HistoryMom Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I grew up in Connecticut, but "home" is really the whole New England region. Love all of it. If we could move, I'd do it. Family, friends, familiar landscape. We live in North Carolina, which is only home in that we've been here for a while and have no immediate plans to leave. I like lots of things about it, and dislike just a few, but there isn't an emotional attachment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW in IL Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I've lived in over a dozen different states from New England to Washington State; Florida to Minnesota. When asked, I say I'm from Illinois. However, none of the places I've lived have felt right or, I guess, felt like home. Home is more than just a place, though. It's the people, the feeling, being comfortable and safe. I'll know it when I find it. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 California! Ãœber Alles! California, Ãœber Alles! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I am Texan through and through. I have found that most Texans are pretty proud of their state :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I would add that as much as I LOVE my Texas. I would pack up in an instant and move back to Australia if my DH would go for it. And trust me, I try to talk him into it regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 No real connection to a state. I'm just American. Maybe because I'm the child of immigrants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Very connected. Is it obvious?;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnrmom Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I'm a California girl through and through (well, a Northern California girl, not be confused with So Cal, cuz that's a whole 'nother story :tongue_smilie:), but I do have a fantasy of living on the East Coast at some point. I've had to give up on the New England fantasy of raising my kids in rural Vermont or New Hampshire, but I still hold out hope that maybe both my kids will end up at NYU and dh and I will move to Manhattan. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I haven't lived in Maine for 20 years, but if people ask me where I'm from I answer that I live in NY, but I am from Maine. I actually LONG to move back to Maine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineW Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I am a California girl through and through. Both my family and Dh's family have been here since before it was a state. Sure it's not perfect but what state is? Where else can you find ocean, mountains, desert and rainforest? I can not live without the ocean. When I get all kinked up, we head out to the beach and watch the waves. Everything is put in perspective. I am not sure why there is so much disdain for California. Not everyone lives in Hollywood or Santa Cruz. California leads all the other states in farm income. California produces almost all the country's almonds, apricots, dates, figs, kiwi, nectarines, olives, pistachios, prunes and walnuts. We are also the main producer of avocado, grapes, lemons, melons, peaches, plums and strawberries. There are many minerals mined in California that are used in manufacturing that are found in no other part of the country. The film industry & computer industry were born here. I have visited many other states and I have yet to find one as beautiful and varied as California. Homeschooling is a breeze here. If Dh's work takes us away I would be very, very homesick and would have to visit often. Amber in SJ :iagree: I love how close we are to the beach and to the redwoods. Fresh, local organic farm produce year round. Don't tell anybody but we had the chance to move back to the Midwest this summer and I couldn't do it. I don't want to move back. It's a big part of me but not where I belong anymore. I'm a California girl and proud of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 California! Ãœber Alles! California, Ãœber Alles! Bill Thanks to dh's misspent youth, I even get that reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Very. It is an integral part of my heritage and my identity. I will always identify myself as being "from" my state but currently living in xyz. I never intended nor had any desire to live elsewhere, but life sometimes has other plans. It is my "true home" that I return to as often as possible and feel is my center of gravity. I moved away about 7 years ago, to another state, then to two other countries. I even worked through a complicated set of logistics to have my newest dd born back in my home state, so she would have the same ties of heritage and birth that I and my other dc have. I didn't want one of my dc to be born anywhere else if I could help it, since one's birthplace is often taken to be where one is "from". I have every intent and hope to return to living in my home state full-time at some point in my life. In the meantime, I will continue to inculcate a strong sense of belonging to that place in my dc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 My home is Wisconsin no matter where I lay my head. I've been in Washngton for 13 years and I still tell people I'm from Wisconsin. I just live here now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Very connected. My family has lived here for many generations--since before the American Revolution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicmommy Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I definitely identify with my state here. I did most of my growing up years in Alaska and it will always be where a part of my heart is, but I went to high school in Washington and then college in Oregon. After that, I lived in Chicago for a very, very long 5 years. Whenever I leave Oregon, a part of me feels so restless until I get back here. Now, I'm not one of the weird Portlanders, but I love spending time there. The culture here appeals to me and even though I have some issues with the politics, I'm good. I love Oregon!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puma Mom Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I'll always be a Virginian. I lived in VA from birth to age 25. After 23 years in 'exile' (in GA, upstate NY, and NJ), we are back in VA, and I am loving it! I miss people from past locations and I am grateful for the years we lived in other places because I think we all grew in the experiences, but I am glad to be home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I do not feel any sort of loyalty or strong connection to my state. We are here because it is where our work is. However, I do feel strong sense of loyalty to family members who followed us to this area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 When we were just recently up in the UP, we ran into a ton of folks from the Detroit area who all talked about how much they loved it. I have been given the impression over about the past ten years since we've been living up here (in KY), that the Detroit area was really dying. Is that untrue? Is it still a great place to live? I'm confused about all the bad press I've heard about it and then the wonderful things that people who've been there/done that tell me. One lady did tell us scary things about blockades placed across interstate on-ramps in parts of town, etc., but she also talked about going there all the time from where she lives (which must be a suburb area of Detroit), so it must not scare her too much.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Having never lived more than 60 miles from where I was born (and where my family has lived since the 1760's), I identify not with my state as such, but with the region where I have always lived. It would feel as alien for me to move to the coast of our state, for instance, as it would to move to another state (possibly more so if we moved to an area with a similar topography and climate). Currently, we are less than 10 miles from where I grew up. The park next to our development includes one of the oldest cemeteries in the county, and includes some of those ancestors from the 1760s (half mile from my doorstep). I really became aware of how much I am a a child of the Eastern forests (and town life, albeit a smallish town) when we took a big driving trip a few years ago. We came off the Cumberland Plateau from Kentucky down into just the beginnings of the plains (we were headed to St. Louis) and I felt incredibly uncomfortable and exposed. People weren't meant to see that far away without trees!!!;) I shudder to think what it would have been like if we'd actually gone somewhere like Kansas. :) The guest speaker at church this morning mentioned feeling claustrophobic when she went from Texas to Massachusetts but I felt exactly the opposite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I live in the stench of the armpit of the economic crisis. It is called Michigan. The only thing I will admit to having any loyalty to is MSU who beat U of M quite soundly last week thereby allowing dd the much fun torture of making my brother a white and green spartan cake which she knew he would desperately want to eat as he is a cake-a-holic...had it not rained so much, he would have had an appropriately decorated car as well. This is what he gets for being a 4-H parent and rooting for U of M! One can not take such a virulent, unacceptable stance and expect to come away unscathed! :D I do not feel emotionally attached to the state nor any special affinity for it except that it is where my dh and dear children are at, my parents, and my mil. We've lived in Indiana, Oregon, and Florida. I didn't feel any attachments to those states at all except to say that from a sheer beauty perspective, Oregon was a real hit. We lived in Newburg (south of Portland) and the scenery was spectacular. Saturday drives to Tillamook, Astoria...yep, I could have been attached to that if it had not been for the cost of living. Florida, OH MY WORD NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! Snakes, bugs, snakes, gators, snakes, searing heat and humidity, bugs, snakes, did I mention the snakes??? Father in law, and snakes. Wicked sister-in-law, snakes, other sister -in-law, bugs, and more snakes. If anything, I have post traumatic stress from our year there. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicmommy Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Nothing more to add, but just wanted to tell the pp that I live just outside of Newberg. Love it, love it, love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I'm a Springsteen listening, Taylor Ham eating, mall shopping, LBI loving Jersey Girl. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I've moved away and back to south Alabama all my life. I am NOT an Alabamian one bit. If we could right now; if it wouldn't freak out my 15 year old and extended family; I'd move right now. Today. Push comes to shove I'd be willing to try north of Montgomery/Birmingham. I liked the seasons of NC but we had a lot of bad personal things happen both times we live there and I have to remind myself they weren't NC's fault. :) I would try central to Raleigh, NC another try (glutton for punishment?), I want to try living in both the Houston, TX and Phoenix/Scottsdale areas for a while. I'd also like to try Colorado, I think. Possibly somewhere Midwest and New England. My 15 year old and my extended family are of the "stay in one place" variety. I feel like I need to find home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 (edited) When we were just recently up in the UP, we ran into a ton of folks from the Detroit area who all talked about how much they loved it. I have been given the impression over about the past ten years since we've been living up here (in KY), that the Detroit area was really dying. Is that untrue? Is it still a great place to live? QUOTE] I have never lived in Detroit, but I do live in a 'nice' town with a 'good rep' near a city with a 'bad rep'. True, there are some parts that are not pretty and gentrified and are still afforadable ;), the crime rate in certain areas is nothing that makes anyone proud (mostly those in those areas are committing crimes of desperation against each other), OK, no pretending that school system isn't sufferring. However, I go into that city a few times a week, and there are amazing activities going on *constantly*. The art and music scenes are tremendous, there is a lively and safe downtown area, theater people are often doing small plays and readings, and there are fun , safe pubs & great little resturants (which too often sadly come and go. My kids still lament a certain Mexican place they adored). It's so urban and hip. lol I am probably too old to say 'hip', but the artisians, the fresh ethnic breads and food, the music scene (for all- jazz, rock, ethnic, folk etc)...the local activities are really diverse. I just hate to hear people around here make massive negative generalizations! I always have fun when we go out to listen to music, have a local beer, check out an art exhibit, and run into new and old friends and have a good chat. I am sure Detroit also has a lively arts scene. The factory lofts that area rent out 'fairly' cheaply, which brings some very interesting artists into out area. Edited October 24, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 NOt at all identified with Alabama, yet. We have only lived here a few months so far. I have to say that I more deeply feel disasters in the places I have lived. I grew up in VA and moved back there for 2.5 years and it didn't really feel like home- at least the home I grew up with. Why? Because the area doubled in population in the years I was away. I have been moving frequently (hence my board name) and while I like many places, I can't say one is more my home than another. I learned how to garden in each place, the birds of each place, the cultural attractions and festivities of each place, and they all have made me who I am along with many non-place things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I feel a real affinity to my region, but not my state. I'm New England through and through; can't imagine living anywhere else in the U.S. But, I dislike where I'm living now (CT) and would love to live anywhere else in New England. Would love to relocated to NH or ME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 I notice that several other New Englanders have said something along the lines of "I feel attached to this region." Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I am a Jersey girl at heart, but I could be happy living in Maine, PA, or the midwest as long as someone ships me some taylor ham every so often!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YLVD Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 (edited) For me, the west coast is the best coast :D I born here in Seattle but raised in Los Angeles until I was a pre teen and then we moved back here. I've been here since and I'm 35. I identify with both. But, now even when I visit Southern California, I come back here and know that I'm home. I would not feel comfortable in the south or midwest at all. I'm too casual for the east coast, lol My sister just moved to Spring, Texas, after living in Seattle and San Francisco. I'm honestly not sure she will ever adjust. She's pretty miserable, it just isn't home for her. She had a hard enough time moving from Seattle to San Francisco! This one is really hard on her, even though she was able to afford a nice home there! She calls a lot and gets really emotional about it. Edited October 24, 2011 by YLVD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YLVD Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I definitely identify with my state here. I did most of my growing up years in Alaska and it will always be where a part of my heart is, but I went to high school in Washington and then college in Oregon. After that, I lived in Chicago for a very, very long 5 years. Whenever I leave Oregon, a part of me feels so restless until I get back here. Now, I'm not one of the weird Portlanders, but I love spending time there. The culture here appeals to me and even though I have some issues with the politics, I'm good. I love Oregon!!!!! My SO is from Oregon and feels the same way! He has lived all over the world as he was in the Navy. He is so happy to be here in the Pacific NW again, here in Seattle. But, he is an Oregon boy through and through! He's originally from the Eugene area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I was born and raised in Oregon and have been here my whole life. If it weren't for having grown children and grandkids that I'd miss terribly and a job that I love, I would move away in a heartbeat. I have grown very dissatisfied with our state government and the political climate in our region of the country. Laws have been passed here that make me almost ashamed to say I from this state. There are things that I do love about it here, but I often long for a complete change. It's possible that I'll cross the Columbia into SW Washington eventually to be closer to one of my sons and his family. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrooch Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I pretty much loath my state. :D I have a lot of issues with it politically and socially. There are also a LOT prettier places to live. My roots are SO deep here though that I'm certain that I'm going to die here. Boo!! My family is here, my Dh's family is here, etc. As much as I hate this state, I would hate leaving my family more. Family is pretty much the #1 thing in the world to me so I will just settle for living somewhere I hate because leaving them is not an option for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I have always lived in NY and am attached to the Adirondacks where I grew up, but I could happily live anywhere in the northeast where there are mountains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrooch Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Oh yeah, and we miss the Sooner hype every Saturday during the fall too. The Sooner hype wasn't too hyped up this past Saturday. :lol: Boy was that a terrible game! Needless to say, we Sooners were not too pleased. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I pretty much loath my state. :D I have a lot of issues with it politically and socially. There are also a LOT prettier places to live. My roots are SO deep here though that I'm certain that I'm going to die here. Boo!! My family is here, my Dh's family is here, etc. As much as I hate this state, I would hate leaving my family more. Family is pretty much the #1 thing in the world to me so I will just settle for living somewhere I hate because leaving them is not an option for me. That is the reason we will return there. I wish I could win the lottery and move the whole family. The Sooner hype wasn't too hyped up this past Saturday. :lol: Boy was that a terrible game! Needless to say, we Sooners were not too pleased. :D I don't want to talk about it!! So upsetting!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I'm an Ohioan, but I feel loyalty mostly to cities. I am capable of feeling "at home" in several cities in Tennessee, Arizona, and New York. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrooch Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 That is the reason we will return there. I wish I could win the lottery and move the whole family. Absolutely! If I could win the lottery and move the whole family I would be out of here in a heartbeat! Oh welll, I love my crew though so I guess I'll just stay here until I rot. (and probably after too. :D) I don't want to talk about it!! So upsetting!!!! Yes, it was a dark moment for us all!! May we somehow find a way to recover! :D We do have OSU to look forward to though. Have you been following how well they've been doing this year? I have to admit that I'm rooting for them. Unless of course they're playing against OU. ;) I had to edit this because I just noticed it was post 666 for me. Now I have to look around and see what else I can post to so that number will change. Ha!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I'm from Texas so... yeah. :) I'm not in Texas now but I am and always will be a Texan. I currently live in Missouri, a state I don't really identify with. I have a lot of family here and I love the falls here and snow is interesting and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I notice that several other New Englanders have said something along the lines of "I feel attached to this region." Interesting. I wonder if that's why my friend from TX thought New England was its own state... I am a half-hour from the VT border, and would much rather live in Vermont or New Hampshire than New York. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MominIN Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I was born and have lived my whole life in Indiana. I have an emotional attachment and will always consider myself a Hoosier no matter where we live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Thanks to dh's misspent youth, I even get that reference. I used to see the DKs regularly at the Mubuhay Gardens and the Deaf School in San Francisco. The first was a Filipino restaurant on Broadway turned punk-rock nightclub, the second the auditorium of a school for the deaf moonlighting as a punk rock venue (seems the strong vibrations created by loud punk rock was popular with the students). Ah, to misspent youth! :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HistoryMom Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I notice that several other New Englanders have said something along the lines of "I feel attached to this region." Interesting. My theory is that the states are small enough that you can wander around between them with little difficulty. As a child, I lived in CT, but went skiing and camping in VT and ME, took long weekends in MA, and had friends in RI and NH. Practically speaking, I consider update NY to be a part of the block (summers in the Adirondacks are amazing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Very connected. Is it obvious?;) :iagree: I am a Texan. My family are all Texans. I told dh we can't have any more kids because they wouldn't be born in Texas. My kids tried to tell me they weren't Texans because they aren't living in TX. I almost cried! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I was born and raised in Philly, and I've lived in Jersey (Philly suburb) for over 20 years. I am a Jersey girl. It's in my blood. I cannot imagine ever, EVER leaving this state. There's truly nowhere else I'd rather live. We lived in Iowa for 8 years (dh is from there). It was torture for me. Nothing against Iowa; it's lovely there! but it ain't home ;) Other than my family, I missed the food, the shore, the pace, the mentality, the food, and the shore. Did I mention the food and the shore??? :) Jersey is a huge part of who we are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I hope to never live there again, but I feel more attached to my home state than my home nation, if that tells you anything. I think it's just inbred. Wait. That's not the right word, is it? ;) On the upside, I can at least respect the fact that it's freakishly unnatural to people from other states that we should feel this way. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I am a Jersey girl at heart, but I could be happy living in Maine, PA, or the midwest as long as someone ships me some taylor ham every so often!:D central or north, right? down here it's taylor pork roll ;) gotta love Jersey!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I'm an East Coaster, New England/Mid Atlantic states kinda gal. I'll be fine anywhere in this region. :iagree: My connection is regional. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, and I feel as if my 'home' includes British Columbia to Oregon. I don't feel a particular connection to my state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I guess this is mostly asked of Americans, but others can answer to if they feel like discussing this .... Apart from family attachment and job obligations, but just on an emotional level, how much do you feel attached to your state? How much do you feel like, whatever state your husband's job might more you to, you will always be a Virginian (or Oregonian or whatever)? If you live in "your state" how much would you resist moving from it? Or do you have a state you feel a primary attachment to because you were born or bred there, or your parents hailed from there, or you have lived there for decades? I am asking the same question, I guess, several ways. But on a basic self identity level, how much are you connected to a particular state? I'm not especially connected to my state (Maryland), though I have always lived here. It's the people I'm connected to and dh's business. I would really like to move to VA, but logistically, I don't see that on the near horizon. I also really love CO, where my brother lives, but see no likelihood at all of moving 2,500 miles away from the roots we have here. I really love Virginia, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 The state I was born in, my family left when I was very young and I don't identify with it at all. The state I grew up in, I suppose I identify with, but I really don't like it. I left after finishing college and I don't have any desire to be there. The state we live in now is DH's home state, but it's not mine and I don't identify with it. I don't feel any roots here at all. The only state I feel a connection to is one I have never lived in, but I have relatives there and we made many trips there when I was growing up. But I really can't claim it. This is too funny, because I could write almost the exact same thing. I would move to the state I grew up in but only because my parents and sister live there. The state we are living in now was the one Dh was born in, but he spend most of his childhood in another state. Besides those minor differences, everything you wrote is my situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I'm attached to people, not to a place. I appreciate things about California, but I'm not connected to the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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