My Move Coast to (Almost) Coast
Why Did I Want To Move?
I moved from the busy part of NY to a not so busy part of the West. To get right into it me & my husband were born and raised in NY and honestly it never suited us. The area was busy, crowded, loud, and honestly it was expensive.
We like the quiet sounds of nature, not the alarming sounds of car horns. We like open uncrowded spaces, not being should to shoulder with strangers. And we wanted to live comfortably – that was just not possible where we were. The idea of buying a house in NY was nonexistent and if we moved, it could be a possibility (spoiler: it was! see: post).
What Made Us Decide That It Was The Right Time?
Two words: my job. The company I was working for was opening up another location and they asked if anyone would be interested in relocating. The idea started as a joke – “haha wouldn’t it be funny if we just up and left this place?” But then it got more serious, a real possibility. We decided that we wanted to give this a shot and booked a flight out to the city where the new office would be opening. Since the trip was only two days decisions had to be made quickly.
When we arrived in the general location – I’m not going to lie – we didn’t like it. It was a populated, busy city. It was exactly what we were trying to get away from. We spent that first day looking for a single hope that this could work and regrouped in the hotel room that night. As I laid on the hotel bed that night, I was honestly crushed. I wanted this to work so badly and not go back to NY just to tell everyone we were staying. As a result, we pulled out a map that night and searched surrounding areas – up to an hour away from the city.
When we woke up we knew it was all or nothing and spent the day driving. We came to a city where I saw deer walking down the street and said, “This is it.” I knew it, it felt like our next home. We got a feel for the neighborhood by visiting real estate offices and visiting apartment complexes. Finally it was decided that we were officially going to make the move coast to (almost) coast. Cross country adventures here we come!
What Was Our Timeline?
Our timeline was quick! Because of this, we had to make decisions fast and that also included going through with some life changing events. During this time we also decided to elope but that’s for another post.
Here’s a quick breakdown of our timeline:
March 27 – Go visit NV
March 29 – Return to NY
April 6 – Last upstate NY vacation
April 23 – Send out elopement cards
May 25 – Elope
May 30 – Start the drive
June 3 – Arrive at our new home base
June 18 – Back to work I went
Some Things To Consider If You Want To Move Cross Country
There is a lot of work that goes into moving such a far distance but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Please consider the things that need to be done such as car transport, moving trucks, and packing in general. For our move coast to (almost) coast, we rented one moving truck, packed it all up, and towed one of our cars on the back. An outside company needed to transport my car and it was a complete nightmare. I would highly recommend using a company that you’ve heard good things about from trusted people around you. Our moving truck got a flat tire on our first day of driving which definitely wasn’t the end of the world but you should have some wiggle room in your journey for these unexpected holdups.
Our housing situation was also a bit of a mess as we didn’t have one lined up until half way through our driving trip. We lucked out immensely when an apartment we visited on the trip out there had an opening and asked if we wanted to see it. It was a different layout than what we originally saw but we took it site unseen. Figuring out housing can be stressful but one of the most freeing times of my life was technically being homeless for those in between days.
Am I Happy With My Choice?
Yes, very much so in fact. I love where we live and I just know I wouldn’t be happy in NY at this point in my life. I don’t think I’d ever even consider moving back there. We hardly visit just because it’s a hassle in general but also going somewhere you know you don’t like is a struggle. We have some family there but with technology these days it’s okay to go for longer periods of time without seeing them – not even mentioning that there’s also a pandemic going on right now.
I’ve never been happier and I think this is the best decision I’ve ever made. My husband and I moved out here married and we’re thriving. The environment fits us and our personalities perfectly.
So that’s my story of My Move Coast to (Almost) Coast. I hope you enjoyed reading about it! In conclusion – if you want to take a leap of faith, do it. You’ll never know until you try it and it might just be the greatest decision of your life.