Anyone working in our business long enough knows, sometimes you have to move for the gig. And back in the day, it was paid for, now, not so much.

I was moved once, with my family, for a job in Montana. Yes, it was life-changing leaving Los Angeles, but too short-lived. The job ended after 8 months, and how does one move themselves back across the country when said job is over? What a luxury to be able to up and move on a whim. So, we stayed 11 years!

I was back in California (from New York) last week, and traveled along the coast, and it was glorious. I had days where I thought about moving back because of family and long-time, dear friendships. I left Los Angeles for 100 reasons. One of the most pressing was to get my kids out of there and into a place with less stress, and seasons! Can we talk about the leaves, the lakes, the rivers, and the mountains? It was so hot where I grew up, that now, 20 years later, it’s unbearable. But on the coast, it’s bearable. I was Zillowing like a mad woman, but then I ventured inland and remembered why I left: that brown, desert-like vibe. I told my best friend from the teen years who I was sitting with, and she reminded me why people are leaving in droves: affordable housing, jobs, the hot, hot heat, and so much more.

When you work in a job that can take you anywhere, or if you’re like me and work remotely (for nearly 30 years) and can live anywhere, you may have to or want to leave where you are. But then when you get to where you are going, there you are again. You have to dive into the reasons you want to leave. My kids are grown up and I don’t have a reason to stay anywhere really, except as a mother, I want to be close enough to them, not to be in their hair, but a drivable distance. I also want to be close to a big city for meetings (and culture).

When I drove back to my little lake cottage this week, with the fall leaves falling, I realized I have built a tiny community here and I can build community wherever I am. Plus, it’s really gorgeous, NYC is 90 minutes away and my kids aren’t too far. So what’s the hurry?

I have decided roadtrips and one month stays in various places are in my future. I mean, I gotta visit all my radio brethren.

I’ll have to drive around some more and figure out this angst. Is it a radio person thing, this nomadic feeling? Or maybe a working solo and please socialize with me thing, or something like that?

Where do you want to live? Chime in ya all and tell me your favorite place you live in America.