To think that I'm the only person on MN who doesn't live near their family

[stopbeingadock]

That's it, really.

It seems that everyone on here lives near their parents, in laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings etc, etc, etc (every other thread seems to be about grandparents providing childcare or providing inadequate childcare or not providing childcare at all, even though they live next door).

Among my friends, I'm perfectly normal, in that we all live where we live for a variety of reasons, from work to 'just because it's a brilliant place to live'. But I only have one friend who has local family.

Is it really that unusual?

Oh and lots of ‘trailing spouse’ threads

Nearest family 3 to 5 hours away

I moved away 30 years ago & have lived in various locations

My nearest relative is a 4 hour drive. I think most people who go away to university tend to stay away as most of my friends don't live near their parents

Our families are two and a half hours in the opposite direction, neither looked after the kids when they were younger.
Due to seeing them infrequently, they aren't close to grandparent's/aunts/uncles/cousins which I think is quite sad.

I live in Liverpool and it’s very common here to stay close to family, I don’t know many people who have moved away.

Ive worked with colleagues who are from out of town who find it strange how close people around here are to their families.

I think it's swings and roundabouts. My DH has lived in a one-mile,radius his whole life, and I have lived in a three-mile one since I was a baby. I see lots of threads from people who have moved away, and a not insignificant amount of posts from people who feel that those who live near family lack imagination or didn't go to university or aren't ambitious.

I suspect it's like most things- there are probably pockets of the UK that are more transient.

My in-laws live 4 hours away (without traffic) and my family lives in Canada. No family nearby here!

My nearest sibling lives about 1.5 hours away.

Our parents are now dead but my in-laws used to live 2 hours a way and my parents used to live 2.5 hours away.

Haven't lived near family since I was 24. Perfectly normal

Confirmation bias, I suspect, OP.

I live 6000 miles from my family, although one of my siblings happens to have ended up here too and it has definitely brought us much closer.

Prior to this, I lived 30 mins drive from mum/siblings, then moved 7500 miles away (opposite direction from where we are now), then a 5 hour drive away, then right up the road. Saw a lot of each other when very local but 5 hours, not really.

I'm lucky that my mum supports me being this far away even though she misses my children dreadfully (and me, but definitely more the children haha!)

I'm even more lucky that I get to be so very, very far removed from my soon-to-be-ex-in-laws...!

I think this is a really good point and was kind of my expereince too.

Nope. Nearest family just shy of 100 miles away.

Really? I seem to read so many threads where the OP 'lives rurally', doesn't drive and has no family within 1000 miles.

I live in England and apart from my brother all my relations are in Melbourne and Tasmania.

How odd that you think it's just you

All good points. I've been here since 2004 and my sense is that it has changed and that it was more "people like me" then, and is now very different. But by the same token, there are loads more people on here and I suppose they're not all going to be "like me".

You may also be right that people who are not consumed entirely by work or children have more time to post!

I think there were plenty of fiends here then, too.

Actually, that is true!

I don't really. It just feels that way, when every other thread is about extended family barbecues/childcare/MIL "popping in" unannounced, etc, etc.

I suppose another thing that has changed is that more people nowadays go to their local university, whereas we went a long way from home and then stayed away. Not because we don't love our families, but because other opportunities came along.

I live a long way from my two siblings. I have no other living relatives...

You’re not alone. DH and I both live about 250 miles away from parents and even further from other family. I think it’s very normal not to live close by. Most of our friends are the same.

I live over 4500 miles away from any family.

My parents are about 35 miles away, although my brother is much further - 2.5 hours drive on a good day.

My in-laws are much closer - 15 minutes walk away.

My parents and siblings are within 5 miles, but I can't stand them so never see them. DH's parents are a 9 hour flight away.