Something that the pandemic and the associated housing churn offers to young and childless city dwellers is the opportunity to move somewhere they can find a sense of community, which for many is something that is lacking in their lives as evidenced by the long HN threads on the very real subject of alienation felt by young workers in physically anonymous environments.
They might find this back in the small town they came from, or it might be just in another neighborhood of the same city that has more of a sense of community. It's not unusual for large impact events like this to cause people to consider switching to different style of life - and matching setting - that involves getting more connected with the people who live around them, or moving to a place more amenable to that.
I've already seen several examples of this happening on a local level, so I figure it's a real sub-trend among the many sudden human movement patterns initiated by the pandemic.
I'm in my 30s now, so moving back in with my parents is a no-go. If my partner and I were in real trouble they'd have no qualms about taking us in, but save for dire circumstances—it would pretty much be a last resort.
That said, we live downtown Toronto and it's been on my mind for some time to try and move out of the city. I love the city, but I grew up in a small rural town. I miss the green space. I miss the autonomy. And while I'm not much of a socialite, I do miss knowing my neighbours.
The churn in my building and the amount I see any familiar faces makes forming any relationships rare.
I'd been looking for a remote work option for a while, but since my current workplace has moved remote for the time being it's been rejuvenating the idea of moving away again.
Sadly, I've virtually been priced out of my home town. You get more bang for your buck than in the city, but the base pricing is about the same.
I've been taking time scouring for a viable option that wouldn't end up costing more necessarily. It's fun to dream, but it would definitely be nice to find some more concrete options.
It definitely seems more talked about around here than it used to be. We know people who've already made the move—even people I never would have expected to leave city life behind. Their whole personalities seemed built around it, and next I hear they've moved several hours away to a rural area—not even just the 'burbs.
> Their whole personalities seemed built around it, and next I hear they've moved several hours away to a rural area—not even just the 'burbs.
This is a common sentiment that I personally share. I am lucky to live in a dense city neighborhood with an amazing sense of community - stoop gatherings for drinks 5 evenings a week and kids doing chalk art and bicycling around, local teenagers to help out with babysitting, but also neighbors helping me move appliances, and me helping them with repairs and upgrades on their homes. It's like Amish barn-raising in the city.
But I have to say, that if I didn't have this, and my choice were suburbia or a mountain town ... the mountains win hands down.
Oakland, CA. AKA "Hell" according to recent news. I should be clear that things are far from perfect here, but one of the things about a strong community is that it is most helpful precisely when things are not perfect.
If I had any advice, it would be to find a place with modest sized homes close to the street, and a mixture of generations and subgenerations, and a place that is not so poverty-stricken as to induce desperation in people, but not so wealthy that people don't really need each other's help.
What you describe sounds exactly like most neighborhoods in Boston. Well, not the couple affluent ones (those places suck), but all the others. Really enjoyed my time there.
In my experience (20ish years of cohousing and cooperative living, and a number of academia related moves) it can take three months to a year to really find a pack when moving to a new place. People generally already have their own packs, and not much time for new people, so it takes some active effort to find a good crew to be a part of.
The big exception is when you're moving as part of a large cohort, as in university or grad school, where everyone is on the same boat, with shared interests and few friends.
Shared housing also helps a lot. If you become best friends with a housemate, you probably get their friends for free.
But all of this is likely much harder under the pandemic...
> People generally already have their own packs, and not much time for new people, so it takes some active effort to find a good crew to be a part of.
It's true, but some communities are more naturally configured to integrate new people. A major forcing function for this is having children. Children do not have the same set of guards up as adults, so they will often force new parents to go outside of their existing circles.
Examples of this are communities that grow out of schools, childrens sports teams, or other community-based functions. The most basic community fostering venue is the sidewalk in front of your house where children may play.
Interesting. I'm thinking of moving into a city to find the community you speak of. Then again, I've never seen such a thing in America, not in cities, not in small towns, not in suburbs. I doubt it exists.
It definitely exists. Living in an Austin suburb now with most all of those features. It was even more so as a kid in Utah, but it was much more intertwined with the locally dominant religious group, so would be harder to replicate more generally.
They might find this back in the small town they came from, or it might be just in another neighborhood of the same city that has more of a sense of community. It's not unusual for large impact events like this to cause people to consider switching to different style of life - and matching setting - that involves getting more connected with the people who live around them, or moving to a place more amenable to that.
I've already seen several examples of this happening on a local level, so I figure it's a real sub-trend among the many sudden human movement patterns initiated by the pandemic.