Why the US?

Old Apr 17th 2014, 6:41 am
  #16  
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Default Re: Why the US?

No displacement of US workers by immigrants, of course.
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 10:14 am
  #17  
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Quality of life, and all that entails. Lower taxes, lower cost of living, more space, larger house, cheaper cars, better weather, and everyone seems to luuurve my accent! What's not to like? ..... Oh, and my wife is American.
Quality of life is possibly better, depending on status etc..
Lower taxes - no ideas yet.
Lower cost of living - don't think I agree in general. I've found it cuts both ways and is pretty similar overall.
More space - definitely.
Larger house - I'm moving to a much smaller house in the US ( but it has a very big workshop lol)
Cheaper cars - Absolutely not, I've been most upset at how expensive cars are in the US (unless you buy domestic, which I don't) compared with the same model in the UK (not counting brand new cars here btw)


Originally Posted by Sally Redux
I don't know why (maybe tabloid press), but Britain is going through an identity crisis where the population has decided they are the worst-off, hardest-done-by people in the world and that everything there is wrong, gone to hell and covered in dog shit or 'mats of human excrement' (a post today in the NZ forum). Therefore, every other country must be better. American music, TV and films add to the aura of excitement and Disney holidays seem inexplicably popular, so most people have been to America (Disneyland) and loved it.
I sort of agree with that.
Because we live in it we see it close up and don't see the bigger picture too clearly.
As a country I find Britain (all the component parts of) more interesting and diverse, just very compact.

Regarding TV and music, I find US versions of such extremely bland and boring in comparison to the UK. I know in the US I'll have much more time to do things as there'll be no interesting TV to distract me.



Brits are definitely more travelled than Americans in general. Look up the stats for US passports etc.

I'm under no illusion that America is the 'Land if the free' and doesn't have it's own issues like any country does.
3 years ago I'd have laughed (with derision) if someone suggested I'd be living in America... ever.


Originally Posted by mosdefnotabrit
why America?
Because I met this woman and she just happened to be American.
It all went downhill from there

Well best get back to the packing.
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 12:19 pm
  #18  
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Default Re: Why the US?

To take a long historical view, British people have emigrated in large numbers for hundreds and hundreds of years. Seventeenth century, to North America. Later, Australia, South America, Africa, but always a steady stream to the US and Canada. Exception was 1917 onwards, when US immigration policy was very restrictive; in the years between the wars, more Americans moved to Britain than vice versa.

I think the "UK has gone to the dogs" theme is just a contemporary justification. British people would migrate to all corners of the world whatever was happening in Britain...

But I really don't think the weather is a big pull. The weather in the great majority of the US is bloody awful, whereas in most of the UK it is generally mild and pleasant.
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 12:38 pm
  #19  
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Quality of life, and all that entails. Lower taxes, lower cost of living, more space, larger house, cheaper cars, better weather, and everyone seems to luuurve my accent! What's not to like? ..... Oh, and my wife is American.
This!
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 12:39 pm
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by robin1234
.... But I really don't think the weather is a big pull. The weather in the great majority of the US is bloody awful, whereas in most of the UK it is generally mild and pleasant.
So, not all immigrants choose wisely.

I estimate that on 97% of days the weather where I live is no worse than I experienced in the UK. The ten days when it's not are divided in an average year between five days in the summer which are offensively hot, three days of torrential post-hurricane rain and a couple of days in winter when there has been an ice storm. But aside from the small number of exceptions, three quarters of the days are as good as the nicest days in the UK, warm, sunny and cloudless.
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 1:01 pm
  #21  
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Default Re: Why the US?

I found it very difficult to give my wife one from all the way in the UK.
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 1:09 pm
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Default Re: Why the US?

OK, funny answer out of the way ...

One word - practicality. My fiancée had a son, all I had were two cats. She had a place to live and I still lived in my mum's house. In the beginning, that was the major driving force (and money, it was cheaper in the long run for me to emigrate than for them).

I went through a phase where I hated it here, utterly. In the end, I got over it and I do quite like being here now. I feel I have worked out a way to get the best of both worlds so it works for me.

But a simple answer to the question 'why', well it was just easier. Simples.
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 1:09 pm
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by mosdefnotabrit
Hi there.
I'm an American who's taken an interest in all things Brit (blame it on British TV), especially about British folks who emigrate. I've noticed that compared to Americans the British are more well-traveled and seem to move abroad at higher rates.

In the US forums here it seems like many British move out of the UK because they think it's going or gone to sh*t, and the US is a supposed to be a much better option. I find this puzzling because in my biased opinion the problems in America are much worse and not improving by any means. Perhaps similar problems appear worse in the UK due to population density and the smaller overall population, but I can guarantee you that America's no blueberry scone.

As one out of 300+ million Americans, I want to ask the Brits who've moved to the US or are seriously considering it, why America?
As the late, great Fatbrit said, "for most of us, the US chooses us not the other way around". Love, and accidents of work opportunities. As we keep telling new arrivals to BE, you can't just decide to move to the States. There aren't many visa opportunities outside of marriage and some specific job fields. The language is more or less the same so that makes it easier. The cultures are far more different than most Americans (and most British before they get here) realise.

Life isn't automatically better for anyone here than there, or vice versa and I don't really think anyone believes the whole land of the free streets paved with gold thing. Sometimes, some people get an option to move here, or are obliged to move here by circumstances, so they do. Some do well, some don't. That's about it really.

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Old Apr 17th 2014, 1:47 pm
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by mosdefnotabrit
As one out of 300+ million Americans, I want to ask the Brits who've moved to the US or are seriously considering it, why America?
1. My wife is an American.
2. Protected Freedom of Speech (important when you are opinionated). The UK has no freedom of speech.
4. Er, that's about it.
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 1:48 pm
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by Jonion
Cheaper cars - Absolutely not, I've been most upset at how expensive cars are in the US (unless you buy domestic, which I don't) compared with the same model in the UK (not counting brand new cars here btw)
Plus all the decent German brand offerings are at least a couple of years behind their European equivalents model wise. Where's the new Golf MKVII for example? *sob*
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 1:56 pm
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
1. My wife is an American.
2. Protected Freedom of Speech (important when you are opinionated). The UK has no freedom of speech.
4. Er, that's about it.
Got a blind spot for threes, have you ...
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 2:06 pm
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by SultanOfSwing
Got a blind spot for threes, have you ...
Haha, appears that way. Probably a lack of education
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 2:07 pm
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
Haha, appears that way. Probably a lack of education
Clearly.
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Old Apr 17th 2014, 2:26 pm
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Quality of life, and all that entails. Lower taxes, lower cost of living, more space, larger house, cheaper cars, better weather, and everyone seems to luuurve my accent! What's not to like? ..... Oh, and my wife is American.
As an American living in the UK, I concur. Maybe it's because I come from one of those "middle states" where it's cheaper to live, compared to the coasts. Yes, I know the NHS here is a godsend to those that are not well off, but I don't like the constraints on the system.

Not to mention, the much lower wages here in the UK. The job my OH now has back in the US will pay him approx. $20k more than what he was earning here in the UK - for the exact same job. But yet housing costs here are about triple the price of the mid-size US city we are returning to (and that's for a much smaller property).The only way for OH and I to get close to the type of property we want at a price we can afford, would require us to move a good distance out from the city and then have higher commute costs. Tbh, that alone made the decision pretty easy for my Brit hubby and I to decide to move back.

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Old Apr 17th 2014, 2:31 pm
  #30  
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Default Re: Why the US?

Originally Posted by jeepster
If you are financially independent, you're better off in the UK. The UK countryside that is,......
A very true statement. Spot on. Now, can we keep that amongst ourselves, please? There's only a limited amount of the unspoilt countryside left. Plane loads of American emigrants won't help.
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