Goodbye Long Island...Good Riddance! (Babylon, Boston: foreclosure, condo, home)

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by Tulley

I don't know why anyone would move to long island. It's way too expensive. Young people have no means to survive here. I'm currently looking in Brooklyn, to me at least you pay for what you get. I've lived in Elmont all my life and I hate it. This town is changing for the worst. The few towns I would move to on long island go for a million or more, taxes are insane as well. Renting on long island is just as expensive. I pay lots for a crappy basement apt. I'm in my twentys and don't suggest long island for young people. It's sure as hell not what it used to be.

Small (studio/1br/2br) apartment prices are straight retarded everywhere around here whether it's Brooklyn, Queens, LI, whatever...I'm in the same boat as you and between what I've looked at myself and places friends live, the absolute best value seems to be getting 4-5 people down on renting a house. Like andy mentioned, Huntington is great and they've got plenty of nice, large homes for rent at VERY affordable prices. I lived up in Albany for a few years too....$600/month for a 2br (that I had to myself) and cooler than the hip new gentrified Brooklyn vibe, IMHO.

[TomMoser]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

Small (studio/1br/2br) apartment prices are straight retarded everywhere around here whether it's Brooklyn, Queens, LI, whatever...I'm in the same boat as you and between what I've looked at myself and places friends live, the absolute best value seems to be getting 4-5 people down on renting a house. Like andy mentioned, Huntington is great and they've got plenty of nice, large homes for rent at VERY affordable prices. I lived up in Albany for a few years too....$600/month for a 2br (that I had to myself) and cooler than the hip new gentrified Brooklyn vibe, IMHO.

Problem with this strategy is that many landlords will not rent to a group of unrelated people. I heard that the Town of Huntington is about to pass an ordinance limiting the number of unrelated people who can share a single family home. It is aimed at the "illegal boarding houses" but it will also affect young people who band together to get something they can afford. As usual, our polititions talk about the need for "workforce housing" and act to discourage it at the same time.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

My brother in law works incredibly stupid hours and can't support his family.
He refuses to move because a million little reasons...
It's driving my sister nuts.

To move or not---it's a difficult decision...Some people can't or won't entertain it.

Moving is refreshing when you tie it to another life changing decision (retirement, getting married, getting divorced, new job, etc.). It's that whole new life, adventure, chance to re-invent yourself, starting over, learn new things, meet new people kind of thing that in my opinion is good for you...if you choose your new location wisely.

In my opinion bad moves are made by people who are fleeing some intolerable condition (traffic, taxes, overcrowding, cost of living, etc.) because they tend not to do good research on whether the new place is right for them but focus too much on whether it has the anti-intolerable condition. In other words, just wanting to get off Long Island isn't good enough...the new place should have something to offer you besides escape.

[Astrantia]

Well said, LauraC: There's a big difference between moving TO something versus moving AWAY from something.

Kind of like breaking up a relationship or marriage. You can either focus on what you're getting away from (the bad relationship, a negative element) or focus on what you're creating anew (a better kind of life, a positive element).

IMO it's always better to do something for a positive reason than for a negative one.

[michele miller]

Our politicians want to know why young professionals are leaving the island???? are they kidding??? Well i will also be giving long island the one finger salute as i leave in the spring. in fact, i will not look back.. to all of you people who "love the beaches" and the proximity to the city......... try getting there. in the morning, on a summer day, unless you are willing to get up at 7 am, you may as well count on sitting on one of the bridges for 2 hours to get to the beaches you love so much. then you are expected to pay $8.00 to access land that should be totally public domain!! try hitting one of the north shore beaches where the priveledged or lucky have sucked up all the waterfront. see if they will allow you to access the beach from their yard . Heh!! have any of you ever been out west??? all you need to do is park along the road along the coast. if theres a spot, you can access the beach. no fuss no muss. this is the way it was intended to be!!! long island sucks. I grew up here, first in Nassau then in suffolk. LI'ers are ignorant, self absorbed and don't have a clue that there is a real world out there "outside of the island" where people actually live good lives. and we sound like idiots as well. keep paying your god awful taxes and inflated house prices so that you can continue to live from traffic jam to traffic jam and hope that some moron doesn't beat you up in the process. OH and by the way......there are other cities in this country.........just in case you were unaware!! Unless you are rich or an illegal immigrant, you will no doubt be singing the same song i am some time in the future. good luck and CIAO

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by michele miller

Our politicians want to know why young professionals are leaving the island???? are they kidding??? Well i will also be giving long island the one finger salute as i leave in the spring. in fact, i will not look back.. to all of you people who "love the beaches" and the proximity to the city......... try getting there. in the morning, on a summer day, unless you are willing to get up at 7 am, you may as well count on sitting on one of the bridges for 2 hours to get to the beaches you love so much. then you are expected to pay $8.00 to access land that should be totally public domain!! try hitting one of the north shore beaches where the priveledged or lucky have sucked up all the waterfront. see if they will allow you to access the beach from their yard . Heh!! have any of you ever been out west??? all you need to do is park along the road along the coast. if theres a spot, you can access the beach. no fuss no muss. this is the way it was intended to be!!! long island sucks. I grew up here, first in Nassau then in suffolk. LI'ers are ignorant, self absorbed and don't have a clue that there is a real world out there "outside of the island" where people actually live good lives. and we sound like idiots as well. keep paying your god awful taxes and inflated house prices so that you can continue to live from traffic jam to traffic jam and hope that some moron doesn't beat you up in the process. OH and by the way......there are other cities in this country.........just in case you were unaware!! Unless you are rich or an illegal immigrant, you will no doubt be singing the same song i am some time in the future. good luck and CIAO

Every place has it's share of issues...but if anyone thinks that there is a location that has beaches, culture, competitive wages, strong schools, modest taxes, your preferred social life, outlets to major metro areas, no traffic all of the time (even during RUSH hour) they are kidding themselves, it is a mirage. I am not a native long islander but do feel some things get overblown...for example, the traffic. If you would like to live outside of a major metropolitan area with millions of others then there is going to be traffic. I am not sure how this is Long Island's fault. It is a reality of choosing to live in a populus area; but from my experience it is better (or at worst the same) here in a car than in any area of Tucson, LA, San Fran, Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, Miami and the king of all areas I have hated due to traffic: TAMPA. Here the roadways are actually ahead of these other areas because the area did not explode like others and fail to add the necessary highways. At least here you can cut up to another highway or sit on 25...it sucks, but not as much as waiting 45 minutes to make a right hand turn on one of only two major highways in Tampa...god I hate that place...

I hope everyone can find the perfect place for them, but the utopia I noted above does not exist. You talked about being able to park your car and get onto any beach...but you left out the vagrancy that is rampant in those areas..and you can go west, but you can't send your kids to a California public school. And you have concerns about illegal aliens here...go West and you might find our issues mild in comparison. My point being, no place is perfect. But best of luck in finding the one that is perfect for you...that is all we can aspire to.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by michele miller

Our politicians want to know why young professionals are leaving the island???? are they kidding??? Well i will also be giving long island the one finger salute as i leave in the spring. in fact, i will not look back.. to all of you people who "love the beaches" and the proximity to the city......... try getting there. in the morning, on a summer day, unless you are willing to get up at 7 am, you may as well count on sitting on one of the bridges for 2 hours to get to the beaches you love so much. then you are expected to pay $8.00 to access land that should be totally public domain!! try hitting one of the north shore beaches where the priveledged or lucky have sucked up all the waterfront. see if they will allow you to access the beach from their yard . Heh!! have any of you ever been out west??? all you need to do is park along the road along the coast. if theres a spot, you can access the beach. no fuss no muss. this is the way it was intended to be!!! long island sucks. I grew up here, first in Nassau then in suffolk. LI'ers are ignorant, self absorbed and don't have a clue that there is a real world out there "outside of the island" where people actually live good lives. and we sound like idiots as well. keep paying your god awful taxes and inflated house prices so that you can continue to live from traffic jam to traffic jam and hope that some moron doesn't beat you up in the process. OH and by the way......there are other cities in this country.........just in case you were unaware!! Unless you are rich or an illegal immigrant, you will no doubt be singing the same song i am some time in the future. good luck and CIAO

The $8 you pay for the public beach helps defray the cost of salaries, maintenance, insurance, etc. Insurance rates are high in part because so many idiots trip and fall *cough* and then SUE! to make a buck. I don't use the public beach, but my state taxes help subsidize it so that all you pay is a measily $8. And if you can't afford that, I am very sorry for you.

But if you can and the $8 irks you, you could always try and join a private beach club -- like they have in so many waterfront communities throughout the USA -- and pay much more for the privilege of sitting on the beach.

You reached up on the LI vine and came up with what appears to be sour grapes. I'm sorry you feel that way; guess what? There's plenty of rude and self-absorbed idiots all over the USA. They are wealthy and they are poor. The are white, black, yellow, red -- straight or gay, old and young.

Life's what you make it and no matter where you go, your happiness is your responsibility. I wish you luck in your pursuits.

[nbres]

Here is a great link for anyone looking to retire elsewhere:

State Personal Income Taxes on Pensions and Retirement Income: TY 2007

It lists how retirement income is taxrd in other states.

[Dedalus]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Insurance rates are high in part because so many idiots trip and fall *cough* and then SUE! to make a buck. .

Wow...get some money, and send the bill to...all Long Island!

I like it. So, off to practice my falling on demand skills.

Seriously, I've taken at least one pretty serious fall because of poorly maintained sidewalks. The tree roots grow up and lift the slabs, leaving a perfect "toe catcher."

Bravo, Michelle. You're right. This place sucks.

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

Wow...get some money, and send the bill to...all Long Island!

I like it. So, off to practice my falling on demand skills.

Seriously, I've taken at least one pretty serious fall because of poorly maintained sidewalks. The tree roots grow up and lift the slabs, leaving a perfect "toe catcher."

Bravo, Michelle. You're right. This place sucks.

Dedalus, I presume from some of your many postings that you were left here to rot after a job circumstance changed...so I presume you are economically stuck here...and if this is such a horrid place, what other areas would you consider living or have lived...just curious. I am not a native long islander, if that matters...