One of my first columns for the Opinion section of the AJC in 2009 featured a book that asked whether it was better to move frequently for your career’s sake, or to stay in one place to form a more lasting home. “Next Stop, RELOVILLE – Life Inside America’s New Rootless Professional Class,” by social analyst Peter T. Kilborn, kept a sharp focus on new families moving to Alpharetta in the early 2000s.
This “rootless” professional class moved from city to city with large companies, Kilborn said, shedding friendships and never staying long enough to make a home. These families didn’t get involved with anyone or anything since they knew they’d be gone within a year or two.
Like Kilborn’s “relos,” or relocation families, my husband and I were asked by his company to move from Connecticut to the Atlanta area in 2003. We chose the hills of unincorporated Alpharetta (now Milton). We had four busy kids in three different schools and several travel sports. The oldest was entering the senior year of high school.
Probably because I moved a lot growing up, I knew you could have memories of a place even if you lived there a short while. You could find a lasting friend despite sharing a small slip of time. But first you had to have a positive attitude and determination to discover the good stuff a place had to offer.
So it seemed natural for me to jump in to help at our new school, church and neighborhood. What started as efforts to ease transition for my own family became a deeper desire to improve things for others. But even when I only helped a little, I found it could mean a lot.
I wondered in my column in 2009 if the great recession would change our North Fulton cities, and the life trajectory of the newly relocated. It certainly did. Some lost their homes as they lost their jobs. Others moved. We ended up staying.
That choice brought the chance to watch our own children blossom beside the lives of their friends – and all the funny, sad, joyful and tragic memories that spending time with the same people over a decade can bring.
My four children are now adults. Our youngest is a student at UGA. The oldest daughter and her husband bought a home in Decatur. The middle daughter will soon be married. She and our son live with good friends in Atlanta.
And now, as empty nesters, my husband and I may soon move again. We’re fine with that now, and welcome the many new families moving to the area. I wish all of them the many blessings, and happy memories, received by our family over the years.
I moved into the County by county section in 2011. This will be my last column in this space for the AJC. I’ve enjoyed highlighting special people, and interesting issues and events. I’ve learned much over the years, and remain inspired by the brave souls I’ve encountered along the way.
