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[aprilmay]

None of these are reasons why you cannot move. They are excuses.

1) I am in a field where less than 50 schools of higher education offer the area of study; predominately because it is all graduate education. 

Apply to those 49. Apply to other schools with a link to your field, even if they do not have a department.

2) I moved here with a significant other.  The area allowed both of us to have jobs.  Since arriving here, we broke up.  He moved and I stayed in the small condo.  The economy is such that I would never sell this condo without taking a HUGE loss.  I have no savings and would not be able to pay a mortgage and a rent at a new job.  Financially there is no way I could just move.

Not having to worry about an SO's job is a benefit in an academic job search, not a problem. Take the huge loss on the condo. Live very meagerly for the next few years. It can be done. Do you have children? If not, that is another reason why moving would be easier for you than many, both logistically and financially.

3)  My research focuses on community-based problems.  I had the community and had no idea how I would move my "work" since I had spent a great deal of time developing the community relationships.  It was as if my grants tied me to the area.

Other communities exist. You would have to work hard to establish new relationships. Working hard should not be an impediment for you. The longer you wait to move, the harder this will be.

4) I have no family, so I have no safety-net.  I have no saving, so I have no safety-net. 

No family ties to the area makes it easier to move. Start figuring out your finances to see why you have no savings. Live meagerly.

So, these are just a few of the reasons why I could not just move.  Additionally, I tried to remain positive hoping that things would get better, but they have declined.  Nothing odd, just life.

You may be trying to remain positive, but you sound very pessimistic. You listed the "reasons" why you cannot move and they read more like "moving would be hard." So it's hard, that doesn't mean you can't do it. If you want things to be easy, get out of academic. Here are reasons why moving is easier for you than most people on the forum:

1) Good publication record.
2) No family ties to the area.
3) Good grant record.
4) No worries about the SO's geographic preferences or career
5) Still junior in career

You are not in such a bad position, despite your current job. Move. It is definitely worth trying. Just apply.

[tee_bee]

Aprilmay, given the nature of the current job market, and potential other factors, such as the financial bath many of us would take in selling real estate. I know the advice is well meaning, but the answers are also awfully pat, particularly when our OP is clearly wrestling with more than "I don't like my job here" issues. They may not strike you as good reasons to not go on the market, but they are reasons. YMMV.

[aprilmay]

Aprilmay, given the nature of the current job market, and potential other factors, such as the financial bath many of us would take in selling real estate. I know the advice is well meaning, but the answers are also awfully pat, particularly when our OP is clearly wrestling with more than "I don't like my job here" issues. They may not strike you as good reasons to not go on the market, but they are reasons. YMMV.

They are reasons why someone might reasonably decide not to go on the market. They were listed by the OP as reasons they absolutely cannot go on the market. There is a big difference. We all know people who have moved in each and every one of those situations. Moving would be difficult, not impossible. In fact, the OP has many things going for him/her that would help a move, despite the challenges. If the situation really is as bad as OP describes, they need to consider moving, even if it's hard, rather than make excuses for why it's impossible. They asked for advice.

[2much2do]

I could have written your post 4 years ago.  I should have written your post 4 years ago, and taken the fora advice.  I left my academic position, and took a job with a local non-profit.  Almost doubled my salary, tripled my workload. I love the work, it's an organization that lives by its mission, but I'm the only person with a PhD, and while they joke about cloning me, I don't see it happening.  I believe that if I had gone to counseling (which I ended up doing anyway, just 2 years after I left), I would have realized that my thought processes were completely screwed up and that I had been in no position to make any big decision like that.  After 3 sessions, I had a clarity about my life that I'd never had before, and I think I could have managed to stay in my dysfunctional department.  And I'd be on summer vacation right now, instead of scheduling and rescheduling around work stuff to get 3 days off in a row.  So my suggestion is go to counseling, get your CV in order, and keep your office door closed.  In a couple of weeks, it could all look so much better you won't believe it.  Then you can decide what you want to do with a clear mind, and you won't wonder afterwards if it was the right decision.

[crumpet]

The fora has suggested I go on the market since I started this job, but I was determined to stay, get tenure, and then consider my options.

It sounds like you feel the need to prove to your bullies that you are accomplished enough to earn tenure even though you have a toxic department. This is plain silly, and means that you value the opinions of your detractors over your own interests. While you are clearly successful in your current department, imagine how much more successful you could be in a supportive environment?

Your best revenge is to lead a good life (elsewhere), and to remember the immortal words of Richard Feynman, "what do you care what other people think?"

I agree with this assessment. I also experienced severe bullying. The process broke down my own sense of self-worth and value. I felt that they only way I could prove that I was any good was to continue to try to impress the bullies. This is a fool's errand and exactly the position bullies want to put you in.

Go talk to someone about these issues. Yes, there are practical reasons why you find it hard to leave but these are easily resolved. You'll be surprised how much better you will feel once you are away from this toxic environment. It is worth the effort and potentially expense involved. Just making a few steps towards leaving will make you feel better. Start by looking at job adverts.

I have been in a healthy environment for over two years now. The quality of my work, my productivity, and (more importantly) my sanity have all improved massively. Getting out is worth it. There is a life beyond bullying. And you can move on from this.

[clearmind1]

I would echo the thoughts of most of the post in this thread. I think you may be unaware of how attractive you may be to wherever you apply. There are any number of institutions who are having great difficulty obtaining grants, the grant world has become much more competitive in the past few years. I am currently at a school that is new and hiring professors, and if I saw a candidate such as yourself that was in one of the disciplines I was looking for, I would be delighted! Do you understand that colleges and universities are ranked by criteria that includes how many of their professors are grant funded? Your grants also likely pay for most, if not all of your salary, so hiring you is very likely to be a win-win for many places.
Yes, your property is underwater. I had to change jobs last year, and was not able to sell property, but rented it quite easily to a very good tenant. If you do sell, know that the market for housing is down everywhere, so what you 'lost' at one site, may well be 'gained' at another, house prices are very low right now.
Regarding counseling, I've had a therapist for six years now, it is one of the best things I ever did, and really helps me to not obsess about things I worry about.
Last thing. Don't give the 'haters' more attention or thought than they deserve. And it sounds like they don't deserve much, if any! Hang in there! :)

[itried]

ingognito55, my heart goes out to you, truly. I have been bullied by two faculty colleagues; one of them stopped when I finally won hu over, the other continues to bully by snubbing me in passive-aggressive ways that hu cleverly hides from everyone else. I'm working in therapy on mentally telling the second bully to *^!# off and letting it go emotionally.

I understand that leaving is not simple and I don't blame you for resisting that solution. I think you should ask yourself what you want from this situation and these bullies. What outcome could you live with in your current position and department? Therapy might help you get clarity on that. Then, I suggest you talk with your Chair or some other senior administrator who could act as an ombudsperson to help you gain that outcome. Or have you tried that already to no avail?

The recent escalation could force the issue to involve others, and that's not necessarily a bad thing in a bullying situation.

Good luck incognito55. Do not let these hateful people get the best of you. I mean that literally... do not give them the power to take anything from you that you cherish! Please keep us posted. You have our support and empathy here, even if we disagree on the best solution.