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I loved Jersey, but I left because of certain trends. I was ok with never being able to afford owning a home, but the constant development, with no end in sight, that devoured all the rural areas of my childhood finally drove me away. I miss the food, the diversity, the rich history, the amazing cities of Philly, DC and NYC, my buddies and vast social network, and my family. But I also miss the open fields and remote areas I used to love - and those I can't get back. I'm in Denver now. The mountains mean it will never get as built up as Jersey has. Even if Denver doubles in size, I will still be able to get out into the mountains within the hour and not hear the sound of the highway wherever I go.
I can't imagine living in SC though. Maybe try Pittsburgh? Cold winters, but it has both culture and affordability and nearby open spaces. Delaware is well-located, even if it's a bit of a cultural void. It has nice beaches and a low cost of living.
Since NJ is a major bedroom state what you really need from the Federal gov. is to build that tunnel under the Hudson so you can get your commuters in and out of NYC in a timely manner.
Might be better to lose the tunnels in and out of NYC, maybe then employers will feel the need to build satellite offices in NJ rather than centralizing everything in the city.
Might be better to lose the tunnels in and out of NYC, maybe then employers will feel the need to build satellite offices in NJ rather than centralizing everything in the city.
The cycle ends with eventual trend towards ghettofication.. There will never be decentralizing of operations from NYC into NJ, they tried this with Jersey City, Goldman Sachs built that discgusting tower, left it and now empty. Why would any corporation even consider Jersey with regards to tax issues and it being the legal liability capital of the country.
NJ was once the prideful middle upper middle class suburban commuting option prior the the 1990's, a haven away from the urban decay and you were lucky to be able to afford a house in North Jersey and attend one of it's public schools. Things have completely flipped past 15 years, with NYC gentrifying, NJ has now transformed into a national joke and into the primary cheap housing option for city employees and the demographics reflect that. A brownstone in East Village or Brooklyn was once <$200k back in the 80's. It is now $8million. You have working class people from Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens moving in droves to Jersey as cheaper housing option.
For every single home development that goes up now in North Jersey, there is another 5 more ugly rental complexes built of sticks going up to accomodate the surge in what was once beautiful park like suburb.
Those who don't believe this, only need read the history of places such as Paterson, Jersey City, Secaucus, Kearney, Newark to know that NJ simply does not have the economic lattitude to survive eventual ghetto-fication. The old blue laws will soon be gone.
Last edited by ControlJohnsons; 08-14-2015 at 07:02 PM..
I thought about returning to NJ, but I couldn't embrace the idea of subsidizing someone's cushy retirement. Another disincentive to returning is that I have nothing to return to. I have no family or other relatives living in central NJ. All of my brothers (and my mother) live outside of NJ. And nearly all of my childhood friends are now living in the southeast region between Virginia and Florida. Finally, my hometown has become a slum and possibly a sanctuary city.
I lived in Jersey for many years my entire childhood up into my adult years after college and marriage. My grandfather lived in NJ, so did my parents.
I left the area because of corruption, high taxes and a joke of the political/court system. One year, they levied a monthly compounded 100% interest rate state tax late fee penalty of $19k while I was in the hospital for 3 months and missed income tax deadline. I wrote to the state treasury and got no help, just saw my penalties compound, and finally had to hire a lawyer to clear the mess, which cost me money out of my pocket.
The fact is, NJ is broke and will do anything to take your money from all angles via the highest tax rates in the country and disgusting practices. It's broke because of the obscene govt spending ie the recent $1.2billion ARC tunnel project that got scrapped with nothing to show for it. Where'd the $1.2 billion go? It went to lawyers and "environmental consultants".
Also, NJ is still extremely business unfriendly. The local govt of W. Caldwell once ran a 2 week audit on my proposed business, bullying me and requiring a business plan presentation to the members of local town hall, in other industrial areas I observed bribery & corruption, red tape, high startup costs, and taxes prevented me from doing what I do now elsewhere. In the private sector, it's just as bad. My friend was a member of a large condo association in NJ, the annual budget audits were ridiculous. Who spends $400k in lawn mowing and snow removal expenses for a building complex? Stories like this are common.
Many large companies have moved out of NJ in the past 20 years, and this trend is continuing. Many of my peers have since transferred out of state as many companies have cut their ties with NJ. Even when a global conglomerate such as LG Electronics proposes a new headquarter in Bergen County, the amount of protest, legal disputes, why would any company want to do business there??
Unfortunately, this is a problem that is too difficult to be corrected as it's born out of entitlement found in the recent demographic profile of the state populace. You have NJ cops, administrators and teachers who actually believe they will make more than doctors and engineers and pension out in their 50's. I've been to too many local town meetings and neighborhood parties to realize that many of the people who resided in my town would not be able to afford living there had they worked with a straight moral compass instead of loopholing the NJ mess. Culturally, this kind of thinking has become the norm in NJ. This is when our family decided to move South.
Is there a fix? I've discussed this in past with other Jersey natives, and really, the only solution will probably be via the taxation of legalized narcotics, increased toll fares, increased taxes in general. No thanks.
The cycle ends with eventual trend towards ghettofication.. There will never be decentralizing of operations from NYC into NJ, they tried this with Jersey City, Goldman Sachs built that discgusting tower, left it and now empty. Why would any corporation even consider Jersey with regards to tax issues and it being the legal liability capital of the country.
GS building is not empty. In addition to GS back office operations, RBS and NY Life have a presence. UBS occupies a large office in Weehawken.
Def nailed it on point. I was in NJ for 17 years, had a good run, was successful with being in the food industry, enjoyed life, but left as soon as things went down the drain. NJ is in a bad shape, and if it doesnt turn around then it will end up like Detroit. The only people paying NJ taxes are the ones working in NYC, everyone else is leaving or on welfare. The state just doesnt make sense and has changed a lot.
I was in TX for a year, great area just wasnt for me and my family. I am staying temp in CT right now, which i like a lot better then NJ for now but i wouldnt call it home either. My future will be either in , VA , NC, OR, or WA. I have spent time in VA and it was great by the Richmond area, i will be taking time off to visit the other areas soon.
[quote=ControlJohnsons;40825554]The cycle ends with eventual trend towards ghettofication.. There will never be decentralizing of operations from NYC into NJ, they tried this with Jersey City, Goldman Sachs built that discgusting tower, left it and now empty. Why would any corporation even consider Jersey with regards to tax issues and it being the legal liability capital of the country.
NJ was once the prideful middle upper middle class suburban commuting option prior the the 1990's, a haven away from the urban decay and you were lucky to be able to afford a house in North Jersey and attend one of it's public schools. Things have completely flipped past 15 years, with NYC gentrifying, NJ has now transformed into a national joke and into the primary cheap housing option for city employees and the demographics reflect that. A brownstone in East Village or Brooklyn was once <$200k back in the 80's. It is now $8million. You have working class people from Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens moving in droves to Jersey as cheaper housing option.
For every single home development that goes up now in North Jersey, there is another 5 more ugly rental complexes built of sticks going up to accomodate the surge in what was once beautiful park like suburb.
Those who don't believe this, only need read the history of places such as Paterson, Jersey City, Secaucus, Kearney, Newark to know that NJ simply does not have the economic lattitude to survive eventual ghetto-fication. The old blue laws will soon be gone.[/QUO
The cycle ends with eventual trend towards ghettofication.. There will never be decentralizing of operations from NYC into NJ, they tried this with Jersey City, Goldman Sachs built that discgusting tower, left it and now empty. Why would any corporation even consider Jersey with regards to tax issues and it being the legal liability capital of the country.
NJ was once the prideful middle upper middle class suburban commuting option prior the the 1990's, a haven away from the urban decay and you were lucky to be able to afford a house in North Jersey and attend one of it's public schools. Things have completely flipped past 15 years, with NYC gentrifying, NJ has now transformed into a national joke and into the primary cheap housing option for city employees and the demographics reflect that. A brownstone in East Village or Brooklyn was once <$200k back in the 80's. It is now $8million. You have working class people from Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens moving in droves to Jersey as cheaper housing option.
For every single home development that goes up now in North Jersey, there is another 5 more ugly rental complexes built of sticks going up to accomodate the surge in what was once beautiful park like suburb.
Those who don't believe this, only need read the history of places such as Paterson, Jersey City, Secaucus, Kearney, Newark to know that NJ simply does not have the economic lattitude to survive eventual ghetto-fication. The old blue laws will soon be gone.
The most accurate post I've read in a long time. I will just add two caveats: I do believe NJ was still a great place to live in the 90s. I distinctly remember it starting to go to crap in the early 2000s whether it be subprime, the tech bubble bursting or 9/11. It's been declining ever since. Please also add Elizabeth to your list. Watched its swift and brutal decline firsthand. My folks used to leave their doors unlocked for 35 years until the house was robbed in the fall of 2000. Try that now and you won't have a house to come home to. For both the city and the state, the last 15 years have been a disaster and I don't see much hope on the horizon.
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