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I'm seriously contemplating making a move with my significant other from north/central NJ down to the Triangle (probably western Wake county/Chapel Hill area) for a variery of reasons, both of us having lived in NJ all our lives (40+ years). I'm curious about those who have already made that leap (escape?) from NJ...how have you found it living there? How does it compare to life as you knew it in NJ with regard (but not limited to) cost of living, friendliness of people/making new friends, traffic, employment opportunities, activites to partake in, etc? At any point did you re-think your decision to leave the Garden State or did you find it easy to transition to living down there and wouldn't consider moving back?
I realize this is a very open question, but any insight any former NJ residents can give me on this would be most appreciated.....
We just moved here from Verona NJ about six months ago! I will try to answer some of your questions as best as possible. First, we have been renting a house while looking for one to buy. This was very important for us since it gave us the opportunity to check out all of the different areas before deciding on a place to buy. We found a house in Cary that we are closing on this month. We still have four months left on the lease for the rental house, but to us, the cost is/was worth it.
As far as cost of living, the obvious one is property taxes. We were paying over 10K in NJ and it will now be about 4K for a much bigger house. I have found that food prices here in NC are comparable or even more than in NJ. DH and I are foodies so that was a bit of a surprise!
Traffic?? What traffic?? Many of the very helpful natives on this board will tell you how bad the traffic has gotten here but it is NOWHERE close to how bad it is in NJ! Also, please note, that I or my DH do not have a daily commute, so my view on traffic may be a bit skewed from others.
We have found a great deal of friendliness in the area since moving down here. Much more friendly and laid-back than in NJ.
We haven't really gotten involved in very many activities or groups yet since most of our time has been spent house hunting. My hubby works from home but travels for a living and I am a stay-at-home mom, so I am looking to get involved with other "mom" groups.
We have never "re-thought" our decision to move back, but the only thing that I don't think I was prepared for was the lack of space or lots on the new houses that we looked at. We had a beautiful, spacious, private yard in NJ that we loved and I really thought that I would find the same thing here in the new houses. Well, I ended up buying a re-sale house because it had the privacy that we were looking for while still have the qualities in the house and neighborhood and area that we wanted. There are areas where larger lots are available, but not many in Cary, which is where we decided we wanted to be.
I do miss NJ because of the familiarity of it all but I was definitley ready for a change, therefore more accepting of it I think. I do miss the 20 min drive into Manhattan even though we didn't visit NYC enough when we had the opportunity to do so!
I hope I helped answer some of your questions--just let me know if you need anything else answered!
I moved from Queens,NY to Morrisville about 10 wks ago.1st,unless you're on a highway,get used to driving 45mph all the time!Food prices about the same,friendly people,taxes lower.80% of the people I've met are transplants.Registering a car here costs an arm & a leg.No good Italian Delis or Kosher Delis.Whole newspaper here is about the size of a NY or NJ sports section.Pro sports coverage is horrible.Prices for doctors or dentists are thru the roof if you don't have medical cov.Salaries are lower unless you're in the IT field.
all in all though,we love it here!Don't miss the crowds,the noise,Manhattan,etc.
Oh yes--searched high and low for crusty Italian bread! Finally found a Sesame Semolina Ecce Panis bread in BJ's that is very good and crusty!! Just like home!
There *sort of* are diners, but they often are not called diners. Brigs for breakfast in Raleigh & WF does excellent breakfasts, & Spinners near Wakefield Plantation is like a diner but is in a strip mall, not freestanding like a NY-NJ diner. Plus, waitstaff are all young kids, not the old fashioned, sometimes a bit edgy, waitstaff up north!
I have been finding just about everything I want down here, but often it is not where I expect to find it!
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