Thomas, 28, lives in a St. Paul, Minn., apartment that many would envy.

It's furnished with expensive pieces. It has a stereo that makes the walls vibrate. And it's the place where Thomas, a field sales representative for an insurance company, spends a major portion of his time.

Yet, though most of Thomas' work is done from a home office, that place will never be home.

Home is Highland Heights.

After two years away, Thomas wants to come back.

He hates being too far from his family and his high school buddies. And, most of all, he hates single-handedly cheering on Cincinnati sports teams from the bars in St. Paul.

"I'm still a Bengals fan, and I catch less crap for being a Bengals fan in Cincinnati than I do elsewhere," Thomas said.

He longs for the familiar, like spending the day at a Reds game. Letting off steam at the Beer Sellar. And knowing the neighborhoods well enough he can coast over every curve in every road.

"It's the real subtle things that get to you," he said.

The numbers seem to tell a different story. Census 2000 showed the city was losing 18- to 34-year-olds at a rate faster than the national average.

It said young professionals are leaving this area in record numbers. It said this region can't retain the young, the smart, the creative. It said there's a whole generation that snubs Cincinnati.

What the census didn't say is how many of them ache for home.

Many do. And when they do, these energetic, educated Gen-Xers come back to this area - on purpose.

Molly Dietz, 26, knows what that's like. Two years ago, she left her Greater Cincinnati home for the bright lights of D.C., intending to never look back.

Look back - and come back - she did. The interior designer now lives in Covington.

"I thought I wanted a big-city life, but I didn't after all," she said.

Dietz said it was difficult to find friends in such a transient place, and tough to get involved in her new community. She often felt lost.

"It just didn't end up being what I thought it was going to be," she said.

Some say young people look elsewhere for fun because Cincinnati isn't exactly a mecca for things wild and hip.

But truthfully, Cincinnati has enough to keep hungry art, music and cocktail lovers satiated. Not to mention numerous things for sports and outdoors fans. And for young couples, heck, this is where it's at.

Andy Trolley can speak to that. The 29-year-old returned in mid-May, wife Amy in tow.

"At this point in my life, this is a good place to make a home," he said.

The Florence native has moved from here to South Carolina to Japan - and back again.

"I've driven many, many states, been to Europe and Asia, but I like the geography here. I like the weather. I like the people," he said.

Though some of Trolley's friends have left the area for a variety of reasons - some for education, some for experience in larger towns - he expects many of them will return eventually.

"This isn't a wild and crazy place. It's not like New York or Tokyo," he said. "So if you're just passing through, it might not look like much. But for people who want to sink some roots, this place is really appealing."

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com