You’re Gonna Miss These When You Leave Your Hometown

Movers and shakers, beware!

We’ve always been a nation on the move.

Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1805 to explore and map our newly gained territory, the Louisiana Purchase. The idea of Manifest Destiny began around 1845, which promoted the American belief that we were meant to occupy the entire continent. As a result, westward trails, like the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail, were developed to begin trade and establish settlements in that part of the “New World.”

Meanwhile, in the East, the Industrial Revolutions sparked massive growth in income and population in our largest eastern cities. The automobile age helped many Americans move about the country, and the Interstate Highway System made it faster and safer starting in the late 1950s. At the same time, the advent of air conditioning allowed an unparalleled move of Americans to the arid west and southwest. In the Eastern cities, families began an unprecedented move to newly found suburbs, and the decline of the inner cities started in the 1950s.

This is a very quick sketch of how America grew and shows us how Detroit, the fifth largest city in the country in 1950, is now only the 27th largest. Phoenix now stands in the number five position, and it was barely a dot on the map in 1950.

Traditionally, Americans have always been on the move. Most often, it’s been for more money or any money at all. People go where the jobs are. Proximity to family is another overriding factor.

However, according to Pew Research, fewer Americans moved in 2020 than any year since the federal government began reporting this data in 1948. The pandemic stopped people right in their steps.

Still, the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, and the Carolinas saw inbound moves that were 34% higher than average. 9.8% of the population moves every year or 15.3 million households. And moving picked up again in 2021.

Not-so-fun-facts: The amount of waste this generates is staggering! Nine hundred million boxes, 90 million pounds of packing paper, and 30 million rolls of tape. Numbers the moving companies love.

Moving is often mentioned as one of the five top stressors in our lives. And it doesn’t end once you arrive in your new home. That’s only the beginning. Let’s examine some of the things that are going to disrupt your life.

Physicians: I don’t know what is most painful, but finding good doctors is one of the most challenging adjustments. First, you must find a new PCP, making sure they accept new patients and are in-network with your insurance carrier. Depending on your situation, you may also be looking at a new medical insurance carrier. Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t necessarily operate in all fifty states. Then there are the specialists. I looked for a psychiatrist when I moved to Albuquerque for two years and eventually gave up. All I needed was medication management; fortunately, my PCP was happy to do that for me.

Pharmacies: You’ll have to fill your prescriptions at Walgreens or CVS or wherever they don’t already know that you have ADHD, depression, or anxiety, and sometimes you need help getting it up. It‘s like buying condoms for the first time!

Dry Cleaners/Tailors: The one you’ve used for years knows that you like your shirts with light starch on hangers. They know that your waist has been growing and that one of your legs is shorter than the other. It can be hard to explain to a person who does not know our native tongue well. Time to start over!

Grocery/Liquor Stores: You probably go to the grocery store you’ve always gone to because you know where everything is. Apart from floral almost always being at the beginning, their layouts are slightly different. Then you’ve got the guys at the liquor store who know you too well. And the bars where everybody knows your name. Sayonara!

Barbers/Stylists: Finding the right one for you is one of the hardest things to do. If you’re like a lot of folks, you’ve developed an almost intimate relationship with your hairstylist. They know your whole life story! When you find the right stylist, you’re loyal for life — or at least as long as you live in that city. When you depart, remember that the entire city you’re leaving behind now knows your story.

Banks: Most banks are not national, so you will have to find a new one. Having a relationship with a banker is always good, so don’t be shy. Chances are you’ll need them someday to take care of those “accidental” overdrafts.

But these are first-world problems. People like the Kardashians have others do these things for them or come to their homes where they consume too much water. Most of us have to go through these rituals on our own, so the stress wears on for months.

As an adjunct to grocery and liquor stores, I want to spend some time on food.

When we make long-distance moves, there is almost always a food product we cannot obtain in our new location.

Sometimes, it’s the other way around. You long for foods that you tried on a vacation you loved, but you can’t get the item where you live.

For example, when I was a kid, we’d visit Durango, Colorado, every summer, where my grandfather lived. Sprite and Pace Picante Sauce were sold there, which were unavailable in California, where we were living at the time. So I’d plead with my dad to stock up on those products. Likewise, my older sister would take home cases of Coors Beer because it, too, was not sold in California. (Tasting it now — ugh, why did she bother???)

Many food distribution gaps have been solved because corporate conglomerates have bought smaller companies with significant distribution advantages. For instance, Pace Foods was purchased by the Campbell Soup Company long ago, which already had distribution in all fifty states. Sprite is a Coca-Cola product released to the public in 1961 but only had distribution to about 75% of the country as late as 1967. So that answers that!

One of the fiercest loyalties we have to foods is potato chips. While Frito-Lay commands a 60% market share in the category, that leaves much room for local and regional producers. For instance, Jay’s Potato Chips in Chicago is a formidable competitor, and when you move to a place outside their distribution area, you’ll miss them. The same goes with tortilla chips, where Frito-Lay holds an even more substantial 72% market share. But are Doritos and Tostitos really tortilla chips? I prefer the chips that local tortillerias make because they’re made of real tortillas!

A move starts with a dream, perhaps based on a better job, a bigger house, or a nicer community. Just remember that dreams can become nightmares if we sweat the details. People lose sleep over this stuff!

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