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.
in our case we lived in a 2 bedroom apartment in queens since it is just my wife and i . when we bought the house in pa we bought a 3 bedroom houise with 3000 sq ft . why ?
because unlike now all the kids and grand kids are local but in PA everyone stays over so housing costs actually went up .
the biggest factor we found was boredom . after a while we realized just how little there is to do in the pocono's , especially as you age and in the winter .
there isn't a day that goes by that marilyn and i don't find something different to do living here in queens .
especially because we retired and have lots of time .
the 5 years of ownership in pa taught us a lot about what really is important to have when you want to retire somewhere and as much as we thought we disliked nyc we found it has everything right here . including the ability to work for decent wages and not just low wages if i wanted to in retirement . .
I don't think most people would be happy living in the Poconos unless they decided they wanted to be hardcore "country living" types. My Mom and Step-dad did that about 10 years ago. They left an affluent suburb of Seattle and moved 100 miles east into the mountains so they could have some land and horses. Maintaining their property and animals basically *is* their past-time and primary form of entertainment from what I can tell. Getting in the truck and driving 30 miles to the nearby larger town to go shopping or dining out is considered a big deal to them. From my point of view, it's a pretty boring life after a couple days.
Although I agree with your preference but Mathjack did you not read and understand op's reasoning and preference? You are trying too hard to convince her that NYC is better than anywhere else in your own experience but I don't think it will work for OP. For a family with children and relatively a small budget I think OP is doing the right thing for herself and her family. You get bored in smaller places because you depend on the external world for fun and entertainment, which
Is largely the case in my situation, but op said that she knows how to make fun by herself, so your boredom with small places will be of no issue for her. Just just listen and stop trying so hard here to tell why an Apple is so much better than that orange OP is looking for...
Exactly this.. I definitely don't depend or cling to the external world for fun and have lived out in the boonies somewhat and that was fine with me too.. With kids, boredom doesn't exist lol. I don't really like the group mentality "oh other places are too slow".. "No culture.." .."dull" All a bunch of terms to justify paying $800,000 for a 3 bed home with both spouses busting their asses and facing miserable crowds and inconveniences daily when in many other parts of the country you can get the same for $100,000.. Space.. No crowds.. And one spouse works and the other has the choice to stay home.
To each their own.. But let's stop living in a bubble lol.. If you have to convince yourselves this hard then life in this city probably ain't what it's cracked up to be lol
Well, some people who live in New York City are actually quite fond of New York City and think that it's the perfect place to live (for them). You obviously don't so you are looking around for a new place to live. Are you also posting in the other city forums as well, like Henna suggested? The folks who live in the cities that you are thinking of moving to can give you the real lowdown on the places and you can make your decision then. I wasn't clear if you are going to commute to and from New York City because of a job or just to visit your mother in law but you'll need to factor in commuting costs/ time as well.
That's cool but they probably shouldn't waste their time trying so hard to convince the rest of us that it is lol
Absolutely won't do the commuting thing.. Seeing people commute 2 hours each way is sickening . That's 4 hours a day! Where is this considered normal? I know people will argue the pay is higher here but between transportation costs and 960 hours a year JUST commuting , are you honestly getting ahead?
I don't think most people would be happy living in the Poconos unless they decided they wanted to be hardcore "country living" types. My Mom and Step-dad did that about 10 years ago. They left an affluent suburb of Seattle and moved 100 miles east into the mountains so they could have some land and horses. Maintaining their property and animals basically *is* their past-time and primary form of entertainment from what I can tell. Getting in the truck and driving 30 miles to the nearby larger town to go shopping or dining out is considered a big deal to them. From my point of view, it's a pretty boring life after a couple days.
Most of the Poconos is no longer that rural- especially the East Stroudsburg/Stroudsburg section. Where I am, yes it's a bit rural but that' what we wanted.
And re: making 60k in the Poconos- not going to happen. Sounds like he's a trades guy. Most jobs are not unionized out there and average maybe $15 an hour if you're lucky. My fiance is a Teamster, he drives down to Philly to make around $22 an hour. And because he works in Philly he pays a tax to them. Look up what a Teamster in NYC makes...
For those here (if anyone at all) who are truly informed about this, not just stating off-the-cuff guesses or opinions with no real foundation in fact or experience:
For my own interest, I've wondered: How is NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ and its metro area as a place to consider for living (as to a possibly measurably lower cost of living than New York City and its closer suburbs)? This would be for a renter and one with no children living at home.
Interesting because my Dad was hired at a utility company near Poconos making around $70,000/year after some modest overtime.. And he wasn't doing anything that required a degree. This was also 10 years ago..
Sounds like because some people don't make as much as they want that they have a "not gonna happen" attitude ..
Omg.. They were hiring for brand new police cadets in my little town of PA years ago.. Only GED required and you pass a test.. 8 years ago THAT was paying the equivalent of $23/hr.. And that was when employment sucked and businesses were shutting down left and right lol
You don't know how many times I've tried to explain this to people but they truly have rose-colored glasses when it comes to this city... I know a kid who just got married in his early 20s. Had no college background other than a basic community college living in Rhode Island. He found a sales rep job selling solar panels where his base pay is 1000 a week plus commission. The thing is, there's no where near the level of competition for jobs in a lot of parts outside of the city as it is here in NYC. So if you have any basic skills and you know how to handle an interview, there willing to pay for you. Any number of college grads here would be living it up in Mass, RI, PA, NJ if they were to make the move.
I actually don't think for a second it's rose colored glasses.. But actually, after a while, just plain denial and having your head up your ass. People love being miserable here and think it gives them some kind of status.. They'll do anything to convince themselves and you that there's no better place out there..
I live in a "nice" area of NYC and keep my house clean and just killed my 200th cockroach.. ****er was the size of a rat. I can list a million things I won't miss about this place
Can't wait to live in my boring, dull, white utopia lol
Most of the Poconos is no longer that rural- especially the East Stroudsburg/Stroudsburg section. Where I am, yes it's a bit rural but that' what we wanted.
And re: making 60k in the Poconos- not going to happen. Sounds like he's a trades guy. Most jobs are not unionized out there and average maybe $15 an hour if you're lucky. My fiance is a Teamster, he drives down to Philly to make around $22 an hour. And because he works in Philly he pays a tax to them. Look up what a Teamster in NYC makes...
Teamsters don't make any more here than they do anywhere else. Even UPS is basically the same pay scale here as it is in any other decent size metro area in the country. You just have to live with less here and that's the ugly truth. A $22/hr truck driving job is considered a pretty good living in most of the country. Here it's considered low wage immigrant work. Frankly the hourly wages they pay around here for local Class A drivers is a joke considering what you have to put up with every day. Been there done that not doing it again. My point is, it should pay more but it doesn't.
Last edited by UrbanAdventurer; 10-17-2015 at 02:32 AM..
new police cadets in my little town of PA years ago.. Only GED required
That answers a lot of questions people might have about police.
Quote:
just join the Teamsters:
Easier said than done.
But my Brother in Law is a retired Teamster (drove gasoline tankers between Allentown and Philly...yeah right, I know, many thousands of gallons of gasoline following you at 60 mph) and they live VERY well in Bethlehem. Two new cars, Lovely little home on a 1 or 2 acre lawn (I am bad at estimating acreage) that has quadrupled in value in the last 10 years, dinner out almost every night. But no kids helps a lot, too.
Last edited by Kefir King; 10-17-2015 at 07:44 AM..
Teamsters don't make any more here than they do anywhere else. Even UPS is basically the same pay scale here as it is in any other decent size metro area in the country. You just have to live with less here and that's the ugly truth. A $22/hr truck driving job is considered a pretty good living in most of the country. Here it's considered low wage immigrant work. Frankly the hourly wages they pay around here for local Class A drivers is a joke considering what you have to put up with every day. Been there done that not doing it again. My point is, it should pay more but it doesn't.
He was,a Teamster in NYC before we moved. He didn't work for UPS. He also made a hell of a lot more than $22 an hour. While he has a Class A and is Teamsters, he's not a road driver.
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.
