4Q08: LI 3rd Least Affordable Metro Area (New York, Buffalo: home, best schools)

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by TheTruth08

My mom just moved to the Lehigh Valley and commutes to NYC 5 times a week. Just so she could afford a house and save money.

Hi neighbor!

How long is your mom's commute? Does she think it's worth it to move so far away from where she works?

[TheTruth08]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

Hi neighbor!

How long is your mom's commute? Does she think it's worth it to move so far away from where she works?

Its about 2 hours from Allentown with out traffic. Sometimes they could be stuck by the entrance of the Holland Tunnel and Manhattan for an other hour. But she works night shift.

She thinks its worth it. But honestly. After spending the break at her house, as soon as she gets home at 10:30AM( work ends at 7:30) she goes to sleep till 4. Cooks dinner. Then goes back to sleep and leaves the house at 9. So honestly NO I don't think its worth it. But when your priced out what your going to do?

[nancy thereader]

Also don't forget that CT has personal property taxes which NY doesn't have (for instance you will pay an annual tax on your cars, boats, etc).

Gee, I did not know that any states taxed those.

[Transpl]

Yes Ct gets you by taxing anything you have to register every year. On top of that, the mill rate varies greatly from town to town, if you live in a quiet town with little industry, expect a hefty anual tax bill.

PA can be very expensive as well. Most towns use a 3rd party agency, Burkheimer to collect school taxes. This is a different tax bill from the county/township. Taxes are levied and calculated independently by County>Township>Town.

LI has its own absurdities as we all know.

Having lived in all 3, LI taxation is by far the highest. I still can't get over the sales tax pushing 9%!!

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by Transpl

Yes Ct gets you by taxing anything you have to register every year. On top of that, the mill rate varies greatly from town to town, if you live in a quiet town with little industry, expect a hefty anual tax bill.

Yes we were surprised by that too. The area we were investigating was Simsbury/Avon and the taxes there were just as high as a similar area on LI. We concluded that since the taxes were the same, it just wasn't worth putting up with the CT winters just for the sake of having 3/4 acre or so more land! (We found the 'house you get for the money' to be the same as LI)

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by totallyfrazzled

Yes we were surprised by that too. The area we were investigating was Simsbury/Avon and the taxes there were just as high as a similar area on LI. We concluded that since the taxes were the same, it just wasn't worth putting up with the CT winters just for the sake of having 3/4 acre or so more land! (We found the 'house you get for the money' to be the same as LI)

Being born and raised in Southern CT you'll find that many of the areas that give you the feel of Long Island and the strong schools on first review will likely be just as expensive if not more expensive than many areas of Long Island. In areas like Hartford you do not want to actually live in the city, you would want to live in a West Hartford, or Avon, etc, which are very pricey. If you dig a little further you can find pockets in areas of Fairfield County like Newtown, Bethel, Brookfield, etc, that are affordable in some parts (not a huge break mind you), good schools, but commuting to the city is not an option, and neither is Hartford. Many commute to Westchester and/or Stamford but like LI, traffic is the same issue. A lot would depend upon your profession and where your job is of course. Best bet for a Connecticut move is to an area like Mystic (northern CT), where you have some industry that might be commutable down 95 or north/east toward RI and the Boston 'burbs. That still remains a little undiscovered in my opnion. But for those that think traffic is only horrendous in LI, CT is no bargain either. Traffic on Route 84 or 95, etc stinks in rush hour just like it does here.

My two cents, from a Nutmeg state veteran .

[dman72]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

Also don't forget that CT has personal property taxes which NY doesn't have (for instance you will pay an annual tax on your cars, boats, etc).

Gee, I did not know that any states taxed those.

I think Virginia does the same thing.

[boomvang]

Those posters who responded negatively about Syracuse reveal quite a bit of ignorance IMO. We moved to an outlying area of Syracuse 2 years ago after a lifetime spent on L.I. Aside from the long snowy winters, I feel this area is far superior in most ways. Much nicer parks, much less frantic, less litter, less rudeness, with some of the best schools in the state. The local libraries are much nicer as well. Taxes are still high, but you can see tangible results for money spent. The roads are very well maintained, cleared of the aforementioned snow in no time, and repaved before potholes can develop. You would be surprised to see some of the newer developments, some of the area has a north shore of L.I. vibe. It's not paradise, but it is a great value for the money.

[Transpl]

Originally Posted by Jrprofess

Being born and raised in Southern CT you'll find that many of the areas that give you the feel of Long Island and the strong schools on first review will likely be just as expensive if not more expensive than many areas of Long Island. In areas like Hartford you do not want to actually live in the city, you would want to live in a West Hartford, or Avon, etc, which are very pricey. If you dig a little further you can find pockets in areas of Fairfield County like Newtown, Bethel, Brookfield, etc, that are affordable in some parts (not a huge break mind you), good schools, but commuting to the city is not an option, and neither is Hartford. Many commute to Westchester and/or Stamford but like LI, traffic is the same issue. A lot would depend upon your profession and where your job is of course. Best bet for a Connecticut move is to an area like Mystic (northern CT), where you have some industry that might be commutable down 95 or north/east toward RI and the Boston 'burbs. That still remains a little undiscovered in my opnion. But for those that think traffic is only horrendous in LI, CT is no bargain either. Traffic on Route 84 or 95, etc stinks in rush hour just like it does here.

My two cents, from a Nutmeg state veteran .

Small correction, Mystic is in Southeastern CT (not northern). CT is a bit odd in that you travel the length of it along the shore east to west using I95 North/South.

That area is very rustic, Stonington and North Stonington even more-so, less touristy. I prefer Long Island by far. I found it boring having lived there. As they say, nice place to visit but...unless you are into casinos.

[ClarkStreetKid]

Originally Posted by dman72

I think Virginia does the same thing.

Not anymore.