SC vs. NC (North, Lynchburg: move, capita, garbage)

[LynchburgLover]

Yes, I did watch the video and I've read Pat Conroy's book (although it's been quite few years). Of course, education is lagging; I'm not denying that. What I am saying is that the future looks brighter for South Carolina.

And yes, I am very anti-union. I'll agree car manufacturers did not adapt well but huge part of the problem is the cost run-up because of union concessions. While conditions needed improvement, look at the results of unionizing the textile mills -- jobs gone overseas forever. Norma Rae's own Roanoke Rapids area has some of the highest unemployment in NC.

Sorry to be stubborn; I'm bored with yucky winter weather and it's fun to metally joust with you.

Hope you, too, have a very Merry Christmas!

[sistajane]

Well, as a native of SC people are flocking here because they read it out of a darn magazine! "best places to live" and before you know it all of the Northeast has cleared out and moved without even checking out the state! Craziness.

[LynchburgLover]

I was just reading some threads and I was thinking the same thing! One said they had never even been to Carolina (either one) but wanted suggestions of cities. I can't imagine just moving to a city by throwing a dart or asking strangers. The North must be really an awful place to live considering how many people want out.

[NewYorkBorn]

The North is a fantastic place to live.....but while progress is good for a city it can also cause the annoyances of congestion. Everyone trying to crowd in the cities that offer the most amenities, job opportunities and mass transportation. For example here in NYC: over 8 million people living in one city (supply and demand) has caused everything here to be 5 times more expensive then the southern states.

Great having so many different (melting pot) people but now people are complaining about crowding, high prices and looking for other places around the US that are not crowded, expensive and a place where their money will stretch farther....unfortunately for the southern natives your states have become a target. It is called gentrification.

The problem is that no place is perfect, there is always a drawback or a tradeoff.

Live in a big city, good paying jobs, mass transit, fantastic shopping and other amenities, big tourist attraction > drawbacks: always crowded, housing and everything else is expensive.

OR

Live in a southern state, affordable housing, not crowded but > drawbacks: lack of good (livable wage jobs) jobs, bad education system, poor healthcare system, no mass transportation system (have to depend on cars), shopping not great, limited amenities.

Sistajane is right, people need to really take a look at both the pros and the cons before moving and stop believing everything that they see on TV or in the magazines.

[LynchburgLover]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn

The North is a fantastic place to live.....but while progress is good for a city it can also be bad. Everyone trying to crowd in the cities that offer the most amenities, job opportunities and mass transportation. For example here: over 8 million people living here in one city (supply and demand) has caused everything here to be 5 times more expensive then the southern states.

Great having so many different (melting pot) people but now people are complaining about crowding, high prices and looking for other places around the US that are not crowded, expensive and a place where their money will stretch farther....unfortunately for the southern natives your states are it.

The problem is that no place is perfect, there is always a drawback or a tradeoff.

Live in a big city, good paying jobs, mass transit, fantastic shopping and other amenities, big tourist attraction > drawbacks: always crowded, housing and everything else is expensive.

OR

Live in a southern state, affordable housing, not crowded but > drawbacks: lack of good (livable wage jobs) jobs, bad education system, poor healthcare system, no mass transportation system (have to depend on cars), shopping not great, limited amenities.

But if you've lived and worked at that fantastic salary all those years, why would you need inexpensive housing for retirement? Wouldn't their house be paid for by then? Or is the high taxes they want to get away from? If it's so wonderful, museums, restaurants, healthcare etc, and they've made all that money for so long, wouldn't you want to enjoy during retirement years in a community with your friends/family/roots?

[NewYorkBorn]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

But if you've lived and worked at that fantastic salary all those years, why would you need inexpensive housing for retirement? Wouldn't their house be paid for by then? Or is the high taxes they want to get away from? If it's so wonderful, museums, restaurants, healthcare etc, and they've made all that money for so long, wouldn't you want to enjoy during retirement years in a community with your friends/family/roots?

But if you've lived and worked at that fantastic salary all those years, why would you need inexpensive housing for retirement?

Here is an example for you:

A friend of my family recently sold a larger home that she has owned in Queens, NY......her kids are grown so she had no need for such a large home.....she paid around $60,000 for it over 20-30 years ago.......now the home was worth roughly $700,000. Of course because she has owned the house for so many years the house was paid off a long time ago so all of the profit from the sale of the house went in her pocket. Obviously she could have decided to purchase another home here in NYC or moved to a cheaper state.....instead she decided to purchase a smaller, cheaper home here that allows her to keep most of that cash in the bank....thus allowing her to live very well now that she is retired. People want to keep as much money in their pockets as possible especially after retirement. So they begin looking at other states where things are a lot cheaper and know they can get more bank for their buck. I have seen property taxes run from $4,000 - $12,000 depending on the location. As you can see this is the motivation for people who are moving to other states. They want to keep all of their money instead of giving it to the city of NY.

As people become older living here with the noise, congestion, hustle & bustle sometimes becomes annoying. Add on to that the fact that because this city is a huge tourist attraction people are constantly moving here from around the world (melting pot) which is of course how we got to a population of over 8 million living here in one city. Then you have those that will stay here and complain about the crowds, noise and traffic but will never move anyplace else.....we call them "die hard New Yorkers"!

NYC Real Estate

The real estate here is so expensive that those who purchased their homes 20-30 years ago at $50,000 - $60,000 can sell those homes TODAY for $700,000 - $3.2 million. And if the home is located in Manhattan the price tag just shot up to $5 - $20 million. Carry that money to another state and for around $500,000 the person has a mcmansion and still has hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank.

Here is an example:

Manhattan apartment (condo) only 3450 square feet (2 beds, 2 1/2 baths), they are asking WAY OVER $5 million for it.....close to $6 million!

[LynchburgLover]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn

But if you've lived and worked at that fantastic salary all those years, why would you need inexpensive housing for retirement?

Here is an example for you:

A friend of my family recently sold a larger home that she has owned in Queens, NY......her kids are grown so she had no need for such a large home.....she paid around $60,000 for it over 20-30 years ago.......now the home was worth roughly $700,000. Of course because she has owned the house for so many years the house was paid off a long time ago so all of the profit from the sale of the house went in her pocket. Obviously she could have decided to purchase another home here in NYC or moved to a cheaper state.....instead she decided to purchase a smaller, cheaper home here that allows her to keep most of that cash in the bank....thus allowing her to live very well now that she is retired. People want to keep as much money in their pockets as possible especially after retirement. So they begin looking at other states where things are a lot cheaper and know they can get more bank for their buck. I have seen property taxes run from $4,000 - $12,000 depending on the location. As you can see this is the motivation for people who are moving to other states. They want to keep all of their money instead of giving it to the city of NY.

As people become older living here with the noise, congestion, hustle & bustle sometimes becomes annoying. Add on to that the fact that because this city is a huge tourist attraction people are constantly moving here from around the world (melting pot) which is of course how we got to a population of over 8 million living here in one city. Then you have those that will stay here and complain about the crowds, noise and traffic but will never move anyplace else.....we call them "die hard New Yorkers"!

NYC Real Estate

The real estate here is so expensive that those who purchased their homes 20-30 years ago at $50,000 - $60,000 can sell those homes TODAY for $700,000 - $3.2 million. And if the home is located in Manhattan the price tag just shot up to $5 - $20 million. Carry that money to another state and for around $500,000 the person has a mcmansion and still has hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank.

Here is an example:

Manhattan apartment (condo) only 3450 square feet (2 beds, 2 1/2 baths), they are asking WAY OVER $5 million for it.....close to $6 million!

You and I can go around this like hamsters on a wheel . You slammed BMW for being opportunistic but you don't see your friend as being the same. BMW at least brought jobs. And the bigger problem is when they try to change the South to make it more "progressive" like the states left behind running up our taxes.

[NewYorkBorn]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

You and I can go around this like hamsters on a wheel . You slammed BMW for being opportunistic but you don't see your friend as being the same. BMW at least brought jobs. And the bigger problem is when they try to change the South to make it more "progressive" like the states left behind running up our taxes.

I did not slam BMW.......I simply called a spade a spade, they are opportunists.......but that is why this is a capitalist society......everybody wants as much as they can get as possible. At the same time when we are discussing the reasons that companys head to SC I am not going to sit back and pretend that it is not because they can benefit from saving money. As far as the friend......no she is not an opportunist........she made the smart decision to sell her home, made top dollar on it and then downsized into a smaller more affordable home. She lives in the NYC real estate market and because of the demand to live here she knew how much she could get for her house end of story.......anyone in her position would do the same thing.

I agree with you, the progress in the South is going to drive up taxes.....there is no way around that. It happened here many years ago......as this city became the tourist attraction that it is today.....more and more and more and more people started moving here.......people complained about the rise in prices but the population just kept getting bigger. Unfortunately the southern cities want to capitalize on the newcomer money so the consequences are growth, greed, prices go way up, eventual tax increases. Those in Greenville are already beginning to complain about the traffic in certain areas. It is inevitable! This is the foundation of American history....what do you think happened to the native Americans....newcomers arrived, brought their ways and eventually the Indians were forced from their birthplace.

[LynchburgLover]

All depends on your perspective. When it was BMW, it was "opportunistic" used in a negative way. Your friend is just enjoying the fruits of capitalism.

I am very pro-Capitalism; that's why I don't want to see the South ruined by progressive, high tax, unions, socialistic policies that have destroyed the North. The less government the better in my book. But it worries me that all these Northerners will move South, reap the benefits and then vote in the same garbage they've voted for in the past. I don't want a Chuck Shumer representing SC.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn

Live in a southern state, affordable housing, not crowded but > drawbacks: lack of good (livable wage jobs) jobs, bad education system, poor healthcare system, no mass transportation system (have to depend on cars), shopping not great, limited amenities.

You can't throw all Southern states/cities into the same pot. Look at the Texas metros; right now, the biggest ones are offering the best of both worlds. Same goes for places like Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Raleigh, etc.