Aussie moving - NJ or NC (Sussex: renting, insurance, credit) - New Jersey - City-Data Forum

ffire · 12-02-2007, 07:22 AM

Hi!

I thought I had settled on NC as a good spot to move to - then stumbled upon NJ. I have flicked through these threads but can anyone tell me how different the two are. Obviously massively bigger. I have 3 school children, dont need to commute to NY, but the ability to occaisionally would be nice.....does anyone have any suggestions. Looking for a growing area, close to water (obviously safe).

????
thanks for your help

cyntmac · 12-02-2007, 11:11 AM

How are they not different? LOL. Obviously less expensive. If you are a preacher(previously mentioned)- you would find a whole different world in a southern state. NC is very family oriented and there is still lots of open space. Growing areas are plentiful in the southern U.S. -not so much the case up north. If you like a slow pace, lots of churches, lots of married people, lots of housing options- NC is probably for you. The weather is very nice there as well. Great change of seasons.

I almost thought this was a joke thread.

ffire · 12-02-2007, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyntmac

How are they not different? LOL. Obviously less expensive. If you are a preacher(previously mentioned)- you would find a whole different world in a southern state. NC is very family oriented and there is still lots of open space. Growing areas are plentiful in the southern U.S. -not so much the case up north. If you like a slow pace, lots of churches, lots of married people, lots of housing options- NC is probably for you. The weather is very nice there as well. Great change of seasons.

I almost thought this was a joke thread.

I can understand why you thought it was a joke......i no NOTHING of the area. Just happened to come across it on the net and it took my attention. Although we are married, just wanted to have an alternate area in case NC is too slow paced for us. It seems that there are still lots of families in NJ too.
Thanks for replying, i really appreciate it!

princetonian · 12-02-2007, 03:35 PM

If looking for inexpensive homes, go for NC. If looking for good quality, go for NJ.

Viralmd · 12-02-2007, 03:47 PM

If you plan on working, you're going to need a valid visa that permits you to work, too. That might take a while.

chatty56 · 12-04-2007, 08:54 PM

I lived in NC for 4 yrs. before moving back to NJ where I'm from. It depends where in NC you plan on living. Raleigh is not quite as slow paced as the rest of NC, kind of feels a little like being up north sometimes. Other areas are very laid back, but you get used to it, you even miss it sometimes. If I had to decide where to raise my kids, I would pick NC.

ottomobeale · 12-05-2007, 04:38 AM

NJ suburbs tend to be MUCH more family oriented than the close in cities. Bonus is they are much safer too. Most of Morris County is VERY safe. Same with Sussex County.

NC is warmer.
NC is much more affordable.
NJ has a more dynamic economy.
NJ is typically much more politically corrupt.
There is more of just about everything cultural in NJ.
NJ has proximity to NYC and all the attractions there.
NJ has moderately higher taxes. Not because NJ is anything remotely low taxed, but rather NC taxes are higher than their general reputation would indicate. Where NJ kills you is property tax.

cyntmac · 12-05-2007, 05:55 AM

Property taxes in NC are much lower than NJ. There is definitely corruption in the south but many people are unaware so it would be very hard to measure that. Less of the old style political machine as the urban areas are "newer". That is a plus in some ways.

The life style down there is much slower paced overall and you don't need lots of money to live well(for most people). That is very appealing for people with kids. Also the cities of NC are more kid friendly than a large old city like NYC or Philly. The park systems are much newer and up to date and are much less utilized.

There is also an inexpensive community college system in NC and an affordable state university system. That is not the case in NJ. That is important to families. Most people are well aware of this in the northeast already. It is common knowledge.

findinghope · 12-05-2007, 06:11 AM

:wow, good question. i lived all my life in NJ and this year i moved to NC.
i will tell you why and maybe that will help your decision:

1. because NJ is expensive to live in if you dont make at least $80,000. if you dont make enough money and have to use credit for the simple things it can get really difficult to make ends meet. we were just paying our bills and we were both working full time decent jobs. we were both making the same salary.

2. the weather can get rough after a while. it gets cold, messy with snow, driving gets hazzardous sometimes. it can be depressing for some people. i dont know what the temps are like in AU, but i always imagine it so warm even in winter. i could be completely off.
springtime is like a week long, goes right into the heat and humidity of summer.

3. i dont know how the school system in NC is yet, but in NJ they are excellent.

4. there is culture all over and we lived within 30 minutes of NYC--which was great when we had the time and money to enjoy it. which wasnt really that often to be honest.

i was always afraid to move away from the nyc area because i loved it so much, but to be honest we werent always able to afford going there or with our jobs and obligations werent able to find the time.

5. taxes and auto insurance and home prices and renting in a good school system are expensive in NJ

6. NJ gets a bad rep for having rude people--as does NYC. not true!!! you will find the kindest most generous, funny, sarcastic intelligent people in both areas (NJ and NY). its just that they are so busy and stressed from having to live such an expensive life that they may not always stop to say HI or they may try to push you to go faster when you drive.
7. food, oh the food--every kind from every country, oh so good!!!

in NC
we are able to live on one income, we are buying a home in a nice area on one income, our auto insurance is less than half of what we were paying (and still using the same company); our taxes on our new home will be about a quarter of what we were paying in NJ.
people here are friendly(er). they are more laid back in some areas more than others.
food in NC is more expensive
you can find culture here and you will have to drive at least 30 minutes from any direction to find it.
things here are VERY spread out and you will need to drive everywhere.

hope this helps

mickiemouse · 12-05-2007, 07:25 PM

I am a foreigner, had lived in NC for 8 years and recently moved to NJ. I have to say, NJ is very diverse and here you don't feel out of place. You hear people speaking different accents of English all the time. NJ life is quite hectic and everything seems to be in a hurry all the time. This is a big contrast to NC where things are very laid back. Southerners are very nice but you may find some of them having a hard time understanding your Australian accent. Although property taxes are cheaper, public schools in NC is not that great. Many of my colleagues in the Raleigh-Durham area actually send their kids to private schools. You pay higher taxes in NJ, but you get good quality education so it is a fair price.