Rhode Island..yuk..what curse brought me back here?

[sue64]

Originally Posted by hubbinsd

I'm not sure I understand why people come to this board to curse and whine about a state. Every state has ups and downs, good things and bad. It seems pretty sad to imagine someone sitting at their computer writing a long diatribe about their hatred for a general geographic area. If that seems like a good use of your time, I'd imagine you may have some other issues you want to address before blaming your problems on whichever state you live in.

You got that right? amazing... I just moved here, and I love it, I have been utilizing nature at its best, all of the important things in life are free, and I am happier then a pig in sh.t here!! Well thats just my opinion. PS: Taxes are high everywhere!

[dutch10]

There are a lot of very nice people, but they are few and far between

well... which is it??

[garxhap]

They all get together and agree not to live close to each other. Nice people are like that, I think.

[rosemarina]

Everything is relative. I moved here last year from Minnesota. After enduring weeks of below 20' temperature every year, I thought the winter here was tropical - I barely noticed it. Also, I had to drive 1 1/2 hours to get to the Twin Cities, or board an airplane if I wanted to reach real culture - here everything is a half hour away. I can take a train to Boston, NY, and Washington DC, and park overnight (in N. Kingston) for free! And the ocean beaches here are beautiful and well maintained.
Which is not to say it's perfect. In Minnesota politics, there is not enough corruption to make the newspaper, and it is less expensive to live there. Politicians there generally promote the well-being of the residents.
I moved to Johnston and was horrifed to discover the near-bankrupt condition of RI finances, and the corruption and irresponsible behavior. The most favorable comment I heard was "Believe it or not, Johnston is not the most corrupt town in RI". However, I think I was lucky to land in Johnston - Mayor Polisena is really trying to turn things around. He is not raising property taxes for 2009, for example. When he took over, a number of business people were surprised that they would now have to pay taxes like everyone else - they'd had an "arrangement" with the previous leadership. Also, I learned that the town hadn't been mapped for several years, the finances hadn't been tracked, and everything else was left to slide. Now it looks like with the new mayor, things are going to be better, honest and responsible.
I never tire of the scenery here, either. After 17 years of looking at non-stop cornfields from the highway, the forests and parks here seem lush and exotic.
RI is not perfect, but with an honest government, it could be a perfect place to live.

[ljd1010]

It was really nice to read your thoughts on RI from the perspective of someone newly transplanted. My husband and I were born and raised in RI, lived in various states over the years but had been back in RI for 20 yrs before moving to NC 3 months ago. We made a decision to leave for a variety of reasons, including the fact that our kids were grown and gone (to NYC and China!), high cost of living, politics, weather etc. This was sort of a "pre-retirement" (10 yrs) move for us. We love it down here so far but I do miss the ocean. It's a 2 hr drive to the closest beach here. Job opportunities are better, but because we're both in healthcare, jobs weren't a problem for us in RI either. Real estate is definitely cheaper - we got twice the house for the same money here, with more amenities than I could have imagined. Our place here, in the low 300s would have been 500-600K in RI. On the downside, the government is not too much different! The governor's wife (here in NC) just secured a HUGE promotion teaching at a local university (she is an attorney), her pay going from 80K to over 160K (yikes) and this is just a few years before she retires when her pension will be based on highest earning years (sound familiar??!!). Groceries are also more expensive here. I guess what I am saying is that there is no perfect place. Each has its positives and downsides. I'll always love RI - I'm not sorry we relocated, this was a very good move for us but RI also has a lot to offer.

[mcbaby]

RI is a beautiful state that I wish had shorter winters. This summer is stunningly beautiful. Lots to do. Great restaurants - Al Forno, Salvation Cafe (Npt), Black Pearl (NPT).