Millennial couple with children left California for a slow life in Scotland

• Zach and Annie moved their family from California to Scotland for a simpler life.
• The couple, who have three young children, loved California but found it too fast-paced.
• They say living in Scotland reminded them of their own childhood in the 1990s.

Zach, 38, and Annie, 37, packed their bags and moved their family from the US to Scotland at the beginning of the year.

They lived in California, where Zach – who was originally from Scotland – worked for the highway patrol.

His work required the couple and their three children to move frequently across the state. Although they had the opportunity to live in places like Sonoma County and around Silicon Valley, life always felt “extremely fast-paced,” Annie, who works in healthcare, told Business Insider.

“Life seemed to be all about work – or school for the kids – a little break and then repeat. It seemed difficult to fit in a lot of family time or fun little adventures,” Zach told BI.

The couple, whose children – two sons and a daughter – are under 10, asked to be identified only by their first names to protect their privacy.

They wanted to live a simpler life with their children, away from the hustle and pressure of constantly keeping up with the Joneses.

Annie has always wanted to live in Scotland, and late last year – after a decade in California – it finally seemed like the right time for her family to seriously consider taking the plunge.

Preparations for the move

In some ways it felt like the move had taken ten years.

“Ever since I met Zach I have wanted to live in Scotland. I just slowly wore him down and tried to get him to come back,” Annie said.

The timing of their move was right, also because their children were still small.

“We knew that if we ever wanted to move, we would have to move before our children formed real friendship groups and got to a point in their academic achievement that this transition would be difficult,” Annie said.

The couple knew they wanted to live in the East Lothian area, just outside Edinburgh, because it was close to where Zach grew up. It was also a place her children knew.

“We have made an effort to return to Scotland almost every year except during COVID-19,” Zach said.

Aside from the familiarity, her children were also excited about the move because they had made many fond memories during their past visits.

“They love Scotland because they have been here so many times and every time they come over they think it is magical because their grandparents spoil them and take them to the most beautiful places,” said Annie. “So when we said we were moving to Scotland they were mostly for it.”

While Zach and her children had British passports, Annie had to apply for a spousal visa, which she said took about two months to approve.

Then came the exciting part: looking for a house. Luckily, even though they were still living in California at the time, the process wasn't too difficult.

“Annie’s hobby is looking at houses around the world, she’s always browsing for fun,” Zach said.

Related stories

When an offer for a cozy three-bedroom house came up, the couple jumped at the opportunity.

“When it came up, I thought it was ridiculously undervalued,” Annie said. “It was actually the only house that Zach’s parents visited and viewed for us.”

At the suggestion of Zach's parents, the couple decided to make an offer on the house and eventually got it.

They preferred to keep the exact amount secret, but said they paid about 15% more than the original asking price of about 200,000 pounds, or $340,000.

“In terms of budget, our goal was always not to have this huge mortgage hanging over us. We felt like we had that in the US, especially in California where real estate prices are crazy,” Zach said.

Settling into their home

Zack and Annie are part of a wave of California residents choosing to leave the state.

Between 2021 and 2022, 817,669 people left California – and made it US state with the most emigrants.

Several former residents BI previously spoke with said rising crime rates and the high cost of living were factors in their decision to leave California.

Zack and Annie closed on the house in February but did not arrive in Scotland with their children until May.

Since the couple bought their home without seeing it in person, they were a little worried that it would seem too small for their family of five.

“We just moved from a fairly large four-bedroom house, at least 2,000 square feet in the US, to about 950 square feet in Scotland,” Annie said. “This is a big change. But when we walked in, the rooms were all a really nice size and just felt right.”

They spent about two months renovating the house while staying with Zach's parents. It wasn't until the end of July that they finally moved into their new house.

“The children never saw the house unfinished. As soon as they walked in the door, their room was decorated and their beds were set up with all their toys on them,” Annie said. “They come in and think everything is beautiful, whereas we actually shed blood, sweat and tears to make it a home, but it was definitely worth it.”

It is also very easy for the family to get around the neighborhood on foot. Her town's main street – where there are cafes, shops and a grocery store – is just a 10-minute walk away, Annie said.

“There are hiking trails right on our doorstep where the children can explore the area. “There are beaches not too far away,” she said, adding that you don’t need a car unless you’re driving the kids to their grandparents’ house.

“It's a process to load every child into a car, so we wanted to reduce that as much as possible. And now we just walk to everything we do, and I feel like we're healthier because of it,” she said.

If they ever feel like a little adventure, they can easily drive 20 minutes to the various small towns around them, Zach said.

“If we want to do something different in the U.S. or do something outside of our little area, it's probably a 45-minute drive and then more of a day trip,” he said.

A simple life

The couple say life is easier in Scotland – which is exactly what they were looking for.

Although they've only been here a few months, the couple say they're happier with life in Scotland – so much so that they've even started a YouTube channel documenting their adventures in the country.

Although the couple enjoyed life in the United States, life in Scotland reminded them of their own childhood.

“Seeing what the kids could get here was kind of nostalgic. It took us back to the ’90s childhood we had,” Annie said. “You go out and play until the street lights come on and we just felt this feeling of peace and security in Scotland.”

Have you recently built or renovated your dream home? If you have a story to tell, contact me [email protected].