I've lived all over the world and I noticed as my values in life changed so did my desired in living location. When my wife and I decided to start trying to have kids we realized our home was plenty large enough, five bedrooms, but we had outgrown what DC had to offer, and wanted a large fenced yard for dogs and kids to run and play in just outside our house, garage, swimming pool, large patio, deck, neighbors far enough away that we could blast music or play movies on the side of our house with a projector, camp out in the backyard, let the kids ride bikes through the neighborhood without fear of constant stop sign blowers, plant a huge vegetable garden and a reading grotto with a goldfish pond, etc. This was our new dream and we sold our house and purchased a house just a little over the border in MD to make it happen. Your comment makes me believe you would find our life boring, I might've thought the same thing when I was young, but it's more full now than it ever was and I make it even more full by volunteering three days a week at outpatient substance abuse centers as a former addict counselor/life helper-outer, two days per week as a hockey coach, rest of the week as a husband taking his wife out for date night. Sure, our house isn't stuck two two other homes like our old house, we don't have much going on outside our windows that isn't feathered or furred, I haven't even seen a cop car or firetruck once in my neighborhood in the seven years we've lived here other than during Halloween and on their annual drive through the neighborhood blaring holiday music with Santa on top tossing candy to kids, and we now have to drive or bike five minutes to get groceries, but other shopping is actually closer, schools are better, and I can honestly say there hasn't been a single\ instance where I thought I missed something about living in DC, but that's me and my value system, and not everyone is the same, thankfully. If boring is being able to walk outside your house onto your pool patio to enjoy the sun and water then lie in a hammock in your own backyard while reading a book, no noise except some birds and squirrels and with only your own wife and kids to bother you, I'll take boring.