Did you spend years in or grow up in a mountainous state and , finding yourself in the flatlands, feel sad and yearning for mountains?

My girlfriend lived wi.thin sight of Mt Sopris and the Roaring Fork Valley for ten years, then moved to San Francisco. She misses the mountains quite a bit, almost homesick for it. Plans to move back in about a year.

On the other hand, I have never lived more than 25 miles from the ocean. Don’t know how I would do inland.

I live in a mountainous state. I can’t imagine leaving it. When I have gone out to Oklahoma, it seems very boring and flat.

@zenvelo Yes, I can’t imagine living away from the ocean either although mine is a different ocean from yours.

I do love being in hilly or mountainous country but I’ve been pretty much a flatlander all my life.

I’ve spent my whole life in mountainous/hilly states. It would be hard for me to live somewhere flat and to live far from the ocean. I spent a while in Wisconsin a couple years ago and I was very aware of how flat it was. Definitely made me long for California and Nevada.

I grew up in city life and felt like I didn’t fit in until I moved to a National Park and have felt much contentment and free in this fresh air environment and go out hiking etc as much as I can.
As kids we were always thrown outside all day until evening and then we would wander the neighborhood and located fields and creeks but not as in a National Park . I discovered that as a child this is where I was the happiest in Nature.

Are you kidding?? Growing up in B.C Canada I am so at home in the mountains,it feels very strange when ever they are not all around me.

I grew up around hills, not mountains, but when I first arrived in Michigan for college, the flat land was very odd to. Even flying into Detroit Metro seeing all the flat land from above was a little depressing. I still was aware of the flatness throughout my time there, but I had a lot of fun in school, so the flat land didn’t matter very much in the end.

Then I graduated and moved to South Florida where it is very flat also. The palm trees and sunshine make up for it. I’m still aware of it though. The sky is lower and broader when the land is flat. In the mountains it’s like the ceiling (sky and universe) above you is even higher.

Looking at beautiful things I think matters to a lot of people, and the mountains not only look beautiful, but I think it makes me feel cared for by nature, more in touch with the land, and has a tranquility.

However, I will say, after living in flat parts of the country for many years, I like the safety when driving down the road of being able to see all traffic, very few blind corners, very few turns that someone in the opposite lane can lose control and come into my lane because the are driving too fast on a curve, especially a down hill for them one. As I get older I appreciate it more.

When I drive through very mountainous states on the interstate especially, I find it exhausting. So much more attention needed.

Maybe part of what you miss is nature, did you live in a place that had houses farther apart, or more green space in general?

I grew up in rural appalachia and now live in the Tennessee valley. It’s still hilly here bit I do miss living in the mountains.

I moved from upstate NY (filled with hills) to southern FL (so extremely flat). I really appreciate what @JLeslie said about the sky and how the palm trees and sunshine make up for being so flat. And I appreciate the flat when I ride my bike. Still… it just doesn’t feel like home.

I visited the panhandle of FL recently and squealed with delight when I drove down a hill. I stopped at a red light at the base of a hill and my little one was so anxious! I forget that he’s spent a good chunk of his life in flat, southern FL.

Anyway, not mountains… but I really miss hills. Big hills, even, that we called mountains and skied on. Big hills that anyone from Colorado would laugh at for being referred to as a mountain.

And I also miss being able to hike without worrying about fire ants, snakes and alligators.

@JLeslie. what we lived in was extremely unique. We bought a fairly large home, about 3200 sq ft, on top of a steep hill. It was so steep that it amazed me when a person or one of our dogs climbed it. The great part was that it was surrounded by unbuildable land covered in woods. So you could go outside and nobody saw you. It had a walk out basement. So the front part of the house was overlooking the steep driveway, then you’d go downstairs and you could walk out the back doors to the yard. It’s hard to explain. Then a faint view of hills were visible from the 2nd floor deck. We’d still be there if my SO hadn’t gotten cancer. We had to sell and move where he could get great medical care (Texas) and be near my daughter. Lived there nine years and miss that house SO much. No solicitors either. I’d ride his golf cart down the driveway each day to get the mail then drive it back up. Downtown there were lots of hills and a very tiny National Park. Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Oh, I forgot. Big, fat deer in the “yard” all winter and little white rabbits running across the backyard all spring.

@Aster I’ve been to Hot Springs! Went into the baths and drank the water. My house in TN was in 3 acres, and backed up to about 20 acres of undeveloped woods.

In the hot Southern summer heat, as I approached my house the temperature dropped. About a mile away I’d make a left turn and start up a hill, and trees began to line the street on either side. That’s when the temperature would drop 5–7 degrees, it was noticeable.

My backyard in the summer was lush, I couldn’t see my neighbors, and the rustling of the leaves when a gentle freeze came through was a favorite sound of mine. That property was the most tranquil place I have ever owned. The deer loved my backyard. In the early summer the doe would come with their new babies. The dawn would run around and the mamas would try to keep them in line. Late summer, when the afternoons were very hot, the fawn would come and rest in the shade back there. Once in a while several bucks would come through, sometimes play-fight, and then continue on their walk.

Certain birds loved that yard too. I was told by a friend that some sort of bird (I don’t remember the name) probably liked it there because I had tall trees on either side, and then an open lawn of about 200 feet. The birds would fly from one side to the other.

Having nature around like that, not much compares to it.

Sounds like Heaven. I never saw a doe with all the deer we saw. We came home one night and it was pitch dark but the HOA had put a street light at the bottom of the driveway. To my amazement, there were a dozen huge deer blocking our driveway, I recall saying, ” this is a special moment. Lets just sit here and watch.” They walked off in thirty seconds. The street leading up to the house was unbuildable too. On each side of the street the land went almost straight up and was covered in forest.
I’ve often wondered if we ever went back to that house if I would find happiness again or would I have a huge letdown. I just don’t know. And oh, the roaring fires I’d build in that huge fireplace. My grandson and I made s’mores together. Idyllic.

@Aster Why did you have to move away?

@janbb Not trying to be rude but why does anyone move away, family, money, jobs,health, the list goes on and on.

@SQUEEKY2 I get that. I was just curious, not trying to pry.

@janbb As I said in my post, my husband got cancer and the healthcare in Hot Springs sucks. Then a few years after we moved here he got it again. Then he had a hip replacement.
With a serious illness like that he wanted me to be near my daughter anyway.

@Aster If we are Facebook friends I’ll tag you on photos of that house and the deer. I don’t remember if we are. You can PM me if you’re interested.

I also don’t know if I could go back. If it would be the same. It wouldn’t be the same I don’t think. I live in a nice place now, it’s just different.

@Aster Thanks. I must have missed the post where you mentioned it.

(To original question) I did, when I lived someplace flat for a while, at least, when that flat place wasn’t otherwise wonderful. When I was in a flat wonderful place, it didn’t bother me. But since then, I’ve mostly chosen to live places that have mountains, forests, water.

No. I got sick of the same scenery. I miss resteraunts and radio stations.