What was the most difficult part of relocation? (Layton: appointed, rent)

[wdwden]

I am 36 and have lived in south Jersey my entire life. I have always been big into the outdoors(atv's, skiiing, hiking, rock climbing etc.) and I am tired of having to fly across the country to do it all. I am married and have 2 children(1 and7). We will both be looking for work and a nice community to live in. I am wondering how others have found work. Was it before you left home, or did you have enough money to survive awhile? Did you rent for a year incase you didnt like it? Was it hard leaving your friends and family to the point that you wanted to move back home? How hard was it for your kids to adjust to a new school and friends?

I have been thinking of moving for many years, but I am a bit nervous as to weather or not its the right choice. I would hate to go my whole life without ever trying it, but it is such a huge step. We would be leaving good jobs behind and a great neighborhood and town. Not to mention the family. The problem is, I just can't stop thinking that I would be happier in a place where the recreation is right there and available on a daily basis.

I've been researching a lot, but I am curious about the relocation. What surprised you the most? Did you regret it after a week, a month, a year? Was it all what you expected?

Thanks for any input.
Dennis

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

For me, it was starting over w/no friends or family here. I made some good friends at work and in the neighborhood and gradually branched out. But I won't deny those first few months were lonely.

[alexei27]

Ditto to what SouthernBelle said. We also had a good experience when we moved to Layton in 2004 and made a few new friends within a couple of months. The same happened when we moved to Long Island from Utah in 2007...we now have been here 2 years and it could not be better!

The key is to follow your heart no matter where you go. Friends will come. If your prerogative is the recreation Utah has to offer, you won't be disappointed.

One thing to keep in mind...you'll probably find salaries to be lower than in NJ. Your cost of living will also drop...but there will be some adjustment. We took a house hunting trip for 3-4 days to drive around a look at neighborhoods with a realtor and it was one of the best things we could do. I highly recommend it.

And ask a LOT of questions here. There are some great people with local knowledge. Best wishes!

[Hattrick]

Being away from Family and friends I grew up with.

[MrAnderson]

You sound pretty happier there so I'd really think about it. Sounds like you may have a case of 'the grass is always greener on the other side', and many times it turns out not to be. If recreation is that big a deal to you...

The main rec. you'd find here in Utah that you wouldn't in NJ would be skiing / snowboarding, and hiking. Basically things in the mountains.

[sp2007]

Ditto ditto on the friends/family. Church is always fine but its not exactly the same.

Being from Florida, one difficult thing was getting used to the snow (although the blizzard in Wyoming on our way in helped smooth that over). :/

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Ahh, snow. The first 5 yrs I loved it when it snowed, so pretty, so different to me. Now, it's just a PITA to deal with.

[osugirl2]

Being away from my family and friends has been the hardest part. It's also more expensive (food and rent mostly) than where I came from, so that has been an adjustment. My salary stayed the same (increased due to a promotion, but would have been the same had I stayed) but my boyfriend's salary is quite a bit less than it would have been had he done the same job back in Oklahoma. Despite that, we really do enjoy the scenery here. It has been more difficult for us to get out and meet new people, which is odd for both of us as we're both very social, but I think that's been due to the lack of time we have to just get out and be around others. Despite any negatives, I'm still glad that we moved, and this move probably won't be our last, as my job encourages me to relocate every so often. I'm just trying to take in the experience as a whole and enjoy my time while we're here

[wdwden]

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences. I was kinda figureing that family would be the biggest issue. I worry about my wife more than myself on this issue, but I guess I won't really know until I take the leap. We are both planning to get involved in the community once we get settled. I havent looked into it yet, but I volunteer as a fire fighter here in Jersey, so its a great place to meet people. Also, having kids in school, I'm sure that will make it easier for us to meet other parents. I just think its important to jump right in and meet people. My mother-in-law left here 5 years ago to NC and she never really made the effort to meet people. That just left her lonely and always wanting to come home.

As far as work is concerned, well, we really havent gotten that far yet. She is an EMT and I'm a home builder and roofer. I'm sure that is slow everywhere right now. I've always wanted to be a police officer, so I may look into that, or maybe a payed fire fighter(don't even know if they have payed in the SLC area).

As far as the 'grass is greener' goes, well.......it is and it is'nt. As far as being close to all of the recreation I love, it definitley is. Right now, I have to drive more than 2 hrs, for lousy skiing and 6hrs for good skiiing. I won't even talk about hiking, rock climbing, mt. biking or atv'ing. Its all right near SLC. The down side is that I love my town, my neighbors and at least my wife likes her job. I hate mine. ;-) I also have security here. I am comfortable here. Everything I've ever known is here. Except the fact that I love adventure. What bigger adventure is there than picking up and moving across the country and starting a new life? :-)

[kaytidid]

Originally Posted by wdwden

What bigger adventure is there than picking up and moving across the country and starting a new life? :-)

My DH and I picked up and left South Jersey 15 years ago and never looked back. NJ was all we knew. We had met there, got married there, started our lives together there. For every time there is a season and that chapter had ended.

Just don't expect Utah to be perfect, be open and friendly, and enjoy Utah for what it is, and you will be just fine!