Where Are All The Long Islanders Moving To? (Lancaster, Florida: real estate, house)

[Diane Giam]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

Hell, I'm going to get cancer anyway. Truth be told, I used to hear much the same thing about Oakland, CA, from the Snob Franciscans, when I lived there.
There's this joke that the area code for Oakland is 911. And, there's plenty to be afraid of...if you're a yuppie. I'm not. I used to live about a mile away from Sonny Barger's motorcycle shop. And, there were drugs and gangs galore. Never bothered me. I'm not involved with such things, and I don't look like I have anything worth stealing.

I feel more endangered here. I walk places, and the "police" here simply do not enforce the law. If there's revenue problems, they ought to set up on Old Country Road. And bring plenty of ticket books. Drug dealers do not force me to buy their product. However, I do have to walk on the street, and thoughtless monied SUV types endanger my life every day.

This whole 'you have to have a car' thing...huh? Yeah, you need an expensive complicated machine and three separate sets of papers that you have to pay through the nose for, like a kidney patient needs a dialysis machine? Give me a break. This is an artificially created need, created by the local dinosaurs whose mission in life seems to be pretending that it's still 1953.

I have plenty of sympathy for working people who like this place, and are getting edged out by all the greed and stealing. But, if I hear one more Long Island Schmoe sitting on a house that's worth ten times what his parents paid for it whining about his taxes...I might just take up mugging myself. Or, when I finally get out of this...dump, I might chat up the homies in the hood, and give em directions to Penn Station.

Ever hear the one about the Eloi and the Morlocks? Bon appetit.

I'm serious about nj being a polution cesspool, Here is a link to prove it. I bet the DEP can tell you some stories
NJDEP SRWM - KCS-NJ: Monmouth County (Part 1 of 2)

[Dedalus]

Originally Posted by Diane Giam

I'm serious about nj being a polution cesspool, Here is a link to prove it. I bet the DEP can tell you some stories
NJDEP SRWM - KCS-NJ: Monmouth County (Part 1 of 2)

Nice link! Thanks, I bookmarked it.

I skimmed over some of it. It looks like about 90% of the sites are residences that used to have underground fuel storage tanks that leaked, gas stations that had the same problem, and dry cleaners who dumped a bunch of perc out back.

Nasty groundwater contamination problem. But, it's not gonna reach a clammy hand up out of the ground and grab you by the leg. It's mainly a problem if you want to sink a well and use the water. And, if you know about it, you can install an activated carbon adsorption system, an air stripping system, or something to make the water safe, or at least lots safer.

[mom2three]

Originally Posted by Diane Giam

Mom, Yes Hendersonville is nice. We ended up in Nashville/Brentwood border because the comute time to my husbands job was better from there.
I left LI about 13 years ago. I was raised in Lawrence, LI. Got married purchased my first home in Mt Sinai, LI, sold that moved to Babylon as commute was to long for my husband.
We left Babylon in 1991 and moved to Manalapan, NJ . We wanted a larger house and taxes in LI a house in Dix Hills were in the $10,000 range back then, NJ was less but now is equal with LI.
LI though I believe has a better quality of life than NJ
Last year after finally selling our home in a declining market. It took 5 months, we moved to Nashville. We bought a 4200sq ft house, all brick, for $430,000. Taxes, $3500, I really love TN and nothing is to far with the vast interstate system. There is also another huge lake close by Percy Prist.
Mom, if you have any questions about TN, you can email me at iv18@aol.com

Thanks for the feedback. How long ago did you make the move to Nashville?

[NYC2RDU]

Originally Posted by ClarkStreetKid

Even Long Islanders are nicer once they get down south and let themselves relax. And once they have the burden of taxes, traffic and housing prices lifted they now have time to **** and moan about not getting good pizza and bagels or a nice beach close by.

In regards to the beach whine, we hit Atlantic Beach in NC all the way into October.

I found great pizza within days of moving to Raleigh. The owner was raised on Long Island and moved down here to continue the family business. His father joined him a few years ago and their food is on par with the best Long Island has to offer. Found a decent bagel place as well.

As for the beach, well we're going to Atlantic Beach for Labor Day weekend. I just booked the hotel yesterday (8/13) and they had rooms available because it's out-of-season in North Carolina. If I was still on Long Island I wouldn't be able to afford taking the trip. Also, driving any place down here is so much easier then back on Long Island. No bridges to cross, no tolls to pay, no LIE/Northern State, Cross Bronx or I-95 to sit in traffic on. And we'll likely use my friends house in the Outer Banks for a long weekend in October as well.

It's not all perfect down here but it sure is an easier life.

[Redd Jedd]

Originally Posted by NYC2RDU

I found great pizza within days of moving to Raleigh. The owner was raised on Long Island and moved down here to continue the family business. His father joined him a few years ago and their food is on par with the best Long Island has to offer. Found a decent bagel place as well.

As for the beach, well we're going to Atlantic Beach for Labor Day weekend. I just booked the hotel yesterday (8/13) and they had rooms available because it's out-of-season in North Carolina. If I was still on Long Island I wouldn't be able to afford taking the trip. Also, driving any place down here is so much easier then back on Long Island. No bridges to cross, no tolls to pay, no LIE/Northern State, Cross Bronx or I-95 to sit in traffic on. And we'll likely use my friends house in the Outer Banks for a long weekend in October as well.

It's not all perfect down here but it sure is an easier life.

I agree. I'm on the other side of the state in Charlotte. It's easy to find good pizza and bagels since lots of those business owners moved down here as well.

Life is easier, and even though that article said that NC is in the top 10 for congestion, I just don't see it. How nice it is to start a trip and not have to kill an hour to an hour and a half getting off LI just so you can "start" your trip.

[nyxmike]

Originally Posted by bldginpa

We looked at areas adjacent to Charlotte, NC. It looked like Levittown to me! No thanks. They bulldozed all the trees and were putting up houses so fast and one on top of the other. I have that here. And let me tell you, the sun was hot! Trading my 40' X 100' LI life for an acre in Pike County, PA. Lots of open space, forests, lakes, 4 seasons, nice people, slower pace, much lower taxes and a lot of house for the money. And...if you need to come back to LI to visit, it's only 2 hours away.

Levittown? Lets not exaggerate.........

[DOH311]

Originally Posted by lilibrarian

I think a huge reason a lot of people are going South is because the economy seems to be doing rather well and the salaries and opportunities seem to be ok, especially considering the lower cost of living. The salaries may be a bit lower, but they're comparable.

I love New England, but preliminary research, show a lot fewer jobs at pretty low salaries. The reason I've zeroed in on the areas I have (Eastern CT/Seacoast NH) it seems like the best opportunities are there.

I would love to go to Me. but it sounds so depressed.

A couple of people have suggested Greene County NY to my husband. To the transplants, was it tough to find a job? He's an electrician.

lilibrarian,

I moved to southern NH 10 years ago from LI. Quality of life here is good. The major "cities" (Nashua, Manchester, and Portsmouth) have all been ranked on Money's best places to live list during the past 10 years. You're under an hour from Boston (which in no way compares to NYC) if you need a city fix. Personally, I prefer a 4 hour drive to Manhattan, or the $29 1 way flights to Philly or $39 to Baltimore.

There's been a number of NY transplants in the past 10 years and the number of good restaurants has dramatically increased as all of the "cities" have been rejuvinated.

Tax-free NH is a myth. The overall tax burden is second only to Alaska, but how they tax you is what hits you. Real estate taxes are high as they are the primary source of taxation. Also, I just paid $800 to register my car for a year. If you live in NH and work in MA as many people do, you will have to pay MA income tax as well.

Winters are cold and long. It's almost as if a switch is thrown the day after Labor Day. Somewhere in April there'll be a week where everything thaws. January through early March will be very cold, highs in the 20's unless there's a cold snap.

As much as I do like it here, I'm leaving this fall. As green and beautiful as it is here in the summer, having everything be shades of brown and grey from October until May wears on you. You'll also have to deal with the incredibly provincial, if not Yankee, attitude.

If you're a winter sport enthusiast and can be patient with the narrow mindedness, I'd say go for it.

Also, ME has none of the charm of NH, worse weather, and the highest tax burden in the country. Avoid it like the plague.

[ClarkStreetKid]

Originally Posted by NYC2RDU

As for the beach, well we're going to Atlantic Beach for Labor Day weekend. I just booked the hotel yesterday (8/13) and they had rooms available because it's out-of-season in North Carolina. If I was still on Long Island I wouldn't be able to afford taking the trip. Also, driving any place down here is so much easier then back on Long Island. No bridges to cross, no tolls to pay, no LIE/Northern State, Cross Bronx or I-95 to sit in traffic on. And we'll likely use my friends house in the Outer Banks for a long weekend in October as well.

It's not all perfect down here but it sure is an easier life.

You got that right, and October in NC is almost like late summer on Long Island. When you're in Atlantic Beach are you going to hit Beufort? It's a great little town to walk around and catch a meal at Clauson's or The Grocery Store. In a way I've learned to find the parts of Long Island that I loved elsewhere.

[saturnfan]

Raleigh NC has lots of LI transplants.

We arrived by way of (in order) beginning with Oceanside:
1. Los Angeles
2. Kansas City
3. Manhattan
4. Rockville Centre
5. Hempstead
6. Manhattan
7. Edison, NJ
8. New Orleans

Have been here 18 years and it's good except for the influx of new residents driven by the rave reviews of the area in some magazines. If it continues, we may become another LI somewhere down the road.

We have real Nathan's Franks (the ones with the skins), Gabila's Knishes, and pizza from a Bkln native nearby.

Weather's OK but it has its moments, like Hurricane Fran and tornadoes.

[Diane Giam]

Originally Posted by 4StanleyCups

Well, since I (not my parents) was the one who paid for all my houses, I don't know if I qualify as one of your Long Island Schmoes or not - although frankly I don't care whether I do or not.

If stating the facts about my taxes (what they are) and my opinions about the reasons for LI taxes being so high, qualifies as "whining" about it... then I stand guilty as charged.

Am I happy about the fact that property taxes on LI are among the highest in the USA? No. I doubt that ANYONE, no matter how wealthy they are, wouldn't prefer their property taxes to be lower. More money in the pocket -- who in their right mind wouldn't want that???

Do I think the property taxation system on LI is a gawdawful mess that needs to be fixed? Yes. I also have the same opinion of a few other (non-LI-related) kinds of taxes as well.

Does my negative opinion about my property taxes here outweigh all of the positive things that I find about living on Long Island? No. Because if it did, I would move elsewhere. But it doesn't.

The fact that my property taxes aren't the deciding factor as to where I live, doesn't deprive me of the right to talk about them in whatever terms I see fit without being automatically labeled a "whining schmoe".

Dedalus, have you ever had a job where you couldn't stand your boss or co-worker, but remained at that job because the reasons to stay outweighed the reason to quit (i.e, dealing with that boss or co-workers)? I bet you had plenty to say about your boss/workers, if not at work then at home and to your friends. So by your standards weren't you were a "whining schmoe"? Because I'm sure at least some people got real sick of hearing you b*tch about those people at work -- probably just as sick as you are of hearing people on LI talk about our taxes.

Maybe some of us are tired of hearing you whine about how badly we "all" drive, too.

He thinks Long Islanders drive bad, NOT! He has not experienced NJ. Just shopping there I was almost killed on a daily basis. In NJ plenty of the people are from Staten Island, not only do they drive bad, but they are loud.
I'm sure glad to be out of there.
My sisters taxes in Baldwin are now over $9000, but she has no children.
I don't know how a family could send their child to college with those taxes.