People who live close to the ocean, would you ever feel comfortable moving away from the sea?

West coast kid skeptical of living in landlocked areas. I would love to experience seasons (we experience summer and cold-ish in southern California), but the idea of living so far away from the coast makes me feel homesick. And as the question presupposes, I don’t go to the beach more than maybe once or twice a year. I can move up and down the coast, but not away from it.

No. I love the ocean, regardless of the season. If anything, I wish I could live closer, but that’s for people with way too much money. As it is, where I am five miles away is about as close as I’m probably ever going to get.

I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, with the Blue Ridge Mountains on one side and the Appalachians on the other. The ocean was a few hours’ drive away, and a week each summer was spent on the beaches of Nags Head, North Carolina, in a rental house with the rest of the family.

When I was 25, a promotion led to a move to Minneapolis, Minnesota. While the state may be the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, it is flat and far away from the ocean. Not a day went by where I didn’t miss the mountains and the beach. The next two moves weren’t any better. Chicago has Lake Michigan and Memphis has the mighty Mississippi River, but it isn’t the same. And both are flat.

The next move is to England. Where the SO lives, there are mountain ranges, and the Irish Sea is an easy train ride away. I’ve lived in Memphis now for 20 years, but already this English town feels more like home.

I’m 2 hours from the coast in the Northern Ca. foothills and no, I could never be landlocked. Just knowing I can be at the ocean in a few hours is enough, even if I don’t go for a year.
This is why I love California, everything you could ever want within a few hours. Mountains, ocean, warm beaches, cold rugged beaches, deserts, rain forests, rivers…we’ve got it all.

It feels wierd. I’ve moved away from the coast a few times, right now I live in Memphis, and it is odd to be so far from the shore. Even when I lived in MI where the great lakes are like oceans when you stand on the beach, and there are smaller lakes all around, it just is not the same.

@Pied_Pfeffer I just read your answer. Remarkably similar to mine.

@JLeslie I know, dear friend. And I’m surprised that you didn’t specifically mention living in Florida. Had I not met the SO, my goal was to move to the Gulf Coast side of Florida when I retired.

@Pied_Pfeffer Even living in NY and MD growing up was enough to feel odd being so far from the coast. In MD I was about 2.5 hours from the beach, rarely went, and in NY we rarely went also, but we could go for the day if we wanted to.

In FL I lived 1.5–16 miles, depending on which house/condo I was living in at the time. I went to the beach about 5–10 times a year, depending. Although, to your point, when I mved from FL to NC, in NC I was just over 2 hours from the coast, we only went once, and it was annoying to be so far away since I was now accustomed to living in FL. Moreover, I was used to the beaches in FL.

I’ve always wanted to go to Chincoteague (sp? ) in the Carolinas. I wanna see the wild ponies. :-)

I saw the ponies when I was a kid. They are so little.

@Coloma I don’t think we drove all the way to NC, I am pretty sure we stayed in MD. Maybe it was as far as VA? I can’t remember I was so young.

I’m from Virginia Beach, VA, and I don’t think I could ever live in a land-locked area. Not only would I miss the ocean, but the culture of a place like that isn’t something I like. I’m currently living in New Jersey, and this is way too far from the ocean for me!

I was just reading about the Chincoteague ponies..I want one! Waaah…I want a pony! lol

@Coloma and @JLeslie The Chincoteague Wild Ponies are located on Assateague Island which is on the Maryland/Virginia state line. The Banker Ponies are located on Shackleford Island in North Carolina. In Nags Head, NC, the wild horses are regular size. They used to come into the complex where we rented a house in Corolla, but they have since moved a few miles north in an area that can only be accessed by 4-wheelers. It’s a sight to see.

I love living by the ocean and having a view of it almost anywhere I go. I moved away from here to Dallas for four years and felt awful. I missed it so much I moved back.

I’ve always lived close to the coast, but any potential move wouldn’t be hindered by leaving it.

I just spent a few days in a house by the sea. I would love to live in that place (or somewhere similar). I would miss my big garden and the space we have though. Most houses on the coast in residential areas are built on very small blocks. We could see the windows of the house next door. Where I live my neighbours are pretty much invisible unless I want to see them. I do hear them but it is very quiet here mostly. If I could move to the right place though, I would make the trade. I just love being close to the ocean.

Ever since I moved to Australia I have lived either right on the ocean or within a couple of hours drive. Of course for the last almost 8 years I have lived in the land of huge salt water crocs and jellyfish whose stings can kill you, so I could only look. Now I am living close to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world but it is too damned cold to get in! We still have our beach house where our cat and chicken live with a very nice old gentleman and one of these days we will probably go back there for good. The beach feels like home to me, like my mother, brings me peace and joy. I never want to live too far from it.

I’ve always lived next to coasts, so I would have a hard time moving to the center of the U.S. It’s a Summer ritual to drink by the beach, so I wouldn’t know what to do if I couldn’t do that.

Not to mention the culture associated with the middle U.S. doesn’t seem compatible with me.

@Pied_Pfeffer Oh, yes, now that you say that I remember it was on the line, no wonder I was a little confused. And, I think the ponies on the MD side are sometimes referred to as Assateague ponies? My memory is vague. Anyway, that is definitely where I went.

I lived close to the sea (not that you saw it very often, the tide was pretty much always out!) for more than ten years and, coming from a Naval background, I have always loved the sea. I don’t live near the sea now and, as much as I love where I live, I hope to move closer to water at some point. I certainly would never move back to the seaside resort I used to live in, in fact, I would probably avoid seaside (holiday) destinations completely. I would love to live close to a Loch in Scotland given the choice.