Moving to Tennessee

[groovamos]

Originally Posted by septimus

I disagree. I would move back to my high tax former state for the right career opportunity. Tennessee is just a stopping point on the career track. I miss good public schools, excellent public services, good unemployment benefits (seriously $300/wk isn't enough to buy groceries and keep the lights on never mind a place to live), a social safety net, etc.

Wow -- looking for that land of opportunity, you know, like the opportunity that comes with more "free" money. Quite an inspiration. I laugh to think of my forebears telling everyone back in their homeland before they emigrate: "We're going to America where they have great government services and social safety nets galore."

Hey, so far as schools go in Davidson county, I'm pretty sure they are equal to Harris County, TX and better than Cook County, IL or L.A. County, CA. I'm having fun imagining this happening in one of those last two places: "Honey I don't think the kids will do well in this school system, let's move to a higher tax state, preferably to where we were last." The answer: "Dear, is this wise, have you been paying attention to the job market in Newark lately?"

I live in Harris County, TX near a really good elementary school. But when middle class kids reach middle school age, standard procedure is to move them out of the county to the 'burbs. Families churning through here is a feature of the local culture.

[doc1]

Originally Posted by septimus

Liberal Yankee living in TN signing in. Taxes are low but there is a reason too.
Also the State isn't going to be able to "cut" its way out of its current crisis and eventually we are going to either raise taxes or completely stop educating our children and paying for elderly in nursing homes.

You guys need to be more like us in NJ. We're number one in tax burdens and the good citizens still vote in politicians who believe they can tax, spend and regulate NJ to prosperity.

Now they're all moving south so maybe they than can spread the wealth via their voting ways.

Be patient. When enough of us relocate from "progressive" states, you won't recognize TN when we get done with it .

[shinestx]

Originally Posted by Diane Giam

I agree, no one would leave to move to recieve Higher Taxes. If you read the other board people are leaving because of the Taxes. The NJ board right now has more unemployed. The real estate taxes there are crazy. I pay less than half here, for a house almost double the size, and it also costs less than the house I sold.
The house I sold to get out of that rat race is on the market again listed lower than the sold price. They won't get that because there is a short sale going for less, much newer , and more sq footage. I hope they get a buyer just like them, its what they deserve.


Diane G

Right, Diane. Taxes are part of the total cost of living to which people are very responsive. In fact, the more wealthy a person is s/he is generally more mobile than the lower-mid and middle classes. Still, people will flee higher cost areas, especially when compared to the other direction. Studies bear out the fact that family is the greatest reason for staying put, followed by one's job, followed by a quest for a better (including cheaper) life. Remember, small business is (by far!!) the greatest jobs creator in this country... and those businesses look for favorable (read more affordable and growing) environments.

This article appears to support your point. Tax refugees staging escape from New York

[Lobstahiswickedgood]

Originally Posted by shinestx

Right, Diane. Taxes are part of the total cost of living to which people are very responsive. In fact, the more wealthy a person is s/he is generally more mobile than the lower-mid and middle classes. Still, people will flee higher cost areas, especially when compared to the other direction. Studies bear out the fact that family is the greatest reason for staying put, followed by one's job, followed by a quest for a better (including cheaper) life. Remember, small business is (by far!!) the greatest jobs creator in this country... and those businesses look for favorable (read more affordable and growing) environments.

This article appears to support your point. Tax refugees staging escape from New York

You are so very correct. Maine is awful with taxes. It is ranked around 42 or 43 in the U.S. for business friendly climates. Small business fails up here at an alarming rate and most of the industrial type jobs Maine used to be famous for are now gone due to the tax and energy costs up here. The younger generation is forced to leave the state just to find work, yet the funny thing is the people up here just don't care it seems. They never vote down a bond issue (which puts us further in the fiscal hole), they never note down an expensive social program, and they allow the state government to essentially tell them what to do and that paying taxes is good for you. This is most of the reason my family is leaving Maine, and I am one of the few who have a good career up here.

[septimus]

Originally Posted by Diane Giam

My husband makes a NY salary here, so not everyone is making that low. My son makes exactly the same salary he made in NJ except here he pays $700 a month for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apt, and there he paid $1000 a month, for a 1 bedroom, 1 bath apt and it was really old comparied to the much newer one here.
My electric bill in NJ in the summer on a 2400 sq ft house was $500 vs $225 on a 4500 sq ft house here. as far as schools here, I feel you get same education. Also colleges here are much more afordable.

Diane G

Diane-
We make the same money as we did in the Northeast, but I miss it. I miss the seasons (especially skiing and sailing), I miss cheap international flights. I miss my very eclecctic neighborhood. I miss my Jewish Deli, I miss my afgani, thai, indian, ethiopian food all within a 10 minute walk of my house. I miss the open exchange of ideas, I miss the shopping, I miss taking a subway to work, I miss the truly world class public schools, etc.

[mbmouse]

Take it easy folks and keep it on topic of the OP's question.

[groovamos]

Well guess what I came across, and I hope septimus and fiddler take the time to check out what the Sunday LA Times published on this topic of net migration. Specifically as it applies to Texas and California, but by extension to TN also. A couple of quotes:

"These alternatives, of course, define the basic argument between liberals and conservatives over what it means to get the size and scope of government right. It's not surprising, then, that there's an intense debate over which model is more admirable and sustainable. What is surprising is the growing evidence that the low-benefit/low-tax package not only succeeds on its own terms but also according to the criteria used to defend its opposite."

"Between April 1, 2000, and June 30, 2007, an average of 3,247 more people moved out of California than into it every week, according to the Census Bureau. Over the same period, Texas had a net weekly population increase of 1,544 as a result of people moving in from other states. During these years, more generally, 16 of the 17 states with the lowest tax levels had positive "net internal migration," in the Census Bureau's language, while 14 of the 17 states with the highest taxes had negative net internal migration."

And I will say this in another way, since my comments on it were deleted, when septimus says that they miss the open exchange of ideas, I suspect what they are experiencing is that they miss the dominance of their particular ideas in the local discourse -- including, you know, the ones being shot down by the reality exposed in this LA Times piece. The link: The Golden State isn't worth it -- latimes.com

[shinestx]

Yeah, I've discovered that that "Open exchange of ideas" is a canard. In fact, in some of the most "advanced" areas of the country if find (to a noticeable extent): a lot of uniformity of ideas, especially when it applies to politics and art and music. The word "trendy" comes to mind. It's common for me to hear from natives in the largest cities with surprise in their voices, "Oh, you're from! the South?! You sound so educated." There is still a lot of ignorance of other parts of the country in the cosmopolitan areas... and I find, a lot of their notions of the South and West, and to some extent the Midwest, have been formed almost exclusively by fictional TV shows and movies. I remember one woman in NYC told me that she was surprised to meet a Christian with brains. I just laughed that one off.