Is leaving the right thing to do? (Hackensack, Burlington: modular homes, unemployment)

[nic529]

Wow - you guys are talking me into it!

Don't all the towns have paid police though?

[imperieux]

Originally Posted by TheEmissary

imperieux - I pay $450 for HO insurance. I guess they figured you're in prime hurricane territory. I wonder what those people who live in Harvey Cedars or Loveladies pay on the Jersey Shore? You still would have to admit it's a lot cheaper that what my Florida neighbors (crying as they mentioned it!) paid for their HO insurance.

Yes, I pay more to live near the coast, (and I'm not even in a flood zone) but that's everywhere in the US. It's worth it for us to be a half hour from the beach because we love it.

Now if I lived closer, say in Mt Pleasant, I would be paying many thousands. And I can't even imagine what they pay off the coast in Florida.

Katrina caused many insurance companies to pull completely out of some states. Including SC.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by imperieux

So they have visited the area a few times to get a feel for what it would be like to actually live there? That's good but it worries me too that your friend is apprehensive about it. Before we really pulled the trigger we came down one last time and drove around neighborhoods at night, in the morning,etc. We wanted to get a feel for the day to day living that you don't normally see when searching for a home with a real estate agent for example.

And the nice weather is great, but if you have a wife who is sitting in her nice home miserable there's going to definitely be problems.I really believe that EVERYONE in the family has got to be enthusiastic and on board when you move that far away from your home base.

-Stephanie

i TOTALLY agree. and I'm not sure if her apprehension is because of the distance/culture, or just stepping out of her comfort zone, KWIM? also, she's VERY close to her family (they live right near each other, and she sees them almost daily), her parents are in their 80's and it's not going to be easy to hop in the car and drive home. she's also going from a place where she could walk anywhere to sprawling surburbia USA. i also told her that if she has to do it, do it, but be aware that if they don't like it, it's going to be VERY hard to come back. also, as far as her kids are concerned, NC will be home to one of them (she's 4) and she may stay there forever, so in essense it's a permanant move. I'm seeing her this Friday and it's going to be the only topic of conversation, I'm sure, LOL.

[TheEmissary]

Originally Posted by nic529

Wow - you guys are talking me into it!

Don't all the towns have paid police though?

nic529 - The larger towns and cities have their own police department, but the more suburban areas rely on the County Sheriff's to patrol their towns. Many small towns have a Volunteer Fire Department. The weird thing down here that happens, is there is land between some towns that no-one actually claims as their own - a type of unincorporated no-mans land. It is patrolled by the sheriff Dept. This is certainly different from northern NJ where town borders were decided on about the time George Washington saw his first crotch hair!LOL

[imperieux]

Originally Posted by nic529

Don't all the towns have paid police though?

Paid police as in every town has a different police department? No, only the larger towns have their own I believe. But each County has the Sheriff's Department for those outside the town limits.

Where I am, we have the Summerville Police Department, the Dorchester Co. Sheriff and State Police manage the highways.

[nic529]

LMAO

thanks for the info. I can relate to that setting. Here in Chesterfield (Burlington County) we only had 4 policemen until recently. And after 6pm and on the weekends we were patroled by Ft. Dix State Police. Then some crazy guy with a gun comes ripping through our quiet town and shoot one of our officers - hits all four of our cars - and ultimately ends up getting killed in Columbus. Kinda put the town on alert...so now we have 6, LOL. But they are on 24 hrs now I think.

Originally Posted by TheEmissary

nic529 - The larger towns and cities have their own police department, but the more suburban areas rely on the County Sheriff's to patrol their towns. Many small towns have a Volunteer Fire Department. The weird thing down here that happens, is there is land between some towns that no-one actually claims as their own - a type of unincorporated no-mans land. It is patrolled by the sheriff Dept. This is certainly different from northern NJ where town borders were decided on about the time George Washington saw his first crotch hair!LOL

[imperieux]

Originally Posted by tahiti

i also told her that if she has to do it, do it, but be aware that if they don't like it, it's going to be VERY hard to come back. also, as far as her kids are concerned, NC will be home to one of them (she's 4) and she may stay there forever, so in essense it's a permanant move. I'm seeing her this Friday and it's going to be the only topic of conversation, I'm sure, LOL.

I have to agree that it's hard, and sometimes impossible, to come back. It's the hard truth. She really has to think about this, and hard. Good luck with that conversation.

Even though I am from NJ and left the state happily, I have to say it's not for everyone and I would hate to hear of a family relocation that has left them horribly homesick.

[TheEmissary]

Originally Posted by imperieux

I have to agree that it's hard, and sometimes impossible, to come back. It's the hard truth. She really has to think about this, and hard. Good luck with that conversation.

Even though I am from NJ and left the state happily, I have to say it's not for everyone and I would hate to hear of a family relocation that has left them horribly homesick.

One of the reasons I'm glad I left was when I read an article in the Bergen Record about the retired police chief of Rutherford NJ who had recently retired. He made $183,000 was 55 and had 34 years on the force. His pension was going to be $121,000 and they owed him for his sick time and unused vacation days. Guess what that amount was? $311,000! The sad thing is that the state had just given the town $500,000 for tax relief. Guess where it went? This situation occurs all over NJ and with my $25,000 a year pension from the P.O., I didn't feel like paying for the similar deals that went on in my town. This is unsustainable for the taxpayers of NJ and one of the reasons that people like nic529 are stressed out! NC doesn't suffer from this type of gouging from its municipal employees.

[stevemorse]

Originally Posted by colleeng47

Believe me, I appreciate the interest some of you are showing in this my adventure to OK. I'll be happy to share with you what I've learned. OKC is the largest (by size) city in the US. The job market there has a 3.0% unemployment rate. Wages are lower. However my husband, who is in IT has been presented with three jobs so far in his search. One was for about $10,000 less than he's making now in Doylestown, PA, one was for $5000 more and one was for $20,000 more. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't offered these jobs, they were just presented to him by his headhunter. He has sent his resume and we're waiting to hear. I can work as a substitute teacher until I get a permanent job, and the daily rate for subs in the towns we're considering is the same rate I was paid when I substitued in Hamilton, NJ.

We are not looking for a big house (about 1400-1600 SF), but certainly a cheaper one. I have a really good realtor working with me and we've selected about 20 houses. We will view the various areas/neighborhoods before we actually pick houses to look at. All of the houses we've selected range in price from $115,000 to $135,000. Property taxes vary from a low of $786 to a high of $1200+.

Tornadoes are a concern, but from what I've learned on the internet with my new OK friends, not something everyone worries about. Most of the people I've corresponded with are in the 35-65 age range and all together have seen maybe 10-15 tornadoes in their whole lives.

On the OK board, I've been sent numerous photos of various areas, and gotten tons of advice on what to see and do while we're there. We've been told what areas to consider living in, and which areas to avoid. I've learned what school districts are good and which aren't. My daughter can go to either the University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University for $6500 a year for UO and $3500 a year for OSU. I've received an invitation to dinner with a couple we met online while we're there, and lots of encouragement. BTW it seems from my correspondence that the influx of new people to OK are actually coming from So Cal. You think New Jerseyans are unhappy -- Wow! You should hear the So Cal people talk. Some of them can't even get a job without being able to speak Spanish!

Will OK be perfect? Absolutely not. But we think we will be able to give our two teenagers a better opportunity to pusue the American dream of owning a home, putting food on the table and taking a once a year vacation without stressing themselves beyond sanity. We were talking about cost of living on the board and someone said that comparing salaries, prices of groceries, etc. doesn't cut it. He asked a simple question: "Where you live, can the Cable Installer buy a house and still afford food?" If the answer is yes (which from what I was told it is in OK), then you have a good cost of living.

Sorry to ramble on so much but I'm very excited about our new adventure.

Thanks I know nothing about OK, so I asked and now am learning.

[stevemorse]

Originally Posted by imperieux

I completely agree with that statement. And I've personally witnessed those who have picked up their whole family and moved them to another world based simply on a big cheaper home and cheaper taxes, without even considering the lifestyle or cultural changes they would be dealing with.

And then they wonder why their miserable in their location and yell to anyone who will listen that the new state is a complete hell hole.

Yes a very wise women taught me that statement. Now I have crow at least three times a week for dinner (inside joke)!!!!