Do you ever hsve the urge to live in your home town?

[Twopizzafriday]

I’ve not been back for around 18 years…lived there from birth until 23, when I then travelled lots and lived abroad. The last time I went back was before my family moved house to another area of the U.K.
I had my whole childhood, amazing teenage years and early 20’s there. I’d always wanted to travel and live abroad and thought I’d be back one day…I never returned to live. My immediate family don’t live there now or I suppose I would have been more likely to have gone back. I still have a few good friends there, but many are scattered everywhere. I’ve been dreaming about it lots recently and my old house and my old life as it were. I’m mid 40’s, is this normal?
Did you ever move away for a long time, then move back?

I am a Bristol girl, but moved to Swindon 14 years ago.
I do miss Bristol, but a lot of the things I missed are no longer there or have changed. It is not the place I left back then, and I can't expect it to be the same.
Swindon is a shitehole, but I am used to it now.

So, part of me wants to move back, but I would want to go back in time too.

I had a really happy childhood, nice schools and my parents, siblings and a couple of friends still live in my hometown, but absolutely no way would I ever ever live there. It holds no interest to me whatsoever.

Due to a twist of fate I have ended up back in my hometown. If you had told me at 18 I would I wouldn't be happy but actually now I'm not a moody teenager there's a lot to be said for it. The local area and conveniences are great

I moved away from my hometown 25 years ago. My parents still live on the outskirts, so I visit them regularly, but have only been back into the actual town a handful of times.

The town gets a lot of stick and has a reputation for being a soulless London overspill, but it's got a lot of good points and I have great memories of growing up there and in the surrounding area. Occasionally I get pangs of "homesickness", but as a previous poster says, I suspect it's nostalgia for my fabulous childhood and, actually, I'd hate it now.

Definitely not, my home town has declined and lacks pretty much everything. My children would hate to live there, not that they has even been any thoughts of doing so. I still have family there so occasionally visit but it feels like another place to me now, not home at all.

God no. It's a foul, racist shithole.

I hark back to the good times with my parents and neighbours. Most have now died as have some friends. Passing through is all I need to do now.

I still live in my home town.

I moved away to go to University then moved back home afterwards to save for a mortgage (20 years ago). Bought my first house in nearby cheaper town and ultimately moved back to home town when I could afford to.

It would have felt weird to never leave at all, but having had the experience of a University city I was perfectly happy to go back and most of my friends from home did similar. And being near to family has had many advantages.

OP I think it's normal to feel nostalgic about all sorts of things as you hit your 40s.

Yes, went back and so happy to be near my family. X

I haven't been back for any length of time for 50 years. I couldn't afford to buy there anyway, but absolutely not.

Yes! I was born, and raised in "the north" - various places from the midlands upwards.

Hardly any relatives left up there anymore, but I still feel like I'm home when we visit.

I can't see us ever moving back, our boys will definitely stay in the south and having spent my childhood separated from my extended family and wouldn't like that now

I never left my hometown! Not intentionally but that's how it just turned out... Met DH who's from the same town and we just stayed!

DS left to go to Uni, he's 25 and I don't think he'll ever come back. DD is 22 and still at home, she's quite a homebody but works in a city about 40 miles away so not sure where she'll go!

I will never return to my home island to live. It's a beautiful place and my family have lived in there for centuries (and in the same house for nearly 200 years) and still do, we go back regularly to see my family. But there's no work for me there and I've actually lived in the town I live in now for longer than I lived at home and can't see us moving now (we're in our 50s) so this is home now.

Conversely my sister lived in her University town for about 20 years then returned home, she's very glad she made the move back. But our mother, brother and his family, aunt and uncle, cousins, second cousins, third cousins etc etc all live there andwe've lived in the same place for generations so there is a deep connection to the place. We've broken that with our DC and they won't have the same connection to where we live now. DH and his siblings have no real connection to where they grew up, I can't see them visiting regularly after MIL dies, they have no family there but her.

Sort of. My mother died last year and we have had to clear out and sell the family home. It was really nostalgic and a bit of me wanted to buy out my brother and keep the house to visit! I had a great childhood there in many ways. But the reality is I'd hate living there full time as there just aren't the same opportunities there as in the places I've lived since, nor the good weather! The friends from school who I've kept in touch with and haven't left have lives that I don't aspire to at all. So I think it's mainly nostalgia. If I moved back it wouldn't be like it was when I was 16, and I probably mainly just want to be 16 again.

I left for university at 18yo and never moved back. I would not have had the career I am now in, met my husband or had my children had I gone back. I've lived in several places and enjoyed them all So no regrets here, my life has been fuller for leaving my home town.

I'm spending lots of time back in my home town at the moment, caring for my elderly mum who still lives here. It's a beautiful part of the UK and there is something special about knowing a place well and feeling part of it. Spending time with old school friends where you both know each other inside and out. Knowing the town and your way round. Memories triggered of childhoods climbing trees, biking, walking to school, first kisses etc. I'm aware when my mum is no longer with us, it will break my link to this area.

This town will be part of my past but not so much my present,or future, like it is now. I've thought about that when considering my mum is in her last years and it brings another dimension of sadness to losing her.

Never in my wildest nightmares did I think I'd end up back in my 'home' town but the arse fell out of my life and here I am. I hate it. I feel like I'm haunting my own life. It's like some creepy, claustrophobic parallel universe. I want to go home and this place never felt like home. If I allowed myself to accept the reality of the situation I'd never stop crying!

No I’m from a small town in Scotland that was recently voted cheapest place to buy a house in Scotland. There’s a reason for that. It’s a very deprived area, poverty, drug use and unemployment are very high. It’s so sad to see how much the town has declined. It could be a lovely wee town.

No - it’s one of those “naice suburbs” that often gets mentioned as a good place to move to, great schools etc but now I just find it really boring and the traffic is awful.

Fuck no. Mine's Solihull. An odd place full of people obsessed with being Not Birmingham. Last time I was out there in an ordinary pub I order two pints for me and my friend. Barman told me he assumed I meant bottles rather than pints. The absolute cheek of it. I was the only woman in the place not in black trousers, a shiny top and 2 foot high heels.

I would happily live in Birmingham though. And visit Solihull and refer to it as Birmingham just to annoy people.

Well, I'm the reverse and definitely wouldn't go back to Birmingham from Solihull! I love how much safer it feels and closer to the countryside for cycling. If I feel nostalgic for home, I just watch Man Like Mobeen!

Yes, my home town is Islington in London, which is quite an aspirational place for young graduates to live in. I ended up living in Hackney (the borough next door), which gentrified and became even trendier than Islington. I lived near the Islington border and spent a lot of time going to restaurants, kids activities etc there, and DD1 went to nursery there.

I love my home town - would live there if I could ! Go back when I can . My family still live in the area - I feel very much like I could just slot back in .

I'm 30 miles away from my hometown. In nostalgic moments, I would like to move back, but it's just that nostalgia. It's never going to be 1976 and I'm never going to be 10 again.
The town has changed, the town centre is dead, vape shops and nail bars.
New housing estates on the fields I played on.
Although there are a couple of family members still in the town, it's not enough to pull me back when my sensible head is on.
Although, realistically, there's not much to hold me in my present place either. My DC have on from here too. I like where I live though.

I’m still in my home town, as are most of my family, it’s great.