Considering moving from NJ to NC

[movedoften]

The economy has pretty much stalled in 95% of the country. Sometimes it is actually easier to scratch out a living in a city like Raleigh compared to major urban area. If the unemployement levels are relatively the same, I would much rather be somewhere that I can live for 40% less and not have the typical everyday stresses that a larger city throws at you.

Taking a retail job at Best Buy and doing some side work for a few bucks goes a lot further in Raleigh than NJ. In Raleigh, your savings will last a lot longer until things turn around.

When you add in the quality of life issues then it starts to make sense why people are so interested in moving there even without a job.

People also need to remember that the long term prospects in NC are excellent. The location and climate are terrific. Ultimately there will be a lot of retirees moving there who will not be competing for jobs but still have a need for goods and services.

[wheels-a-rolling]

Originally Posted by TwoWheelMan

Hi folks... First off I am in NJ...I have heard many great things about living in the RTP area. I have been out of work three years...my property taxes on the home I inherited come to $10000 per year. This is on a 3 bedroom 1800 sq.ft. ranch home with a 2 car attached garage and on 3/4s' of an acre with an inground pool. I used to work in Electronics Manufacturing..which has all but dissappeared here in NJ.
So naturally some questions I have...
- Are there good manufacturing jobs in a high tech field in RTP?
- I have heard that sometimes employers will discriminate against "yankees" looking to be employed...so how prevalent is this practice?
- What kind of taxes could I expect for a similar type of home in the RTP area?
- people here in NJ are too caught up with themselves and thus are not friendly or outgoing to strangers. Can I expect things to be better in NC?
It seems many people are moving to your state,like they feel its a utopian world...I know that isnt exactly true. However coming from where I am it certainly does look that way.
With the sale of our home we expect to buy another down there and have enough cash leftover to live while we find work there in RTP area.
-So how good is the economic/employment environment? And could we find jobs once we get there? Or would it be better/smarter to line up employment before we go anywhere?...
Thankyou all for your responses to the newbie questions. Look forward to your responses

[+] Rate this post positively

Please, please, please don't make the mistake many others from NY/NJ make by moving down here because the homes are cheaper and so are the taxes. Always remember that you get what you pay for.

All though this area is growing quite a bit, there is still a lot missing. Many I know that moved down here end up moving back home or elsewhere like Florida (if warm climate and coastal access is preferred) because they don't find the foods, culture, activities, and other likings like back home.

Good jobs are hard to land because of so many out of work. Pay is not high at, neighborhoods like Raleigh and Cary are getting highly populated and conversely areas like Clayton are growing too however there isn't much there and it's about 20 - 30 minutes to Raleigh / Cary / Durham where more of the common stores are. If you're ok with just Walmart then it may be ok. I have a 2,000 sq ft home for 220k and pay $1,900 in Johnston County. Nothing here in Johnston county. Formerly a lot of KKK in Johnston county so you won't see a lot of diversity here. My water bill is about $60 a month for a family of 4 and sewer charges just went up to $63 monthly from $48. Food is expensive as well just like back in NJ/NY. I'm originally from NY and lived in Central Jersey for 11yrs. Been here 3 yrs. Good Italian food among others are hard to find. Pizza is not really pizza here. Theaters are about $9 just like up north. No professional sports here except hockey if you're into that. Can't get NY Yankee games unless you have like a directv sports package. Cable, phone, wireless phones, etc. are just as expensive as home. Utilities are not de-regulated so you have to go with whoever the local provider is. Internet access like Verizon's FiOS is nowhere to be found. I am stuck with the only home phone and dsl provider in Clayton with Embarq or cable modem with Time Warner. I don't care for them. I used them before but they are expensive as well. Again the pay here is below standards. Roads are getting just as congested as NJ due to everyone from everywhere moving here. Homeowner associations are expensive also about $300 or more annually and you get essentially nothing for it. Home averages 200k for low end homes to 800k. Taxes are about 3k. Some less but mostly 3k on up. Wake and Durham county have raised taxes a few years straight. Part of growth.

Hope this helps.

[TwoWheelMan]

Wheels Thanks for adding your perspective to the living situation in NC...with all due repect we do believe we can have a better quality life in NC or Eastern TN as opposed to living here in Jersey...No offense to Floridians but I would never...ever want to live there..tooo hot for me and its even more like little NY. I have become aware of other areas other than Raliegh-Durham and will be exploring those as well. The basis of my inquires online is to give me some direction for when we come down there to scope it out. It does seem to me that the RTP area is becoming too populated with out of staters andwhile there is nothing wrong with that...it does make things like landing a job more competitve and difficult to obtain. Depending upon the area we might select to live in will determine our cost of living. I still believe that cost of living is better in NC than NJ. I have had a number of people DM me telling me as such and how much they love it there coming from the Northeast. As for the culture change..I welcome it... I love pizza but can live without it...NY yankees...no thanks..I like NY football teams though but again its not a deal breaker...believe me when I say when we move down that way...we aint lookin back'

[DJKB]

We moved from NJ and we have Direct TV (Satelite) with the NFL package so that takes care of our Jets Football!!!