I had a conversation at the grocery store today that gave me the idea for this post. I overheard someone at the checkout saying that they grew up around here (North Carolina) but that they're now living in California. Seeing as I grew up in California and now live around here I couldn't help commenting on how ironic that was. The person I overheard then asked me which I liked better, California or North Carolina, and the only response I could really give him was to shrug.
I have lived in many different places in my life. I grew up in California. While in the military I lived in South Carolina, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Germany. My husband and I finally have ended up in North Carolina. I get asked a lot where I liked to live better. The thing that they don't realize is that I've liked them all in different ways. There are good and bad things every where you go. I liked the weather in Northern California better, I liked the ambiance of Germany and I like the politics in North Carolina.
There are good and bad things wherever you live and if you live their long enough you will find out things that you like and things that you don't about the area. It may be as simple as you don't go to a certain part of town or maybe just certain stores. You might just not deal with the locals if you're rich enough to have a second house or to have servants to do your bidding. Most of the people in this world aren't that rich, however.
Finding a place to live is a lot like finding a job that you like. When you look for a job that you enjoy you look for things that you're good at and like to do. When you look for a place to live you look for proximity to places you want to go. If you have kids that includes what school your kids would end up going to. My kids go to a pretty good school here, we're about ten minutes away from a grocery store that I like (well two now, but one is a recent addition), there are quite a few good gas stations around here, and we're about twenty minutes away from a decent sized downtown. There's several twenty-four hour stores there (was only one when we moved here) and you can get over the counter medicine at anytime day or night if needed. You can also get just about anything else that you need from the three Walmarts that are within about a half hour drive of here. The neighborhood that we live in is full of kids that are around the same age as mine. There are also quite a few police officers who live in the neighborhood so it's pretty safe and secure. Not to mention that I could afford the rent.
That's why we're living where we are currently. There are better neighborhoods out there, but for us this is the best neighborhood that we could afford. Most people don't live in a bad neighborhood unless there's a reason. Either you can't afford something better or there's something in that area that keeps you there (family, friends, etc.). This is the way things are across the nation. You'll never hear someone brag about moving into a worse neighborhood than they were in before.
As to where I prefer to live, well I live there. I'll probably always consider myself a Californian, but most of those I love are all here. I may never completely feel at home in the area, but I feel at home in my home, which is the important part. I'm still blown away on occasion by the differences of where I grew up and here, but I've learned to deal with that. As to where I'd rather live, I'd rather live with those I love no matter where they are. As they say 'home is where the heart is' and that's where my home will always be.
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