Reasons you wouldn’t move to US

[Preiu]

Dh has been offered a job in the US. The increase in salary would put us into a completely different wealth bracket but I really don’t want to move.

• fear of home invasion with guns
• school shooting - guns in general I guess
• American exceptionalism attitude annoys me
• Being away from family
• Not having Europe on doorstep

Can I ask if you have any other reasons

Guns
Health care
Biden
Trump

Gun crime is completely unjustifiable in the US, but it also isn’t a day to day concern for most Americans. I lived there for 30 years and never experienced gun violence even second hand, and that will be the case for most Americans.

I do think it is a problem, and like the majority of Americans support greater gun control measures, but it isn’t a daily issue in most people’s lives and the prominence on this thread overstates the day to day impact it has for most people. I personally am way more worried about what would happen if I had cancer and had to rely on the nhs than I am about he risk of gun violence when I visit the US this summer. Statistically cancer is more likely, and I would 100x rather be diagnosed in the us than uk.

Moved here 8 years ago. No regrets. No desire to return to the UK. Most of the reasons given on here for not moving here are based on misconceptions, exaggerations, mass media and false reporting.

Annual leave - I get 28 days plus public holidays. When I’ve worked got the company 10 years I’ll have even more.
Healthcare - that old chestnut. I’ll say it louder for those at the back. We. Pay. Lower. Taxes. A lot lower. Looking at what I’d be paying in tax in the UK on my current income here, and comparing that to what I pay in taxes and medical costs combined here, I’m still better off here. And no 14-hour waits at the ER.
Abortion - many states have far easier access to abortion than the UK (or anywhere else in Europe). If access to abortion is importantly to you, don’t live in Missouri. But I’m guessing you wouldn’t live there for many other reasons which are far bigger. That’s the kind thing about a huge diverse country. So many options on where to live. Pick the one that suits your politics and lifestyle.
Guns - they are not the problem. Millions of guns are lawfully owned here. I have never felt the need to shoot up a school or a nightclub just because I can pick up a gun when I go to do my grocery shopping. People who are inclined to do such things will do it anyway. With a knife, a crossbow, a car, a homemade bomb. In the deadliest school massacre ever in this country not one bullet was fired.
Weather - love it. The warmer, the better. We have a pool to cool off anyway.

I moved back from the US due to a whole host of factors, but mainly to be nearer family, time off work/workers rights (I had a low paid job and would often work 10h with no scheduled break), hating having to drive everywhere/lack of walking culture (texas), the roads and mega highways were scary to drive on all the time, and the heat/weather. Where I lived was also just flat, sprawling houses and restaurants/concrete for miles on end, no scenery that wasn’t landscaped or flat desert type. college tuition for kids in future will be astronomical, and depending on ages would be considered overseas for uk unis so would pay more too. Also politics was a huge deal (it isn’t to me) but people would ask me outright my views on politics, healthcare, abortion etc over lunch and I hated it (possibly a southern thing though) as i felt it determined friendships this way.

I’ve recently visited and see it differently from an older and different life point. If your settled with a family in a nice area and high income I think it could be a great place to live and raise a family. Schools have the shooting fears but also even public schools have good access to all for sports, music etc compared to what is offered in the UK. Average houses are massive compared to here. But I still would choose the uk (or scotland where i am) and don’t regret my life choice, but it certainly wouldn’t be awful where you are locating to. I think the northern states would have suited me better over the southern ones in terms of weather, lifestyle etc. I could still return but happy with my uk hovel 😆

Guns
Armed police
Open carry
Guns on sale in supermarket
'Hunting'
School shootings
And guns.

Erosion of womens rights

No universal healthcare
Giant disparity between rich and poor - far worse than here

Junk food, sugar, fat, obesity

Drugs

Gang culture especially when involving children and teens

Racism and the segregation legacy

Poor public transport

Thousands of miles from family, friends, everyone I'd ever known

Heat

Snakes, coyotes and bears in your back garden

I lived in the US for almost 10 years and loved it. I don't recognise a lot the things being said here.

Where I worked I got 4 weeks paid holiday and it increased the longer you worked there, the salary was way higher than the equivalent job here, healthcare through work was excellent, food was great even as a vegan. The thing I loved and miss most is how friendly and accommodating the people are. I had family visit with a disabled child, we travelled through many states and people couldn't do enough to help us. My relatives said they'd never been welcomed and treated so well anywhere else.

that’s not going to happen in NY

I live here and like it. All I hear about from friends at home is how awful the UK is.

If you don’t want to move here, then don’t!

You might be pleasantly surprised by the East Coast. NY state and CT has some of the best public schools if that is a concern. Really beautiful and so much nature and outdoor space on your door step. Surrounding states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland also stunning. You need to come out and do a recce. Some gorgeous towns (Irvington Dobbs Ferry, Greenwich Rye, Latchmont) that aren’t full of strip malls, and billboards - I’d say that’s more an LA thing!

We spent 3 years in LA both in public and private and never had a gun drill. Earthquake drills for sure. But there wasn’t this pervading sense of fear with walking around or around the fear of gun crime at all. That never concerned me day to day.

We are now East Coast. Salaries are high because costs are high. Housing in particular. I found food cheaper here than LA. But things are pricey.

Work life balance was great in LA. Still figuring it out East Coast. But in NY state and CT most people work 3 days in the City and two from home. So it’s so variable. Either way it’s far better than the hours he was doing in the UK.

My husband gets plenty of holiday plus they have so many public holidays that it feels quite a lot.

But you need to be on board and go anll in to the experience as it’s such a culture shock initially and it’s tough going. After 3 years in LA and now in New York I think I could settle in the East Coast. I quite like it!

I'm in a MSA of over 1 million people in the middle of the US. I am a gun owner basically for protection from other gun owners who are not as sane 😔. I wish I would have left years ago. I fear for the future for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I would love to live there. I love the UK, but everything here seems so grim atm. Probably wouldn’t be happy with Biden being in charge, scarcely not fit to be president, but I think he will be out hopefully soon.

I have lived in the USA several times over the years. Each state is different to another. My favourite place was San Francisco as they are very European in their ways. Now, it's the vagrant capital of the US.
Society is so polarised whether it be wealth, religion, gender, politics, race. There are no liberals in the US, you either believe in one extreme or the other.
Moved back to the UK when my kids were going to school so I didn't have to deal with school shootings.
Now the UK has turned into a crock of shit, we're all moving to the South of France.

You're kidding about the wildlife in every back yard thing I hope. Bears aren't even particularly dangerous to humans anyway, and it's pretty rare to see one even in the wild. They steal food from campsites and occasionally have a crack at your garbage cans if you live in a heavily forested rural area. Bears need the right kind of habitat. The average North American will only ever see one if they often do things like hunting, fishing and camping. I'm a hiker, live in the middle of a large forest in Canada, but I have never seen one in the area. One of my neighbours apparently did and it was the talk of the neighborhood for being such a rare sight.
So this is not anything to worry about. Coyotes are a nuisance and rattle snakes are only out west and again, they are a rare sight. I have never seen one when hiking out in Nevada and California. I have seen scorpions.

• Gun crime.
• Not being able to walk most places so needing a car.
• Tipping culture.
• The sense of humour being different. They take things very seriously.
• Not including tax on prices.
• Hurricanes/wild fires/big freezes in certain states.
• Donald Trump and his supporters.
• Abortion being illegal in certain states.
• Working culture. Not as much annual leave compared to the U.K.
• TV adverts. So many when you’re trying to watch a programme there are so many ad breaks.

I’ve been to California as a tourist and loved it, don’t get me wrong. But I couldn’t live in the US.

Death penalty

To many reasons to list as to why I would never live there.

Would you be living there as an ex-pat? If so then a lot of issues are not really relevant. A permanent move is a very different thing.

We lived in California as ex-pats and loved it. I didn't feel at all unsafe. We lived in a very safe area. Most gun crime is restricted to certain areas.
I loved the weather, the incredible scenery, the friendly people and having the chance to easily explore the US.

Connecticut and NY state and surrounding areas are beautiful in places with some stunning National Parks. You would be able to ski easily too.

I used to particularly love fall. Halloween in the states is amazing.

We had flights home paid for and the long summer breaks meant I could come home with the kids for a month or so in the summer holiday to get a good dose of Englishness .It was made all the better because we could come outside of the UK school holiday so everywhere was nice and quiet.

We had lots of friends and family visit which was great for them and for us.

There were things I missed about the UK but as it was only a temporary arrangement it didn't bother me.

We are in Connecticut, close to NYC. No retail parks or billboards here. I’ve lived here for 25 years and love it. I have had many opportunities to return to the UK permanently but have not taken them, although we fly over every summer for a visit. My children were born here and are adults now. They haven’t been messed up by active shooter drills and I think their opportunities for employment and career progression are much better here.

We have four distinctive seasons, although spring can be late and short and we have much less snow each winter than we did when I first moved here. Fall is absolutely beautiful.

We are an hour from JFK. In the depths of winter it’s a less than two hour flight to the warmth of Florida. Alternatively, if you prefer mountains, we are just a few hours drive from Vermont.

Regardless of who wins the election I'd be put off by the fact that approximately every second person you would meet in the US is prepared to countenance Donald Trump as a suitable person to hold the office of President. This is not to support Joe Biden, who I think should stand down, but I can't get my head around how Trump can behave as he does and be widely considered worthy of the office.

It wouldn't be every second person if you were in Connecticut or NY, though: both states vote fairly reliably for Democratic candidates.

As an American, I really appreciate this comment. Glad to have you with us on this side of “the pond.” 🙂

I wouldn’t feel safe sending my kids to school in America.

@PerkyMintDeer , I don’t have the energy to address your entire post, but I think it’s pretty obnoxious of you to say that America is “obsessed with its veterans.” My grandfathers fought so that the Nazis would quit bombing your country’s civilians. Maybe you could stand to be a bit more “obsessed” with, at the very least, the American veterans who served during WWII and helped to preserve a world where you’re free to look down your nose at them, instead of living under Nazi rule in Adolfston, Hitlershire.

Children are not “forced to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States.” Go look up West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. 🙄

US politics.

Lousy education system.

Price of college for your kids.

Child marriage is still legal in some states.

Slavery is still legal in prisons.

Lack of workers rights.

Erosion of women's rights.

High fructose corn syrup in everything.

Farming methods that are banned in the EU/UK.

Additives in food.

This

Sandy Hook is in Connecticut.

Fwiw some places in Europe do intruder drills in schools too, they are not just a US thing.