It is nice to be part of something since the very beginning. There is a sense of belonging impossible to have if someone joins a community with already 15+ years of existence.
For example, as soon as DPR made their fake "we are closing on April" announcement, at Fred Miranda forum start having conversations about how many DPR forum trolls would migrate and contaminate their space, etc, old member werent so excited about the idea of an exodus.
Like when someone moves to Japan from other country, no matter how many years one can spend there, he/she will always be a “gaijin”, never truly belong.