I Figured Out Where I Wanted to Live in the US After Living Abroad

Rising up in a small Midwestern metropolis, I all the time dreamed of transferring to a spot like New York or Chicago after graduating from faculty.

I wished to be on the middle of the whole lot that made these locations so interesting, from the infinite leisure choices to the seemingly plentiful profession alternatives.

But after learning overseas in Santiago, Chile, throughout faculty, cities like New York now not appealed to me. I selected to check in Chile’s capital to be taught Spanish and explore South America. I had no thought it will change my whole life trajectory.

I beloved sure features of residing there, such because the local weather and quick access to the outside. Town’s dimension, although, was too huge for my tastes.

In the end, the 5 months I spent there reshaped my thought of an ideal place to live. I seemed for mountains over skyscrapers, sunshine over clouds, and small cities over metropolises. A yr after getting back from Chile, I settled in Reno, Nevada, the place I have been ever since.

Moving to Nevada by no means crossed my thoughts earlier than I went to Chile, however residing there gave me fully new views.

Proximity to nature turned necessary to me

I have been to over 40 international locations, however Chile is, certainly, among the many most lovely.

I traveled up and down the slender nation throughout my time there. In northern Chile, the Atacama Desert amazed me with its Mars-like landscapes. Additional south, areas like Araucanía and Patagonia provided lush rainforests, snowcapped volcanoes, enchanting mountain cities, and immense glaciers. The Andes Mountains tower over Santiago to the east, providing excellent out of doors adventures only a stone’s throw from the town middle.

After residing so near the Andes, I might now not think about residing in a flat metropolis like Chicago. Once I returned residence, I wished to be inside minutes of the mountains.

Reno, Nevada, checked that field. The Sierra Nevada Mountains and Lake Tahoe are only a brief drive from my home, providing quick access to spectacular out of doors alternatives like mountaineering, backpacking, and biking.

Santiago modified my thoughts about residing in a giant metropolis

Santiago is the capital of Chile and residential to over 7 million individuals — about 40% of the nation’s whole inhabitants.

Living in a large metropolis got here with perks. There was by no means a scarcity of issues to do, and the town’s public transportation community was intensive and simple to navigate.

Regardless of the perks, there have been additionally some drawbacks. The sheer dimension of the town meant I spent hours on transit to get round. Santiago can be liable to low air high quality on account of its geography, as many of the metropolis sits in a “bowl” surrounded by mountains.

I most popular the environment of smaller cities I visited in Chile, corresponding to Viña del Mar and Punta Arenas.

So, as soon as I returned residence, I looked for small to midsize cities within the US that provided loads of comfort, however on a extra down-to-earth scale.

Round half one million or so individuals dwell within the Reno metropolitan space, making it the proper dimension for me.

I beloved Santiago’s sunny local weather

For my preferences, a local weather like Santiago’s is right.

Town has a temperate Mediterranean local weather, with heat, dry summers and considerably gentle winters. Temperatures not often rise above 90 levels Fahrenheit in the summertime, and winter days attain highs round 55 to 60 levels.

Residing in Santiago was the primary time I lived in any such local weather, and it blew my thoughts. Having grown up within the cloudy Midwest, I could not consider how rather more vigorous I felt with the fixed sunshine.

I quickly realized I might by no means dwell anyplace with common cloudy, wet, and grey climate. Reno averages over 250 days of sunshine a yr, however nonetheless experiences all 4 seasons. I like the persistently nice climate right here.

Residing in Chile helped me discover a new residence within the US

Once I informed my family and friends that I used to be moving to Reno after graduating, I obtained some peculiar seems. It was a drastic departure from my earlier plans of transferring to a metropolis like New York.

Residing in Santiago, nevertheless, helped me discover what I actually wished in a metropolis: sunshine, mountains, and a small-town really feel.

Certain, Reno won’t be as thrilling as a metropolis like New York or Chicago. It’s miles from a worldwide hub of leisure, eating, and enterprise.

For me, although, the smaller metropolis is residence, and residing overseas helped me discover it