Love It or Hate It???? (Boston: housing, rent, income)

[findingmesomeday]

Originally Posted by FrozenAngel

My God, I can't disagree with one thing here on this post! Talk about hitting the nail on the head! WOW! Should I move to NC?

LOL. I'll let ya know if and when we ever get there!

[smarty]

Originally Posted by FrozenAngel

My God, I can't disagree with one thing here on this post! Talk about hitting the nail on the head! WOW! Should I move to NC?

Why We Live Here
The weather stinks. It's overpriced. The people are rude. There's no place to park. Harvard Square has turned into a mall. So why do we live here? Here are 64 reasons.
By Welling Savo

1. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. Or ignores you altogether.

2. Patriot's Day.

3. The reflection of Trinity Church on the Hancock Tower.

4. Europe — six hours, no stopovers.

5. The wicked ooawesom accent.

6. Titian's Europa at the Gardner Museum.

7. Tip O'Neill was one of us.

8. Game Six, 1975.

9. Game Six, 1986.

10. The Curse of the Bambino. It gives us a scapegoat.

11. Steven Tyler's lips.

12. The state university president's brother is a fugitive mobster, and other political absurdities.

13. Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams — the patriots.

14. Tom Brady, Ty Law, Adam Vinatieri — the Patriots.

15. Frappes.

16. Jimmies.

17. Thoreau's woods are only 25 minutes from the city.

18. That first day of spring.

19. Salem Street. It's Hanover Street without the tourists.

20. Hanover Street.

21. Tracy Chapman started here. Britney Spears didn't.

22. Bitching about the Big Dig.

23. We don't waste taxpayer money on road signs.

24. The shot heard round the world.

25. The Kennedys, love 'em or hate 'em.

26. Brigham's chocolate ice cream.

27. "More Than a Feeling," the anthem Americans made out to in their shag-carpeted basements in the '70s, recorded in a shag-carpeted basement in Boston by the band Boston.

28. The Beanpot.

29. Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of us.

30. Newbury Street.

31. Matt and Ben. How d'ya like them apples?

32. Microbrews.

33. The Emerald Necklace.

34. Malcolm X was a busboy and Ho Chi Minh was a baker at the Parker House.

35. "Cold tea" in Chinatown after closing time.

36. Fall foliage.

37. Hopkinton to Boston, 26.2.

38. "Havlicek stole the ball."

39. A hot dog and vanilla soft-serve in a cone on Castle Island.

40. Edward Hopper's Drug Store at the MFA.

41. Route 1.

42. Shakespeare on the Common.

43. "Dirty Water" by the Standells. What other town in America would embrace a song about a polluted river?

44. The Head of the Charles.

45. Sunday brunch, the South End.

46. Filene's Basement.

47. Mount Auburn Cemetery.

48. Chowdah.

49. Wally's, the Middle East, TT's, the Paradise, the Orpheum, Passim.

50. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

51. Channel 2.

52. Buzzy's Roast Beef.

53. Jacqueline Bouvier married one of us.

54. So did Paulina Porizkova.

55. Architectural distinctiveness in a strip mall nation.

56. Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack.

57. Click and Clack.

58. Drivers vs. pedestrians.

59. The acoustics in Symphony Hall.

60. All those students. They keep the city young.

61. The summer — when the students are gone.

62. A Guinness at Doyle's.

63. Riviera wannabe sunbathers on the Esplanade.

64. Fenway.

Originally published in Boston magazine, April 2002

[FrozenAngel]

Originally Posted by smarty

Why We Live Here
The weather stinks. It's overpriced. The people are rude. There's no place to park. Harvard Square has turned into a mall. So why do we live here? Here are 64 reasons.
By Welling Savo

1. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. Or ignores you altogether.

2. Patriot's Day.

3. The reflection of Trinity Church on the Hancock Tower.

4. Europe — six hours, no stopovers.

5. The wicked ooawesom accent.

6. Titian's Europa at the Gardner Museum.

7. Tip O'Neill was one of us.

8. Game Six, 1975.

9. Game Six, 1986.

10. The Curse of the Bambino. It gives us a scapegoat.

11. Steven Tyler's lips.

12. The state university president's brother is a fugitive mobster, and other political absurdities.

13. Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams — the patriots.

14. Tom Brady, Ty Law, Adam Vinatieri — the Patriots.

15. Frappes.

16. Jimmies.

17. Thoreau's woods are only 25 minutes from the city.

18. That first day of spring.

19. Salem Street. It's Hanover Street without the tourists.

20. Hanover Street.

21. Tracy Chapman started here. Britney Spears didn't.

22. Bitching about the Big Dig.

23. We don't waste taxpayer money on road signs.

24. The shot heard round the world.

25. The Kennedys, love 'em or hate 'em.

26. Brigham's chocolate ice cream.

27. "More Than a Feeling," the anthem Americans made out to in their shag-carpeted basements in the '70s, recorded in a shag-carpeted basement in Boston by the band Boston.

28. The Beanpot.

29. Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of us.

30. Newbury Street.

31. Matt and Ben. How d'ya like them apples?

32. Microbrews.

33. The Emerald Necklace.

34. Malcolm X was a busboy and Ho Chi Minh was a baker at the Parker House.

35. "Cold tea" in Chinatown after closing time.

36. Fall foliage.

37. Hopkinton to Boston, 26.2.

38. "Havlicek stole the ball."

39. A hot dog and vanilla soft-serve in a cone on Castle Island.

40. Edward Hopper's Drug Store at the MFA.

41. Route 1.

42. Shakespeare on the Common.

43. "Dirty Water" by the Standells. What other town in America would embrace a song about a polluted river?

44. The Head of the Charles.

45. Sunday brunch, the South End.

46. Filene's Basement.

47. Mount Auburn Cemetery.

48. Chowdah.

49. Wally's, the Middle East, TT's, the Paradise, the Orpheum, Passim.

50. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

51. Channel 2.

52. Buzzy's Roast Beef.

53. Jacqueline Bouvier married one of us.

54. So did Paulina Porizkova.

55. Architectural distinctiveness in a strip mall nation.

56. Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack.

57. Click and Clack.

58. Drivers vs. pedestrians.

59. The acoustics in Symphony Hall.

60. All those students. They keep the city young.

61. The summer — when the students are gone.

62. A Guinness at Doyle's.

63. Riviera wannabe sunbathers on the Esplanade.

64. Fenway.

Originally published in Boston magazine, April 2002

Well I can't wait to be reading your MA post from my new home in NC. If only my darn house would sell!

[mattncind]

Originally Posted by LeavingMA

MA cutting taxes, i don't think you will see that. They already have problems with many departments and the MBTA is severe debt. There are too many greedy politicians for taxes to be cut here. Plus, if your losing jobs and corporate revenue they are going to have to get the money from somewhere else. The casino will bring in more money, but politicians here will find a way to spend it. Remember the mass pike tolls were supposed to be phased out and the tax rate was supposed to go back to 5%, but it hasn't.

I do agree that Maine is a nice state. I enjoy it a lot in the summer, but too cold in the winter.

Unfortunately mismanagement of funds is a universal government problem, nothing unique about Massachusetts situation at all. When you find a state that doesn't blow their money and try to rob you let me know, I will be on the next plane there behind you.

[FrozenAngel]

Originally Posted by mattncind

Unfortunately mismanagement of funds is a universal government problem, nothing unique about Massachusetts situation at all. When you find a state that doesn't blow their money and try to rob you let me know, I will be on the next plane there behind you.

Amen but I'd rather be robbed where it is warm then to be left out in the cold.

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by mattncind

Unfortunately mismanagement of funds is a universal government problem, nothing unique about Massachusetts situation at all. When you find a state that doesn't blow their money and try to rob you let me know, I will be on the next plane there behind you.

Yea, i agree. Some states and places are certaintly worse than others though.

[findingmesomeday]

Originally Posted by mattncind

Unfortunately mismanagement of funds is a universal government problem, nothing unique about Massachusetts situation at all. When you find a state that doesn't blow their money and try to rob you let me know, I will be on the next plane there behind you.

They all do because of the bureaucratic tape. But some are worse than others. MA is one of the worst, IMO. NC and VA are pretty well run states, politically speaking.

[mattncind]

Originally Posted by NChomesomeday

They all do because of the bureaucratic tape. But some are worse than others. MA is one of the worst, IMO. NC and VA are pretty well run states, politically speaking.

I personally do not know much about VA. NC on the other hand is a state that I did extensive research about because my company here in Orlando offered me a transfer to Raleigh when they started downsizing. At first I was seriously considering this transfer because everyone was raving about NC and people were moving there in droves. Once I actually did my research though it exposed that NC mismanages funds not only as bad but worse than many states in the country and I accepted the severance and started looking in Boston and am heading there end of this month.

Starting with the state tax burden. NC tax burden is the worst in the entire Southeast and according to the Tax Foundation it actually has a higher overall tax burden than MA. NC has a higher sales tax rate in most counties (up to 7.5%) than MA, a higher fuel tax (31 cents a gallon) and state income tax rate (6.0%-8.0%). NC's average property tax rate last year went up 3 times the national average increase as well.

With all that being said, NC had a projected $500m shortfall for 2007 while the state increased spending by almost 10% the past year!.

Yes housing is cheaper in NC and MA needs to seriously do something about affordability of housing, but compared to some of the other places I have lived (NY and Toronto) Boston is substantially more affordable. Add to that the fact that the offer in NC salary wise is drastically lower than what we will be making in Boston.

With that being said I personally know people who have moved to NC and absolutely love it and are doing quite well, so I am by no means saying it is a horrible place to live....but I also know people that have done extremely well for themselves in MA as well and would never leave after moving there from other places.

Every family though has a place that is perfect for them out there that is why it is wonderful to have options, but NC being a well managed and fiscally conservative state is definitely false and the facts show it.

[FrozenAngel]

Originally Posted by mattncind

I personally do not know much about VA. NC on the other hand is a state that I did extensive research about because my company here in Orlando offered me a transfer to Raleigh when they started downsizing. At first I was seriously considering this transfer because everyone was raving about NC and people were moving there in droves. Once I actually did my research though it exposed that NC mismanages funds not only as bad but worse than many states in the country and I accepted the severance and started looking in Boston and am heading there end of this month.

Starting with the state tax burden. NC tax burden is the worst in the entire Southeast and according to the Tax Foundation it actually has a higher overall tax burden than MA. NC has a higher sales tax rate in most counties (up to 7.5%) than MA, a higher fuel tax (31 cents a gallon) and state income tax rate (6.0%-8.0%). NC's average property tax rate last year went up 3 times the national average increase as well.

With all that being said, NC had a projected $500m shortfall for 2007 while the state increased spending by almost 10% the past year!.

Yes housing is cheaper in NC and MA needs to seriously do something about affordability of housing, but compared to some of the other places I have lived (NY and Toronto) Boston is substantially more affordable. Add to that the fact that the offer in NC salary wise is drastically lower than what we will be making in Boston.

With that being said I personally know people who have moved to NC and absolutely love it and are doing quite well, so I am by no means saying it is a horrible place to live....but I also know people that have done extremely well for themselves in MA as well and would never leave after moving there from other places.

Every family though has a place that is perfect for them out there that is why it is wonderful to have options, but NC being a well managed and fiscally conservative state is definitely false and the facts show it.

I remember reading here in either NC or SC that their money problems was due to the huge amount of State employees out numbering the votes. Do you know which state that may have been and could that be true?

[puffle]

Went to Salary.com and put in an income of $100k and compared Los Angeles, D.C. and Boston and Boston was the overall winner in affordability at about 17% lower to live than the other two with overall salary higher than the other two. More expensive to live in California, then D.C. but better opportunity to make more in Boston, cost of living less.