Ask HN: Has remote work made you move to a new location or consider it?

I'm in the SFBA, but grew up in central KY and eastern TN. While I'm very interested in moving out, my wife isn't ready yet. Personally I find California to be oppressively over-regulated (zoning and planning are horrible, but the limits on what I can do and buy are also heavy-handed), unreasonably expensive (primarily housing, taxes, fees, and energy), and the people too judgmental of others and their differences (trendy-issue virtue-signaling is a competitive sport). It isn't a healthy or cost-effective place to raise kids.

The only things going for the area used to be nice weather and tech jobs. But now that summer and early fall are filled with smoke and the jobs can be worked from anywhere, why stay? My wife agreed to move out as soon as we had a child, so I'm pretty excited about having the opportunity for an escape.

Anything in Brooklyn is less convenient.

I tried to break my lower Manhattanite molding and stayed over in that part of Brooklyn for a month. I was even around some of those hardcore Brooklyners who would protest the idea of any event in Manhattan, and then every event they took me too was a lamer version of Manhattan. Or they wanted to go to Brooklyn Mirage every day. I had some other crews but its not for me. The biggest irony to me was that everything people in Brooklyn complained about, regarding Brooklyn, were the same things people in Manhattan complained about regarding Brooklyn. So I’m really turned off by collective delusion places especially when my luxury apartment dwelling friends have a choice in the matter.

The neighborhoods are nice, and the newer rooftops are mind blowing. But the classic circuit in Manhattan is for me. East Village, LES, Soho, Tribeca, Washington Square, West Village, Meatpacking.

Back in the attractive-because-its-gentrified part of Brooklyn:

Greenpoint? I dont get it. Every time you wanna go out its just walking further to Williamsburg or taking a convoluted path to Queens or Manhattan, and some really scary roads for bike/scooter.

Williamsburg? I’ll stick with visiting.

Fort Greene/Prospect Park? Beautiful, neighborly, I wish it was geographically close to other things like surrounded by Manhattan. But apparently I missed some action in downtown Brooklyn that none of my current friends do.

Many people simply spend the increases in their pay while fantasizing about what they don’t currently have.

Live in the country … “I need to be in the city where I can access more events and people to fulfill my life. The countryside is boring and making me feel x.” Live in the city … “I need to be in the country where I can have more solitude and enjoy nature to fulfill my life. The city is overstimulating and making me feel y.”

Some of us are nomadic by nature and simply want some place different every few years. Others want stability and remain in places for decades.

I used to fantasize about new places, expecting the change in environment alone to be impactful. Now I realize that changing locations will not by itself impact my life for the better, but the act of searching for a new home, discovering new places and meeting new people is exciting and invigorating.

Moving physical things sucks though, so minimizing physical possessions makes this lifestyle much smoother of course.

> There is the occasional outlier, that is someone who prefers to freedom to work from anywhere and keeps on the move, hopping about the globe whilst working remotely, but they are rare.

I have not had good luck with most (though not all!) digital nomad types, either as contractors or remote employees. My sample size is small because they are rare, like you said. However, the few that I’ve worked with felt like they needed extraordinary management attention to extract even moderate amounts of work relative to anyone else on the team.

And of course their peers and teammates hate it the most because they’re forced to collaborate with someone in changing time zones who seems to be working hard at avoiding work.

1. Too hot for too long (winters are pretty good though), at least in the cold I can get outside with layers on and be comfortable, no escaping the heat 2. I'm legally blind and deaf, Amsterdam is giving me back freedom because a car is not a necessity (it is in Scottsdale/Phoenix, don't let anyone tell you otherwise) 3. I don't necessarily always feel safe there (especially in a car)

Scottsdale does have a lot of things going for it, don't get me wrong: 1. Lots of cool restaurants/activities (I used to go to ifly once a week for training) 2. Airport is very accessible 3. Good nature spots just a short drive out of the city (mini vacations for a weekend are great) 4. Lots of disc golf parks which I've taken up as another sport I can mostly participate in despite my vision loss 5. Rent is affordable compared to the other big cities

Lots of good reasons to move to Scottsdale, don't get me wrong. If it weren't so hot I probably wouldn't have left as readily.