Homeward bound
Why today’s families really don’t fall far from the nest 

Grandpa and Grandma may not live down the block anymore.  But according to recent survey findings, many live in the same city, state or just a day’s drive away. For most of us, the lure of new places and faces doesn’t compare to the benefits of staying closer to family.

“The advantages of living near our family have a lot to do with comfort,” states Jeff Livingston, of Sloatsburg, N.Y. “It’s just easier when you can ask your father-in-law, ‘Hey, where should I take my car to get new tires?’ Now, living near my family, I take my car to the same guy that used to service my grandfather’s vehicles.”

Livingston, his wife Paige and their three boys ages 1 to 5, live in the same area where his family has resided for over 300 years and where an extensive family network still remains. The couple met while Paige, a native of the Midwest, was in graduate school in New York. After their marriage, they lived several years in the Midwest near Paige’s family before moving back to New York prior to the birth of their second son. 

“We’ve talked about what we would do if I was offered a position internationally through the company I work for,” Livingston, an architect, muses. “It would be a fun adventure but tough to do. I can’t say we would readily move to where we don’t know someone.”

According to a recent survey conducted by Harris® Interactive and sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America, Rock Island, Ill., the majority of Americans have extended family members living nearby.

“Our survey found nearly two out of three Americans or 65 percent are living within the same state or closer, and nearly one quarter of us have extended family living as close as the same city,” says Sharon Snawerdt, public relations coordinator for Modern Woodmen of America. Modern Woodmen, which offers fraternal financial services, advocates fostering strong family and community ties. The organization sponsors a Web site, www.gatherings.info, that provides ideas and resources to encourage family gatherings and communication. 

Snawerdt adds, “Most of us feel that the key ingredient for closeness is quality time together. The survey also found that one in 10 Americans would try to live closer to extended family to strengthen those bonds.”

Dr. Allan Carlson, president of The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society, concurs with the survey findings.

“You really can’t be close to your extended family unless you see them on a regular basis,” says Dr. Carlson. “I’m not saying those five-year reunions aren’t great, but you can’t really expect that alone to build strong family ties.”

Ages and stages determine proximity to family

Certain population groups are more inclined to move out of the family circle than others. Chief among them are the young and single.

“Age is the most important single factor in migration,” comments William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C. “Young adults, particularly those in their 20s, are