[Mrs. P]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

If you know free lunch rates, you can actually get a back of the envelope school quality measure by comparing schools with somewhat similar demographics and seeing which places consistently do better or worse on FCATs than other schools of similar family income type.

AFAIK we don't have any 75% free school lunch where we live (it's a small enough school district that they can avoid zoning all the poor kids into the same elementary schools) but there are a number over 50%, and a couple of those schools have high number of limited English proficiency students and parents, and those schools here tend to either get A grades or B grades that aren't far from A's. So I'll take it as a sign that the school system here is in reasonably good shape.

I think that's in many large cities. The Charlotte NC supposed mecca for many dishearted folks? 50% free school meals as well.

[Mrs. P]

Originally Posted by Wilshire81182

Besides Detroit has some of the wealthiest, most attractive suburbs in the country. Troy, Birmingham, Sterling Heights, etc.

Yes I've seen those communities. Very nice.

I'm trying to remember the name of the town I fell in love with, we got off the Ohio turnpike exit 3? exit 5? coming East to West...to go to the racetrack. Anyway we took a scenic route through small little towns, and I just fell in love with it. Little communities small town squares, beautiful old home after another, it was real sunny and slightly warm and it had just rained. The air was sparkling clean refreshing the trees were gorgeous, the whole place was gorgeous, this went on for miles and miles. If it were not for the hard winters, I would have moved there in a heart beat. I love small old towns with true workmanship in the victorian homes. I'll never forget it.
I took the trip 4 times.

[Mrs. P]

Originally Posted by Pooring Footers

"No sir, I'm high tailing it to North Carolina, where the unemployment rate is 3% and the people are so much nicer, say things like, "Y'all want some sweet tea shugah?" and it's not hot in the summer at all!"

My response: I dont know that many people in NC that talk like that, and I do know a few that talk like that in FL. As far as your other statements, I agree, the people in NC are definitely friendlier but the unemployment rates hovers around 8%, not 3. Depending on where you are, the summers can be hot and humid (piedmont and coastal areas) or very pleasant (western NC). The highs in the summers in WNC usually hover at or below 87 degrees, with much less humidity.

Unemployment is more than 9% in NC, with some communities in double digits. And yes people talk that way there. I actually had to quit a job over it, because I couldn't understand the people who called in their fuel orders.
That is much more so in the smaller towns. The big cities, no you don't run into it that much because everyone is from somewhere else.

However I will state, that there a nice people everywhere in every state of this Union and NC holds no more or less than anyone else. There are most certainly rude people there. Southern and Northerners alike. Trust me I've ran into just as many down here as I did up North. It's just the way people are.

[Mrs. P]

Originally Posted by Wilshire81182

Denver has a lot of good qualities though. I assume people are looking at that when they look for a place to move. Denver is a good size, has an educated population, low enough crime, etc. I have a friend who moved there from Orlando and loves it. She goes to the ski cities all the time and loves the scenery.

In the same ....I have a friend that lives in a suburb of Denver, not this winter but last winter he couldn't get out of his driveway for 3 weeks. Thankfully he was on vacation from work (he does this on purpose).
He sent pictures where he shoveled a walk way for he and his dogs to get out of the house. The snow mounds were up to his shoulders. No thanks.
I never did get the Denver thing....didn't or don't they have some of the filithiest air in the country? Or am I recalling that wrong?

[Wilshire81182]

Originally Posted by Mrs. P

In the same ....I have a friend that lives in a suburb of Denver, not this winter but last winter he couldn't get out of his driveway for 3 weeks. Thankfully he was on vacation from work (he does this on purpose).
He sent pictures where he shoveled a walk way for he and his dogs to get out of the house. The snow mounds were up to his shoulders. No thanks.
I never did get the Denver thing....didn't or don't they have some of the filithiest air in the country? Or am I recalling that wrong?

I do not like cold weather at all, so I was not coming to Denver's defense as in I want to live there by any means. Statistically though, Denver has a lot going for it. I went in the summer and air did not seem too bad. Phoenix, California, and Houston have pretty bad air pollution though. You may be thinking of Phoenix.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by TANaples

My husband made more than that $50,000 in the 1970s. My daughter has only been working 2 years since college and makes more than that.

She also has a strong union job. What about the other daughter that lost her job and had to move to Florida of all places? What was she making? What about those who don't go to college? What about those in other, non-unionized positions?

FACTS is FACTS madame:

The median salary for New York City area workers was $50,820 in 2007:

New York Salaries - NYJobSource.com

In 2007, the median household income in New York City was $48,631, according to the American Community Survey released last week by the Census Bureau.

Life or Something Like It On City̢۪s Median Income | The New York Observer

Oh, and by the way, software development is typically one of the highest paid positions in the nation, no matter where you live. In New York City, they are on par salary wise with lawyers. It's not a typical case study to keep quoting your husband, especially when these days, software development types often have a hard time finding jobs, or are being pushed out by overseas competition.

Originally Posted by TANaples

Great Neck is a very well to do area of LI. Your average person there will be making far more than $50,000.

What does that have to do with ethnic demographics?

Originally Posted by TANaples

Rachael and her fiance just bought a house in Levittown. They make over 6 figures between them and are young teachers. What do young teachers make in Florida? Probably what the average receptionist makes in NYC.

Wow, so proud. Guess I would be jealous or something (see below) if I wasn't 26 and on my second home already, having bought a house in grad school by myself at age 22. Oh well.

By the way, starting teacher salary is about 40k in my neck of the woods. A 40k salary in West Palm Beach, FL is equivalent to 51k in Levittown, NY. According to THIS statistic, Levittown is 28% more expensive in every cost of living category:
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed

MY salary in Florida is equivalent to a salary 30% higher in Manhattan. I could be making a lot more there.... but eh, I just don't care because I do fine here and have more than I would there. Oh.... AND I don't pay state income tax, New York City tax, OR 10% sales tax.

Originally Posted by TANaples

You are the one with the persecution, and jealousy, complex.

Haha, I'm not the one who thinks I get dirty looks because I wear a big coat, or thinks the weatherman is being "smug," or that everyone around me is constantly bragging about the weather.

There is absolutely NOTHING I am jealous of from what I've learned thus far. In fact, I've struggled to figure out how people can be so worn down by their environment that it consumes them.

Pity? Maybe. But jealous? Oh no, see, I LIKE where I live (and I actually like NY too, I just have no patience for that weird NY jingoism and unearned pride).... but, as I've said, when I want to visit NY I take a three hour Jet Blue flight for $79 each way, get my fill, and come home to my hammock, pool, coconut palms and banana trees!

Originally Posted by TANaples

I don't need any excuse to go back to NY. Actually, my last trip was a Chistmas present from Rachael. As I said, at 25 years old she isn't hurting for money in NYC.

You have no clue what you are talking about.

Oy. You'll have to forgive me, I'm trying REALLLLLY hard here to empathize with the whole self-imposed, "guilded cage" thing you've got going on, but it's so very hard.

[Rachael84]

^^The way you write your responses isn't very mature. You can't be taken seriously when you write the way you do. Second house? I highly doubt that. Based on how many times you say you aren't jealous, leads me to believe you really are.

[bdpop]

This thread is becoming utterly ridiculous and immature. Why can't we just agree that some people prefer NY while others prefer FL.

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by bdpop

This thread is becoming utterly ridiculous and immature. Why can't we just agree that some people prefer NY while others prefer FL.

It's getting ludicrous, but was amusing in part. Online comparison of Levittown versus West Palm Beach?????

One correction though. My older daughter did not lose her LP job at Bloomingdale's. She quit it to move here and got a job 3 days after moving to Florida.

No more.

[DailyJournalist]

Originally Posted by rogercobb

Besides, my family in and of itself is "culturally diverse" so I've never really been impressed with ease of access to sample accutrements of culture. Parading your kids around NYC so they can gawk at people that don't look like them isn't exactly constructive. More like a human zoo.

This is funny as hell. I don't know if that was your intention

Parading your kids around NYC is more constructive than parading them around a strip mall swamp.