One observation I have about USians based on how athletes talk about their hometown or home state is that people in the US seem very attached to the idea of “home” being where they grew up as children.
I have no such attachment.
I don’t know if this is an overarching sentiment among most people who grew up in the US but I don’t hear that level of attachment from Canadians.
I wonder sometimes if that attachment in the US is intertwined with nationalism.
Maybe it’s because I lived in 4 different homes in two different cities and two different provinces as a kid.
As an adult I’ve lived in 4 different cities in 3 different countries and the longest place where I lived (Vancouver) was filled with people from somewhere else. I think I only met three people who actually grew up in Vancouver in the two decades I lived there.
The stories of athletes returning to play on a team in their hometown is talked about somewhat in Canada (mostly for Toronto for some reason) but it’s a huge storyline in US sports leagues.
I suspect college rivalries adds to this sense of attachment. Most people in Canada would say the city where they’re from but not usually the province.
In the US it seems important which state you’re from. Sometimes it seems more important than the city.
I remember someone in Vancouver asking me once if I was going home for Christmas and I was so confused since I had lived in Vancouver so long and considered it home. I was already home. What I realized is that they wondered if I was going to my parents’ home.
My parents don’t live where I grew up. I have no childhood history with the place or neighbourhood where they currently live.
Even if I did, though, my home is where I choose to live, not where my parents choose.
Maybe in the US people have wonderful childhood memories and can’t wait to go back to the place where they lived those memories. Maybe people rarely move. That is such a foreign concept to me.
Not one person in my family has lived in Vancouver except me and that place is the only place where I felt at home. I was 21 to 41 years old in that time and place.
I think about the concept of “home” quite often. I miss feeling that.
stephaniepixie 🏳️🌈
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2026-05-13 17:46:37 UTC
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"content": "One observation I have about USians based on how athletes talk about their hometown or home state is that people in the US seem very attached to the idea of “home” being where they grew up as children.\nI have no such attachment.\nI don’t know if this is an overarching sentiment among most people who grew up in the US but I don’t hear that level of attachment from Canadians.\n\nI wonder sometimes if that attachment in the US is intertwined with nationalism.\n\nMaybe it’s because I lived in 4 different homes in two different cities and two different provinces as a kid.\n\nAs an adult I’ve lived in 4 different cities in 3 different countries and the longest place where I lived (Vancouver) was filled with people from somewhere else. I think I only met three people who actually grew up in Vancouver in the two decades I lived there.\n\nThe stories of athletes returning to play on a team in their hometown is talked about somewhat in Canada (mostly for Toronto for some reason) but it’s a huge storyline in US sports leagues.\n\nI suspect college rivalries adds to this sense of attachment. Most people in Canada would say the city where they’re from but not usually the province.\nIn the US it seems important which state you’re from. Sometimes it seems more important than the city.\n\nI remember someone in Vancouver asking me once if I was going home for Christmas and I was so confused since I had lived in Vancouver so long and considered it home. I was already home. What I realized is that they wondered if I was going to my parents’ home.\n\nMy parents don’t live where I grew up. I have no childhood history with the place or neighbourhood where they currently live.\nEven if I did, though, my home is where I choose to live, not where my parents choose.\n\nMaybe in the US people have wonderful childhood memories and can’t wait to go back to the place where they lived those memories. Maybe people rarely move. That is such a foreign concept to me.\n\nNot one person in my family has lived in Vancouver except me and that place is the only place where I felt at home. I was 21 to 41 years old in that time and place.\n\nI think about the concept of “home” quite often. I miss feeling that.",
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