My folks bought this place in ‘71. Moved my family down from Alaska in ‘97 after my mom passed. My dad passed in ‘02. I ended up with the property. Nice house, 24x50 shop and 20 acres of timber. I’m here for the duration! No bad memories!

My parents gave my older sister land across the road to build on. After a few years of hearing about the occasional loss of privacy I told my mother she didn’t need to worry about me living any closer than a 30 minute drive. 35 years later she left the house and property to my sister making sure I kept my word. Lol

Lived in the house where I was born for about 25 years. My mom and dad bought it in the early 30's. Mom moved to an assisted living center at age 87.

I live about 350 miles from that home now but someday I want to knock on the door and introduce myself. The new owners did a lot of upgrades and I'd love to see the inside again.

Charles. Don't do it. Do not go back after you've left and it's been changed.

It ruins all your memories. Trust Me.

When my grandma and grandad place sold I was living in VA.

When I came home my aunt told me not to go back when I mentioned going to see the old place.

She aid he is and al her memories were changed forever.

Cathryn thanks for the kind words she was a special lady. Never complained and always put others first, I’m glad my wife and I will get to raise our family in the house and on the farm that my grandparents built and called home

Read this somewhere several years ago, "never forget what is worth remembering".

My father bought the house and farm in 1939. I was born here in 1950.. Dad died in 1975 and Mom continued living here until her death in 1995. When I married, we lived in a mobile home across the country road until moms death and then back in the farm house. Roots are deep. Kind of stupid really to use up ones whole life in one place. Grandparents, parents, brother and I, our kids and now grandkids have left tracks on the place. Thousands of memories, some good, some bad, but mostly just memories. Towns and neighbors have Californicated things around us. Wouldn't mind going some place else to die, but roots run deep. Wouldn't know where to run to.

The old house is still standing but the old barn has fell in. Moved close to 600 miles and no desire to go back other then a visit or 2.

I jointly own with my sisters, my mom and dads old house now. We have it rented. Its not the same place it was in the 60's and 70's. All the the small ranch's are gone. Broke up into 20-30 acre lots with liberals living in most of them. Trapping is severely restricted. Gun control measures have passed too. Don't even have a town dump anymore. Have to pay to have trash hauled to a pickup station. Need a permit to park on BLM beside the highway and fish in the river. No idea how the state managed to get that done on federal property. Neither me or them wants to live there.

The value of the place has gotten ridiculously high. It sits on the Arkansas river surrounded by mountains. World class mule deer, elk and big horn sheep. Plenty of lions and bear also. An hour drive from the Monarch Ski resort.

One of my sisters doesn't want to sell. It does provide a nice income stream. I would like to put my share into real estate here. I suspect that even if there is another crash that the value of it will buy what I want to buy here.

I'd have given my eye teeth to own my grandparents farm. All my good memories of growing up are pretty much centered around my mamaw..

Stacking hay in hay stacks..plowing the tobacco fields by horse .raising chickens then selling the eggs meat..milking Babe and churnin butter. Laundry day on thursday by wringer washer and going to town one Saturday a nth..

Walking to church on sunday mornin..my mamaw catching green snakes on the way along the to church along the old dirt road.


And walking through knee deep snow Christmas mornings to go see mama.


And I was so proud when mamaw would give me that butcher knife and send me to the smokehouse to cut a slab of bacon for breakfast. I knew to get just enough..not more than enough cause mamaw didn't like wasting things.

Those memories are priceless to me and I have never gone back since it sold.

My aunt told.me.not too because all my memories would be ruined because nothing was the same.

It's sad. really it's only a couple miles from me as the crow flies but you'd never know it was there on the mountain top.

Interesting thread. My folks lived in a small house in Ayershire Iowa when I was born, but moved to Manning, North Dakota shortly after that, No idea where the house in Iowa is. Then Aberdeen Washington where I started kindergarten. Moved to Libby Montana for a year, then Twisp Washington when I was in 4th grade. Lived in three different homes in Twisp. From there moved to Forest City Iowa when I was in 9th grade where I started trapping. They (parents and siblings) moved back to Twisp just after I graduated from high school and I rented a house in the country. Got married and moved into a couple rentals over the next couple years, finally moved into an acreage northeast of Crystal lake, where we rented at first then eventually bought. All five of our kids were born there and we lived there for 17 years. Moved to Pine River area of Minnesota in 2001, then moved to Gilbert Lake near Brainerd While we rented for three years looking for a place to buy. Finally moved here to this place in 2013.

Whew, how many is that? More than a dozen for sure.

I still live in my childhood home. Everybody in my immediate family passed on by the time I was 20, so I was the last man standing and inherited it.

Where do you feel like your "roots"are? The place you've raised a family or is there any of the other places that felt like "home"?

Spent more of my life in north Iowa than anywhere else and that's where I graduated from high school, got married, had a family, etc. I guess that's where I would consider my roots. They say you can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can't take the Iowa out of the boy. Lot of found memories.

My roots have grown around my feet. Lol

Family is important and today you don’t have to live across the street to keep in touch. My paternal grandfather was a rolling stone and grandma rolled with him. I think I’ve got that in me.

So white dog. You don't feel any real ateachment to anyone place. Like is there a place that when your rolling around has played out that you'd feel drawn to go back to? A place that makes you feel competent? Content?

My Dad's father (Norwegian immigrant) built the farm house in 1902 and lived there until 1946 when my Dad and mom moved in and took over the farm. I left when I was 14 and the farm and house was sold then as well. Have visited a couple times, but not recently. Most of the land has been bought by farmers and the home place now has about 80 acres. Never was too inerested in moving back to that place. We are stuck in the muds however, we have lived in our current house for 46 years and our children own other houses so this one will be sold as well.

Bryce

I couldn't live where I grew up
Too many bad memories...

I still live in the same county 9 miles away from where I was born and raised. I grew up in the outskirts of town but bought a farm at 25 years of age after a failed marriage. Ironic this thread comes up. Lost my dad 5 years ago in October, lost my Mom last June. Just listed my childhood home on the market today. Mixed feelings. Don't want to deal with the headaches of renting but hate to see my family home go.

I live in the same house where I said my first sentence. " Pass the gravy please." I was three. I bought my six siblings shares and I never wanted to live anywhere else !