I am originally from New York state, but I moved to North Carolina when I was nine. I grew up, went to college, and got my first job there. I had lived in Charlotte for three years when I decided I needed to move. I was young, I was bored, and I wanted to see more of the country. I was single, and I worked for a large company with offices in most major cities, so there were many possibilities - I could've gone just about anywhere. I considered many other cities, but I ultimately chose Boston.
When I first moved here, I was craving the city life. I got myself a single apartment and loved taking the train/subway to work. That is, when I wasn't driving to the airport. I was a consultant at that time, traveling all over the country (and sometimes beyond). Every time I flew back to Boston, though, I knew I made the right choice. It immediately felt like home.
Boston has all the offerings of a big city - a world-class symphony, a major league baseball team, a thriving music scene, museums, restaurants - but it has kept its small-town feel. I love everything about New England, from skiing in Vermont and New Hampshire, the beaches in Maine and Cape Cod, lobster rolls, antiquing, leaf peeping, the Red Sox.
After six years in the city, my husband and I moved out to the suburbs. We wanted a house and a yard before starting our family. We found our house and again immediately knew it was home. It is old by American standards (1850s) and needed a lot of work, but it is very near a farm where my husband and I used to pick apples and a spot on the river (shown in the picture above) where we used to come take picnics - it seemed meant to be. Our backyard is a little league field, and I'm grateful I now have boys who love baseball. The house has come a long way, and it's now a nice and comfortable place to call home.
It's been fifteen years since I moved to the Boston area, and I don't see myself ever leaving. I would've loved an opportunity to live in a different country for a while, but I don't think that will happen for us now. We do love to travel a lot, and we will continue to do that. My husband likes to have the "Where should we retire?" conversation. He could easily see himself buying a farm in Vermont, but I don't see that for us. I also don't see us moving south, which is what many people here do. I still have family in North Carolina, but we've made a home here, and I know this where we belong.
At this point, it's hard to imagine living anywhere else.
Mary writes the blog Mary Loves.
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