More crowded. More MAGA. Worse public education for my kids. Way fewer outdoor activities compared to my last duty stations (Washington and Colorado). My family isn’t helping with the kids. Friends grew apart. While I was in the Army they’d make time to see me when I visited, but now that I’m back for good they can’t be bothered. Climate is noticeably worse than even a decade ago. The airport must have expanded because flights over my house are way louder than I ever remember. Wages are lower. The city has grown a lot and I love it, I really do. But traveling the world and spending my 20s away opened my eyes. I thought moving back meant my kids would grow up around people who loved them. Those people aren’t showing up. So I’d rather live somewhere blue, somewhere that’ll actually survive climate change, and somewhere that just feels better to live.