Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I moved to the rust belt. It took a bit to adjust, but I couldn't be happier. I know i made the right decision. I recently went back to NYC, and it was too overwhelming. Too many people packed into sidewalks. The simplest things are a major hassle. Started to feel claustrophobic. Everyone seems stressed out, angling to find the next buck to manage the insane cost off living. Life is too short for that.
I was not a native New Yorker, but I lived on the UWS for a ling time. Then, I made the jump to Southern California, mostly due to the nice weather out here.
Although we are currently in the middle of a drought, and very recently went through a heat wave, I still very much enjoy the weather.
I'm a morning person, so that even on hot days, I can take advantage of the cool AM temps and walk my dog up and down our hilly streets. We are also ocean-close, but not in a beach city, so some mornings, I take her for a long relaxing walk near the water. I also go there mid-week.
I'll admit that even though I am always security conscious, I have no real worries about walking around at that time; and that's a real bonus to living here.
Drought or no drought, I appreciate the year-round abundance of trees, shrubs, parks and flowering plants. My city uses a lot of drought-tolerant plants, as well as recycled waste water, and that means we still see greenery.
My city was also built on top of a hill range, and code requirements generally prohibit the construction of anything greater than 3 stories in height. That means that we have some very nice views. For example, it's not unusual to glance over and see distant snow-capped mountains in the wintertime, while casually strolling along in 65 degree temps.
The tallest building on the city, an insurance company, is only 9 stories high, but it sits atop the highest hill in the city and does not obstruct much. Other office buildings of about 4 stories are clustered together in the center of the city. Still, given the hilly terrain, even their occupants usually have nice views.
Housing, although expensive, is a relative bargain in comparison to NYC. What's more, just about everyone ( homeowners, but not all renters) has an attached garage. So, there are no concerns about finding a parking space once you get home. I definitely don't miss alternate-side-of-the-street parking.
Traffic is crazy on the freeways and main surface street arteries, but slow and manageable inside housing developments where I live.
The same is true regarding noise. You can truly relax once you get home.
I do miss NYC's great cultural vibe, architecture, and wide choice of restaurants, but you can never have it all.
PS
I live in Aliso Viejo, but no one has ever heard of it. For a point of reference, we neighbor Laguna Beach. There are a lot of NYC transplants here. That might be because we are not a traditional SoCal burb, in that we are densely populated with a preponderance of apartments, townhouses and condos, as opposed to a lot of SFRs. We small (7.47 sq mi). People mingle.
PS to the PS
I almost forgot to mention that there is plenty of fresh produce all year-round.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CNYC
Laguna Beach is beautiful. I moved to Encinitas (San Diego) 7 months ago. No Regrets. Ocean temps 74 degrees today...went boogie boarding before breakfast.
Love It.
i am so jealous of both of you and very familiar with both areas.
if only getting a teaching job was easier out there, i might be able to convince my gf to make a move with me.
NJ has some of the highest property taxes in the country. Shouldn't have dragged him there.
The original intent was to buy a place in Queens, but everything in our price range needed another $100K of work done to the interior. No matter where we looked (and we looked ALL OVER). We then expanded our search to includes areas outside the boroughs and ended up in NoNJ, where we were able to buy a house that we could move into without having to fork out money to make it livable, even with the higher property taxes.
However, in the end, the main reason we moved OUT of NoNJ in 2006 was the property taxes - when they hit $10K+, we knew it was time to leave.
NYC saw the largest mass exodus to burbs in decades past year. Most transplants who remain in Manhattan are mostly single. The single 40 year old transplant cougar out there with a large closet of shoes and handbags meeting their other leftover single friends for brunch who've seen friends marry off and have kids over the years and now gossip about how terrible that life must be and how they hooked up with a 22 year old Penn State grad last weekend.
You couldn't be more wrong.
According to the last Census, the suburbs an unprecedented, large mass exodus of people into the city from the burbs. NYC itself is responsible for nearly all of the metro area's growth.
The number of well-off families in NYC have exploded while dropping in the burbs. For the first time in history, more people move to NYC from NJ burbs than NYCers move to Northern NJ.
The original intent was to buy a place in Queens, but everything in our price range needed another $100K of work done to the interior. No matter where we looked (and we looked ALL OVER). We then expanded our search to includes areas outside the boroughs and ended up in NoNJ, where we were able to buy a house that we could move into without having to fork out money to make it livable, even with the higher property taxes.
However, in the end, the main reason we moved OUT of NoNJ in 2006 was the property taxes - when they hit $10K+, we knew it was time to leave.
i am so jealous of both of you and very familiar with both areas.
if only getting a teaching job was easier out there, i might be able to convince my gf to make a move with me.
That is too bad. I head that teaching jobs are hard to get out here. Still, this will give you an idea of what is currently available.
BTW, Aliso Viejo is tiny, but it's still pretty much a mini technology/pharmaceutical/ biomed job center; and it attracts a lot of venture capital funds.
The original intent was to buy a place in Queens, but everything in our price range needed another $100K of work done to the interior. No matter where we looked (and we looked ALL OVER). We then expanded our search to includes areas outside the boroughs and ended up in NoNJ, where we were able to buy a house that we could move into without having to fork out money to make it livable, even with the higher property taxes.
However, in the end, the main reason we moved OUT of NoNJ in 2006 was the property taxes - when they hit $10K+, we knew it was time to leave.
I had a relative who was paying $23K or $24K in property taxes per year as late as 2009 (in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County, Long Island) for their McMansion on one acre of land.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
