When I was in high school, the general consensus among my peers was that anyone with any ambition wanted to leave our hometown. We all thought it was boring there.
Also, I took it for granted that I would be going away to college. My parents liked to fantasize that both my sister and I would be rich and successful, so that we could own fancy homes in other countries, and they could come and live with us.
Well, I didn't succeed at becoming rich, but I did go away to college as planned. I didn't go very far though. My college was about 65 miles away from home, and the drive only took about 1.5 hours, so it was easy to visit home if I wanted. Nevertheless, I think it was an important and valuable experience to live in another town, and to see what living in another place was like. So when I went to grad school, I decided I wanted to go from the Northeast to Colorado, and I lived there for 4 years. I was a nice visit, and I enjoyed my time there, but I also learned that I didn't want to stay there, that it wasn't the right place for me.
I moved back to Western Massachusetts, but not to my hometown. I found a job about 60 miles away. 60 miles isn't far, but it can make a difference. There are several colleges in the area, so there's more "culture" here and the people who live here tend to be liberal and well-educated. There's a small but significant gay population (mostly lesbian, unfortunately), and a gay bar about 10 miles away. (My hometown was somewhat conservative and not terribly gay-friendly.) Also, the economy is generally better and there are more job opportunities. The downside is the cost of living is much higher--too high for me to buy a house.
In other recent threads I've mentioned where I live and how much I like it here, but I'm still very open to settling down somewhere else, expecially if I can find a better job. Since I've been here, I've travelled for work, mainly to Seattle and various parts of Arizona. Having travelled a little bit, I'm very conscious of the fact there are many, many places I haven't seen, and I have a nagging feeling that somewhere in the world there is a town which is "just right" for me, with the right kind of job opportunities, economy, geography, climate, gay community, etc. The problem is, it's a big world, and that place could be anywhere. It could be 10 miles away, or on the other side of the country, or in another country altogether. I have no idea how to go about finding that place.
I should also say that having lived in a few places, I appreciate my hometown much more than I used to. It has everything you need: stores, banks, restaurants, gas stations, movie theaters, auto dealerships, museums, etc. In nearby towns there's classical music, dance, theater, Shakespeare, and opera. What it doesn't have is a healthy economy or good job opportunities. (Frankly, I wonder what all the people who live there do for a living.) It also doesn't have a gay community. Nevertheless, if I found a good job opportunity there, I'd seriously consider moving back.
