With Relocating on the Rise – Where Do You Tell People You Are From?

By Bill Doyle

Where are you from? It seems like an easy question, doesn't it? But there are many different ways to answer it. Is it where you live now, even if it has only been a brief time? Is it where you were born, even if you left years ago?

As is pointed out in a piece at The Guardian, Americans move an average of 12 times in their lives, making the answer to "Where are you from?" a little dicey.

I was born outside of St. Louis, but I haven't lived there since the 80s, so I don't really feel like I'm from there anymore. I spent two years in Iowa, five years in Colorado, five years in New Jersey, twelve years outside of Detroit, and now another three years in New Jersey (so far). So where am I from?

If I'm out of state and someone asks, I say New Jersey since that is where I live, at which point they will say they know someone in Jersey and do I know where blank is? I say sure, its a really nice area. If I'm in Jersey when someone asks, I usually just say Jackson, since that's current.

How many times have you moved in your life? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.