Time to get out of here.. But where??
 

I moved from NYC to NJ 16 yrs ago. Best move I ever made, great atmosphere to raise my family, was quiet, cheap.
Now my formerly 1/2 hr commute has turn into an hr and a 1/2 nitemare. My property tax has tripled. They are stuffing houses in every spare inch of space open space they can find.
The state is being overrun with illegal aliens. My taxes pay for thier kids to go to school. You cant drive to the store on the weekends without packing a lunch for the trip. I'm tired of it and worn out from it.
The problem is where do I move to?? The wife want to go south, she likes the warmth. I like the Pac NW. But either way, I really dont want to end up in the same situation again. Moving to a place that everyone else is moving to, that will only end up overcrowded and expensive. I'd love to live in the Fl Keys, but thats big$ and the work situstion not the best down there.

Any ideas??

Come to California and watch it sink into a liberal morass. Speaking of which their is some good girl watching in these here parts...You want more of a family environ you can move north of Los Angeles, nowhere near San Franciso, and north of San Francisco.

move more north and west. I live in sussex county..takes me 1 1/2 hour to nyc..just depends when you leave. I go down rt 23 at 3-715 am..bumper to bumper...730 and clear sailing (unless there is an accident) just about all the way...take a bus from mothers or train from tuxedo ny ...fast and not too expensive really. the schools are nice, and taxes are way cheaper(i have a 200k house...pay 3100 in tax)

well what kind of work do you need? My kid brother left jersey 5 years ago for Virginia and is doing great. I have friends that moved to NC around Raleigh Durham and are very very happy. They got a 4 BR, 3 bathroom big azz colonial with 2 car garage and a little land for a little under $400K. Taxes IIRC are under $5K.

Or you could come north to Nova Scotia :) We do get snow, but, Hey! there are flights to the sunny south each and every week. Also, no one hassles you about Cuban cigars. ;)
The population of this province has remained pretty much stable for a decade or so at just under 1 million. People from Maine come here to relax and remember how it used to be when folks stopped to talk to you.
Of course, I might be biased. :D
Les

Mull, kids are gone so its just the ball and chain and myself. always up for the girlwatching though! Nick, your area is nice I'm always up there, I camp and hike in Stokes and High Point alot. But I think I really wannna get out of NJ. this state is going to hell in a handbasket

Always keep in mind the lifestyle change. You may not like it. For example, where I live in south central Missouri, we have pretty mild winters. No snow to speak of this year. But our summers can be brutal with the humidity. Can't drive to the beach or the mountains for the weekend. Of course, if it was like CA then every one would live here. On the other hand, I live in a two story, 3200 square foot house with a 1500 square foot garage on 3 acres. I paid $170K for it in 2002. Might get $220K if I sold it today. I live 12 miles out of town. My drive to work is all hills and curves through the countryside. On a bad day takes me 15 minutes to get to work. But if I want to see a pro football or baseball game I have to drive 150 miles to KC or St. Louis. Everything is a trade off.

I'm selling my house here in Clearwater Fl. Interested? It's a great location, big but small. Tampa is only a bridge away and it's close to just about anything you would want to do in this state. We are moving back to PA to be with our families as I'm retired as of tomorrow.

North East Florida, Texas, Georgia?

Me, I'm getting out of Orange County, CA for the same reasons and decided on South East Florida (Broward or Palm County). I seriously doubt you will find So CA to fit with the description of what you are looking for. It's not cheap, lots of "illegals", some of hte worst traffic in the country, its almost a communist State.

Here is a good link where you can compare different cities as to population, crime, cost of living, income, ethnicity, etc.

Good luck.

Nova Scotia is a wonderfull place, I have never seen so many pretty red-heads!
Winters are cold and beware of the pig farms!

Otherwise, VINMAN I feel your pain. Everyone I work with had run further and further away until 1/2 their day is just commuting.

I have gone full circle and live blocks from where my great-grandparents lived! I love Brooklyn and have a 30 minute commute on a bad day.. The anit-gentrification crowd can take a leap - when neighborhoods were slipping into blight, nobody complained - time to take it all back!

Lots of boondocks out there, be careful where you move to..

As far as work goes, I'm an electrical engineer for the big phone co. But a career change could be in order. I have 22 yrs in. Wifes a teacher.
My only real requirement is to be somewhat near the water. I love boating and fishing. Im a huge outdoorsman. So all that stuff is part of my needs. If I was single, Id move to the Seattle area in a second. Spent alot of time up there. It had everything I want.

I know what you meen. I miss Brooklyn at times. My family is still there. I left Bklyn when I was 10 and moved to stat island. I still work there. But I see it going down more and more. My old neighborhood( Bensonhurst) is nothing like it was when I grew up there.

If you can handle the hurricanes Key West or the lower keys would be sweet. I have thought about that move a lot.

I second rural Georgia, or North Florida. The new trend is to run to the Carolina/Tennessee Mountains. The prices there are on the rise but are still resonable if you look in the right places.

Good luck!!

oldE, you make NS sound great. What's the employment situtation up there?

I finally made it out of the Northeast this past fall. Now in Miami. I will never leave here. I absolutely love it. The summer will be a bit hot, but that is what pools are for. I cannot believe how sunny it is. Every morning, its sunny. This whole winter, the temps get up to around 70 on average, and its just perfect. Chicks can go topless on the beaches here (South Beach). I am not too big on Broward, the neighborhoods are a bit sterile to me. Lots more culture and history down here. BUT- you have to research areas carefully. Things vary from block to block. I'm just beginning to work in real estate here, so I can help you if you actually get interested. Housing prices are obviously high here, and can't possibly continue to rise in the near future. The general opinion though is that there won't be a crash, but rather a catch-up period. If you plan to keep a place for 5-10 years, you'd be fine.

I'll attach a picture out my window- it hasn't gotten old yet.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1139508678.jpg

damn, miami looks great. i got land in newmexico, where i hope to build a home on and retire. but looking at miami...damn. me, a truck, bassboat, 911 = lots of fun.

i disagree, if someone had the means, the san fran bay area is a great family enviornment. lots to do, and see. and plenty of diversity. great place to bring up a bunch of open minded kids. plus they get rich watching the parent's home appreciate. if i had to move, i would be really hardpressed to find a place. maybe austin, tx, and now miami..

In no way was I suggesting anything other than watching. Just nice going to the grocery store and having pleasant looking females as part of the common scenery...BTW...the hiking is out of control beautiful. I have the Topanga trails that get up pretty high over the Malibu coastline.

Did I mention the abundance of twisties?...oh my my.

Congrats! You worked for it, now enjoy it! Hope to do the same in another 5 years or so...

Joe

One word: HURRICANES!

I have 3 long time friends who have lived in Miami/Ft Lauderdale area who have had enough and are moving inland. Its nice to be near the water but after the last two years and their storms, its just not worth it.

We get the same sunsets in AZ and the water is a hour away, just right for me.

Joe A

rammstein, said one other keyword, FALL. I did the opposite and moved there in the SPRING. Summer is Hot, and Humid and seems to never end. I went to the Miami, Florida state football game in October and lost 8 lbs sitting in a seat for a couple hours 100 plus degrees in October! I did miss the winter there though, I can only imagine how great that is. I would check out Flagstaff, AZ. You do get winter there though. But you are close to lake pow which is great for boating.

JoeA, what water is an hour away? Not being critical just asking.

Rich