I thought this might be a fun thread. I was born in Queens and lived on LI until age 27. I left for grad school then. I almost went back in 2000 at the end of grad school but decided to try Virginia "for a couple of years." That was almost 21 years ago now. I go through phases every now and then of missing it a little bit, but I usually don't. My wife is from the Bronx and has no desire to ever live in the metro area again, so we are here for the long haul.
Show her the difference in taxes....We just had a really cold day here in So. FL...was 48 deg at 6 am...was 55 soon after sunrise and 68/70 by noon..golf in shorts.
No snow to shovel...
Go to Zillow and spend some time looking at homes you could afford and how they compare.
You may go to City Data and compare things like crime rates. If it’s important possibly school systems and things they might offer.
Ultimately take a trip or two and spend some time visiting areas you are considering
Traffic is the same as Nashville is crazy as are real estate prices but everything else is great. No state taxes and 1/3 the real estate taxes so it's an extra 20 grand in our pockets. Miss some of our old friends but I was never a social butterfly anyway and I come up from time to time.
Had to get the dish for the Giants though.
Added bonus is that hopefully my oldest will be stationed at Fort Campbell in a year so we'll be close to him.
Lived later on Long Island my kids were grown and out of the house, couldn’t see paying $13000 in taxes for a 1560 sqft home. So downsized to a 2 br condo in Va. for less than $300k taxes are $3000 and I have 1265sqft which is perfect for us! New kitchen and baths, gas is cheaper, overall utilities are WAY CHEAPER!!
So I guess for me living in NY was becoming oppressive! Quality of Life much better. I don’t think twice about the move!
Contemplated moving back after graduation because the job market is still catching up. But the massive Bill Gates project is working and snagged a job at a sales and marketing software tool called Drift and never plan on moving back.
I'm not one that is going to harp on the taxes because mostly I found at least in this area the salaries scale or at least only come out slightly ahead. The quality of life though is unreal, good weather 10 months of the year, great beaches, more laid back attitude, great drinking, tons of things to do. Moving to DT St. Pete from St. Pete Beach even though I work DT Tampa because I need a city I can walk around and do things. Tampa has a lot to do but at the moment you still need to Uber around. This area is a huge vacation destination so you always have shit going on.
I'll always be thankful for growing up outside of NYC as it has given me some unique personality traits that are very useful, but my first foray at 18 to school out of the area to Va Tech just made me realize how high strung and how much of an asshole I was. Its just kind of normal in the area, but once you go outside the bubble you realize the shit isn't normal.
Don't have kids but plenty of my friends and neighbors do. Check middle village in queens. Several people i know have kids and moved here, and love it. Small town feel and look in a city with city amenities.
My second wife and I shared a dream to purchase a farm and we made the move 19 years ago. I love being a country bumpkin and we live on our own private piece of landscape surrounded by views of tens of thousands of acres of preserve.
Another benefit I can walk to my favorite fishing hole from my backyard anytime I want to.
You'll never be able to convince me to return to the city. Why return when I live in heaven with a loyal dog, fishing rod and a pick up truck.
Lived later on Long Island my kids were grown and out of the house, couldn’t see paying $13000 in taxes for a 1560 sqft home. So downsized to a 2 br condo in Va. for less than $300k taxes are $3000 and I have 1265sqft which is perfect for us! New kitchen and baths, gas is cheaper, overall utilities are WAY CHEAPER!!
So I guess for me living in NY was becoming oppressive! Quality of Life much better. I don’t think twice about the move!
I am in Virginia Beach. We love it down here. The beach is lot more accessible than it was on LI (far less traffic), and the ocean temps are so much warmer. I could never enjoy a cold beach again. Any water temp below 75 is too cold for me now.
Only things I miss are good corner delis, pizza, and bagels. People in
the NYC area are too mean, pushy, rude for my liking.
One thing I’ve missed is in NY it’s easy to get the best of nearly anything.
I had some Thai on Friday that was barf in broth, and people rave about it here.
It’s also 77 today, so there’s that.
I miss the pizza the most (I still know the number for Joe & Pats). It’s true CA property tax is low but that means we struggle with funding for schools and other services. And other cost of living expenses are high. Will likely move once I retire in 7 years - but not back to NYC.
Though people in the DC area think life is a hustle in this area, its nothing compared to what my brother/sister/brother-in-law go through up there. Particularly those in finance up there. People are much more subdued here. They may not think so, but they are. It is what it is at this point. I imagine our kids will settle down around here after college, so we’ll be here forever I guess - at least part of the year. Wife doesn't want our grandchildren (someday) to not grow up around family. I'm cool with that too now.
When I finished my education I moved to Albany to avoid the commute that my dad had to and from the city every day.
When I retire I will try to leave the state for another state with less taxes. Property taxes and income taxes here are high and the city of Albany is now a slum.
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Taxes, Taxes and Taxes!!
Lived later on Long Island my kids were grown and out of the house, couldn’t see paying $13000 in taxes for a 1560 sqft home. So downsized to a 2 br condo in Va. for less than $300k taxes are $3000 and I have 1265sqft which is perfect for us! New kitchen and baths, gas is cheaper, overall utilities are WAY CHEAPER!!
So I guess for me living in NY was becoming oppressive! Quality of Life much better. I don’t think twice about the move!
I am in Virginia Beach. We love it down here. The beach is lot more accessible than it was on LI (far less traffic), and the ocean temps are so much warmer. I could never enjoy a cold beach again. Any water temp below 75 is too cold for me now.
Rick, I’m in the DMV, Fairfax, I moved here to be near my daughter. I was on LI also 20 minutes from beach, I miss that, but I don’t regret the move at all. Hell Nassau County raised my taxes as soon as I left another $2000!!
I still have a ton of family in Monmouth County & love visiting. Give me a mansion on the Navesink tomorrow & I'm there :-).
Ha, what part? And when?
From Freehold myself. Left in 89ish, just before the horse race tracks were built. Involuntary for me too. Parents divorced. Moms got tired of the bullshit and moved back to D.C. where her family is from. Still in the area now.
Though people in the DC area think life is a hustle in this area, its nothing compared to what my brother/sister/brother-in-law go through up there. Particularly those in finance up there. People are much more subdued here. They may not think so, but they are. It is what it is at this point. I imagine our kids will settle down around here after college, so we’ll be here forever I guess - at least part of the year. Wife doesn't want our grandchildren (someday) to not grow up around family. I'm cool with that too now.
Completely agree with you on the DMV, I live in Rockville.
Contemplated moving back after graduation because the job market is still catching up. But the massive Bill Gates project is working and snagged a job at a sales and marketing software tool called Drift and never plan on moving back.
I'm not one that is going to harp on the taxes because mostly I found at least in this area the salaries scale or at least only come out slightly ahead. The quality of life though is unreal, good weather 10 months of the year, great beaches, more laid back attitude, great drinking, tons of things to do. Moving to DT St. Pete from St. Pete Beach even though I work DT Tampa because I need a city I can walk around and do things. Tampa has a lot to do but at the moment you still need to Uber around. This area is a huge vacation destination so you always have shit going on.
I'll always be thankful for growing up outside of NYC as it has given me some unique personality traits that are very useful, but my first foray at 18 to school out of the area to Va Tech just made me realize how high strung and how much of an asshole I was. Its just kind of normal in the area, but once you go outside the bubble you realize the shit isn't normal.
I've got some friends at Drift (Melissa Lefleur, Jim Kelliher, Armen Zildjian , Danielle Tocci) It's a great company. Do you know any of those folks?
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then 4 years in Boston, graduating after the 1978 blizzards. Moved to the Bay Area of CA for a job. Went to Med school in Philly but went back to Oakland for residency and have lived in East Bay ever since.
I miss the pizza the most (I still know the number for Joe & Pats). It’s true CA property tax is low but that means we struggle with funding for schools and other services. And other cost of living expenses are high. Will likely move once I retire in 7 years - but not back to NYC.
hey I'm from staten island too let's connect
Hi Paulie. Email be at aob@astound.net and we can connect.
Having said that, I have a daughter-in-law who is awaiting word on her applications to several NYC area universities for her PhD program (Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stony Brook among others) so who knows? They will have two of my grandchildren with them and so maybe I'll follow them out?
I still love visiting Long Island, though now with my grandfather passing I only have one aunt and two cousins left up there, at least with close family. Still have a lot of extended family there, but how often does anyone make a trip just to visit second cousins?
very small world. Armen is cool as hell. he's unbelievable. I've know Jim since the late '90s. Armen since 2013 or so.
Now I live just over the DC border in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It’s peaceful, woodsy, quiet and while there lots of nerds (like Now Mike in Maryland) and political wonks, I might go a year without getting honked at or tailgated... and I’ve evolved into a pretty chill and content person.
That all said, NYC is still the king, and I really do miss the rich character and expressiveness of the good citizens NY/NJ.
But I met a CO girl who had moved to NY for work. After 5 years wanted to move back, so I was either going with her or left in her dust...
Moved to Denver in ‘01. Married, 2 kids, lived here near 20 yrs now. (My family still hasn’t forgiven me...!)
It’s funny. There are so many people from elsewhere who live in CO. It’s been a wonderful place to raise a family. But I still miss NY area..maybe for what it was and not what it is like now? I don’t know.
In all honesty, you blokes at BBI keep me (and my 17-yr old, rabid NYG fan son!) related to my old life! Go Giants!
Instead, my best friend from HS lived in Charlotte and asked me to come visit. I went for a week and realized, that's where I wanted to be. Put some resumes out there and got a job and moved. Been in NC/SC since 1994.
My family is still in Upstate and my sister is in Manhattan, so I get back enough to see them. Enough for the taste of NYC without having to live there.
But I met a CO girl who had moved to NY for work. After 5 years wanted to move back, so I was either going with her or left in her dust...
Moved to Denver in ‘01. Married, 2 kids, lived here near 20 yrs now. (My family still hasn’t forgiven me...!)
It’s funny. There are so many people from elsewhere who live in CO. It’s been a wonderful place to raise a family. But I still miss NY area..maybe for what it was and not what it is like now? I don’t know.
In all honesty, you blokes at BBI keep me (and my 17-yr old, rabid NYG fan son!) related to my old life! Go Giants!
The times when I miss it, I think it mostly has to do with nostalgia. My brother is still there, but many of my family members and friends have moved away.
I moved up here without expectations, it's a small, aging, depressed, rust-belt town with some defense contracting and a University center.
Sunk all my savings into renovating the house and re-trained, built a career in software development, raised our family here.
I've never looked back. It would take a LOT of money to get me to move back - I'm glad I lived there when I was young, particularly Manhattan and the Village, but NYC has not improved with age. Busier than ever.
I love Binghamton - absolutely gorgeous region with enough nightlife and activity to keep it interesting.
THINGS I MISS ABOUT NYC/NJ:
- The people. I was actually surprised at how different people are upstate - very private, quiet. I miss gregarious, loud people who will talk to ANYONE.
- FOOD. Quality and availability. Decent pizza, good bread and bagels are hard to find up here.
THINGS I DON'T MISS:
- STRESS. I didn't even realize how bad it was until I moved. Every trip back, I feel it. It's just an insane level of bustle, ALERTNESS - if you leave an inch, they take a mile. Traffic, congestion - it's just so much harder to get around.
- Noise. I grew up in the flight paths of 4 airports. The quiet here was actually somewhat unnerving at times.
- Ugly scenery. With the exception of the outer burbs, most of NYC/Metro looks like shit.
My wife is also dead set on our kids growing up in a diverse environment and Queens is as diverse as it gets.
I did want to move a decade ago to CA, but now I dont even think CA is the CA I dreamed about.
We are staying until the kids are in college, then we'll see, I know my wife will never leave her parents.
Let's see in 10 years.
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Great place to grow up. College in Charlottesville. Grad school Philly. First job in Eastern CT, later in Fairfield Cty. Loved where I was, never thought I’d leave. My whole fam in Metro Area.
But I met a CO girl who had moved to NY for work. After 5 years wanted to move back, so I was either going with her or left in her dust...
Moved to Denver in ‘01. Married, 2 kids, lived here near 20 yrs now. (My family still hasn’t forgiven me...!)
It’s funny. There are so many people from elsewhere who live in CO. It’s been a wonderful place to raise a family. But I still miss NY area..maybe for what it was and not what it is like now? I don’t know.
In all honesty, you blokes at BBI keep me (and my 17-yr old, rabid NYG fan son!) related to my old life! Go Giants!
The times when I miss it, I think it mostly has to do with nostalgia. My brother is still there, but many of my family members and friends have moved away.
Thanks for starting this, Rick! We all have stories, and at the risk of being too maudlin, I appreciate the chance to talk about mine! Enjoy reading all yours as well! Go Giants!
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In comment 14793804 Steve in ATL said:
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. Tax Map - ( New Window )
How did California get tax friendly? ;)
That surprised me too.
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The Golden State’s reputation as a high-tax destination is built in part on how aggressively it goes after big earners, with a 13.3% tax rate that kicks in at $1 million (for single filers) of taxable income. But for more modest incomes, the impact is far milder, and property taxes are low.
California - ( New Window )
The averages may be reasonable, but it all depends on where you live. The "average property tax" value they provided cracked me up. We pay roughly twice the rate of their example.
I have to wonder if/when we will start to reap the benefits of the tax revenue from legalized marijuana. My cynical side imagines it will be yet another example of tax dollars with seemingly little tangible benefit. Our schools suck. Our roads suck. Our police suck.
I came to Nashville a little over 10 years ago to go to Vanderbilt for undergrad. I found Nashville to be like the perfect city: big enough and with enough culture to never get bored, but small enough to not have that overwhelming "big city" vibe. I'm also a musician and it's nice to be in a town where literally every single person seems to either be a professional or at least dabbles in writing/creating/performing music.
At the time I graduated I was in a serious relationship with a girl and that was part of why I stayed, plus the fact that I got a job as an actuary at AIG and I really liked it (both the work and the pay). Fast forward to today and I'm single, but still work at AIG, live across the street from work with zero traffic/commute and I actually work from home most days.
I've never once really seriously thought about moving back "home". I've thought about moving to either Chicago or Houston, as I like both those cities and have my certain for possibly living there, but I get overwhelmed thinking about traffic, population density, and weather being too hot/cold (those cities are literally the extreme of each). So at this point I'll admit I'm honestly just comfortable in Nashville.
Tired of paying an exorbitant amount of rent for a tiny apartment.
Tired of the traffic congestion.
Tired of massive crowds.
Have had a fun, wild ride for almost 8 years here, but, it is time to buy a house and move onto the next phase of life, wherever that may be.
Tired of paying an exorbitant amount of rent for a tiny apartment.
Tired of the traffic congestion.
Tired of massive crowds.
Have had a fun, wild ride for almost 8 years here, but, it is time to buy a house and move onto the next phase of life, wherever that may be.
Don't ask me why I remember this tidbit of info, but you were in AZ before, right? I tend to remember some of the things that the musicians here post about. I think you posted some music here years ago that I thought was really good. It was instrumental rock. I remember that.
Best decision we ever made. Found a great neighborhood, built a house, pay half what we paid in Stamford for daycare, and we are a 10 minute walk to the train, the beach, my wife's office, and downtown.
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Tired of the MTA and heinous commutes.
Tired of paying an exorbitant amount of rent for a tiny apartment.
Tired of the traffic congestion.
Tired of massive crowds.
Have had a fun, wild ride for almost 8 years here, but, it is time to buy a house and move onto the next phase of life, wherever that may be.
Don't ask me why I remember this tidbit of info, but you were in AZ before, right? I tend to remember some of the things that the musicians here post about. I think you posted some music here years ago that I thought was really good. It was instrumental rock. I remember that.
Ha, Rick! Yes, you are remembering all of that correctly- especially the part about the instrumental rock being really good ;)
It seems like it has been a long, long while since there was a BBI musicians or new gear thread. You still jamming these days?
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In comment 14796078 Giantology said:
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Tired of the MTA and heinous commutes.
Tired of paying an exorbitant amount of rent for a tiny apartment.
Tired of the traffic congestion.
Tired of massive crowds.
Have had a fun, wild ride for almost 8 years here, but, it is time to buy a house and move onto the next phase of life, wherever that may be.
Don't ask me why I remember this tidbit of info, but you were in AZ before, right? I tend to remember some of the things that the musicians here post about. I think you posted some music here years ago that I thought was really good. It was instrumental rock. I remember that.
Ha, Rick! Yes, you are remembering all of that correctly- especially the part about the instrumental rock being really good ;)
It seems like it has been a long, long while since there was a BBI musicians or new gear thread. You still jamming these days?
Yes. I play in a jazz quintet. We have a gig at a local brewery in a couple of weeks which I am really excited about. Getting ready to start rehearsal at 7:00.
Need to pickup search. Son is about to turn 12 so hoping in 10 years if not sooner I can leave. Not a huge Florida fan but am willing to check out some new areas. Other than Naples haven't spent much time on West Coast of Fla. I have heard great things about Texas although with relatives all in Northeast that may be a bit far.
I loved the Charleston SC area. Better weather. Cheaper prices. Stuff is new but classy. Quick flight to NY.
Everything in NY is aging. Infrastructure crumbling. High taxes and cost of living. That money to pay for social programs most of us will never use. And I know you aren't supposed to get political but the Dems are ruining NY. Laws that give illegals more rights than citizens. Laws that remove our rights on guns or to save the seagulls by cutting down on straws and bags but allow criminals to walk without bail are asinine. This state will never be run by a republican again. I am not saying Republicans are the end all be all. They love to spend the pork as good as the dems, but some of Cuomo's policies are mob tactics in a suit in Albany. The corruption is incredible. Time to go.