Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?

What is better in America than the UK?

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

I'm here already. Why did I come to the US? Because I could. ..... It had careeer possibilities for me, also my wife is American.

They're different, one is not better than the other. Personally I am not planning on going back (to the UK), because I have a family, career, and business.

Some people think the US and UK are very different, I think they're very similar, but the US is like a dream, where you wake up and everything is different, a bit. Similar enough to be familiar, but just different enough to be disturbing. :unsure:

Oh, and living here is definitely VERY different from visiting.

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

I agree. I had no interest in moving to USA but I met someone from Florida and it became a possibility. I followed through, and it did not work out perfectly, but I would not say I regret it. As it stands I have (health) issues that might cause me to return to UK, but after 20 years, I hope to figure out how to stay here if possible!

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

Are you an optimist? Do you seek opportunities? Is your personality forward-looking? I am 65 now and have lived in the USA for 28 years and from the moment I arrived, I felt this was where I was meant to be. My career took off and I became successful in ways that could never have happened in the UK. I could never have my current lifestyle in the UK.

Whenever I return to the UK or Europe, I feel mired in the past in a sea of pessimism and resignation that nothing will change. Worse, there is no will to change anything or courage to seize the opportunity. I love the UK for what it once was, but the country I and my parents grew up in has gone and there is no going back. The USA has its problems, it is not as optimistic as it was when I moved here in 1996, but it is adaptable and dynamic, and the future is still being made here.

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

My wife and I were living in London, she is from the US. One day she said to me "I'm going back to Oregon, you can come if you want too". so I did. Life here is just a Pulaski describes it. Think I'll stay here now, I am 76 and they let me drive here so can still be independent. Was thinking of going for a visit to the UK next year but getting a rental car is starting to be problematic. There is more of a can do attitude here.

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

Bit like that for me. 1991, we were both forty, two young kids, we were living the British dream. We were both made redundant. My wife said, “We are going back to America, because my mother isn’t getting any younger.” I said, “I would rather stay in England.” She basically reassured me that our next move, in twenty or thirty years time, we could move back to England. At that time, neither of us recognised that at a certain point in life, moving to another continent starts to get problematic.

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

Weather (fits my lifestyle way better), job prospects, culture. I feel I can be the best version of me. (Whether that's true, i'll never know.)

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

Adventure.

We had 2 small children and had a career opportunity with my company to go over on a 3 year assignment to Texas. Turned into a 29 year great experience for all of us. No regrets at all and we love living back here. (Been back 8 years now).

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

I feel like the U.S. is novel while you’re young. Once you start planning a family, UK wins hands down as long as you can afford it. Of course, if you end up having an American spouse that complicates matters a lot.

I totally get what you mean about the differences feeling both familiar and unsettling! It’s like you can see the similarities, but there are those little quirks that make you do a double take. Plus, having your family and career here must make it feel even more like home. It's interesting how people often overlook the nuances between the US and UK—there's so much shared culture, but the day-to-day can really throw you for a loop! And yes, living somewhere is a whole different ball game compared to just visiting. What’s been the biggest surprise for you since making the move?

Sounds like you made a big leap, but it seems like it’s paying off! It’s great to hear you’re enjoying your independence and the can-do attitude over there. Oregon is beautiful! I can understand the rental car struggle, though—sometimes it feels like a hassle just to get around. Have you found any favorite spots in Oregon that feel like home yet? And if you do make it back to the UK, I hope you can work out the car situation—it would be nice to revisit some familiar places!

That’s an amazing journey! It’s incredible how a temporary assignment turned into such a long and fulfilling adventure for your family. Texas has so much to offer, and it must have been a huge change for you all, especially with young kids. I bet those years brought a lot of memorable experiences! What do you miss most about Texas now that you’re back? Or is there anything from the UK that you appreciate more after living abroad?

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

We arrived in Texas 35 years ago with Green Cards obtained through other halfs family and taking a huge risk. We arrived with two young kids, no jobs and very little money.
Unfortunately the "family" thing didn’t work out but we made it on our own with lots of struggles along the way. We left Texas 2 years ago and now live in Pennsylvania, happily retired.

Not entirely sure we did the right thing. There is a lot of negatives for both countries. But we were fairly young when we left and getting away from a Thatcher government seemed like a good idea at the time.. she resigned a year after we left!!!

(maybe we should leave the US after this election if a certain person wins on Tuesday:lol:)

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

We don’t actually miss anything about Texas, it’s just that we love it here now at this stage of our lives. These days we are surrounded by friends and family, all within a mile or so. (We live in a small market town in Yorkshire, our children and partners have moved here recently plus my sister and her family). We walk just about everywhere we need to, the sea, the moors and the countryside is very close. My wife doesn’t drive anymore and I’m probably within the last 10 years of being able to drive but the bus services are easily accessible and pretty good.

We just back from a week in a tiny village in Somerset in a farmhouse cottage with my wife’s 2 sisters and their spouses, and we do something similar every year. This is in addition to other family visits as they live in Scotland, Cheshire and Surrey. After almost 30 years of being away from family, it is wonderful to be back so close to everyone.

Everyone’s situation will be unique to them.

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

Ha! We were talking about Texas this morning. We don't really miss too much except for some good friends we made over our 33 years there. And the trips we made to West Texas. The wild openess and the mountains . Also walking along the beach near Galveston during the warm winter months...the locals don't go on the beach after Labor Day!

But that's about all really.

Re: Why do you want to go to the USA as a british person?
 

Same here, we loved Galveston and West Texas and also made some good friends. The first 2 years we were there we lived in Galveston County as I was working in Clear Lake. We then moved to Baton Rouge Louisiana with my work and really enjoyed our time and the friends there. The last 12 years was in The Woodlands, Texas, the last 6 years was after we retired.