We moved from California to Texas and back to California after 4 years. Now we live in a mobile home park by the beach.

Wed, 11/22/2023 - 15:22

a photo of dan and mary next to a photo of their mobile home in santa cruz — Dan Otis and Mary Collins (left) moved from Coarsegold, California to Rosenberg, Texas in 2018. Four years later they moved back to California and now live in a mobile home in Santa Cruz (right).
Courtesy of Dan Otis and Mary Collins

Dan Otis and Mary Collins moved from California to Texas in 2018 to be closer to family.
The couple loved the affordability and ease of Texas, but struggled with the weather and politics.
Otis and Collins moved back to California after four years in Texas and now live in Santa Cruz, California.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dan Otis, 75, and Mary Collins, 74, a retired couple who moved from Coarsegold, California, to Rosenberg, Texas, in 2018 to be closer to family. After four years in Texas, the couple moved back to California and now live in Santa Cruz.