you want to move? I know it takes all kinds, but personally, I've never understood the attitude some have that you've failed in some way if you don't leave the place you were born. "Getting out" makes sense when there's something to escape from, but I grew up in a place with opportunities and never felt I was limited by staying here. My husband didn't come from this area. I would have moved for him, but he was happy to settle here, and it was good when we started out to have the benefit of support from my family and our generational familiarity with the area.

I've moved around all my life. I just couldnt have found work or escaped bad relationships otherwise.

I’m still homesick for the town I grew up in, but it’s changed and the people I grew up with have now gone, so I know it wouldn’t be the same. But I still yearn for what I had.

Im homesick for where I went to university but no jobs!

What a strange question.
I don't live in my home town - I went to Uni 3 hours away, then settled in my Uni city where I met DH, then we relocated to live in a national park.
But surely living where you're from, surrounded by a strong relationship network of extended family and friends, is the most natural thing in the world!?

I've travelled to lots of places. Lived in the same county though.

I think partly because of an obligation as an only child.

I once expressed a passing interest in moving overseas and a friend of my mother told me how devastated she would be.

Mainly though because I've built a happy life here. Husband isn't from here though

I’ve never lives outside of London - I just love it. My parents and siblings and school friends (mostly) still live here, and I get so many different lovely memories visiting different areas.

I live in a medium / large city, family nearby, some longstanding friends nearby, loads of sporting / artistic facilities, good career opportunities. I can't see any reason to leave. Everything I want is here

Simply put, I’ve never had to! I lived on the edge of a National Park but commutable to London (went for uni, maybe missed some experience but saved a fortune on living in London).

Nearly considered moving to another city when my best friend moved there for work and I didn’t have great work prospects here- was going to flat share with her and get a job and work my way up.

But ended up getting a great job with the biggest local employer, with endless future prospects. Met husband there, we both still work there.

combined salaries meant we can afford a place together on edge of said national park in desirable market town, within a 20 min commute of our current office and commutable to our HQ in London if required. It’s 20 mins away from my parents, slightly closer to our current office and a bit further from London. Also head to London on weekends to meet friends/theatre etc.

Husband is not local, he’s from oop North and moved here for work. It’s such a sweet spot we will continue to live here as long as this suits our careers. 8 years in and counting it’s going pretty well. If we did have to move for work, it would probably by New York or closer to London.

I have always lived in my town. I was going to go away to Newcastle for uni but then found out I was pregnant (wasn’t in a relationship - just casual). 16 years later, I’m now married to him and we have 3 children altogether 😊 I got my degree closer to home and have a job I love (not in my town!)

Moved aged 12 to a completely different part of the UK due to DF getting a new job.

Moved again aged 46 to a completely different part of the UK just for the hell of it (DC left home, I paid off mortgage and off I went!).

Where I live is like this. My NDN live round the corner from his parents and grandparents in the houses that they've lived in since married. His great grand parents used to live in a house on our street. It all feels very claustrophobic to me.

We moved a lot when I was a child and settled when I was about 10YO. My parents still live in that house. But my siblings and I have all moved to different cities. I am the closest and still technically live in the same area. But I've moved about 10 miles out of town.

I left but returned as I missed it so much (it’s a lovely, holiday destination in Scotland) I wasn’t a fan of the city and preferred the quieter lifestyle to settle and have a family

When you say, "never left" does that mean never been on holiday, never lived elsewhere?

I live in the village I went to school in. I didn't grow up in this village, but did grow up a bit down the road (obviously, had to be within school commuting distance). We live here now because it has good schools, we could afford it, we were close to family (who have since moved away). It's home.

DH and I have lived in two other places since we got together, first his home town, which was an absolute dive and we were both desperate to leave; then a different country altogether for a few years for work. When we moved back from that country, we settled where we are now as it was nicer than where we were before. Haven't moved since as work, DCs schools etc are here and we just don't feel the need. I feel quite strongly about staying here throughout all DCs school career, as moving around/further away in my childhood caused me some issues with settling.

I've lived in roughly the same area all my life. It's a safe, low-crime area with a great community and somewhere I had great memories of growing up in and wanted the same for my kids.
The schools are all excellent, I'm close (in distance) to all my family who I'm very close to so can see my mum, dad and sister whenever I want, and they can see their grandchildren.
Transport links are good, we're close to major motorways and airports so easy to get anywhere and we travel and go abroad for holidays.
Job prospects are good too, we're in commuting distance to a couple of major cities so no issues there. There just was no reason to leave - I'd miss my family too much, I've always had a good job here and I can travel whenever I want so why move away? I love it here, we have lots of green spaces yet near enough to shops, restaurants, pubs etc.
I hate it when people look down on me like this as if to pity my limited life! I've worked in several cities with people from all kinds of backgrounds, nationalities, races and religions. I've been all over the world, lived in several different houses - I just like the area I'm in and I love being close to my family. Do you really think that's bad?

I live a mile from my parents. My brother and sister live within the same radius. I went to university in a couple two hours away and lived in my husband's home town for a year when we first got together, but moved back to my home town when I was pregnant with my first son.
I've always travelled loads, for pleasure and through work, but I love living near my family and my best friends are still those I made at school. I've never felt alone or isolated throughout the past 14 years of child rearing and my sons now have a network of family nearby too...now they're older they often walk down to see their cousins and pop in to say hi to their Nan and grandad (and snaffle food!). When I fell I'll recently my husband was awash with offers of help, food, babysitters...you can't put a price on that
Luckily the town where I live is very close to Birmingham so my husband and I have both built good careers...supported by local family childcare.
In my mind, unless you live somewhere really grim, staying close to your family and having that support is a godsend. The tables are turning now and my parents are the ones starting to need support, but it's lovely to know they will never be lonely either, especially when the day comes one of them is widowed. Of course I've been to lots nicer places and I always look into estate agents windows when I'm on holiday, but we've built a good life where we are.

I live in a different town but same city as where I grew up. Same for my mum. My dad lives abroad and has done for around 15yrs.

I was aiming for uni but my brother died just before I was due to sit my GCSEs and so I not only, never sat them, I decided I couldn’t even move away to uni if I did. I stayed to ‘look after’ my parents which, along with other stuff that happened, have caused MH issues all of my adult life.

I met DH in a club very close to where we now live. DH mum did move away when him and his brother were adults, but has now moved back ‘home’ after living somewhere else for the past 25yrs.

I don't even live in the same country that I was born and brought up in.

I moved away for quite a few years and then came back. I've done all the travel / moving around that I want to do. Happy to be back in my home town now with friends and family.

I'm a rootless person (RAF kid) and do feel a certain envy of the people who have deep roots in the town I call home. I think I would have left if I had grown up here though

It has a fair amount of people who returned to raise their family but is 30 minutes by train from a big city with a huge university so has "incomers" from all over the world do certainly doesn't feel parochial .

I live about 1/2 mile from where I grew up, children at same schools I went to etc.
I did go away for a couple of decades though and came back when I had children. It seems to be the norm here. Lots of extended family at school pick up (not a poor area so I don’t think people are trapped).
There are pros and cons but my dc have benefitted massively from having grandparents and cousins on their doorstep.

A friend of mine still lives in the same street as her mum and dad...she's 56! Got married at 22, bought the house 4 doors down from her parents, and is still there all these years later. They seem very happy, but I just can't comprehend that level of 'family tightness' to be honest. Her sister bought a house in the street parallel too. I'm sure it's all very lovely, but it would stifle me 🤷‍♀️

I live about 10 mins walk from where I grew up in London & dc go to local schools, as I did. However lots of people have moved away.

Did leave for uni

I wanted to but a succession of family issues (family of origin) and then series of eldercare responsibilities, plus a decent job in an industry where decent jobs are few and far between, kept me here. Approaching 60 I really, really regret it and wish I'd had the gumption/selfishness to move.