In a column for The New Paris Dispatch published on Saturday writer Lindsey Tramuta details the story of Jess Liddick, an American mother who relocated her family from Atlanta to Lyon, France, in November 2025.
The essay explores the complex web of practical, tactical, and emotional factors that drive professionals to leave the United States. Tramuta writes that Liddick and her husband spent 13 years in Atlanta before deciding to uproot their lives.
The catalyst for the move involved a combination of corporate layoffs, economic uncertainty, and trauma surrounding gun violence. Liddick points specifically to the experience of enrolling her child in pre-K weeks after the Uvalde school shootings and later enduring a lockdown during an active shooter situation in Midtown Atlanta.
Liddick describes the emotional toll of leaving behind a community she had intentionally invested in.
“For me, guilt swirled with grief to make a strong cement that held me tight for many years,” Liddick told Tramuta.
Financial considerations played a central role in the transition. Liddick stresses the importance of having a clear sense of professional capability and realistic monthly targets to weather the uncertainty of starting fresh abroad.
Adjusting to life in Lyon brought distinct operational hurdles, including following complex French business regulations to open a local shop. At the same time, Liddick highlights the daily contrast in systemic support between her new home and the United States.
“In Atlanta, you pay for everything,” Liddick told Tramuta, contrasting for-profit healthcare models and funding structures for public goods with the collective regulatory approach found in France.
| Factor | Atlanta Experience | Lyon Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Visa Type | Domestic Resident | 4-Year Entrepreneur Visa |
| Move Date | N/A (13 Years Resided) | November 2025 |
| Primary Push Factors | Gun Violence, Layoffs | Corporate Instability |
While managing extreme summer heatwaves and missing the sounds and tastes of the American South, Liddick finds a sense of alignment in local municipal programs such as neighborhood composting bins. She looks to the writings of James Baldwin for historical context on the American expatriate experience.
Reflecting on the first year abroad, Liddick notes that returning to the United States is not currently part of the family’s near-term plans.
