I started MA training as a young lad in Dallas, and having three older brothers who trained got the ball rolling. I started in Kyokushinkai, then Tang Soo Do, then ended up sticking with Chung Do Kwan for a couple of years until my parents moved me to the middle of nowhere (Gainesville, Tx). There was no steady MA training there- someone would move into town, start teaching, then move away within a year or so. I trained with some great martial artists through that period, albeit a few months at a time! I kid you not, I earned yellow/ orange belts in a wide variety of styles- TKD, Goju-Ryu, three different styles of Jujutsu, Kobudo, Gung Fu, Judo, and some home-made styles.
It wasn't until I graduated college, got a job, and settled in the DFW area that I seriously pursued training (and all of that exposure to different arts gave me some valuable insight into the type of training that suited me). I found the oldest, most established school in the area (which happened to be American Kenpo) and I have trained AK ever since (12 years now), though I now cross-train in other styles.