With about 40 million relocations every year in America, reasons to move out could be various. However, there are few groups in which most of them could be classified – and that’s what we did. If you’re wondering Why do people move and want to find out if your reason is one of the most common ones, you’ve come to the right place.
How Do You Know When It’s Time to Relocate?
Are you content with your current situation? Is there anything in your life that you would change, such as the size of your home and monthly expenses, or do you want to chase your dreams somewhere else? Are you sick and tired of having to endure long-distance Valentine’s day each year? If the answer to any of the previous questions is yes, relocation could be the step that will improve your life.
However, with relocation being one of the most stressful events, thinking about the move and actually performing one are two completely different activities – even the boldest ones could be discouraged. Don’t convince yourself that it’s not a good time to move when everything is pointing to the opposite. Do everything that is in your hands in order to move safely, and don’t let anything stop you from starting your new chapter, least of all fear.
If relocation means going forward, don't hesitate to do it
1. Work-Related Relocations
About 40% of all relocations in America are related to a person’s workplace, one way or another. You could seek the best cities for college grads if you are a young professional looking to jumpstart a career, you can sign up for an office move at work, or just move closer to your workplace. In any case, the job would be the factor responsible for uprooting your life.
Leaving Home Because of a Corporate Transfer
Relocation may not initially be your idea, but a step your work demands. The good thing about an employee relocation is that your employer might help with the expenses in the form of relocation packages. Hiring a long-distance moving company and their packing service could be more manageable that way – you can just sit tight and let your West Coast movers or East Coast movers move large items and other tricky belongings.
However, there is still the issue of adjusting to a different city, which is not easy, especially if you were completely satisfied with your old surroundings. In that case, the main focus should remain on the positive side of the relocation – on expanding professional skills and experience.
Chasing Better Work Opportunities
Many different work opportunities, especially ones in well-developed cities, can convince a person to go through all that hassle of exploring cross-country moving services, choosing between multiple offers, hiring cross-country movers, transporting, learning how to pack fragile items, and so on.
Giant corporations located in big cities often offer bigger salaries, stable jobs, and the possibility to learn more, and metropoles are a great choice for building a start-up company. That is why young professionals opt for leaving small towns and becoming a part of more populated cities. Of course, that is not exclusive to younger generations – a seasoned professional could also be dissatisfied with the current position and looking for a change by seeking job opportunities outside of their city.
If you could use some relocation hacks regarding relocating for work, the video below may help you:
2. Personal Relationships and People You Love
Personal relationships are in second place on the list of the most common reasons people move. It could be relocation with a positive connotation, such as moving in with your significant other or walking down the aisle, but also a negative one, such as divorce.
Nothing will force you to just pack your relocation essentials and move to another state or even some country abroad as fast as love. And note that there are different kinds of it, apart from the romantic one. If your family could use some help, it is only natural to wish to be closer to them and even relocate to a completely different town. Every grandparent will be thrilled to be able to spend days with their grandchildren while helping their kids at the same time – they would pack children toys they bought in no time. Of course, it goes both ways – every loving kid will come to aid when their parents need them the most.
Some relocate in order to help their loved ones in need
3. Looking for a More Suitable House Size
With each different phase in our lives, our needs change, so it is not unusual for some to seek a home that could accommodate their preferences better, and in that search, they often go outside the borders of their current town. Depending on whether you are moving with kids or the kids have just left their nest, you may opt for a different type of household than the one you are living in at the moment.
A Growing Family Will Make You Want More Space
If you’re planning to start a bigger family or you already have more than a few members, small spaces could become crowded very fast. And not only that – as your children grow, their need for personal space will also evolve, which will result in you needing more rooms. So one of the reasons for moving out of an apartment or a small house could be providing enough space for each family member.
Whether couples are relocating in the newlywed’s phase, decide to move while pregnant, or even already with kids, they often opt for relocation to a small town. Quiet neighborhoods with low crime rates and a good school system and a house with a huge backyard for pets, if they are relocating with a dog or some other furry friend, are often what young families choose. So, if this is your main reason to move, ensure that the research of the best neighborhoods is on your relocation to-do list before you finally decide where to live.
Downsizing as the Best Choice for Retirees
And what should a couple do when the kids grow older and want to become independent? With all those empty rooms and a large house to maintain, it will soon become not just an unwanted chore but one the elderly couldn’t perform on their own. Choosing a smaller house is an option seniors often take, and they sometimes even choose cities away from where their old home was, with a climate and a lifestyle they prefer. Just think about Florida and all those post-retirement relocations that make this state one of the oldest ones in the USA!
Choosing a smaller space could be a good change for seniors
4. Finding a New Home Because of Financial Difficulties
One less fortunate reason for relocation could be connected to a lack of money. It could also be the reason for downsizing your home – a smaller household means lower utility bills and not-so-high maintenance expenses. However, a person could maintain almost the same lifestyle as before if he or she chooses to relocate to a town with a lower cost of living. Of course, thorough research and going through statistics must be on the list of things to do before the relocation if one of the primary reasons to move is financial.
Moving as a Way of Reducing Living Costs
When relocating because of your finances, you should explore which cities have a high cost of living and which ones are more manageable for you. If you are lucky enough, maybe you could find a place with everything you need for a reasonable price. The graphic below will show you five of the most affordable and most expensive cities in terms of the median home price, which currently amounts to $230,000 in the States as a whole.
Check out what are the cheapest and what are the most expensive locations in the US
5. Moving for the Purpose of Personal Growth
Nothing will test your limits more than going outside your comfort zone. And what better way to do that than to physically remove yourself from everything you are used to? You will have a chance to find out what you are made of, especially if relocating to another state alone. Managing everything all by yourself while finding a job and making friends in a new city can be challenging, even for the most adaptable person. Still, it is one of the fastest ways to build independence and learn to function away from your safety net.
Some people enjoy the idea of getting new experiences when moving to a different town. A move from a small town to a metropole, or from one side of the States to another, will undoubtedly cause a culture shock at the beginning, even if you’re not going overseas. However, being in contact with cultures different from the one you originated from will expand your horizons and make you more open-minded.
Education as a Form of Self-Development
Relocation for education is a widespread occurrence in the USA, and many young adults leave their childhood homes before they turn twenty, relocating to the place their chosen college is. It is the first step in becoming independent and the one that will prepare them for everything that awaits after they get a degree. Aside from enabling students to gain knowledge from the chosen field, this type of relocation could significantly impact their personalities.
Relocation for education is very common
6. Looking for the Possibility of a Fresh Start
Every once in a while, all of us wish we can have a chance for new beginnings, but it could become a need for some. That is when the relocation seems like the best solution – it could provide an utterly different environment to live in for people who want to break away from their past. It could be connected to some bad experiences, such as a divorce or a bad relationship, but also the lifestyle some wish to give up. Either way, changing the ambiance could be very beneficial for the mind while providing many different opportunities for starting fresh.
Going in Search of Better Neighborhoods
Sometimes people get a chance to move away from bad neighbors and environments with high crime rates, overcrowded public transport, high air pollution, tiring traffic jams, and so on in order to provide a better way of living for their kids and themselves. When raising a family, people will look for family-oriented and safe neighborhoods with tight communities and excellent school districts so that a new beginning could be a great investment for their future.
There Is No Place Like Home
For some, a fresh start doesn’t mean going to live somewhere unknown, but going back to their roots and forming a different routine in the old hometown, usually after a divorce or breakup, as a consequence of losing a job, or after graduation. However, going back to live with one’s parents is more than frequent nowadays when the world is fighting a global pandemic.
Moving back to your old home can, paradoxically, be one of the ways to begin again
Could Some of These Reasons to Move Be Yours, Too?
We presented you with some of the most common reasons to move to a new city so you could compare other people’s reasoning to yours, research the benefits, and make your final decision. And if you opt for relocation, don’t let anything stop you! Just remember, in order to avoid relocation stress, choose the best long-distance moving services – ensure that you have complete trust in your long-distance movers before putting your future in their hands. Good luck!
