What Exactly Is 'Home'?

'Home.'  It means a lot of things to different people.  The most literal meanings seem to be "where you currently have a place to sleep" or "where you were born".  But when these things are different, the meaning becomes more complex.

For me, I consider Arcata, California my true home.  I only lived there for two and a half years, and I lived most of my time (and was born) in Redding.  So why consider Arcata home?

It boils down to what geographers call a "sense of place".  A sense of place consists of all experiences in or impressions of a place or region.  When these are combined, it forms an opinion of what you think of a place in general.

To me, 'home' ultimately means where you have the strongest personal attachment to a sense of place.  For me, that is Arcata.  It's where I had the most good experiences with lasting friends.  It's where people regularly invited me over for potlucks, outings, and the like without me having to ask them.  It's where I feel at home, and the place I know best.

Arcata Community Forest, Arcata, CA