If you never moved out of your home town

[Isawarmbreezeasantana]

What is life like?

Do you still go to the same pubs you’ve always gone to, socialise with the same friends, do you know people you went to school with?

What is it like? Why did you stay?

I did move out and went abroad but came back to my city to a different area of it.

I have the best of both worlds as I can see family and will bump into mums from my primary school at my parents high road or church nativity service etc and i still go to many of the same bars and going out areas that I did with my school friends, but I also go to city centre with uni and work friends and I have new mum friends too. Literally 95% of people I like are here so despite it being so expensive I'm not moving!' I have such a good support system more than most people I know in my city too especially as a new mum. It was so nice recently having my sons christening and having people from so many different stages of my life all there

I think this question was aimed at me - yes sometimes but more often just friends I lost touch with over the years. It's not weird, it's always nice to see them and catch up.

I do and it's so nice! I love it! I can see on Instagram who's still local and have met a couple of ladies from school that I wasn't even that close to who are also on maternity leave now, and we get on really well

Roots are lovely things: read the list below and you'd imagine I lived in a small town or village, wouldn't you?

But I don't! My village is my corner of London!

1. I know this place like the back of my hand and have many good memories of growing up (eg. first kiss with first love on a corner I still drive past most days)
2. Many of my friends go back nearly 40 years.
3. I know so many people around here because I've lived here so long - and it's fun when familiar faces from the past (eg from school of the pub when I was 20) crop up in other situations or via mutual friends.
4. My kids are rooted and feel looked out for. Eg DD's best friend is the daughter of a boy who was in my class. I hadn't seen him in years but now we know, it is certainly a bond between the families: I knew the girl's grandparents etc and remember them moving into the house they still live in decades later.

grew up in a town (not born), studied etc but each weekend parents took me back to London for family. At 18 I left to go to uni and then after back in London.

at age of 48 moved back to this town with my kid (divorce and lost money).

What I’ve noticed is you can’t slag anyone off as they all know/married/fucked/divorced each other.

happy to be on the outside 😊

@Isawarmbreezeasantana I think London is one of best cities in the world. I'm a 2nd gen immigrant with no ties outside of London, I think it would feel weird to not have family close by.

When you say travel do you mean internationally or nationally?

Been in the same place coming up to 40 years. Majority of my friends are all from school, they've all stayed local too. Get togethers are great and so easy to arrange as we're all local.

The only bit I'll find strange is when my kids go to the same school I did.

@LoveLifeBeHappy Yes! But again, there’s possibly a real comfort/nice thing about that?

I grew up in a central London borough. I lived away for uni and a few years after, but I returned to be near family when I had a dc. I moved to the borough next door to where I grew up as I got a council flat there (which I now own), but I never really socialised much in my childhood borough anyway, and didn't stay in contact with many friends from there. I've lost contact with all of them now (25 years on), and most of them no longer live in the area (not always out of choice, but because of London property prices).

I almost never bump into people that I know when I'm out. I tend to go into central London a lot and all over, and like to go to new places all the time, so I don't spend a lot of time just in one area or doing the same things. I like the anonymity and freedom of that. I wouldn't like to feel worried that I'd bump into someone that I know when I'm out.

Most of my friends now are people who are involved in some aspect of my life (eg mum friends through school or an evening class I'm doing). I don't tend to stay in touch with people once I've moved on to a new place. So I haven't know any of my current friends more than a few years.

Absolutely, we've all become like family over the years, everyone knows everyone, and our parents are all close by if we ever need anything. We feel safe and secure. It just feels like home.

The place I grew up is a really nice place to live.

@Blueroses99 That’s what it boils down to really. Unfortunately, my children don’t feel that way about their home city (they weren’t actually born here but have lived here since primary school), because it’s developed an increasing number of problems. So they won’t be staying in the area longterm and neither will DH and I.

I live in London and always have. I don’t go to pubs and don’t speak to anyone from school.

I left 25 years ago but now and then feel the pull to go back. Not neccessarily to the same place but something like it.

We were in a town in Southern France on holiday recently that was so like the places I grew up (apart from the weather!) It really tugged my heart strings.

That said, may be I just miss the sea. 🤷‍♀️

I live in a very beautiful part of the SE. I was born here, met my husband here (he’s also from the same town). Our families are here… why would I want to leave such a beautiful place. Whenever I leave for a holiday etc I always look forward to coming back.

I can get to the seaside, countryside, woodlands and a big city, all in less than 15 minutes. Everything is at my doorstep so I couldn't ever imagine moving anywhere else.

I don't socialise with anyone from school. All of my friends have been made in my adult life.

I liked reading this. So often, people not from London don't believe this about London — that we have communities, generations of families living near one another, a sense of belonging. As well as welcoming new people of course!

I stayed in mine because my parents were here...dad very ill so mum needed my support until he died. Then after he died l didn't like to leave her as she wasn't getting any younger. 2 of my best friends are here and others all fairly local/ with 15 mile radius. I love that l know loads of people and l will always bump into someone l know.
Not drinker so don't go out to pubs unless it is for food so not an issue. Met loads of new friends after having a baby. Have travelled a lot so not narrow minded.
No place like home!

I grew up in a northern town in the 80s. Everyone who could, left. Not a single one of my school friends who went to university ever returned. Surprisingly, many of our parents also left in the decade or so after. The place is in the top 5 most deprived areas of the country and has major problems with heroin addiction, alcoholism, mental health crisis, disability, and multi-generational unemployment.

I still live around the same city I was born in, I always have. I have never gone to pubs, even if I did this city has a lot of them so plenty choice. I am still in touch with the same friends but they live around the city and the wider area. I never bump into people from school. I stayed because my family are here. And it has everything I need. It has however become a real hovel recently and is getting progressively worse so I will be moving to the country when the kids finish school. I don’t feel a connection with it as such, there was just no real reason to leave.

I couldn’t wait to leave my home town to go to uni. But it was mainly because I hadn't made solid friendships in college or in the village I had moved into at high school age so I felt out of place. Once uni was over I was more comfortable in myself and realised most towns are the same so moved back home as I could live there and save and it was a relatively cheap place to get on the property ladder. Now I have settled here I am so glad I am near family as it made all the difference in the baby years. And I am glad I am near my mum as she gets older.

I don't see anyone I grew up with and all my family have left. I never go to pubs anyway.
I am a bit bored with it but I think I'll have to wait until I retire to move.

I certainly wouldn’t say I’m better than someone for moving out of my hometown. I moved from a busy city life in a great area to an area that albeit is beautiful with amazing scenery is actually poverty stricken and run down. But I’ve grown to love this town and although I’m away from all of my family and my friends from the city, we have a fantastic life here and built relationships.

I often wonder if my life would have been different had I stayed in the city.

The furthest we've moved is about 10 miles away. But if it were down to me I'd have moved years ago. We live in a lovely area with a real community feel but I'm not the most social and literally all my childhood friends have moved away. My husband is really attached to his family and literally every relation of his lives in the village. My brother also lives in the village but we have an age gap so not so close.
I would move to Dorset if I had my way.