Blunt answer: the move can be right and still feel hard. People miss grandparents, old friends, familiar food, walkability, routines, and the feeling of knowing how everything works. The practical complaints may be neighborhood fit and commute direction, but loneliness is often the quieter problem. Most families felt better after routines formed. The first year is information, not always the final verdict. Coming from Pasadena, California, the comparison was never one clean upgrade or downgrade. Some things improved, some got harder, and different family members adjusted at different speeds. That mixed feeling is normal.