The advent of COVID and remote work forced me to reconsider where I want to live in the future and how I might make that determination.
When I was in high school, I didn't give much thought to where I'd live after college. I didn't spare a second thought for what might happen after that.
Yet as college continued, I saw my hometown change drastically. They followed Carmel and started building for growth tomorrow with money today. Suddenly, the place I thought was home was home no longer. The city knocked down buildings, built apartments that stand unfilled, and flipped parks into parking garages.
Then I moved to college in Michigan. While there, I found a city I liked, but didn't fit into.
What I realized in contemplating this is that many of my peers have made 1 of 3 choices:
1. Stay in hometown.
2. Stay in college town.
3. Stay in place of 1st job.
After seeing my friend Brian move out of NYC to use Airbnb to stay in many cities across the US, I realized that living in many cities before choosing is critical.
Why is it that we look at hundreds of cars before we buy one yet only try a few places to spend 90% of our lives?
That question is driving my thinking for the next 5-10 years. How can I "test" as many places to live as possible? How can I best choose the place to put down roots?
Just to be clear, I'm not aiming to be a "digital nomad" or any such nonsense. I'm only trying to find a good place to settle down.
When I was in high school, I didn't give much thought to where I'd live after college. I didn't spare a second thought for what might happen after that.
Yet as college continued, I saw my hometown change drastically. They followed Carmel and started building for growth tomorrow with money today. Suddenly, the place I thought was home was home no longer. The city knocked down buildings, built apartments that stand unfilled, and flipped parks into parking garages.
Then I moved to college in Michigan. While there, I found a city I liked, but didn't fit into.
What I realized in contemplating this is that many of my peers have made 1 of 3 choices:
1. Stay in hometown.
2. Stay in college town.
3. Stay in place of 1st job.
After seeing my friend Brian move out of NYC to use Airbnb to stay in many cities across the US, I realized that living in many cities before choosing is critical.
Why is it that we look at hundreds of cars before we buy one yet only try a few places to spend 90% of our lives?
That question is driving my thinking for the next 5-10 years. How can I "test" as many places to live as possible? How can I best choose the place to put down roots?
Just to be clear, I'm not aiming to be a "digital nomad" or any such nonsense. I'm only trying to find a good place to settle down.