The Creativity Exchange is asking for people to tell their stories of how they chose where they live. And in Sunday's Boston Globe, Penelope Trunk wrote a great article on how important it is to chose where to live based on quality of life issues.

My family's story of how we chose to live in the Boston area--after hopping around the country for most of our lives and never having had the same address for more than 3 years--is illustrative not only for the reasons behind the choice, but also for the unintended consequences of making a good choice...

In 2001, I was working in Silicon Valley and watching the dotcom implosion happen firsthand. I was somewhat dissatisfied in my job and restless for change. My wife was not finding her job to be the "be all, end all" experience either, although it had its ups and downs. We had spent the past 3 years fixing up a 100-year old Victorian house in San Jose. I recall, in some paid focus group, when I was asked "What are you most proud of?" I answered, "My house."

While living in the Bay area, we moved many times, in an effort to trade up to better digs, living in apartments in San Francisco, Santa Clara, and San Jose, then buying a condo in Pleasanton--a 30 mile commute. I really liked the area, but I didn't feel a great sense of attachment to it. I also worked a great deal. Then I'd come home and work some more on my computer.

In December, a college friend was married and I took the opportunity to go back to visit Boston. I also signed up for a 2-day product management class at MIT Sloan School as I was trying to think of ways to move up and out of my purely technical role at my company.

The class was a waste of money--except that it convinced me I didn't need an MBA. But the trip to Boston reminded me of how much I liked the city. I walked through MIT and took the T across the Charles River to Boston Common and then walked down to Chinatown, to "The Eatery"--a sort of food court at Beach and Harrison. Then I walked back via Newbury St. Along the way I noticed lots of people out having fun on a Friday night. I noticed the architecture of the Back Bay, the uneven cobblestone sidewalks, the crisp fall air. Of course it was cold and rainy and I think it did snow on the last day--very different weather from Northern California.

At the wedding, I saw my friends--some with children--I had not seen many of them in several years. They seemed happy with the kids who were surprisingly (to me at least) well-behaved. I would not say I was overcome with nostalgia, but I definitely felt a sort of homesickness and I started to think about whether or not I might be able to move back.

When I returned to San Jose, my internal company drama continued as we went through a re-org and then an acquisition. I started to look at boston.com and Boston Craigs List for jobs. Then, I saw a job posting that seemed to fit me perfectly. I read it over several times and realized that I could write a cover letter that fit it perfectly...and I could begin to see how all the other pieces might fit--my wife could transfer from the San Jose office to the Boston office...we could sell our house in the still-hot San Jose real estate market and afford a nice place in Boston...so I showed the job posting to my wife and said...before I click "send" on this email...what do you think about moving to Boston?

My wife is from Boston, so it's not a huge stretch. Actually, when we first met in 1994, in Washington, DC, the fact that she was from Boston was the first thing we talked about. But in 2002, when we talked about Boston again we both realized how much we missed it. We also wanted to be closer to family. Ironically, her parents had just moved from the Boston area to Vermont...but it's only 5 hours away instead of a day of air travel. My father had died in Virginia in 2000 and as I attempted to help him with recovery from stroke--from 3000 miles away--it made me realize how dificult distance is on family.

All of these thoughts kind of crystalized in a couple of snap judgements. We didn't sit around thinking and planning and debating. We didn't do a survey of where in the country we might like to live. My vist in December prompted me to consider looking at Boston. When I saw a job that fit, we said, let's do it. So we did. (I got the job, obviously!)

Choosing a particular place to live in the Boston metro area was a little more methodical. We scheduled an open house to show our San Jose home on Sunday. Friday after work, we caught a flight to Boston. Saturday, we looked at about 20 houses that fit the following criteria:

• within a certain price range
• within .5 miles of commuter rail within 30 minute commute to downtown
• yard for dogs
• at least 2 bathrooms
• available to close quickly

On Sunday we re-visited our top 3 houses in West Roxbury, Needham, and Wellesley. Wellesley = too much money for not enough house. West Roxbury = great houses, unmotivated sellers, some concern about "fitting in" as a non-religious childless couple. Needham = perfect.

So we made an offer and were under agreement by Sunday night. My wife interviewed on Monday for a transfer. We flew back to San Jose and had an offer by Tuesday, under agreement Wednesday night.

One thing we did not know about Needham was that apparantly, they spike the drinking water with something to encourage procreation. We had not made "child-friendly" a priority, except in the sense that we knew the town was "hot" for families and had a good school system, so resale value would be good...but pretty soon, we noticed a lot of kids around. We started to think about our parents and how valuable it was to be a bit closer to them. And then we started to think strange thoughts we had not thought seriously about before...

We decided to have a baby. Then another. Then, we decided to go single-income and downsize our house to cut the mortage burden. We moved 4 miles over to Westwood, within sight of the elementary school our kids will walk to and still only .75 miles from a train station or about a 14-mile bike ride to work.

Our lifestyle changed radically. I started cycling and running and lost 30 lbs. I became a father--not something I had every really planned before. And then finally, I rediscoverd my passion for writing and started this blog.

Place is important. Penelope Trunk did a far more concise job of outlining the reasons why actively choosing the place you live, based on quality of life factors, is so important. But I know it is true...and it true that making a good choice can lead to many unanticipated benefits as you strive to live consistently and in tune with what is in your heart...because...of course...home is where the heart is. OK. Time to stop writing tonight. :)