[BPt111]

Originally Posted by New Englander

Thank you for sharing. Many won't admit it, but the drawbacks in these "low cost" states include low wages, low to no public services and deemphasis on education. Sure, there are great school districts in every state and there are many well to do people in many of the low cost states however I an referring to the general environment. In that regard, CT, particularly Fairfield County is excellent. With the exception of parts of Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford, the string of communities from Greenwich to Stratford provide an excellent quality of life, terrific education and reasonable, well-educated residents. This applies to other parts of the state as well.

Therefore, it's foolish to think in "low cost" versus "high cost" terms. I fell into this myopic thinking with my latest venture, which started in Boston and the economic pull of NYC compelled me to open a satellite office, which in 3 short months had 10X revenue of the Boston HQ. Despite the higher taxes, lower QoL and my general dissatisfaction with NYC, I'm back there again for the $$s. Sure, I never take the subway, walk/Uber everywhere, generally remain vigilant/mindful, however I am there every week, splitting time, making that money. Despite all the hassles it's worth it for me. People need to make similar calculations before relocating.

What about Danbury, Shelton, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Monroe, Brookfield, New Fairfield the unforgettable parts of FFC ?

[norcal2k19]

Originally Posted by New Englander

Thank you for sharing. Many won't admit it, but the drawbacks in these "low cost" states include low wages, low to no public services and deemphasis on education. Sure, there are great school districts in every state and there are many well to do people in many of the low cost states however I an referring to the general environment. In that regard, CT, particularly Fairfield County is excellent. With the exception of parts of Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford, the string of communities from Greenwich to Stratford provide an excellent quality of life, terrific education and reasonable, well-educated residents. This applies to other parts of the state as well.

Therefore, it's foolish to think in "low cost" versus "high cost" terms. I fell into this myopic thinking with my latest venture, which started in Boston and the economic pull of NYC compelled me to open a satellite office, which in 3 short months had 10X revenue of the Boston HQ. Despite the higher taxes, lower QoL and my general dissatisfaction with NYC, I'm back there again for the $$s. Sure, I never take the subway, walk/Uber everywhere, generally remain vigilant/mindful, however I am there every week, splitting time, making that money. Despite all the hassles it's worth it for me. People need to make similar calculations before relocating.

Norwalk and Stamford are the most balanced and prosperous "cities" in the state. They're both doing quite well and Bridgeport is now receiving some new investments. Can't go wrong with anything on the FFC shoreline - just price and preference.

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

Well that's easy for business owners who open satellite offices to say.

Not really. Anyone with a good grasp of their personal finances and knowledge of high school math can review their current finances, current opportunities, and current personal preferences and compare them to the "new" location. Ultimately you get what you pay for. Even high-cost locations like California have sufficient positives that people are willing to pay the "sunshine" tax.

Ultimately, people need to realize that many of these move decisions are penny wise/pound foolish only to regret it later on.

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by BPt111

What about Danbury, Shelton, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Monroe, Brookfield, New Fairfield the unforgettable parts of FFC ?

Those are even better values in terms of housing costs while being terrific communities. Absolutely nothing wrong to consider those towns to live in and still enjoy the excellent quality of life.

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by norcal2k19

Norwalk and Stamford are the most balanced and prosperous "cities" in the state. They're both doing quite well and Bridgeport is now receiving some new investments. Can't go wrong with anything on the FFC shoreline - just price and preference.

Absolutely, they are terrific cities. I was just highlighting that they have some less desirable parts (like most cities) and I absolutely agree that the FFC shoreline is terrific.

Also, there are numerous excellent communities/regions within CT. From New Haven to the RI border, the Greater Hartford area, Litchfield county, and even the Quiet Corner has it's charm.

In many instances, people may need to move from one community/region to another one within CT and see a significant improvement in their finances while still maintaining an excellent QoL.

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by JGBigGreen

Where have you lived down south?

I don't need to live down South to have access to the data, to visit close friends/family who are living down there, to listen to the 'things they miss' etc.

My point here is that everything has tradeoffs, both financial and personal. If someone wants to move down South or where ever they like, its obviously their life, however, there are plenty of positives for those of us living here to stay as well.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by New Englander

Absolutely, they are terrific cities. I was just highlighting that they have some less desirable parts (like most cities) and I absolutely agree that the FFC shoreline is terrific.

Also, there are numerous excellent communities/regions within CT. From New Haven to the RI border, the Greater Hartford area, Litchfield county, and even the Quiet Corner has it's charm.

In many instances, people may need to move from one community/region to another one within CT and see a significant improvement in their finances while still maintaining an excellent QoL.

I would add Greenwich and Fairfield to list of places with less than desirable parts that many highly educated lavish and elite personnel would snub in an instant, but yes everyone knows the shoreline in CT is terrific, without a doubt.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by New Englander

Not really. Anyone with a good grasp of their personal finances and knowledge of high school math can review their current finances, current opportunities, and current personal preferences and compare them to the "new" location. Ultimately you get what you pay for. Even high-cost locations like California have sufficient positives that people are willing to pay the "sunshine" tax.

Ultimately, people need to realize that many of these move decisions are penny wise/pound foolish only to regret it later on.

Many can't afford the sunshine tax and 13% income tax rates. It would be foolish for those not fortunate enough to open satellite offices or have the income and means to consider moving there and foolish to stay.

A middle class 4year degree earner may be better off in CT than SC depending on the industry during the FT working years but 6-8K/yr in local home taxes might be more than they can chew when it comes time to retire. If I was in that situation, I'd take earlier retirement in a low cost state over working FT in CT to age 70 in a heartbeat.

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

I would add Greenwich and Fairfield to list of places with less than desirable parts that many highly educated lavish and elite personnel would snub in an instant, but yes everyone knows the shoreline in CT is terrific, without a doubt.

Sure, both Greenwich, and Fairfield have less than desirable parts that highly 'educated, lavish and elite personnel' would snub however plenty of middle-class families would jump at the opportunity to buy into those areas. I'm referring to places like Byram, Pemberwich, Tunxis Hill. These areas are still far better than the rougher parts of Stamford, and Norwalk which in turn are nowhere on the same level as rougher parts of Bridgeport, Hartford, etc. It's a gradient.

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by New Englander

I don't need to live down South to have access to the data, to visit close friends/family who are living down there, to listen to the 'things they miss' etc.

My point here is that everything has tradeoffs, both financial and personal. If someone wants to move down South or where ever they like, its obviously their life, however, there are plenty of positives for those of us living here to stay as well.

I think it cheaper to live in CT these days than South Florida