If you're thinking about relocating from Long Island to Raleigh, North Carolina... (middle-class, rentals)

[Escape_From_NY]

"So, let me give you the heads up on Moving Down to NC. My parents have been down there for about 4 years now. Your property taxes are extremely low, however they will be reassessed when you move in. Don't be surprised if they go above 1k after you move in. Not a big deal, but the RE agents are very misleading to NYers about the this!"

I bought in Spartanburg County, SC - taxes reassessed every five years, and was reassessed in 2008. The $150 figure represents the new rate after the 2008 reassessment. Short of me doing a MAJOR remodeling and
serious upgrade and expansion of the place, I can't see the property taxes EVER approaching the 4-figure mark on this property, at least not in my lifetime. And between the recession, plunging home values and rising unemployment, I doubt the County would try and squeeze more out of already strapped residents.

The roads are very dangerous on account of mandatory licensing of students above the age of 16. Car insurance isn't cheaper down there due to high rate of young drivers and uninsured vehicles.

I found the highways in Upstate SC to be excellent, and amazingly-free
of traffic, even during "rush hour". Compared to Long Island? The roads were a breath of fresh air. Since I already pay some of the highest car insurance rates in the nation up here in NY, SC can't possibly be any higher. One main difference, however, is that NY doesn't tax vehicles, while SC does, so I would definitely think long and hard about "upgrading" to a shiny new(er) vehicle than my current 12 year old Hyundai, but at least I would have control over that.

If you have children going to school, don't be surprised if they are way advanced for the learning curve that you will find there. The schools have grown so exponentially in the past 10 years that most of them are just about ready to pop, and property taxes have increased in the past few years and will continue to increase to account for the school growth. My parents property taxes have doubled in the time they have been there."

I don't have kids, so the schools aren't much of an issue for me, but the school district my place is in, is the highly-rated 6th District, which would be a major plus if I decide to sell or rent out the place to a family.

As to your other points about relocaing to the Carolinas, yeah, I'm aware that some folks think the Civil War is still going on(including my next-door neighbor!), and some aren't particularly friendly towards us "Yankees", and that's an issue that needs to be dealt with, but those views are not entirely without merit, either. I can understand a couple of their main gripes about us northerners, and in understanding their viewpoint, feel I am better able to fit-in, aapt and embrace the local customs and culture, and not try and bring NY with me when I relocate. Some of the more hard core folks will NEVER fully accept me, and I understand that too, but I don't really anticipate any major problems - as an older single guy looking only to "downshift" my life towards a quiet retirement in an inexpensive and warmer climate, I think it will soon become apparent I am no threat to the lifestyle, culture or livelihood of the locals. I have no desire to bring NY with me when I move, and no compulsion to tell the locals "how we do things in NY", or to compare the differences. I think I'll be ok in this regard.

[anotherNYer]

I hover here daily and have posted once before. I moved down to Apex, NC in August. Luckily sold my home in Huntington in one month. I think I got out at the right time. We bought in a great neighborhood for $250,000 (cash). Taxes are $2200 as opposed to over $10,000 in NY. I would never move back. MY kids (14 and twin 10 year olds) love it . We did everything you werent supposed to--moved with no jobs, etc. Everyone is so nice. I'm a teacher and think the schools are fine. My older one is in HS all honors and is not getting straight A's- he is working hard, just as hard as in NY. Younger 2, same thing, both are in advanced classes but work at it. Weather is great, cost of living (esp. taxes and car, house insurance is much lower). In NY everyone must tell themselves they are getting more because why else would you pay such high taxes. There is life out there beyond NY and not everyone cares you came from there. By the way I was born and raised in NY, never thought I'd leave, same with husband, but things are great here.

[slynn41072]

Originally Posted by anotherNYer

I hover here daily and have posted once before. I moved down to Apex, NC in August. Luckily sold my home in Huntington in one month. I think I got out at the right time. We bought in a great neighborhood for $250,000 (cash). Taxes are $2200 as opposed to over $10,000 in NY. I would never move back. MY kids (14 and twin 10 year olds) love it . We did everything you werent supposed to--moved with no jobs, etc. Everyone is so nice. I'm a teacher and think the schools are fine. My older one is in HS all honors and is not getting straight A's- he is working hard, just as hard as in NY. Younger 2, same thing, both are in advanced classes but work at it. Weather is great, cost of living (esp. taxes and car, house insurance is much lower). In NY everyone must tell themselves they are getting more because why else would you pay such high taxes. There is life out there beyond NY and not everyone cares you came from there. By the way I was born and raised in NY, never thought I'd leave, same with husband, but things are great here.

I agree. We moved to Cary, NC over 6 years ago from Commack(born and raised on LI). Our taxes have only gone up 250.00 since we moved in and that over the course of 6 years. Car insurance is less than half of what we were paying in LI. Electric, gas and other utilities are much cheaper as well(at least half).
We have a very nice home with a very low mortgage, great weather and a happy life.
NC is not for everyone. It is not like LI. IMO its much nicer, but that is just my opinion. Some parts aren't so great, but the same can be said for LI.
We are very pleased with the schools in our area, my kids are doing very well and we have great parental involvement which I think is very important for any school.
My friends who have older kids and are just graduating HS in Cary just received acceptance to UNC- Chapel Hill, Duke, Harvard and Yale. I guess not only LI students are able to get into good schools.
Colleges accept students from all states, not just NY and not just LI.

[2girlsmi]

Thank you NYTiz -- I was getting nervous there for a while! We are currently thinking about a move to NC because our school district is terrible. Unless you are a star athlete, nothing else matters. School is so much more than test grades. Its about the people you have to spend your days with and I really think the people in NC may be a bit more pleasant to be around and not always as angry as they are here in Suffolk County. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll see in a few weeks when we head on down to investigate. Again, thank you for the positive outlook.

[S.I.B.]

Originally Posted by slynn41072

I agree. We moved to Cary, NC over 6 years ago from Commack(born and raised on LI). Our taxes have only gone up 250.00 since we moved in and that over the course of 6 years. Car insurance is less than half of what we were paying in LI. Electric, gas and other utilities are much cheaper as well(at least half).
We have a very nice home with a very low mortgage, great weather and a happy life.
NC is not for everyone. It is not like LI. IMO its much nicer, but that is just my opinion. Some parts aren't so great, but the same can be said for LI.
We are very pleased with the schools in our area, my kids are doing very well and we have great parental involvement which I think is very important for any school.
My friends who have older kids and are just graduating HS in Cary just received acceptance to UNC- Chapel Hill, Duke, Harvard and Yale. I guess not only LI students are able to get into good schools.
Colleges accept students from all states, not just NY and not just LI.

aside from various things being cheaper, what is "nicer" about it? Just curious...

[slynn41072]

Originally Posted by S.I.B.

aside from various things being cheaper, what is "nicer" about it? Just curious...

The area I live in is kept EXTREMELY clean, landscaped to perfection.
You don't see garbage thrown all over roadways. Broken down ugly old strip malls are not around. Everything is cared for. No large obnoxious signs.
People are friendly, they will actually let you cross the street in a parking lot(they stop the car to let you cross), not try to run you down (this happened to me in Port Jeff Station last summer, almost run down).
HOA's (love them or hate them) keep neighbors from letting their grass grow 5 feet tall and from having a parking lot in their backyard.
This is some of the reasons I say its nicer.
Now mind you, this is not all of NC, but its where I call home.

[Escape_From_NY]

Originally Posted by S.I.B.

aside from various things being cheaper, what is "nicer" about it? Just curious...

As a 45+ year resident of Suffolk County, Long Island, and one sick of the high costs and traffic, and one looking forward to getting the heck off this god-forsaken, once-nice Island to more hospitable climes(both weather-wise and economic), I have to ask: what is "nice" about Long Island?

At this point, that's an almost rhetorical question, because Long Island is a victim of it's own success, in that all the things that once made it a great place to live have contributed to it being overrun by those who sought it out for those very qualities and, in the process, destroyed what once made it such a great place to live. Long Island is DONE - stick a fork in it and move on!

[claasycat]

I totally agree, I was born and raised in Commack as well, moved to NC 19 years ago. But I stayed in Asheville only 8 years then moved to Johnson City, Tennessee. This area of Tennessee reminds me of LI way back in the late 60's early 70's, where you still have plenty of land, some neighborhoods, and there was still country living available. Went back to NY in the summer of 2001 and couldn't wait to get out of there. Don't get me wrong, there are a few things I miss, but over all I couldn't live there again after being down here. Thinking about going back to visit, but haven't decided yet.

[NYEconomist]

My friends who have older kids and are just graduating HS in Cary just received acceptance to UNC- Chapel Hill, Duke, Harvard and Yale.

The funny thing is that you will have a better chance at getting into Harvard and Yale if you live in NC compared to NY. The top Universities look for Out of State and Out of Region schools in order to bolster their diversification numbers. All things being equal a 1400 student from NC will be chosen before a 1400 student from NY, simply because the top schools have droves of applicants from Long Island.

At this point, that's an almost rhetorical question, because Long Island is a victim of it's own success, in that all the things that once made it a great place to live have contributed to it being overrun by those who sought it out for those very qualities and, in the process, destroyed what once made it such a great place to live. Long Island is DONE - stick a fork in it and move on!

Oh C'mon. There are still great parts if you go really really far out like Mattituck or Montauk. Shelter Island still looks the same it did 20 years ago. Ok, so maybe you're right. Family or a job! If you don't have a vested interest in either than you can find better places than LI. The problem with LI is that the middle class lifestyle that was so sought after on LI 30-40 years ago is gone. If you are upper class than LI is great for you and if you are lower class than what state is better than NY for the welfare programs? However, the middle class has no place on LI.

[Escape_From_NY]

Oh C'mon. There are still great parts if you go really really far out like Mattituck or Montauk. Shelter Island still looks the same it did 20 years ago.

Ok, so maybe you're right. Family or a job! If you don't have a vested interest in either than you can find better places than LI. The problem with LI is that the middle class lifestyle that was so sought after on LI 30-40 years ago is gone. If you are upper class than LI is great for you and if you are lower class than what state is better than NY for the welfare programs? However, the middle class has no place on LI.

I am not all that far from Mattituck. The areas you mention are nice to *visit* for vacation/tourism purposes, but living out here, and perhaps more to the point, making a living out here, are 2 different things entirely. There is plenty of poverty in the Hamptons all the way on out to Greenport, it's just not as visible, and yes, the Hamptons, Montauk and the North Fork are still nice, I agree, but consider just how far east you now have to go to be where it's still "nice" - and then from that point, turn facing west and consider how much of the island is no longer so nice - 2/3'rds? 75%?
An it's not getting any better. Eventually, you will have to go out east even further to escape the traffic and sprawl, but there is no escape from the high costs of living here, no matter where you go on LI. Even the least desireable areas are not cheap to live in.

Any way you cut it, Long Island is losing it's appeal to a growing number of people here. And like you said, if you're poor, NY generous welfare benefits programs makes the area a good choice, and if you're well off, it can be a nice place to live because with enough money, you can insulate
yourself from most of the bad stuff, don't have to concern yourself with competeing with the increasing hordes of unemployed for an $8 an hour job that won't even cover living expenses in the least toniest areas, and can simply hole up in your North Shore McMansion, with your biggest worry being able to obtain a suitable tee-off time at the golf club.
You now almost *need* to be "wealthy" to live here comfortably. The middle class is being squeezed out - IMHO there is increasingly less here for the working stiff. Why stay? You can make $8-10 an hour practcally
anywhere in the country, so why not move to a nicer, less crowded area where both house prices and property taxes are 90% less than here, and where that 8 or 10 bucks an hour will buy you something resembling a near middle class lifestyle, and your energy costs as well as your blood pressure will be lower

If the economy hadn't fallen off the cliff at the end of last year, and had I felt confident in my ability to quickly find a job in a State where I didn't know anyone, I'd be living in my own, fully paid for home in Upstate SC right now, at a TOTAL monthly cost of about $200(that figure includes everything except food) instead of being stuck up here paying high rent, seperate high heating costs, 3 seperate electric bills and 2 sets of property taxes - all of this with ZERO income since Nov 08 (Yes, I told my boss "where to put it" and have NO regrets about doing so, even now)
(long story, don't ask)

Here, unless you're wealthy or on welfare, you have to get on the work treadmill and RUN, and KEEP running 5-6 days a week just to survive and keep from sinking into a debt-swamp. In SC, a leisurely p/t job, even if only minimum wage, is all I would need. If I rented out a room, my TOTAL
housing cost would be $0 per month - a weekend-only job would be all I need, leaving me planty of leisure time during the week. And if by some miracle I actually make it to retirement age in another 11 years(and if the larger miracle of a still-functional SS system still exists at that time), I'd be set for a secure retirement with secure housing, on an income that might see a lesser prepared person of the same age and income who made the mistake of staying on LI, comdemed to a life of grinding, needful poverty and struggle. (Try surviving on LI with an income of $850 a month, and then imagine how much worse it will be when prices rebound an inflation kicks in) Ah, but I've rambling on too much already