What do you miss about where you grew up?

[klmama]

I like where I live now, but the city is very different than where I grew up.

I miss the wind.

I miss drivers waving at the other cars when passing and people greeting each other on the sidewalks, whether or not they knew each other.

I miss the stars.

I miss the whole community getting together to watch or play sports. 

What do you miss?

[Corraleno]

Fireflies. That's the one and only thing I miss about where I grew up. 

[Shoeless]

I miss lilacs and the beach. 

[Momto6inIN]

The hills and curvy country roads of southern IL named after interesting people from the area's history and/or features of the land.

Here in central IN it is f.l.a.t. and all the country roads are laid out in a grid every mile and named by numbers. It's very efficient and very boring.

That and my parents and that's it.

[MEmama]

I miss the energy and enormity of the Pacific ocean. 
 

I love how the Pacific makes me feel so small, how its sheer energy swallows up all other sensation. How the sheer magnitude takes my breath away and puts all the worlds pettiness into perspective. How it sharpens my senses and envelopes me in its  power, instantly reminding me of my insignificance. It is my place of solace and peace, maybe like how other people feel about church.

We live on the opposite coast now and I’m constantly surprised by how tame it is in comparison. The Atlantic is lovely, but it doesn’t have the same all encompassing, almost spiritual power and mesmerising hold on me.

[regentrude]

Beutiful buildings made of stone. Castles. Cathedrals.

Culture. My hometown has museums,  theaters, opera houses, orchestras 

The mountains where we used to climb

The river that runs through the city, with its meadows. The hills and vineyards. 

Being able to walk places

Public transit

The Christmas traditions 

And my family,  of course, but I figured that wasn't what the question was about 

 

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Fireflies. That's the one and only thing I miss about where I grew up. 

This is how I feel about my grandparent’s house. I don’t miss anything about where I grew up because it was the same state but not as nice an area. But where I lived, they used to spray (poison) the entire area for mosquitoes and we had few or zero fireflies (which locally were called Lightening Bugs). When we went to my grandparent’s house, there were thousands of fireflies and my granddad would let us catch (the poor things) in a jar as a nightlight when we spent the night. (This wasn’t the best outcome for the bugs, though!) 

Truly, some of my favorite summer memories were made at my grandparents’ house! 

[Little Green Leaves]

I still live in the city I grew up in. But it's changed so much. I miss every single corner store and pizza parlor that's been swallowed up by a big chain. I miss those dusty little stores that sold odds and ends. I miss seeing people hanging out on their stoops (pre-COVID), I miss cheap Ukrainian food and diners and real street fairs and I miss being able to see a little more of the sky. I'm sure some of this is simple nostalgia for being younger, but the city really has changed. 

[math teacher]

My parents, my sister, her son, and his family. 

That's it. 

[Acorn]

water from creeks to Great Lakes

roadside fresh produce

cleaner air

beaches

night skies free of light pollution 

[Hadley]

I love where I live now, but there are days where I miss Texas back roads SO MUCH!  I miss jumping in my car, cranking up the radio, and driving with no destination in mind.  Here, I can only jump in my car and sit at a never-ending blockade of stoplights.  No comparison.

Secondly, I miss Austin’s live music scene.  I had so many local favorites.  I’ve lived in five states so far, and have found nothing that even comes close.

And of course, I do miss living in the same state as my mom.  Especially during these times!  I’m so envious of people who have family close.  I’m wondering when I’ll ever be able to see her again...

[EKS]

I miss being an easy drive from the beach, the high mountains, and the desert.

[RootAnn]

Nothing. Not a thing.

[almondbutterandjelly]

The forests.  My backyard had a forest.  All the parks had fantastic hiking.  The forests didn't have the scrub brush on the ground like in some other places.  Just leaves and tall trees and occasional boulders and creeks.  I love them.

The 4 seasons.  South Texas doesn't really have them.  

[wintermom]

Sadly, not much except our cottage by the lake. It was also closer to the mountains. I much prefer where I live now.

[Jaybee]

The lake--it's peacefulness and beauty. The isolation outside. The feeling of "I'm home," when walking in the door, and the smells. The spaciousness of both indoors and outdoors. The mountain not too far away where my Grandma lived, and the views from parts of it. The feelings of connection with my past throughout the town, because I lived there my whole childhood, but after my childhood, I've moved often.

ETA: the smell of the pines, the cardinals, especially their bright spot of color in the drab winter landscape

Edited September 27, 2020 by Jaybee

[Pippen]

I grew up mostly in Wisconsin. I miss the rolling hills, interesting landforms, woods, water, old homes built with natural materials.  The store nearby that carried a wide range of foods that reflect my heritage.  

This is home now, but there's a sense of belonging and peace and heritage where I grew up that I don't feel here. It's ironic because my family life wasn't great and I couldn't wait to leave when I graduated. Maybe part of what I feel is a sense of resolution of the past, but I think it's because if I were choosing a place to live, I'd choose a place with more natural beauty than flat farmland (which I do appreciate, but in a different way).

[SanDiegoMom]

I miss the rain and the lightning.  I grew up in Florida and the amount of rain that could fall in a five minute period was unreal.  It was awesome.  In Va it happened more rarely (though it did happen -- but more usual was day long drizzles with grey skies for days). And of course now I have no rain.  

I miss the oak trees, and having a bay right at the end of the street that i visited almost every day and caught fiddler crabs and moved snails around. (I was a bored kid!) 

[Caroline]

Diversity and integrated schools and neighborhoods, the Interfaith Center where I went to church, Toby’s Dinner Theater, easy access to DC and Baltimore, Old Bay, crabs, bike paths, ice skating on lakes, my church, tot lots, Merriweather Post Pavilion...  

But, I like a lot of stuff about where I live now, too. I love the soccer scene in ATL, the tennis scene, Georgia Tech, the education program at Kennesaw State has a lot of great offerings for continuing ed for teachers, did I mention Georgia Tech? 

[teachermom2834]

Ethnic diversity, ethnic foods and culture, ability to talk a walk on a summer night for an ice cream

Edited September 27, 2020 by teachermom2834

[MrsMommy]

Being within an hour or so from Lake Michigan.

[sweet2ndchance]

The smell of the Senora desert after a good rain

Monsoons and watching the lightning

Actual Mexican food, not Americanized Taco Bell Mexican food (good in its own right but it's not Mexican food lol)

Siestas and fiestas

Dry heat

Swimming almost year round outside

Winters that never dip below freezing, unless you want freezing weather then you just drive north a few hours

the relative anonymity of living in a metro area

 

 

[marbel]

I moved when I was around age 10, so sort of have two places I grew up.

1. Semi-rural area in Western NY, so I had a lot of space around me, a back yard that we could really explore and sort of get away on our own. I remember very specifically a wooded area with a patch of very soft grass where I used to go read. This was also during the time that kids could roam freely; someone  (a mom) was always home and we felt completely safe and free because we knew if something happened we could get help. (We also knew if we misbehaved, our mothers would get a phone call.)  

2. SF Bay Area, so close proximity to the ocean, from the fun swimming beaches of Santa Cruz to the more wild crashy-wave areas north and south of there. Point Lobos where my husband and I had our first real date. San Francisco itself, where I used to spend hours just wandering the Marina District, North Beach, GG Park, etc. That was a long time ago; I know the city has changed a lot.  I wouldn't live in CA again by choice, but man that state has a lot of wonderfulness. 

[lynn]

I grew up in a Norman Rockwell New England neighborhood and now live in the south. I miss it all!  The seasons, the close neighborhood, the seafood, the family run bakeries and delis,  the weekend drives in October to the mountains,  summers at the beach or my grandparents farm.

[Denise Still in Florida]

I grew up in Arizona and New Mexico both towns were over a mile high, I currently live in Florida (sea level)

I miss:

Dry thin air. The air here is hot stale pea soup.

Really good Mexican Food

Green Chile (that might sound redundant but it is not 😅

Clear nights with a thousand stars

Ethnic Diversity 

Actually nice people not just Southern Pretend Nice. (sorry, the South just is not for me)

 

[rebcoola]

Lumpia restaurants everywhere.

The views of puget sound backdropped by mountains.

Riding the ferry

 

[Carol in Cal.]

Dim sum.  

Beautiful Victorian houses.

 

[Hannah]

I grew up near Cape Town, South Africa.

Living 20 min drive from the ocean

Mountains all around with fynbos vegetation

Vineyards

Winter rain (but I do remember student days with all of my shoes in a row, drying in front of the heater)

Public transport (bus stop across the road, with a bus to school and the train station - although I don't know how safe the trains are any more)

and of course, family and lifelong friends.

 

 

[Frances]

Fireflies

Star filled skies in town

Regularly seeing all of my great aunts and uncles, although they are all deceased now

[Storygirl]

Not much. I live in the same state, but in the suburbs of a major city now, instead of in a small town. I'm about two hours away from where I grew up, so the climate and so on are very similar, but the amenities here are better.

When I go back to visit family, we always like to eat at a local hamburger place that is special. Other than that, the only special thing about visiting is seeing my family members.

 

[frogger]

I live only 30 minute drive from where I grew up but a lot has changed.

 

I miss real winters. We used to often trick or treat in the snow. Now we are lucky to have decent snow by Christmas and it often melts throughout the year. 😥

 

I miss the picturesque farmland and fields that are now covered in big housing developments with cookie cutter homes.

I miss the independent thinking that used to typify Alaska.

I miss the help your neighbor attitude. It's still around a little but it has changed a lot in the last 40 years or so.

There is a lot less wilderness. My family used to have a gold claim in the mountains that was Grandfathered in but messed up the paperwork. Anyway a cabin with no neighbors until you get to the highway and around a couple mountains feels more like wilderness. Now when people build cabins in the "woods" it is basically a subdivision with 5 or 10 acre lots, not real wilderness.

[QueenCat]

The walking paths that could take you just about anywhere, at least on my side of town.

The ColumBUS that took me others places, on my own by the time I was about 11.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Hearing the frogs croaking in the rice paddies at night

Hearing the cicadas in the heat of the summer.

Hearing the rain on the tin roof.

Hearing the song of the baked sweet potato man and the recyling truck (the "toilet paper exchange man" who gave you toilet paper in exchange for your recyclables) and the garbage trucks (who play "Camptown Races" on a loud speaker so you know to run out with your garbage cans.)

Hearing the  rhythmic  ka-thump of the electric trains on the tracks

Hearing the crash of the Pacific ocean on the rocks.

Seeing the fireworks during the summer festivals.  I have never seen any fireworks in the US that compare. 

Going up to the mountains in the winter where the snow was so high that people build tunnels of wood and metal out to the road so that they can get out of their house.

 

 

[SKL]

From up to age 12, nothing really ... it was in the same metro area and my current home is nicer.  Maybe being able to walk to many conveniences.

From age 12-21, I miss having farmland a short walk down the street from home.  The relatively clean air, clear skies, and gorgeous sunsets.

I miss the oak woodwork and big windows of my folks' house (where they still live since 1979).

[Junie]

My mom just recently sold the home that my family lived in during my high school and beyond years.  I'm going to miss the view from my window.

I miss having a swimming pool in my backyard (the home before the one that was just sold).

I miss seeing beautiful old stone houses on acres of farmland.

I miss the surprise of seeing an Amish horse and buggy in a parking lot or on the road.

I miss eating chicken corn soup, pickled eggs, and (most of all) funnel cake.

I miss going to carnivals and dinners at the local fire halls.

I miss seeing Penn State merchandise in every store.

[G5052]

The mountains, forests, and quiet. 

[Farrar]

Miss: The stars, the isolation, the lake.

Don't miss... a lot more than that, honestly.

[Corraleno]

9 hours ago, Denise Still in Florida said:

I grew up in Arizona and New Mexico both towns were over a mile high, I currently live in Florida (sea level)

I miss:

Dry thin air. The air here is hot stale pea soup.

Really good Mexican Food

Green Chile (that might sound redundant but it is not 😅

Clear nights with a thousand stars

Ethnic Diversity 

Actually nice people not just Southern Pretend Nice. (sorry, the South just is not for me)

 I didn't grow up there, but I lived in NM twice (5 yrs and then 10 yrs), and of all the places I've lived in my life, NM is the one I really miss. And this time of year — late September, early October — is when I miss it the most. There is just nothing like watching the bosque turn yellow and orange and red against a brilliant turquoise sky, with the smell of piñon smoke and roasting chiles permeating the air. We lived in the bosque north of Albuquerque and during the Fiesta the balloons would often float right over our house. We'd get up at dawn and take thermoses of hot chocolate out to the paddocks and watch them go over, and then pig out on breakfast burritos full of freshly roasted green chiles. Man, do I miss New Mexican food! 🌶️

[J-rap]

I love where I live now, but I miss the Pacific coast -- the wild coastline, the mountains nearby, the old west feeling.  I used to own a western shirt and a cowboy hat!  haha  I miss the people who were so down-to-earth and friendly and easy to talk to.   The people here are generally super nice and not pretentious -- which I love, but they're harder to get to know.   Things here feel a little more rigid, more defined, less relaxed.  I don't know why.  Possibly it's simply because I'm an adult now and see things differently! 

[gardenmom5]

I grew up here - so I've seen the explosive growth.  I'm on a "retro" FB page, so it's fun to see the nostalgia of others who grew up here.  Though the whines about how much they hate the growth (and don't live here anymore, and don't want to visit because they "hate it".) are tiresome. 

I miss the quiet, and lighter traffic.

[slackermom]

I miss the smells, the food, and the weather in Hawaii.

I miss our house and garden in Norway, but not so much the weather.

I miss our covered balcony in Virginia, and sitting out there watching storms roll in on the horizon.

I miss friends from Minnesota, but not the recurring blizzards.

There were a bunch of other places, but not much sticks out. Maybe the freedom of riding my bike around the streets in a small town in Arizona. There was very little traffic. More tumbleweeds than cars. It was soo hot though, so drinking a cold grape soda out of a glass bottle from a gas station vending machine is my most vivid memory from that time.

[73349]

From Connecticut:

• clear skies on winter nights;
• rocky beaches and greenish waves, and the smell of a salt marsh;
• cool forests with dappled light;
• a culture with two paths: I'm Minding My Own Beeswax or Let's All Get Together and Make It Better.

[ScoutTN]

Having one or two deepish snows (6"+) a winter for kids to play in. 

I love where I live now! 

[JenneinCA]

Nothing.  We have had the opportunity to move back there before but there is no reason to.  

(Actually I suppose I would like to be able to wear my baseball team jersey out of the house.   I can’t do that where I am now.  I have been harassed about it because the local team is a major rival.  But that is not enough of a reason to put up with all the bad stuff.  Especially since I have no relatives there.  Everyone moved somewhere else.)

[BlsdMama]

My parents each had ten siblings. Many of them lived in the same town of 2,000 ish people. I grew up with my cousins. I grew up running into people at the grocery store and post office.  I miss that. 
I miss dropping by mom and dad’s without planning to drive there, spend time, driving back....

[Amethyst]

I grew up in Philadelphia. I now live in suburbs in PA. I miss being able to walk or bicycle to places. I miss sidewalks. 

[kbutton]

On 9/27/2020 at 3:50 AM, klmama said:

 

I miss drivers waving at the other cars when passing and people greeting each other on the sidewalks, whether or not they knew each other.

I miss the stars.

Yes.

Hills
Less dense population

Fresher air with fewer allergens even though it was more rural (almost no ragweed!!!)

Being able to get everything you needed in town and lot of what you wanted (becoming less true these days)

Festivals that are like a sort of homecoming—you always see people you haven’t seen in a long time

Streams that are clear and cool and smell nice

Colloquialisms, not just from my town but the whole state, lol!

Connection to place—knowing generations of my family had lived in that area for a long time made me feel connected. Additionally, some of my outdoorsy family members literally knew just about every acre of public land in the county like it was theirs. It was neat to go for a ride and always end up someplace new.

Frozen Custard stands

Pick your own fruit farms 

Mountain laurel

On 9/27/2020 at 4:26 PM, Junie said:

I miss going to carnivals and dinners at the local fire halls.

I think we’re from different parts of the state, but the carnivals and dinners seem to be consistent! 

10 hours ago, Amethyst said:

I grew up in Philadelphia. I now live in suburbs in PA. I miss being able to walk or bicycle to places. I miss sidewalks. 

I miss this too, but I am from a small town, not a city. Where I live now is neither city nor town, and I really dislike the unwalkability, though we do have “sidewalks to nowhere.”

[KungFuPanda]

On 9/27/2020 at 7:51 AM, Quill said:

This is how I feel about my grandparent’s house. I don’t miss anything about where I grew up because it was the same state but not as nice an area. But where I lived, they used to spray (poison) the entire area for mosquitoes and we had few or zero fireflies (which locally were called Lightening Bugs). When we went to my grandparent’s house, there were thousands of fireflies and my granddad would let us catch (the poor things) in a jar as a nightlight when we spent the night. (This wasn’t the best outcome for the bugs, though!) 

Truly, some of my favorite summer memories were made at my grandparents’ house! 

We used to wake up to empty jars. My mom always freed them as soon as we fell asleep. 😆

On 9/27/2020 at 10:46 AM, Caroline said:

Diversity and integrated schools and neighborhoods, the Interfaith Center where I went to church, Toby’s Dinner Theater, easy access to DC and Baltimore, Old Bay, crabs, bike paths, ice skating on lakes, my church, tot lots, Merriweather Post Pavilion...  

But, I like a lot of stuff about where I live now, too. I love the soccer scene in ATL, the tennis scene, Georgia Tech, the education program at Kennesaw State has a lot of great offerings for continuing ed for teachers, did I mention Georgia Tech? 

Wait, you don’t have Old Bay in your cabinet?!?! I’m IN that town and I miss a lot of that stuff now. Everything is shut down. We continue to adore the bike paths and use them more than ever now. It’s probable been over a decade since any lakes have frozen enough to skate on. They have resumed some community outdoor shows at Merriweather. They built this huge green stage thing that they call The Chrysalis.

 

From home, I mostly miss people and gabbing on the porch all day. I’m close enough that the seasons are similar. I miss humidity that’s more dewy than steamy. 2000 feet in elevation makes summer nights feel completely different. 
 

My brother and I were laughing about this the other day. When you grow up with 4, distinct seasons just like they teach in textbooks, you can get a little discombobulated when you live other places. He’s been in Colorado for years and their seasons still feel off to him. He got snow before summer ended!

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Wait, you don’t have Old Bay in your cabinet?!?! I’m IN that town and I miss a lot of that stuff now. Everything is shut down. We continue to adore the bike paths and use them more than ever now. It’s probable been over a decade since any lakes have frozen enough to skate on. They have resumed some community outdoor shows at Merriweather. They built this huge green stage thing that they call The Chrysalis.

Isn’t Old Bay regional, though? I didn’t think they sold it as far south as Atlanta. 

Is there still a Toby’s Dinner Theatre? 

Remember those Entertainment coupon books places used to sell as fundraisers? I remember they always had Toby’s coupons in there. One summer, pre-kids, my dh and I went to Ocean City and used Entertainment coupons for everything. Essentially, if was like one of us was free, because most deals were 2-fers. 😄

[Guest]

On 9/27/2020 at 10:53 AM, Dreamergal said:

A terrace open to the sky

Wide window sills that were just the right size to fit a child

Strings of fragrant flowers especially Jasmine to wear in my hair everyday

The unique smell as the first rain of the monsoon hits parched earth. 

Being surrounded by history, some dating back to the BC. 

Traveling on long trips by train

The sea I had grown up watching

My home church including it's more than century old building with it's stain glass and pipe organ

People knowing and recognizing me, everyone from neighbors to vendors to the public transport bus driver who would stop when he would see me running to catch it.

The freshest food like vegetables harvested that morning and brought by a vegetable vendor, choosing your own chicken to be butchered, fish caught that morning you choose by looking at the eyes.

Getting to celebrate festivals of different religions and people sending food so you get to eat a variety of delicious foods.

Christmas and the variety of home made snacks, sweets we would eat for days

Fresh coconut water especially tender coconut

Street food

Growing up with cousins, having huge family gatherings

Sounds of life lived outside the window like calls of street vendors, puja bells, the call of the muezzin, church bells on Sunday, the sound of the radio, children playing outside. Loud, annoying at times, never thought it is something I would miss but I prefer it over the relative silence of suburbia.

Most of all, my parents and my brother

You wrote this so beautifully, I feel like I’ve been there. What a lovely tribute to your home country.