I fell in love with a charming town in Northern California. Once I finally moved there, I couldn't get away fast enough.

• I dreamed of living in Grass Valley for years — the Northern California city seemed so charming. 
• When I finally moved there in 2017, I realized it was an expensive, inconvenient place to live.
• It was hard for me to connect with others and Grass Valley had a lot of discord among residents.

I've traveled a fair amount and often pass through a place and think, "I could live here." Grass Valley, California, was one of those places for me.

I first discovered it in 1997, when my friends and I would stop there on our way to the mountains from San Francisco.