I moved from DC to Los Angeles to save a relationship. We broke up, but 10 years later, I'm still living here.

I knew that moving to Los Angeles would make or break my relationship.

Rena Goldman I moved from Washington, DC , to Los Angeles, in large part to support my boyfriend's career.

We broke up three years into the move, but I decided to keep giving LA a shot.

I got involved in my city council, which helped me make friends and fall in love with my community.

I was content living in Washington, DC, but my boyfriend wasn't.

He'd moved there with me in 2012 when I secured my first full-time writing job, but DC wasn't really where he wanted to be.

He was an actor with dreams of making it in Los Angeles — and although he was getting some acting work, it wasn't enough to quit the day job he didn't love.

Things weren't going as well in the relationship as either of us had hoped.

I had built a strong social circle in our neighborhood and with coworkers, and he seemed to feel left out.

Then, two years into our time in DC, I was impacted by layoffs at my company.

I got by on freelance work and temporary gigs for a while, but with a job no longer keeping me on the East Coast, I suggested we start thinking about moving to LA .

I knew I'd miss friends and family, but I was excited for a new start, and I liked the prospect of my boyfriend getting to do what he loved.

After we agreed that a move to California was worth trying, I applied for and got a job in the LA office of a media company where I was freelancing.

In 2016, we packed up our things, I said some tearful goodbyes, and we drove across the country .