Steerpike

I'm with Simongb ... and as I said to the OP - try somewhere else besides Florida! I've been in the bay area for 26 years now and it just keeps getting better (and I came here after 6 great years in London). Florida just doesn't hold even the slightest appeal to me - humid, flat, mostly lacking in any 'pedestrian' towns, lots of people with second homes, etc. If you can't afford the Bay Area, try Seattle, or Portland; or try Denver (if you can handle snow), or Santa Fe ... there are LOTS of fine places to live in the US, all without enduring the 'big change' going back to UK would have on your family. You seem to be looking at this as if staying in FL or returning to the UK are the only two options.

nethead

Not everyone can just pack up and move.

robskatie

I would love to pack up and move to the North Paciffic area, if only

The_English_Bride

When I feel that way I watch the Colbert Report!

slidingbyee

and I recently found all episodes of 'The Good Life' on Netflix.

But back to the OP - if you consider Hawaii as a past resident all the islands are great - what do you prefer city or seclusion. My favourite secluded spot would be the island of Molokai - try millermolokai on Google - I promise no affliation by me.

Sally Redux

If he moves coast to coast to coast he still might not like it - some cultural things like guns, TV and different ways of socialising will not be that different.

Steerpike

Well my point was, it's a hell of a lot easier to pack up and move within the US compared to packing up and moving to the UK, which the poster I was responding to was talking about (Callowman)... "...Im about ready to move back home to England, but would it be fair on my US wife and my girls aged 9 both born here and know nothing else.". For the rest of the family, there would be the familiar - same TV, same stores in the malls, same sports, same basic school system, same government ... etc. But for Callowman, he could see it as a whole different world (which it is!).

nethead

I know what your point was, but not everyone has the resources to move a few thousand miles even within the same country. Not only that some people have obligations, such as jobs, extended family, and property in the area they currently reside.

tamms_1965

But still easier and less expensive than going back to the UK. If the OP was able to finance a move back to the UK, he can afford the move across the country. Plus, it's easier to look for employment in a new city while still at his present location in the US. It is much more difficult (and expensive) to try and find a new job in the UK while living in the US. OP doesn't have to move across the country to get a new atmosphere either. Just moving to the Midwest or further north on the East Coast would give him a big change.

My mom moved from Ohio to the Gulf Coast of Florida a few years ago and it only cost them a few thousand dollars, but they did much of the work themselves and planned the logistics of it for several months.

Dan725

But a lot of what Callowman was talking about is the same elsewhere in the US - work attitudes, nation of salespeople, etc. I'm not saying its like it absolutely everywhere...however, there are some fairly deep seated cultural differences between here and Europe which is what Callowman is effectively describing.

The flipside however is....would the UK be as remembered after 19 years away?

Bob

Not necessarily, might have friends and family back in the UK who could put them up for a bit, help with the job search etc.

I'd still consider a move around the US personally as well given the chance of actually being here, but it's not always practical for everyone to stick it out, especially if they just have had enough.

Steerpike

Well I'd agree on the 'work attitude' part - the one thing I've loved here from the beginning is, people are more inclined to work hard and, in my field at least, the pay reflects this. I wake up excited about going to work every day because I work with and for people who are all focused on getting stuff done. I'm usually disappointed when 5 or 6pm comes around because I haven't gotten everything done that I wanted to. Sure I could be in the UK, get 5 weeks 'holiday' and check out after a 7.5 hr day, and hate the 47 weeks of boredom, bureaucracy, and clock-watching that I remember from my time there; I'd rather have 49 enjoyable, challenging work weeks that don't feel like 'work' in many respects.

But in other respects, I do feel the 'coastal North West' has a decidedly different character - left-leaning, outdoor-oriented, environmentally conscious, tolerant, etc. I don't know anyone who goes to church, everyone is opposed to the war in Iraq, and there are more Priuses than SUVs ... You don't have to like it - but it is decidedly different!

chartreuse

Oddly, in all of that, you failed to address Dan's "nation of salespeople" point. It's something that I too find annoying, at best and IME is just as prevalent on the West coast as elsewhere.

surly

"nation of salespeople" A meaningless phrase.

dunroving

Interesting - in my line of work (academia) I, too, would skip down the road (I lived across the street from work) looking forward to a day (and a half) at the office and enjoyed working with colleagues who were dedicated to the cause. Even though US academics are generally only on a 9- or 10-month contract, most I knew would work over the summer on their research rather than say "Hey, I'm off for 3 months of sitting in the back garden drinking beer and barbecuiing". The only guy I knew who did this (literally disappeared for 3 months over the summer) was a Brit, ironically.

Here in the UK I work just as hard but the work ethic is not there. It's much more of a bureaucracy ethic, and I can never seem to get my work done because I'm so busy sitting in meetings and documenting what I'm doing and how I'm doing it! Most of my colleaguse talk about the job as if it's, well, a job rather than a professional vocation. Anyway, don't get me started!