Considering moving...

scherza

Maybe I just have itchy feet; we never lived anywhere longer than 7-8 years when I was a kid, and I've been in Atlanta for 8 1/2 years already.  It's the longest I've ever lived in one place!

Right now, everything is cool.  I like our house, DH and I both like our jobs (most of the time), the kids have a great daycare situation, we're close to some family, and we can travel easily to visit the rest of the family.

But looking three to five years down the road, I don't think I'll be happy here.  Atlanta traffic isn't getting any better, and once the kids are in school, I will be spending a LOT of time on the road.  Living in a place where it takes 30 minutes to get anywhere is starting to grate on me.  I like my job, but I'm in my eighth year and I don't have a lot of advancement opportunities unless some people leave or retire.  I'm starting to feel restless and looking for a new challenge.

I'm hoping to be accepted to a graduate program for a master's in private school administration, but the program doesn't start until the summer of 2012.  Then I got hooked up with a possible opportunity to do a fellowship with a nonprofit organization in education.  It would pay nearly twice what I currently make, and it's also close to family.  I've also considered just throwing my resume out to a headhunter and seeing what comes up.  If the perfect opportunity comes, great; if not, I'll stay where I am.

DH has said that he'll support me in whatever I choose to do.  I kind of think that it would be better to move the kids before they're in school, but the housing market's so bad right now I'm tempted to just stay put for a couple of years.

Sorry for the ramble, but this isn't something I want to talk about with co-workers (for obvious reasons) and I'm not ready to discuss it with my family yet!  I'm just looking for some insight or other views...

julienandy

As for the housing market...if you know any realtors that work in your area, have them come by and look at your house to give you an idea of what it would take to get your house ready and what your chances are of selling.  Our neighborhood actually hasn't seem to have been affected by the housing market...houses sell here...granted not for much more than when we moved in 6 years ago, but def things have appreciated a little.  I think if depends on the area and your house.

julienandy

I say go for it....I grew up here and when I met DH my dad was older and I told him while he was alive I could never leave the area.  Dad passed away last year and I would leave the traffic crazy place in a heartbeat.  I miss the old town that ATL was before the Olympics.  I have been fantasizing about moving lately myself, but while DH has a good job we are staying put.

andrea922

I think moving, especially with kids and away from family, is a lot harder to actually do than the idea of it. I am not saying you shouldn't do it, just to really be certain you want to do it, because it is expensive, difficult and losing family nearby is a lot harder than you think, especially when they help with your kids!

maykat

For years I had fantasized about moving away from Atlanta. DH and I had always said that Atlanta would not be our "forever home". We both missed the beach and wanted to have our kids near their grandparents.

Well we moved last year, closer to the beach and to grandparents and we hated it. We didn't realize how much we would miss Atlanta, our friends, neighborhood, etc. 

If you are really considering moving, I would advise renting for a year and renting your home out. This is what we did. We are very glad that we did this because we can't wait to come home.

slwprincess

I totally understand. We also moved a lot when I was growing up- my mom's philosophy is "if it's time to paint, it's time to move." So I get antsy a lot. Also, let's face it, our commute is nuts.  But the truth is, we really love just about everything about our current house/location other than the fact that it's so far away from work.  Our family is still in the Atlanta metro area so that's nice too- we have our space but we have them when we need them.  I don't know, we go through this "what should we do?" thing every 5-6 mos it seems but ultimately, I thinking we're staying put for a couple more years.  But you never know with me :-)

MLvK

Gina, I am in the same boat.   I never lived anywhere for long as a kid, we moved all over the north east.  

Now that we are settled in here, I am not the biggest fan of Atlanta.  I've met a ton of awesome people and made some great friends, but as far as the traffic situation goes and the amount of stuff to do, I get really frustrated.  I miss New York all the time.  

However, my husband loves his job.   The only thing I can hope for is that the corporate office moves to the DC area in a few years, which is a possibility, but not a firm reality yet.   I cling so tightly to that dream.  

I definitely want to move out of our house though, because we are so far from everything we do and I am sick of driving a minimum of a half hour to get to anything.   I did tell my husband that I was willing to live in a condo or townhouse when we leave our house until we know if we will make the move to Virginia.  

Also, we have no family here, which in many ways is a blessing.  But I also like the idea of family being a car drive away, as opposed to a plane ride.   Yes, its possible to drive to Massachusetts, but its not easy or pleasant.    If I were in the DC area, I could hop on a train or just drive home in a few hours.     I like my family close enough to visit, but far enough to not visit too often.    

MLvK

p.s. I say do it.   The first job you mentioned sounds great.   What would hold you back from that, other than the housing market? 

seasidebride05

I would go for it.  I am over living in Atlanta and would love if we had a chance to move. If I were you I would at least look into the career opportunities you mentioned and have a realtor look at your house. 

LauraBrett

Having recently moved from NC to GA six months ago it is very fresh in my head.  If you are wanting to move, getting the itch definitely do it before you the kids start school. We have moved 6 times since 03', the first 4 moves were 7 months, the 5th move was for almost 5 years.  This was the most difficult one because Teagan our oldest would be starting school a few months after moving. Not to mention the friends she had made, it has been seriously tough. Our family was three hours from us in NC and now they are two hours away.  That part really didn't make a difference, we have always been somewhat of a drive from them.  I do wish they lived closer. 

I completely understand where you are at though.  When we lived in NC, I felt like it was time for a move since the previous ones were so short.  Then we actually did it and now I will never move again. LOL  I didn't move as a child so my first time moving was when I left for college.   

If the opportunity arrises and your husband will support it, I would definetly consider it.   Good luck with starting the process of your decision. KUP!  

Pecswife

I am sooooooo done with Atlanta. I have asked hubby to consider moving to another state. However, his response is that he is an Atlanta boy and the only other place he would move is Bermuda.

With that said he had a valid point. Everybody we know who has moved from Atlanta, has moved back due to cost of living in other states. He is right...  our single friends and married with family friends have tried... and failed, and have moved back. 

But, I still think I would be happier somewhere else.

lololoco

Those are pretty much the reasons we moved Gina! My husband, who is a lifelong Atlantan, loves Birmingham. It's nice to not have to sit in traffic, cost of living is cheaper here, and I feel like we have more options with schools.

I don't regret it one bit and am so glad we did it while Kate was little.

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