[mels]

I have to agree, no way is anyone paying $3K in car taxes unless you are driving a really sweet ride that set you back a couple hundred thousand. I lived in a very high tax city for a brief time and even my car tax there on a brand new vehicle was no more than $700. Not every place is for everyone and to each their own, but there is no reason to just make up reasons why it is so terrible here when there are plenty of legitimate gripes to be made about CT!

[NezzaBlue]

Depending on where people live in Ct is the opinion that you will get. I live in Bridgeport, so I would defintely say NORTH CAROLINA....

I feel that Ct is over priced between property taxes, the new 50% increase in our electric bill, and oh yes did I mention taxes?

Good luck and I hope this helps.

[anonemoose]

I was born and raised in Greenwich CT, husband born in India , then 17 years in UAE, then NYC/CT.We now live in Charlotte, the only thing we miss is the water as our house was on the water in Stamford.We have great friends, a fabulous stress free life and can't get our friends to leave when they visit as they don't want to go back to fairfield county.
NC is what you make of it and you seem to be a fish out of water, so perhaps it is best for you to go back to the north.Burrrrrr but we will be staying here , hubby even hates to fly thru JFK as he can't get over how rude people are.

[tom62]

I live in Warren Ct. Beautiful, quiet town. Made the mistake of moving to Montana once, albeit briefly! Glad to be settled in Ct again. Difficult subject NC vs CT. Were thinking "again" of maybee trying NC in a few years but NOT until carefully scoping out areas. Yes, tired of November thru April, 6 months of having the heat on! Oh wait, forgot October. Owning a home? Honestly, could not afford the home I own now which i built 5 years ago. If I sold, would need to rent or downsize into condo living (oh the fun) . Every morning I wake up and drag myself to work an hour away (no jobs in NW Ct) and my job takes me to homes and people who always complain how difficult it actually is to maintain the lifestyle in Ct. <This excludes the overpriveledged wealthy> We could not even entertain the thought of starting a family and the friends we have with children are so behind the "8 ball" it scares ME!! However- yea we have our friends and family and things familiar to us so we push forward each day. The daily pressure is IMMENSE! The distant call of a no mortgage situation, in a warmer climate an hour from the blue ridge mountains via my Road Glide is rather tempting!! Or I could just stay in Ct and win lotto???

[OREGONRAIN]

I think by reading all the post it can help your situation in North Carolina, when you see other people are also in the same boat so to speak. I left Mass almost 2 years ago, I think as we reach the 2 year mark area, is when this becomes the most difficult, the feeling that we made a mistake by moving to the place we are now in. For me I went all the way to Oregon, and although I don't dislike it, I am very uncomfortable with the amount of crime and drug people and rather a isolated feeling out here, metro areas are hundreds of miles away from each other. I think alot of New Englanders cannont live away from New England even though we constantly complain about the cost of living and the cold winter. I think you are struggling with some of what I am, the new place just isn't us really, we can't really fit into these areas, we can go thru the motions but our heart and comfort level is in New England. I don't know if living in a more metro area of NC would help your such as Charlotte or Raleigh, you could try visits there several times, to see your comfort level, but you like I are probably New Englanders for life

[Highpointer]

Originally Posted by Limbo

CT (Pros) . . . people are better educated . . .

I don't agree that people are better educated in CT than in NC. Consider that one of the first places I think of in NC is the Research Triangle Park area, which is named for the three major state universities of the region - the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, and Duke University. Two of these are state universities, and the other is an elite private university that is considered to be on par with Ivy League universities.

North Carolina also has a number of other high-quality universities throughout other parts of the state. Connecticut, on the other hand, has only one major state university (the University of Connecticut) and an Ivy League university (Yale University), but it is my opinion (not based on personal experience) that Yale University is overrated and gets by on its reputation, especially when I read web sites like this one or this one.

I did go to high school is Connecticut, and I can tell you from personal experience that most high school students in Connecticut who ranked near the top of their graduating classes wouldn't consider going to most Connecticut universities, except for UCONN or Yale. I live in Arizona now, and I do know that many high-achieving Arizona high school students do enroll at Arizona's two largest universities, Arizona State and the University of Arizona.

Ken Akerman
Tempe, AZ

[Highpointer]

Originally Posted by tom62

. . . Made the mistake of moving to Montana once, albeit briefly! . . .

Why would moving to Montana be a mistake? Montana is one of the most beautiful places in the live, with spectacular mountain scenery and great outdoor recreational opportunities. It's major drawback may be finding a job that pays as well as jobs in big cities, but in Montana you don't have to deal with big-city hassles.

Ken Akerman
Tempe, AZ

[Highpointer]

Originally Posted by mels

Sure the winters here are longer than in NC, but let's be honest. We usually don't get snow until late December and it is usually done with by March. Not exactly a lengthy winter by northern standards. I am with you on the taxes, they certainly are high in CT as are utility costs.

It appears to me that the wintry weather in Connecticut does often continue well into April. I attended high school in Connecticut and remember it snowed about 13 inches one time in April. When I watch baseball games played in April in Boston or New York (both near Connecticut), the weather appears to be chilly, probably not as cold as winter but definitely warmer than what spring weather should be.

Also, Connecticut has high taxes, but for these high taxes, what are the residents of Connecticut getting for these taxes? I live in Arizona yet have family members living in Connecticut, and in my visits to Connecticut I note that the quality of public libraries and municipal parks in Connecticut, to give two examples, are lower than the quality of public libraries and municipal parks in the cities and towns of the greater Phoenix area.

Ken Akerman
Tempe, AZ

[JayCT]

Ken - I do not know where in CT you grew up but I do have to disagree with a number of your statements. First of all, yes UConn is our top state university and Yale is a top rated Ivy League school, but there are many other great, highly respected universities here as well. Fairfield University and Wesleyan are two that come to mind immediately. Also Connecticut College, Trinity, Albertus Magnus, Quinnipiac, the Coast Guard Academy, University of Hartford, St. Joseph's. These are all highly respected colleges and universities. Just because a school is small and not well known does not mean it is not well respected for those who know high education.

As for Yale being "over-rated", no matter what, it is one of the country's best universities and I think few would say it is not. It has graduated many of our country's greatest leaders, so they must be doing something right.

UConn is very highly rated and getting better. It is now attracting top students from all over the country. As for high-ranking CT students not going to UConn, I don't agree at all. Have you looked at the number of CT students there? The reason that more of CT's top students do not go to a state university is that many do not HAVE to go to it. CT is pretty wealthy and many people can afford to send their kids to private schools. The top students that don't come from families that have money for colleges are so highly desired by other universities that they are getting scholarship offers from schools. My nephew is a high honors student at one of the top public high schools in the state and he is being offered a lot of incentives to go to different schools and his parents have the money to send him wherever he wants to go.

As for your comments on parks and libraries, all I can say is "what are you talking about???". I have been to Phoenix and did not see any parks that I would say were great (and yes I did check around). I saw a very large sprawling (and sorry to say IMHO fairly unattractive) city with a few (very few in fact) parks here and there. The parks were very nice but not much more than what I see here in CT. Maybe I missed something but I highly doubt it.

As for your statements on libraries, well maybe you are just mistaking the newness of Arizona libraries with quality. Just because our libraries are older buildings does not make them inferior. In fact my friend who was the Head Librarian at a library in a major city (not in CT) has said that CT has one of the best library systems in the country. My small town of 30,000 has three libraries (two are small, one is fairly big) and all have great resources and are part of a network of libraries throughout the State that share their resources which is great when you need something in particular.

As for the weather, yes we have gotten snow in April, but to me, it certainly beats the heat of Arizona which is unbearable for so many months of the year. JMHO Jay

[Iska]

Originally Posted by Highpointer

Connecticut, on the other hand, has only one major state university (the University of Connecticut) and an Ivy League university (Yale University), but it is my opinion (not based on personal experience) that Yale University is overrated and gets by on its reputation, especially when I read web sites like this one or this one.

Please, never go to students review for an opinion about a school. The sample is not random or scientific. I would posit that disgruntled students are more likely to post in students review than satisfied students.

Your comment is best ignored by anyone considering applying to Yale. I am very familiar with HYP and will be glad to share with you a more accurate assessment. MIT is now doing an assessment of college experience at Yale and and about twenty other elite colleges. The survey has just wrapped up, yesterday, I think. It's a giant survey of people who actually have kids going to these schools. Look for it when the results come out. You will get a more accurate reading of experience at the elites, including Yale.