Why Do You Live Where You Live?

I grew up 10 miles from where I live now, and came back after living in London for 4 years while I got my degrees. My first wife was local and we bought a house together, and by the ti e we split, our daughter was just starting school, and I had residence of her.

When I started seeing my second wife, it was logical for her to sell up in London, as her flat would get top price - it was part of town near where the Olympic site was causing property values to spiral in anticipation (it was just after London won the bid) - so we put her money into my old house.

The downside was that the house was not within a comfortable walk of anything useful, without having to go through a run down industrial estate. But on the plus side, it was a waterside house with views over a harbour.

Last year, we finally admitted it was too small for a teenager and two adults, so mover to the next town along. House prices where we were previously are about 15 to 20 percent higher than here, so we went from a 2 bed out of town 1890s terraced house with no parking, to a 4 bed town centre 1930s semidetached house with a drive and garage, for the same monthly payment (by adding 15 more years to our mortgage).

Now my wife can walk to work, my daughter can walk to school, and we can use the theatres, cinemas, restaurants, shops and bars in town wthout driving. Next year my firm are moving here too, so I wont have to commute either.

 

Right now we live in the Chicago area because that was where we found work. We're trying hard to stay here, even though the work has never been enough for me, and Mrs. Levite's work has cut her to half-time, because we have the absolute most amazing day care for Little Levite here, and we know that we would never be able to find anything comparable somewhere else-- or on the rare chance we did, we would never be able to afford it.

Other than that, the Chicago area does provide most of what we need: kosher food markets, organic produce markets and farmer's markets, museums, theater, good restaurants, music/concert opportunities, bookstores and Judaica bookstores, Jewish community, good movie theaters, good parks, comparatively affordable housing/utilities, good places to take Little Levite to play. It's definitely one of the few places in the country we would be really comfortable living.

If we could find good jobs that paid the bills sufficiently, though, once Little Levite and soon-to-be Other Little Levite are done with day care, we'd love to find our way back to California. If Mrs. Levite had her druthers, it would be Northern California, which is my second choice, but I could definitely live with it. If I had my druthers, it would be back to LA, which I love with all my heart; Mrs. Levite doesn't, but she could definitely live with it. We both miss the ocean, miss the Jewish community in LA, miss the greater range of cultural opportunities, miss our favorite restaurants, miss our favorite movie theaters, and miss having great produce all the time. Except for apples, sweet corn, and very occasional other things, produce in the Midwest sucks.

But you do what you have to do.

 

When my wife and I were dating, I took her skiing because "I do this every year and I'm going to continue doing it". Seems she loved the mountains even more than me and it became a mutual dream. We visited the Rockies every winter for sking and every summer for hiking & camping.

Fast forward a couple decades, I had the opportunity to transfer to Boulder and have my employer pick up the tab. Realistically, it was a now or never opportunity and we took it.

I live in the middle of a National Forest, Rocky Mountain National Park is 5 miles away, work is 20 miles and the ski areas are 90 min away. We live where we intended to retire. I walk my dogs in places that used to be my week long vacation destination.

 

Virginia is the last place we were stationed at. I'm staying for school, all while waiting for my medical papers to be approved for enlistment.