City, Suburb or Countryside: Why Do You Live Where You Live?
Where you live can have a huge impact on your juggle. And it’s not uncommon for regular readers of this blog to suggest that jugglers who live in high-intensity locales, particularly the Northeastern cities, move South, or West, or even to another country to help relieve some of the pressure or to allow one parent to stay home or cut back on hours.
It made me think about why people live where they do. For us, it turned out to be family. We moved away from New York to Florida for nearly two years right after we found out I was pregnant. We lived in Florida for a combination of reasons: primarily, career advancement (mine), but also for a calmer life with an easier juggle (for both of us). In Florida, we could have afforded for one of us to stay home and we had a backyard; we enjoyed 10-minute commutes and had good, reasonably-priced daycare. But, we also missed numerous family events — christenings, birthday parties and even a wedding. And when we had a small medical emergency, it hit us: We had no family support network. We moved back to New York City.
So we put up with the extreme hassles that big city living brings, because it’s most important to us to be close to family. We specifically live in the city for a shorter commute (which facilitates more time with our son). For others, career opportunities are the primary reason they live where they do. And some people, like this family featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer — where one parent commutes 100-miles a day — having a home in an affordable and beautiful location trumps everything.
Why do you live where you do? What are the main motivating factors? What trade-offs have you made to live where you live?
Sara Schaefer Muñoz is on vacation until Tuesday, April 15.
