Re:

I grew up in the D.C. area and left it in 1986 and have been living in New England ever since, so I don't really have any great ties here, although I have been in the same place for the last 11 years. The D.C. area would be the only place I could live happily on the East Coast, but it has changed a lot since I left. My parents bought their place in the 60's back when the town I grew up in was still a little rural, and now it is pretty built up. It was always wealthy, but now it is one McMansion after another. Michael Jordan owns a house in my old neighborhood.

Coastal California is expensive but probably nowhere near what the County I gew up in is. My best friend who lived about a mile from me lived in a 14,000 sq. ft. house. We could be jamming in his bedroom with a drumset and two guitars turned up loud and his parents would be asleep down at the end of the hall. When I was back there last Spring a friend who still lives there pointed out a few million dollar houses closer to the city and they were fix me jobs that will probably be torn down for a new house. Ultimately the money is not the issue for me. If I have to live in a small house in San Diego I will take that over the bigger one I got now. Where I live has 6 months of decent weather and 6 months of crap, and my mood is extremely effected by the weather so I can't wait to get out to mild, sunny weather almost every day. Tweet