Do you live where you grew up?

[MikeM6]

I grew up in the Netherlands, but in a British household. Always wanted to come to the UK so I could be around 'my own people'. Turns out I overestimated how good that would be, as for years I was seen as a foreigner. Didn't matter that I was British with a British passport, I was seen as Dutch.

Now that I am old enough to understand the world a bit better, I am exceptionally grateful that I have experienced a variety of different cultures properly. Taught me a lot about seeing the world far more broadly, in a way that travel just can't quite manage.

[motco]

MikeM6 said:

I grew up in the Netherlands, but in a British household. Always wanted to come to the UK so I could be around 'my own people'. Turns out I overestimated how good that would be, as for years I was seen as a foreigner. Didn't matter that I was British with a British passport, I was seen as Dutch.

Now that I am old enough to understand the world a bit better, I am exceptionally grateful that I have experienced a variety of different cultures properly. Taught me a lot about seeing the world far more broadly, in a way that travel just can't quite manage.

I like Holland and have had a number of business clients there. In the 1970s I went for an interview in Bergen-op-Zoom with GE (the US one) but as soon as I was offered the job in UK, the parent company moved the operation to the Netherlands. My daughter was within a few weeks of birth and we felt it was not an ideal time to move country so I ended up working in NW9 - Oh joy!

[thepritch]

Yup, after 27 years away my wife and I moved back to the next village along from where I grew up.

As a teenager, the area was wasted on me - incredibly beautiful, but I felt I wanted to chase city life. I didn’t get how special the place was. I moved away to the other side of the UK to London, met my wife, kept coming back for Christmas to see my family and over the years away conversations increased in frequency trying to work out how to move back.

Did it two years ago and every day we pinch ourselves that we can be here. Dad and brother are only 20mins drive away so it also great to see them a couple of times a week - we all get on exceptionally well.

Edited by thepritch on Monday 20th November 08:38

Edited by thepritch on Monday 20th November 08:42

[Jules Sunley]

M4 corridor for me. Grew up in a village near Reading (parents still in same house from 1976 when estate was built), moved with work to Bristol, then gradually moved back towards Reading over the years and now only 35 mins drive from them. Mrs grew up in Reading and never strayed far but we met via work in my 20's. Still loads of old schoolmates in my original village and nice to pop over occasionally for a pub evening but I wouldn't move back there myself. I quite like being a little distance away and more countryfied where we are.

Edited by Jules Sunley on Monday 20th November 08:48

[CouncilFerrari]

Not really, no.

Grew up in York, joined the forces at 16 and lived all over the UK and the world. After a couple of longer term spells in Germany and France we settled on the coast just outside Scarborough.

[vixen1700]

Yes.

Moved out to the country (Essex/Cambs/Suffolk borders) for a few years, but that became dull so moved back to my old flat in in East London back in 2016.

Mother ended up in a dementia care-home back in 2021so we had to completely refurbish her house (not touched in 40 years) and moved into it a year ago.

So now living in the house I moved into back in 1980 when I was 13 in East London.

[Snubs]

I grew up in West Sussex and now live in Gloucestershire. I keep meaning to go back to the village I grew up in for a nostalgic walk around but it's a 3 hour drive i never quite get round to. None of my family are there anymore as they ended up in Cornwall and the northeast. Some of my school friends stayed down that way as we lived about 30mins drive from Brighton so people left the village and moved there. I well remember the days of trying to get into the nightclubs on the seafront when we were 17 and in a group of lads.

[Brummiebeau]

JackJarvis said:

I live 1.7 miles from the house I grew up in (which I moved out of at 27), so I've certainly not ventured far.

About the same as me. 1.5mile on google maps I just checked but it feels a world away.

I don't think I will ever move to be honest.

[ChocolateFrog]

Same general area, for better or worse.

The better being that we're within a few miles of most of both our families so the kids will grow up knowing their grandparents, aunties/uncles and cousins.

The less said about the actual area

[juice]

Grew up in Little Baddow (outside Chelmsford) then moved to Brentwood, then to Bermuda and now am in a little village in the Chew Valley (South of Bristol)
Still in touch with my mates from school, only 1 of which has moved further away from Chelmsford area. My mum still lives in the house I grew up in so go back regularly.

[Ranger 6]

Army brat - grew up in various places; Germany, Nigeria, Oman

Settled back in Yorkshire when I left school - company relocation 30 years ago meant a move to Wiltshire, now living in Surrey.

[James P]

Born Yorkshire. Grew up South London/Surrey borders. Live western edge of Sicily.

Few family remaining so visits to UK are increasingly rare. Mostly catch up with friends every June in a particular part of France

[YorkshireStu]

POIDH said:

I've lived in 2 continents, 9 places and 16 different houses in 50 years.
The latest place (and job) I've now been at for 11 years. Amazing.

For me so far it is 2 continents, 4 countries, 12 places and 19 different homes.

I went to 6 different schools growing up.

[Chicken Chaser]

7 miles away as the crow flies. Did move south (still north to a lot of those in the UK) and have spent a lot of time in places around the UK, but for what we value as a family and what it offers for us, I'm happy with where we settled.

[NDA]

I grew up in a small Devonshire town. I have lived and worked in London nearly all my life (although now living in Hampshire)... I cannot imagine how life would be if I'd stayed in a small Devonshire town, very different.

[Johnspex]

NDA said:

I grew up in a small Devonshire town. I have lived and worked in London nearly all my life (although now living in Hampshire)... I cannot imagine how life would be if I'd stayed in a small Devonshire town, very different.

I did it the other way round.
I've been back to London, or at least the outskirts, 3 times in 7 years. I hated every moment.

[Skeptisk]

YorkshireStu said:

POIDH said:

I've lived in 2 continents, 9 places and 16 different houses in 50 years.
The latest place (and job) I've now been at for 11 years. Amazing.

For me so far it is 2 continents, 4 countries, 12 places and 19 different homes.

I went to 6 different schools growing up.

For me 3 continents, 7 countries and 32 different addresses (so far!) All of that since 18.

[Riley Blue]

I'm not sure where I grew up is, by the time I went to secondary school we'd lived in 11 places in the UK and abroad. One of those we were at for four years and no, Dad wasn't on the run, he just got posted a lot.

Hampton on Thames was the four-year stay while Dad was in the Middle East. Although my Mum was born there, I remember the place fondly and have been back a few times I've never lived within a 100 miles, the area is just too congested for me.

I'm in Derbyshire now, wide open spaces and great roads within spitting distance.

[QuartzDad]

Another child nomad, went to 5 primary schools. My sister and sister-in-law are both still within five miles of where they grew up 40+ years ago, we moved away a long time ago.

[Countdown]

1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th houses were all about 300 yards of each other.

It's a small town in East Lancashire , nice area, good schools, low crime, 20 minutes from Manchester and most importantly its close to family.