Sunday, October 28, 2012

Why We Live Where We Do



Have you ever thought about why you live in the town or state you do? Did you end up where you are now because of career obligations (either yourself or your spouse)? Was it to be near family? Or did you pick your town because of its lifestyle? Are you still living in the town where you grew up? Or did you just close your eyes in front of a map and point?

We each have many different reasons for ending up where we do. Personally, I’ve lived in seven different states as an adult and my reasons for hop-scotching across the country are as varied as the landscape. But the reason for my last move, boomeranging back to Ohio, the state of my birth, surprised even me.

Foolishly, I thought it was to be near family. Given my other choices—too hot North Carolina, too crowded and expensive California, or way too hot Arizona, Ohio made the most sense, despite the winter snow. I selected Oberlin for its small college-town atmosphere, its liberal nature, and its movie theatre. But actually Oberlin chose me.

Shortly after moving, I began to work on what would become The Abolitionist’s Secret, my December release from Crimson Romance, about a bashful young lady in New York and her handsome military officer, who happens to be a slave owner. She is involved in the abolitionist movement and helps a young slave escape the clutches of the slave mongers at an Underground Railroad stop. 

Ohio was an active route on the Underground Railroad, too, and Oberlin played a significant role in the movement. There are several monuments around town that herald the town’s involvement. And the city has taken on the restoration of an old Gasholder building with plans to convert it into an interpretive center about the Underground Railroad. I decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from the book to this center, which is funded by private donations and grants. For more information about the center, visit their website at: http://www.cityofoberlin.com/CityManager/UndergroundRailroadCenterProject

So, tell me about your own personal experience. Where do you live, and why? Do you use your town in your stories at all? 

And, don't forget to return for the Crimson Authors blog hop November 17-21! We have gifts!

4 comments:

  1. I live where I do because of my husband's career. However, it's a beautiful and lovely place. I love the openness of the Midwest. I think farmland looks a giant mother nature quilt. See you at the blog hop, Becky! Great post!
    -R.T. Wolfe
    www.rtwolfe.com

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  2. I live about a mile from where I grew up. Why? I met hubby at work locally and it never occurred to move elsewhere. Of course, three years after we purchased our home he go lay-off at his job and found one with a 45 minutes commute. Luckily, the commute was the opposite of traffic so we are still in the same place and he's now retired. We've never moved because everything is so close to us here. We looked other places and almost moved twice but decided this is what we know. Kind of a silly reason to stay but I guess it all comes down to comfort.

    You book sound intriguing. We are on the east coast Underground Railroad which is why it peeks my interest.

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  3. I was born and raised in Northern NJ. I have moved four times, all to the immediately surrounding towns, and stay to be near family. But I love visiting other states, and Oberlin, Ohio is now on my list! Cannot wait for The Abolitionist's Secret!!

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  4. Sharon Lee Fernberg

    I was born in an Army hospital along the Ohio and because of having a father in the military, we lived in many states and also Frankfurt, Germany. I live outside of Rochester, NY because Dad was with Yellow Pages then and was transerred here, where I met my husband, raised 3 children, and stay because two of my grandchildren are here. But I have traveled many states from CA to Maine and the Carolinas, to Georgia. Someday I hope to return to Ohio and meet this wonderful author and cousin of mine, and to see Oberlin, too.

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