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.
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.