Ever wondered why where you live matters? Check out this article to learn why physical location is a big deal. 

In January 2017, I packed my bags and moved from mostly sunny albeit humid, Atlanta to the gloomy Pacific Northwest. I was excited for the move because I was ready for a new adventure. New friends, a new place to live and explore, and a new job were all in my periphery. 

However, I could not have prepared myself for the impending sadness I would feel simply because of WHERE I chose to live. 

1. Weather and Climate Affect your Mental Health

First of all, seasonal depression is VERY REAL. I never really took it seriously until I moved to Portland. It took me a while to understand and then admit that what I was experiencing was seasonal affectiveness disorder (SAD) which is exactly what I was for basically 8 months out of the year.  

The only way I can describe it, is that I didn’t realize how much the weather affected me until the sun came out. Once I got a glimpse of that beautiful ball of fire in the sky, I was inextricably happy. Absolutely nothing could get me down. It sounds insane but it’s the God’s-honest-truth. My friends would even dismiss half of what I said in the winter claiming that my feelings were valid but I’d probably be in a much different position if the sun were out.  

It wasn’t just me. One of my friends recently moved from the PNW to the midwest and was able to get off her antidepressants. Where you live really does affect your mental health. 

Disclaimer: I’m not hating on Portland. I’m simply making the point that the climate had more of an impact on me than I care to admit. 

There is much to be desired about living in Portland and plenty of people thrive in that gloomy environment. I’m just not one of them. 

2. Innovation thrives when where you live is full of like-minded people 

 Living near and around people who share your same ambitions and interests ignites creative energy. Where passionate individuals live, innovation thrives. We need innovation to keep moving forward in all aspects of life. When you choose to live around people who think like you, you are more inspired and excited to put in the effort it takes to make your dreams come true. 

Researcher and professor Richard Flordia describes this phenomenon in his book Who’s Your City?

“When people–especially talented and creative ones–come together, ideas flow more freely, and as a result individual and aggregate talents increase exponentially: the end result amounts to more than the sum of the parts. This clustering makes each of us more productive, which in turn makes the place we inhabit even more so–and our collective creativity and economic wealth grow accordingly. This in a nutshell is the clustering force.”

One of my friends works in real estate and has more ambition than anyone I have ever met. He found the chill laid back environment of Portland to be exhausting. There were not enough people around him who shared his ambition and passion for making money. So he decided to move to NYC where passion and ambition flow even in the rats on the streets. It could not have been a better move for him. He is thriving and inspired when he looks out his very small window everyday to see the life that exists in the city. 

3. Access to your ideal Physical Environment should exist

Portland may not be my favorite most of the year, but it is a dream in the summer. The weather stays around a nice 75 degrees with little to no humidity and there is plenty of access to some of the most amazing natural beauty in the country. 

There is a giant forest right in the middle of the city and if it’s the mountains you are looking for, the gorge is only forty-five minutes away. Being in such close proximity to natural beauty allowed me to be more active. It was also good for my mental health to breathe in clean air and smell the cedar of the large evergreens. 

Portland is also a bike friendly city. I had never really ridden bikes until I moved there, but it was so easy and the city is so beautiful, I couldn’t pass it up.

Carol Graham at the Brookings Institute found in her research that those who live in places where they can bike to work felt more satisfied and fulfilled than those who didn’t.

Recently, I learned that sidewalks matter too. You don’t realize the importance of them until they are gone. My family lives in Athens, AL which is essentially the middle of nowhere. There are barely any sidewalks. Even if I wanted to go for a walk in the blistering southern heat, I couldn’t. 

The closest thing to do in Athens is go to the little town square or Publix. There is a lack of healthy food options like farmer’s markets, and it is so hot most of the year that all you want to do is stay inside. When I am there, I am incredibly unmotivated, feel isolated, and leave bloated. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my family but unfortunately where they live is just not a place that promotes the healthy lifestyle I want. 

Where you live should have access to your ideal physical environment where there are things that make you happy. 

4. Economic Success is dependent on where you live 

Where you live has a lot to do with how successful you will be economically. This isn’t foolproof, and I’m not saying that if you live in an economically distressed area that you have no chance. What I am saying is that it will be much harder to climb the success ladder simply because of the things and people that surround you. 

In the Distressed Communities Index, analysts describe how those living in prosperous counties, on average, live five years longer than those who live in distressed counties. Mental and substance abuse are 64% higher amongst distressed counties compared to the more prosperous counties. 

I can tell you firsthand as someone who grew up in a distressed community that it ain’t easy to get out. The people who surrounded me were living lifestyles that did not promote success and to this day they struggle with drug abuse and mental health issues. 

Obviously, I got out and so have so many others but where you live can have a huge affect on your economic success. 

5. Your Employment Opportunities Can be affected depending on where you live

As our world is becoming more remote, we have the ability to live anywhere and still have access to beneficial employment opportunities. However, professions like nursing, teaching, and the service industry are still very location dependent. It is important when choosing a place to live that you have access to employment opportunities. 

As someone who has been unemployed, I can tell you that it is not fun.

Unemployment is hard enough but being unemployed and having little to no access to good job opportunities is just devastating.

Choosing a place that has many employment options in your industry matters to your overall mental well being.  

6. Your Housing Quality is affected by where you live

If having access to quality housing is important to you then where you live matters. I have become more aware of this as I have moved from house to house across the country.

The kind home I live in matters a great deal to me.

I spend a lot of time at home as a remote worker. This means I need to be in a place where I feel inspired and actually want to spend time. If my sink is constantly clogging and my neighbors are having a dance party at 3am every morning, I am not going to be a happy camper. 

I need to live in a space that has lots of natural light and colors that put me at ease. It would be great if I had hot water and access to clean drinking water. I personally like to live in a detached space where I can’t hear everything that is going on next door.

These things cost quite a bit of money so where you live matters if you want access to quality housing. 

Where you live matters when it comes to being able to afford your ideal standard of living.  

I wish we thought more about why Where you live really does matter. Our physical environments affect us way more than we let on. 

If you are considering moving, I encourage you to think about the implications of your physical location and why where you live matters.