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I've lived in NJ my whole life myself. My friends and family are all here but now some are leaving going to PA, North Carolina, Florida and Austin. I would never have dreamed about leaving b/c I love the short commute to NY, PA, the shore and Vermont. But my taxes have been increased to over $14k and the job shortage is killing me. Although a great area to be, I'm moving to Austin myself. The real estate market is great to buy a 2500+ sq ft home newly built in great areas with great school districts. So as NJ continues to push NJ residents out and i've read over 200k + left the NJ in 2006 and they expect just as much if not more residents to leave since the state is pretty much making it impossible for us to stay here. NO jobs and low wages, but increased property taxes, maintenance and house prices. Somebody has it backwards. Since NJ expects more then 200k+ residents to leave in NJ they think the 1% tax from leaving after selling your house is going to keep you here??? Just another way to squeeze out another penny from you. Plus the school system is not so good in Belleville and Bloomfield, the streets are shot, etc, etc....so where's my tax money going? Austin bound and can't wait!!
I've lived in NJ my whole life myself. My friends and family are all here but now some are leaving going to PA, North Carolina, Florida and Austin. I would never have dreamed about leaving b/c I love the short commute to NY, PA, the shore and Vermont. But my taxes have been increased to over $14k and the job shortage is killing me. Although a great area to be, I'm moving to Austin myself. The real estate market is great to buy a 2500+ sq ft home newly built in great areas with great school districts. So as NJ continues to push NJ residents out and i've read over 200k + left the NJ in 2006 and they expect just as much if not more residents to leave since the state is pretty much making it impossible for us to stay here. NO jobs and low wages, but increased property taxes, maintenance and house prices. Somebody has it backwards. Since NJ expects more then 200k+ residents to leave in NJ they think the 1% tax from leaving after selling your house is going to keep you here??? Just another way to squeeze out another penny from you. Plus the school system is not so good in Belleville and Bloomfield, the streets are shot, etc, etc....so where's my tax money going? Austin bound and can't wait!!
this is just patently untrue and the stats back me up. enjoy texas.
DH and I just relocated from NJ to the Kansas City, MO metro area and we are quite satisfied with our move. Financially it made sense...the people in the midwest are so much friendlier...there is plenty to do here. I love NJ but I was not willing to struggle financially just to live there.
Audig, I don't know what field your in. But I have to disagree with the statement No jobs and low wages. I agree definitely with the high taxes part though. Sometimes you have to make a change. Good luck in Texas. Also some people because of there careers are constantly moving from state to state. I guess I am one of the dummies that stayed, thats my choice because of career and family.
My boyfriend and I are planning to leave in about a year and a half - main reasons include high property values, taxes, weather and the people - we are looking for good food, culture, friendly people, the ability to own a nice home where we can build an outdoor kitchen/living area and no snow! We don't have kids/family and only a few good friends here so it's not a difficult decision - finding the right place to build a future, not so easy. So far, due to our love for the New Orleans area, we are strongly considering Baton Rouge - close to all the fun but far enough away to not live in fear of having to evacuate. Only problem is finding decent employment for myself - the boyfriend is self-employed and can live anywhere.
We've overheard many people discussing the recent study on people leaving the area and in talking to them discovered that we're not the only one's with this crazy idea - so far, we haven't come across one person who didn't want to leave but was stuck for one reason or another.
Ever been there in the summer? It's pretty hot. People I know try not to go outside
Interesting discussion. I am often surprised at the level of "intensity" during some of the discussions. I can understand being viceral or passionate about something, but with the internet being a dead medium, often this can appear to be hatred or hostility.
Regardless, sure, there are plenty of people looking to leave NJ. The people who don't enjoy where they live, perhaps how they live, and numerous other things -- standard of living aside, job, taxes, COLA, schools, weather, etc. I am sure there are people looking to leave both Newark, Jersey City, etc. and Alpine, Saddle River, etc. Retirees look to FL and other places, of course, due to weather and also because of taxes (FL has no state income tax). Taxes aren't "personal" and are revenue based (vis a vis, income taxes).
NJ can be a wonderful place to live -- just like many other states. I find it hard to believe there is a state, where the entire state is just plain terrible. If you don't like it, that's not a problem at all -- you just move. If so many more people are leaving, more leaving than coming, I guess we will soon see mass #'s of homes here in NJ that are empty.
Bottom line is people can't afford it. As everything rises people have to evaluate is it worth paying these taxes. I think most people if they lived there most of their life it is hard. Believe me, I just got out, and the adjustment is extremely difficult. I got a great job, a nice house but the mere change of everything when you are used to doing something for 41 years I can't tell you its a challenge. I really feel compassion for all who have been in my shoes. Some days are great and some days you feel like a man without a country. I was so used to my miserable routine in NJ. I hated everything and now its like there is nothing to complain about. Even a bad routine is a change to a good routine. I did not even move that far, I moved to NY State, so imaging the changes people have to adjust to when they go south. It is sad when people worked there whole life and the state kinda pushed them out for money reasons. These were not section 8 people, these where people who contributed a lot to NJ.
I've lived in NJ my whole life myself. My friends and family are all here but now some are leaving going to PA, North Carolina, Florida and Austin. I would never have dreamed about leaving b/c I love the short commute to NY, PA, the shore and Vermont. But my taxes have been increased to over $14k and the job shortage is killing me. Although a great area to be, I'm moving to Austin myself. The real estate market is great to buy a 2500+ sq ft home newly built in great areas with great school districts. So as NJ continues to push NJ residents out and i've read over 200k + left the NJ in 2006 and they expect just as much if not more residents to leave since the state is pretty much making it impossible for us to stay here. NO jobs and low wages, but increased property taxes, maintenance and house prices. Somebody has it backwards. Since NJ expects more then 200k+ residents to leave in NJ they think the 1% tax from leaving after selling your house is going to keep you here??? Just another way to squeeze out another penny from you. Plus the school system is not so good in Belleville and Bloomfield, the streets are shot, etc, etc....so where's my tax money going? Austin bound and can't wait!!
Some of what you wrote is true (high taxes) but the comment about no jobs and low wages is just plain silly.
Bottom line is people can't afford it. As everything rises people have to evaluate is it worth paying these taxes. I think most people if they lived there most of their life it is hard. Believe me, I just got out, and the adjustment is extremely difficult. I got a great job, a nice house but the mere change of everything when you are used to doing something for 41 years I can't tell you its a challenge. I really feel compassion for all who have been in my shoes. Some days are great and some days you feel like a man without a country. I was so used to my miserable routine in NJ. I hated everything and now its like there is nothing to complain about. Even a bad routine is a change to a good routine. I did not even move that far, I moved to NY State, so imaging the changes people have to adjust to when they go south. It is sad when people worked there whole life and the state kinda pushed them out for money reasons. These were not section 8 people, these where people who contributed a lot to NJ.
No, the bottom line is SOME people can't afford it. Obviously plenty can. There is more to life than low taxes and cheap housing (I sound like tahiti now).
Bottom line is people can't afford it. As everything rises people have to evaluate is it worth paying these taxes. I think most people if they lived there most of their life it is hard. Believe me, I just got out, and the adjustment is extremely difficult. I got a great job, a nice house but the mere change of everything when you are used to doing something for 41 years I can't tell you its a challenge. I really feel compassion for all who have been in my shoes. Some days are great and some days you feel like a man without a country. I was so used to my miserable routine in NJ. I hated everything and now its like there is nothing to complain about. Even a bad routine is a change to a good routine. I did not even move that far, I moved to NY State, so imaging the changes people have to adjust to when they go south. It is sad when people worked there whole life and the state kinda pushed them out for money reasons. These were not section 8 people, these where people who contributed a lot to NJ.
I can empathize with you, and I completely agree -- many of the people leaving NJ cannot afford it. However, there is also a tradeoff, say in moving to NY. If you are getting more house for your dollar, and lower real estate taxes, you might be spending more in commuting costs, and are certainly paying more in income taxes (with all being constant).
Statistics can of course be skewed or distorted, however, there is still high-end, new construction, going up in NJ. High-end homes are selling. While NJ might be unaffordable to a certain strata, and the # of members might be larger, NJ is affordable to other strata. Like anywhere, you will pay for good school districts, proximity to a major metropolitan city (and NYC will be higher), land -- which is at a premium in the NY/NJ area, safe neighborhoods, no/low crime, etc.
Perhaps there is an irony in not having anything to complain about. Regardless, commerce and industry is attracted to NJ. Some will come, some will leave. It's like anywhere else, and, there is a life cycle to it.
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