Hillbilly to Hell? (Middletown, Sullivan, Hudson: property taxes, housing, rent)

[techumseh]

I am a 40+ single male looking at Middletown, Ny. Have been offered a postion which pays $13.00 an hour in the area. Now right off this worries me...I can make the same pay here in hillbilly heaven (kentucky) but obviously the cost of living is much lower here. So thats my first question...how much higher is the cost of living in a smaller place like middletown? i have read new yorkers pay some of the highest state taxes in the country, as if the fed taxes arent already bustin all of us...here i can find a reasonable 1br apartment for 400-500 a month (not an upscale place by any standards but not in the ghetto either) and i can feed my self on a 150 bucks a month if i dont eat out. No kids no car and one old cat (who i love dearly and will be bringin his furry butt with me) and i have been busing/biking to work for years. I dont know kung-fu but ive been around (spent some time in chicago) and im wondering where i can live in middletown without having to contend with gangbangers and such. balancing all this out is the pay the job offers...obviously not great (good career op though, or i would just dismiss the idea) so is there anywhere in middletown or nearby...remember no car here...where i can make it on this salary and not live in a ghetto? i am not concerned with schools, asthetics, ethnics nor shopping malls. just a decent apartment with no shootings in the parking lot. I see theres a community college there..is the surrounding area of this college full of student renatl propertys? i usually find area's around colleges ok as the rents are low but usually also well patroled by the blues. any suggestions?

[hjlacey]

Probably only decent place will cost at the least $1200.00 month rent at the very least! You do have fed.and state taxes, sales tax is 8.25%. If you do drive, gas is about $3.15 gal

[alezu]

Do you have a compelling reason for wanting to live there (like family)? I can tell you that your quality of life on $13 an hour and no car won't be very good in Middletown. I'm not about to discourage you, though, without knowing your reasons.

[techumseh]

i guess ill look for a room-mate shared apartment. that kind of rent i wont even have food left...i found this site called roomster...there are some middletown posters there but the rub is i have to pay the site to correspond with prospective room-mates. just from browsing around here i gather scotchville is not too far from downtown middletown and seems to be a decent area and with a 25 mile search parameter i found a few other places where i can share a place for 400 - 600 a month. are there trains to say scotchville, platville etc from downtown middletown? i also get the impression the public transport buses are not very good. the more i look the less enthusiastic i get about this job opportunity

[gnu]

Try looking at Craigslist for roommates/shared housing too, for free.

[techumseh]

nothing compelling other then the career op. the job location is downtown middletown and since i dont drive that limits how far i can commute. 25 miles may be too far...guess that depends on the public trans options?..i would like to take the job but i am not trying to starve. thanks for pointer on craigslist...checking now

[Jason_Els]

Oh man....

Run, don't walk, from that offer. If it paid $20 or even maybe $18 an hour and you had, or could get, a car I'd say give it a go.

You MUST have a car to live in Orange county. No way around it. Just to grocery shop you'll need it. Downtown Middletown has serious crime and gang issues too. To live on $13 an hour without a car, you'd have to live in downtown Middletown which is nearly all section 8 housing.

Do a flash earth or google maps view of Middletown. You'll see that all the shopping areas are outside of the city proper; most along one of the original, "Miracle Miles," Route 211, in the country. Yes, you would need a roomie too. The cost of living is just too high to do otherwise.

The Times Herald-Record is the local newspaper for the mid-Hudson valley. You'll find a lot of information about the area and some possible roommates.

There's also this very good article about Middletown from the same paper: The Era of Being at the Center of Everything Has Chugged Away.

People in Orange county and who work in Orange county have a hard time making ends meet for the most part because so many residents work in NYC. With NYC salaries, the locals can't compete. Those who wanted to keep their jobs in Orange started moving further north to Sullivan county or west to PA where they could afford to live. Otherwise they moved down south or took jobs in NYC to keep up with the soaring cost of living (mostly in property taxes and energy costs). You're moving into an area where people earning $13.00 are usually either, A. Married to someone who makes more money, B. Young and living with their parents until they can leave, or C. Moved out of the county and commute to their jobs.

Orange county's three cities are very different than the rest of the county. I have lived here, save for brief periods, my entire life and my family history includes the county's first white settlers. In my opinion, pass on the job unless they're willing to give you more money so you don't have to live to in Middletown itself and you can afford a car.

[mom2gurls]

Originally Posted by Jason_Els

Oh man....

Run, don't walk, from that offer. If it paid $20 or even maybe $18 an hour and you had, or could get, a car I'd say give it a go.

You MUST have a car to live in Orange county. No way around it. Just to grocery shop you'll need it. Downtown Middletown has serious crime and gang issues too. To live on $13 an hour without a car, you'd have to live in downtown Middletown which is nearly all section 8 housing.

Do a flash earth or google maps view of Middletown. You'll see that all the shopping areas are outside of the city proper; most along one of the original, "Miracle Miles," Route 211, in the country. Yes, you would need a roomie too. The cost of living is just too high to do otherwise.

The Times Herald-Record is the local newspaper for the mid-Hudson valley. You'll find a lot of information about the area and some possible roommates.

There's also this very good article about Middletown from the same paper: The Era of Being at the Center of Everything Has Chugged Away.

People in Orange county and who work in Orange county have a hard time making ends meet for the most part because so many residents work in NYC. With NYC salaries, the locals can't compete. Those who wanted to keep their jobs in Orange started moving further north to Sullivan county or west to PA where they could afford to live. Otherwise they moved down south or took jobs in NYC to keep up with the soaring cost of living (mostly in property taxes and energy costs). You're moving into an area where people earning $13.00 are usually either, A. Married to someone who makes more money, B. Young and living with their parents until they can leave, or C. Moved out of the county and commute to their jobs.

Orange county's three cities are very different than the rest of the county. I have lived here, save for brief periods, my entire life and my family history includes the county's first white settlers. In my opinion, pass on the job unless they're willing to give you more money so you don't have to live to in Middletown itself and you can afford a car.

Ditto to Jason..Forget Running....turn it down..there is nothing that you will gain by moving to middletown...heck even the seasoned NYers wont consider it a place to go to.

If the idea is to get the whole "NY experience"..that is NYC..and a whooollllleleee different thread..but your NOT going to find it in middletown.

[techumseh]

thanks a lot for the input and links to the newspaper. combined with what im hearing here i think i will reconsider this. i am bummed though because i wanted to move NYC (area) so oh well back to the drawing board. i knew that 13 an hour was not enough. ive made that much here and even in hillbilly land its no fortune.

[mhogan10010]

Dude

If you want to do the NYC thing, then redirect your sights to the actual city. In the city you won't need a car and you can still find a share for the price you will spend in Middletown. While I am a Detroiter, I lived in Hillbilly land for 5 years(my folks retired to Western NC) and have been in NYC for almost 8 years. Be patient, and come here with a realistic shot at NYC life. Don't settle for some up state outpost. Believe me, there are places outside the city that are almost a country as KY. Maybe that is a bit strong, but you get my point.