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Lol! There are snakes in the Northeast! Ok, but snakes in the Northeast are nothing like the snakes you get in warmer climates or tropical places. Also, NJ has only two dangerous snake species, which are endangered due to NJ being so populated and so suburbanized.
1. Snakes in the Northeast don't "hang on trees" and scare you like they would in tropical places. Snakes are on the ground almost all the time. Hiking in NJ is not scary at all. I don't have to look up or left and right to find snakes on trees. Only on the ground I would.
2. There is less quantity of snakes. You will rarely run into a snake if you go on a hike. However, I have a waterslide at my parents' house and I guarantee you will find snakes hiding under the waterslide cover every summer when we first open it up after the long winter.
We don't have snakes like you appear to have them in SC. Ticks are way worse in the Northeast especially in terms of what they carry. I can't say that I see more ticks in here than I did in the midwest.
This was one of my incorrect assumptions upon moving to Raleigh. Ticks were pretty much constant for us in NY because we frequently took our dogs on hikes in parks and on beaches with high grass. Heck, I used to bring them to work and there was one part of my building's parking lot that was full of them. I'd have to flick them off their bodies before going back into the office.
Due to climate and the fact that there are more open spaces here for deer to roam, I figured I'd see more. So far, that hasn't been true. I looked into it a little and found an interesting tidbit that Lyme disease is named after a town in Connecticut because of where it was discovered. But the prevalence of Lyme disease in the northeast is far greater than it is here.
This was one of my incorrect assumptions upon moving to Raleigh. Ticks were pretty much constant for us in NY because we frequently took our dogs on hikes in parks and on beaches with high grass. Heck, I used to bring them to work and there was one part of my building's parking lot that was full of them. I'd have to flick them off their bodies before going back into the office.
Due to climate and the fact that there are more open spaces here for deer to roam, I figured I'd see more. So far, that hasn't been true. I looked into it a little and found an interesting tidbit that Lyme disease is named after a town in Connecticut because of where it was discovered. But the prevalence of Lyme disease in the northeast is far greater than it is here.
It is seemingly location specific and I can't put a finger on what causes one area to have tons and another to have few. I used to have a hunting lease in a County that bordered Wake that was awful for them. Other areas I've hunted for years and never pulled a one off me.
It would be absurd to not move to the Triangle solely because of the snakes. And that's coming from someone that does not like snakes in any way.
Not really. People don't move to places for all sorts of reasons. Some people wouldn't live in the Northeast or upper Midwest due to the snow and cold. Others wouldn't live in AZ because they don't like the desert. Some not in Seattle because they don't like the constant drizzle.
What affects one person's quality of life is very different from what affects another person's. To me not being able to enjoy kayaking or hiking or gardening without worrying about being bit by a venomous snake, or worrying about my dog getting bit in my own backyard affects my quality of life.
Since it already affects my life here in SC, I can't imagine what sense it makes to move to a place that's the snakebite capital unless there's some compelling reason like a huge difference in salaries, a more vibrant level of culture and amenities, or much better weather, and I don't see that.
It would be absurd to not move to the Triangle solely because of the snakes. And that's coming from someone that does not like snakes in any way.
My husband and I had decided to move there until I came across all the posts about copperheads. We are both on the same page about not moving there after what we've read. Between us we've lived in Birmingham, Atlanta and Nashville, in houses bordering woods, and there is simply not an issue in those places with copperheads in residential neighborhoods. Yes, they are there occasionally but it is rare. You don't see them in parking lots, walking paths, apartment complexes or lying in driveways and roads the way people report in the Triangle. In those places, you don't need to carry a flashlight when you walk your dog at night to watch out for snakes, nor do you have to check your yard before kids go poking around in bushes. Garden snakes and other non-venomous ones, you do see sometimes and while we don't like them, copperheads are a whole different thing, especially if you have a dog or children. It is a huge QOL issue for us, as we spend a lot of time outdoors.
I also know from experience that copperheads will attack unprovoked. Luckily the family member I was with got to it when it was a few feet from me and killed it.
Lived in MA for 35 years, never saw a snake anywhere--we lived in a Boston suburb, but spent a lot of time walking our dogs in woods and conservation lands--nary a snake to be seen. Here, in NC, we have a black racer living in our basement. Plumber was checking out water lines in basement, taking notes, and suddenly said, "You have a tenant." I looked up and saw this little black head peeping out from an opening in the ceiling--and froze in my tracks. Plumber kept writing his notes and said, "I'd leave him be. He's not interested in you, and he'll take care of the rodents." About 15 minutes later, we were sitting on the front steps and here comes my tenant, slithering along the foundation, not a care in the world. As he comfortably slithers by under our feet, plumber says, "Hey little buddy." And I'm thinking, Oh. My. God.
Not really. People don't move to places for all sorts of reasons. Some people wouldn't live in the Northeast or upper Midwest due to the snow and cold. Others wouldn't live in AZ because they don't like the desert. Some not in Seattle because they don't like the constant drizzle.
What affects one person's quality of life is very different from what affects another person's. To me not being able to enjoy kayaking or hiking or gardening without worrying about being bit by a venomous snake, or worrying about my dog getting bit in my own backyard affects my quality of life.
Since it already affects my life here in SC, I can't imagine what sense it makes to move to a place that's the snakebite capital unless there's some compelling reason like a huge difference in salaries, a more vibrant level of culture and amenities, or much better weather, and I don't see that.
In my experience, you can move to any area of the country and avoid snakes if you pick neighborhoods where the snakes have been driven out over time.
Avoiding new neighborhoods on the edge of town, or "natural" environment type neighborhoods in areas where there are typically a lot of snakes.
As the OP, my motto is don't bother the snakes and they shouldn't bother you. Ticks, on the other hand, will bother you even if you try to stay away from them. Here's an article about another tick in the area. Between death from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, meat allergies, encephalitis, etc. now we have another one
Lived in MA for 35 years, never saw a snake anywhere--we lived in a Boston suburb, but spent a lot of time walking our dogs in woods and conservation lands--nary a snake to be seen. Here, in NC, we have a black racer living in our basement. Plumber was checking out water lines in basement, taking notes, and suddenly said, "You have a tenant." I looked up and saw this little black head peeping out from an opening in the ceiling--and froze in my tracks. Plumber kept writing his notes and said, "I'd leave him be. He's not interested in you, and he'll take care of the rodents." About 15 minutes later, we were sitting on the front steps and here comes my tenant, slithering along the foundation, not a care in the world. As he comfortably slithers by under our feet, plumber says, "Hey little buddy." And I'm thinking, Oh. My. God.
I love your plumber.
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