How far (physical distance) has work taken you?

[George Jones]

In another thread Jimmy Snyder asked someone:

Now why would anyone leave a state that is so convenient to NY, PA, and DE?

Since everyone knows the answer, I decided to start a new thread about it.

Work takes people lots of different places.

How far do you live (short work-related jaunts don't count) from where you grew up (say, went to high school)?

Right now I live about 1500 km (930 miles) from Ingersoll Ontario, but I have lived both farther and closer since joining the working world. Farthest: about 3200 km (2000 miles).

 

[Astronuc]

~7800 mi west - work to Taipei, TW

~4700 mi east - work to Sofia, BG and Bucharest, RO

Missed a chance to go to Russia, but hopefully someday - and China (PRC) too!

I live ~1840 mi from where I spent my teenage years, but I'm ~10400 mi from where I was born.

 

[turbo]

I'm a real home-body. Always lived in Maine, within about 50 miles of where I was born, though I've had "second homes" for weeks at a time in Orange TX, Dothan AL, Paducah KY, Keyser WV, Camden AL, etc. All near pulp and paper mills where I did consulting work.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Born - NY, NY
High School - Haddon Heights, NJ, about 90 miles away from NYC
Currently Mt. Holly, NJ, about 20 miles from High School, 75 miles from NYC
I haven't gotten far. But I worked in Japan, roughly 8000 miles from here. I think Cape Leeuwin, Australia is the furthest landfall from here at around 11,750 miles and I hope to visit it someday.

 

[Moonbear]

Currently, I only live about 350 miles from where I grew up. The furthest I've lived is about 625 miles from there.

 

[Kurdt]

According to google Earth I live an astonishing 0.46 miles from where I grew up. I guess that doesn't count.

 

[turbo]

According to google Earth I live an astonishing 0.46 miles from where I grew up. I guess that doesn't count.

Maybe if you expressed it in mm, it would seem farther.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Maybe if you expressed it in mm, it would seem farther.

I'll give it a shot. According to google Earth I live an astonishing 0.46 mm from where I grew up. Nope, seems closer.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Grew up near Washington DC. Spent most of my adult life on the Navajo Reservation (AZ section) 1790 miles and the Santo Domingo Reservation in New Mexico - 1650 miles.

Did research stints in Panama 2070 miles, and Peru, 3550 miles from home. Worked as a Botanist for the USDA early on and was temporarily stationed in a lot of the 48 contiguous states, usually for about a month or so per location. So, more of a pick-your-distance thing applies here. From 2090 miles in Spokane, Washington to about 120 miles in Cape May, New Jersey.

 

[cristo]

I currently live about 180 miles from where I grew up. It's pretty far in English terms!

 

[Astronuc]

How about a single trip.

I flew from Düsseldorf (after spending a week in Germany where I did a 1600 km round trip from Düsseldorf to Karlsruhe to München back to Düsselforf with a couple of intermediate destinations) to home on a Friday, then flew out that Saturday to Tokyo, and spent a week in Japan. I woke up in the hotel in Tokyo Moday morning at 0300 and wondered why my bedroom was different. Took me a few moments to realize I was in a hotel in Japan.

From Düsseldorf to Tokyo is only 5800 mi, but since I had to back home first, that trip was 10500 mi.


Talk about jet lag.

 

[BobG]

People grow up in one place?

I live 500 miles, 585 miles, and 1365 miles from where I grew up.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I live about 1000 miles from my childhood home.

 

[Chi Meson]

Although I once lived on the opposite coast (about 2600 miles) from my birthplace, I am now back to being only 8 miles from my first home.

 

[DaveC426913]

I have never lived (except temporarily) more than about 12 miles from my childhood home(s).

But, living north of most of you, if I measure the distance in degrees longitude, it's larger.

 

[George Jones]

People grow up in one place?

I live 500 miles, 585 miles, and 1365 miles from where I grew up.

I tried to minimize the number of situations like this by specifying high school. This also doesn't work for my wife; she finished high school 9000 km (5600 miles) from where she started it.

Although I once lived on the opposite coast (about 2600 miles) from my birthplace, I am now back to being only 8 miles from my first home.

To there and back - like Bilbo.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

Does it count if it is your husband's work that takes you places? We move a lot, at the moment we live roughly 10,500 miles from home, I think.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

One comment here: One can either live where one chooses and find a way to work, or one can do what one wants and go where their work takes them. Unless you are very lucky, in my experience this is often a fundamental life choice, and we chose to do the former. We moved to Oregon because it is where we wanted to live; it was a way of life that we wanted. We let work and education [in my case] follow.

 

[vincentm]

I miss downtown Seattle, twas a 5 minute walking commute for me, now i live in Kennewick Wa and work in Richland and have to drive a whopping 10 minutes to work!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I miss downtown Seattle, twas a 5 minute walking commute for me, now i live in Kennewick Wa and work in Richland and have to drive a whopping 10 minutes to work!

I get up and walk all the way to work before I even make my coffee - all three hundred feet. Sometimes the deer are still sleeping by my office.

 

[Astronuc]

I get out to Richland periodically - not as much as I used to though. I was out there a few months ago.

 

[Chi Meson]

To there and back - like Bilbo.

Never fought a dragon. I did get a ring though.

 

[Integral]

I now live about 120mi from my home town. I did move to PA (~3000mi) for a few months. Sure was glad to get back from that trip into the wilderness!

Do I count my years in the Navy? I lived aboard a ship that took me as far as the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

 

[scorpa]

I'm a little over 300 km from where I grew up, I'm not really sure where I want to be when I graduate from university, theoretically i could go anywhere i suppose. I just don't know where that place should be yet.

 

[BobG]

One comment here: One can either live where one chooses and find a way to work, or one can do what one wants and go where their work takes them. Unless you are very lucky, in my experience this is often a fundamental life choice, and we chose to do the former. We moved to Oregon because it is where we wanted to live; it was a way of life that we wanted. We let work and education [in my case] follow.

The first choice doesn't even seem natural. People have followed the buffalo or mammoth or whatever for just about all of human existence. I've lived in the house I live in now for over seven years. The second longest was a house in military base housing and the third longest was a house in military base housing. Those are the only three houses I've lived in for at least 5 years.

I'm kind of shocked to realize I've lived in my current town for over 11 years, now.

 

[wolram]

I have worked in England, Holland, Belgium and America in the same week.

 

[vincentm]

I get out to Richland periodically - not as much as I used to though. I was out there a few months ago.

Well, next time you're here, hit me up ahead of time.

 

[Gokul43201]

I'm roughly 8626 great circle miles from where I grew up.

 

[Office_Shredder]

You have to keep this hush-hush, as it's kind of a classified thing, but I'm posting from one of the moons of Jupiter

 

[Chi Meson]

You have to keep this hush-hush, as it's kind of a classified thing, but I'm posting from one of the moons of Jupiter

Oh!

Like we don't know which one!?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The first choice doesn't even seem natural.

That's why I mentioned it. It was a rather cathartic moment when I realized that we can live wherever we want. We don't HAVE to put the careers first. That was twenty years ago. Now, I can hardly even imagine living in the city again.

 

[turbo]

That's why I mentioned it. It was a rather cathartic moment when I realized that we can live wherever we want. We don't HAVE to put the careers first. That was twenty years ago. Now, I can hardly even imagine living in the city again.

City!? I have to drive at least 15 miles to get to a town of ~7000, and I HATE going there. They have a Wal-Mart, other chain stores, and every fast-food joint you can name. Tim Horton's, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, 2 Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, Taco Bell, Subway. I hate that strip. I'm about 5 miles from where I can buy "Bait, Bolts, and Bullets" (the real name of the little catch-all store) and next door to that little establishment there is a grocery store that has enough of everything. We lived in that bigger town for over 15 years. It sucked. Our property taxes went up over 30% in one year while the taxes on commercial property (already low in comparison) was not touched.

We currently live in a town of about 900 people and many of them live in the village - we are out on a back road with a little less than 10 acres of woods, a nice garden spot, a pond (we'll landscape it eventually) and a nice little brook running through the center of the property. I let the snowmobile club maintain a trail along my east boundary. The wild blackberries and the Concord grapes and apple trees planted about 20 years ago by the fellow who build the cabin are wonderful. I could have made a LOT more money throughout my career by relocating, but I would not have been anywhere near as happy as I am here. 2-3 times a week, when my wife comes home from work and looks around our little log house, she shouts "I LOVE this place!" That's good for something.

 

[scorpa]

We currently live in a town of about 900 people and many of them live in the village - we are out on a back road with a little less than 10 acres of woods, a nice garden spot, a pond (we'll landscape it eventually) and a nice little brook running through the center of the property. I let the snowmobile club maintain a trail along my east boundary. The wild blackberries and the Concord grapes and apple trees planted about 20 years ago by the fellow who build the cabin are wonderful. I could have made a LOT more money throughout my career by relocating, but I would not have been anywhere near as happy as I am here. 2-3 times a week, when my wife comes home from work and looks around our little log house, she shouts "I LOVE this place!" That's good for something.

I think that is what I want when I "grow up". I've tried but I don't think I will ever be a city person. There is just nothing like living out in the country far from the city, away from the hustle and bustle. I like the quiet, being able to see the stars, walking for miles and never seeing anybody. It just seems like a lot more freedom. Unforuntately I'm not sure if my career path will let me do that, unless I choose to have a big commute.

 

[turbo]

I think that is what I want when I "grow up". I've tried but I don't think I will ever be a city person. There is just nothing like living out in the country far from the city, away from the hustle and bustle. I like the quiet, being able to see the stars, walking for miles and never seeing anybody. It just seems like a lot more freedom. Unforuntately I'm not sure if my career path will let me do that, unless I choose to have a big commute.

I hope you can pull it off scorpa. Too many times, we chose to do what is easiest "for now" and end up spending years living compromises. While choosing delayed gratification (we'll have a nice place out in the country someday...) can seem attractive, none of us is guaranteed a tomorrow. You don't have to go crazy about self-gratification, but if you'd like to live in a quiet rural place with lots of wide-open spaces to roam around, watch birds and take pictures, you should go for it and perhaps make your earning-power subservient to that. People in radiology and nuclear medicine may not make as much money in Maine as they would in cities, but you can choose to live in some really pretty places with low-cost, low-maintenance houses.

Did I mention that I LOVE my vegetable garden?

 

[Office_Shredder]

City!? I have to drive at least 15 miles to get to a town of ~7000, and I HATE going there. They have a Wal-Mart, other chain stores, and every fast-food joint you can name. Tim Horton's, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, 2 Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, Taco Bell, Subway. I hate that strip. I'm about 5 miles from where I can buy "Bait, Bolts, and Bullets" (the real name of the little catch-all store) and next door to that little establishment there is a grocery store that has enough of everything. We lived in that bigger town for over 15 years. It sucked. Our property taxes went up over 30% in one year while the taxes on commercial property (already low in comparison) was not touched.

How can all those stores possibly be supported by the population? It just seems unreal

 

[turbo]

How can all those stores possibly be supported by the population? It just seems unreal

It is the largest town in a rural area that draws traffic from a radius of 25-50 miles. Once WalMart has moved in and killed off the marginal retailers in a town, it becomes a magnet for people who need the goods formerly offered by the defunct business. Then, all the rent-to-own places show up to cater to WalMart employees, and the employees of the fast-food places that follow WalMart into town. It's very sickening to watch a vibrant little town die this way.

 

[GleefulNihilism]

South Central to Midtown, Kansas City. Frankly I love living in cities, everything has it's own life and energy, it really is a concrete jungle home to the human animal.

The only problem is that stargazing sucks in cities. I'm looking at a job that will take me to Montana.

 

[Astronuc]

You have to keep this hush-hush, as it's kind of a classified thing, but I'm posting from one of the moons of Jupiter

Even better.

Surfing the hydrocarbon seas on Titan.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/454/titansurfaceletsgosurficm4.jpg

 

[GleefulNihilism]

From what I've read the hydrocarbon seas have a consistancy more along the lines of thick pudding then water.

Sounds like that sucks for surfing.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

On Titan, you can only hang two.

 

[turbo]

On Titan, you can only hang two.

If you're a native, you only have two.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

City!? I have to drive at least 15 miles to get to a town of ~7000, and I HATE going there.

Yes we're pretty remote as well. One thing worth mentioning here is that we couldn't live today as we did when we first moved here. I was willing to do whatever it took to make a go of it, but at our ages this would no longer be acceptable.

What changed everything was the internet. This allows me to run a business from a place where it would not have possible twenty years ago.

As for the longest trip made for work; near Lima, Peru.