Anyone ever move cross country?

[Mona100]

So, it's just my daughter and myself. She is 16 and has no real friends here since we have started to homeschool. Also, she doesn't know what she wants to do when she grows up. Just a little background on her situation. For me, my parents are here and really that's it. My friends are not really enough to keep me here. Not dating anyone either. I have a really good job (medical) which means I can get a job anywhere in the country. I just feel like there is nothing here for me. Also, I am sick of these hot, hot summers here in Alabama.

 

I want to move to Portland, Oregon. So, anyone who lives up there, tell me about it. Would it be a good idea to move there or am I just romanticing it in my head? Also, anyone who has moved cross country just because you were done living where you were living? I don't mean military folks because you can't really help that but folks that have just left where you have always lived your whole life and went somewhere else. Thanks in advance!!

[Laura Corin]

I don't think it's a bad reason to move. I always made sure that there was a job to go to, however. One time that job turned out to be a chimera and it was a very hard, and temporary, move. So I'd not move until you have a job in the new location.

 

Laura

[Mary in VA]

I really don't have any current info on Portland, but your post resonated with me. When I was 14 my mom had been a widow for a year, my dad died the year before. It was just the two of us. That summer we moved from the very small town I had grown up in Washington state to Portland, Oregon :001_smile: It wasn't across the country, but my mother thought it would be good for me to grow up in a city with all the opportunities if offered. No homeschooling back then, but I went to a public high school that I loved. It was big enough that I was able to find a group to fit in with, the small town had been very "cliquey." I loved the city and was able to easily get downtown with friends to go to movies, and my mom and I went to theater, opera, and sporting events. It was fantastic for me. I went to college and grad school in Oregon, joined the Air Force, got married and have lived all over the world since. I really think the move taught me that I can be happy and adjust to living anywhere. It gave me more of an adventurous spirit.

 

Mary

[DawnM]

Portland is an awesome city. My father is from there and we spent a lot of time visiting relatives and grandparents there. I went to college in Seattle and went down to Portland often.

 

As far as moving, we moved from Los Angeles to Charlotte several years ago. It was a HUGE move both culturally and distance wise. But in the long run (as much as I really miss SoCal) it was a good family move.

 

Dawn

[Delirium]

Quite a few times, mostly thanks to the spouses military service BUT also a few times for the health of it. It can be difficult when you don't know anyone, but its also a refreshing new EVERYTHING. New place to make your own without the colored glasses of someone who's lived there. Never been to Portland, but I've only ever heard great things about it from people that live/visit there. I'm only a few hours south of it and hope to visit someday.

[MomtoCandJ]

We moved from Georgia to Michigan. When we moved to Georgia (from Michigan) it was for bette job opportunities but then we decided we didn't like being that far from our families especially after we had dd so we decided to move back. The Georgia heat was getting us too, dd might have been born there but if being able to handle heat is hereditary then she definately got it from us :)

[vonfirmath]

We moved from WA to TX -- without a job. It was what we felt God had us doing and we had a deep savings reserve. but it was still scary. But it worked out for us.

 

We lived in the Puget sound and were getting depressed there by the lack of sun plus our family is all in the Southern half of the US (SC, TX, and AZ)

[sassenach]

We've done 4 major moves across the country and back again. We always moved with a job, I can't imagine not doing that. Otherwise, I really love the adventure. I love the friendships we've made in each place. I'm a gypsy at heart, which is funny because I grew up in 1 house. My kids will probably flip back to staying in one town all their lives.

 

Word of warning on the northwest. I lived in southern states my whole life and when we moved up here, I really struggled with the lack of sunlight in the winter. We first lived in a redwood forest, which is beautiful except it literally blocks out the sun all day. I had a VERY hard time with that. I never realized how sun powered I am. I did better once we found a sunnier neighborhood.

[Mona100]

Word of warning on the northwest. I lived in southern states my whole life and when we moved up here, I really struggled with the lack of sunlight in the winter. We first lived in a redwood forest, which is beautiful except it literally blocks out the sun all day. I had a VERY hard time with that. I never realized how sun powered I am. I did better once we found a sunnier neighborhood.

 

I have been warned about the lack of sunlight. I think I will do ok though because I really don't like the sun much anyway. I love the mountains though. Mountains vs sun; mountains win with me hands down.

 

Thank you for all the responses. I am beginning to think maybe this isn't such a crazy idea after all. And I would definitely have a job before I moved.