[LIS123]

Originally Posted by NLVgal

So my brat, who has never been out of the desert southwest, is moving to Poughkeepsie, NY.

He's excited to see snow, and trees.

I already warned him about leaving a libertarian state for a very regulated state ( they choked a guy out for selling loose cigarettes) the weather, and the sticker shock.

I'm hoping this will be a very positive experience for him, and that he will either decide that Vegas is in fact hell on earth, or he'll appreciate what he has come to loathe.

Not many native Las Vegans about, so I gave him a cap, and told him it would strike up conversations.

East coasters- what did I miss for my desert rat?

Does he have a job lined up? Will it be a major pay increase from what he made in LV?

Other posters are correct -- wages in NYS and NYC are not double what they are in other locales though COL in NYC can be more than double what it is in other places (if you take taxes and equivalent living situation into account).

The higher COL, higher tax burden, weather, and larger state/local government (less individual freedom) are certainly high on the list of cons of moving from NV to NY. Depending on his political/world views, he could be frustrated with the amount/percent of people who actually support big government type politicians whether they like the consequences of high government or not (remember, it's the voters who elected NYS and NYC politicians who are robbing those of us who live here blind) -- I certainly am. The State/county/local tax burden in NYS will never decrease; it will only stay the same (or, much more likely) increase as the state is run by politicians and public sector unions who feed off the public trough. Those of us idiots who foot the bill are just sheeps on our way to the slaughterhouse.

The poster who said it could be a good experience to leave one's home area is, IMO, correct. It sounds like he's young, so he'll be able to return to NV or a like-minded state in the future should he decide that's a better fit for him. I'm turning 37 soon (which, I assume, is quite a bit older than your son) and am already not planning to live in NYC indefinitely after only 2 months. The reasons are some of those mentioned earlier in this post.