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This is my exact dilemma. I have this fear of the deep south and culture shock down there. My wife has relatives who recently relocated to North Carolina and they love it there, but yeah I was thinking of areas like Pennsylvania (either Philly metro, Lehigh Valley or Pittsburgh Metro), Ohio or maybe even the west coast. Love California, but in the best areas it is as expensive as NJ.
And I am NOT going ANYWHERE further north!
LA is definitely cheaper than NJ. Gas is now the same price in NJ as it is in LA.
San Francisco, however, is just about as expensive at NYC.
I realize that there are a-holes in every part of the country, but the rate of them here is vastly higher.
The cost of living here is absolutely outrageous. Property taxes are obscene. Highest car insurance rates in the country. For alot of people (myself included) it is an epic struggle to maintain a middle class existence here.
To be fair, not all parts of NJ are this bad. Its mainly the northeast region of the state. And don't get me wrong, there are some pro's to living here. Ill admit we do have the best schools, doctors, hospitals, etc. and it is a very culturally rich area. But the negatives far outweigh the positives. Id gladly give up my access to NJ Diners, good Italian food, real pizza, and Taylor Ham to be able to have a comfortable middle class existence in another state, among civilized people with manners and common courtesy. I realize that i might make less money in another state for the same job, but what good is having more money when you are pissing it all away just to be able to live here. And some things are more important than money, such as peace of mind and not being constantly stressed out.
With a little luck, within a few years my wife and i will be joining the exodus of middle class people fleeing the state.
Completely agree with you. I have lived in Northern Jersey for almost 4 years. The cost of living mixed with horrible traffic, segregation, and rude people made me think twice about where I would like to spend the next few years of my life. Very difficult to make friends here. I will be leaving as soon as a job opportunity opens in another state. You should give Tennessee a try. Nashville and Knoxville are fantastic places to live.
Last edited by usamathman; 01-06-2014 at 12:26 PM..
I was just home visiting family in Hoboken. It was 3.89 for premium at the JC gas stations by the Lincoln Tunnel (usually the cheapest examples). Near my house in Hollywood it's 3.79 for premium and can be up to 4.25 in Santa Monica (rip off gas stations that I tend to avoid anyway.) I took note because usually it's much cheaper in Jersey.
Perhaps your map is based on the absolute lowest cost of fuel -- I would guess somewhere around the refineries like Sayerville or Carteret would be cheapest.
I was just home visiting family in Hoboken. It was 3.89 for premium at the JC gas stations by the Lincoln Tunnel (usually the cheapest examples). Near my house in Hollywood it's 3.79 for premium and can be up to 4.25 in Santa Monica (rip off gas stations that I tend to avoid anyway.) I took note because usually it's much cheaper in Jersey.
Perhaps your map is based on the absolute lowest cost of fuel -- I would guess somewhere around the refineries like Sayerville or Carteret would be cheapest.
Gasbuddy encompasses a very large % of gas stations in the nation. Here is the map of the area in which you refer:
hi guys Here's my thoughts. my husband and I moved to sussex County more than two years ago. i really did not want to move but my husband wanted to live in a bigger house as we were having 2 kids, didn't want/couldn't keep up with the Joneses and was tired of the congestion of people. He previously wanted to move to Vermont and even Pennsylvania but I'm like no way!! then my family and nobody will EVER visit me again! I also was used to living in Bergen County and loved the diverse food places and Asian groceries, etc. (I'm Asian husband is white) We now have 2 sons under 5. lived in bergen County namely Englewood then Ramsey previously. making a long story short I compromised with sussex County...
Devlin's post seems to me an example of gender difference on place of residence: research has shown men being more likely to want to get farther away from urban/built up areas, to live somewhere that seems a refuge from stressful urban workplaces. Whereas women seem more likely to prefer the access to choices and relationships that more built-up areas provide. Devlin is very balanced in her assessment of the country life but a lot of people find themselves quite unhappy after moving with a guy/husband/whoever to some remote spot and long to return to places that made them happier.
If you're having kids in the future, look before you leap. You'll find that you pay 1/5 the taxes elsewhere and then see that your kids will be lucky to get 8th grade NJ educations by the time they finish HS. We pay a lot but we get a top 3 education. I wish it was cheaper too but I'd never move down south while my kids are in school.
I am from NJ and have moved around a bit since leaving 11 years ago.
Your statement regarding schools is complete and utter exaggeration. If a person were to move from NJ to Wake County (Triangle area) or Charlotte, they would find schools every bit as good as those in NJ. Keep in mind that, like NJ, not every school (district) is good. I am certain that not every school in NJ performs at the level of, say that of Milburn. My point is that there are plenty of average to below average schools in NJ.
There are also bad schools in NC, but most of those are in areas where transplants are not moving.
I know that our high school in Wake County performs as well as 95% of all NJ high schools. Only a couple of Chapel Hill high schools perform better. If a person were to move into one of the better performing NC districts, coupled with the superior secondary education system, they will get a better education than what they might get in NJ.
I am still a big NJ supporter, but need to call BS on your uneducated statement.
Again, if you read my post you would know that I was quoting PREMIUM (91-93) prices. Looks like LA and NJ are within 20-30 cents of each other. I believe that is a record low -- usually the difference is much greater.
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Women vs men
