My young adult self would never go back to Norrbotten. Not a chance. A few years later, I was featured on the front page of the New York Times. The article was about why one chooses a small town instead of staying in bigger cities. In the picture in the article, I stand in the doorway of our red house with white corners. A classic 70s house in a neighbourhood in a small town. Close to the children's school, friends, and the grocery store. I felt proud to admit defeat - my heart had always belonged to Piteå. It's in the small things that you can dream big.
In 2012, I moved back home to Piteå with my husband and our two children. In the discussions we had about a possible move, the conditions were to settle in a house, close to school and friends for the children. Upon further reflection - exactly what both my husband Johan and I had when we were growing up. If the house had the prerequisites for a fireplace and a sauna, everything else would work itself out. And it did.
Today, I work as a project manager at a Piteå-based company. The advantage of digital meeting platforms allows me to meet clients all over the country and even internationally. It makes it even more obvious why we chose to move back to Norrbotten.
Advocating for your hometown to other returnees or people curious about Piteå is easy. How about a small town on the coast? A city with optimism and vision. A city with an entrepreneurial spirit and creative actors. A city with its heart in the right place.
Best regards, Johanna Brändström, a newly returned resident of Piteå.