If you are from the Northeast ... (Atlanta, Duluth: houses, new construction, live in)

[FromGA]

Originally Posted by darkone

Well, if you want to move to the northeast from Atlanta, consider the often overlooked Philadelphia/Southern NJ area for the following reasons:

-Your money will go further than in Boston, metro NYC or the DC area.
-You will have access to other cities in the corridor.
-Winters will be colder than Atlanta's certainly, however you won't get nearly as much snow as Boston for instance.
-You say you are Indian? Well nearby in central NJ, there are lot of Indians and their restaurants and stores, so you can avail of those.

Philly is a location that we have actively researched.
King of Prussia area (how difficult to mass-transit to NY on an occasional basis)?
Cherry Hill, NJ (better mass-transit access to NY?)
Which would be considered a more desirable area (not taking into consideration Asian populations or access to NY).
Thanks!

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by FromGA

We are Asian Indian, have relatives in the Northeast, friends in Atlanta, have lived in Georgia for plenty of years, kids now in elementary school. Want to decide hometown that would be appropriate for us in the longer run.

Where in Northeast? -- somewhere between DC and Boston. (At one time I thought DC/NoVa was it.) Any advice on how to decide would be appreiciated!

Well, if you'd like to be surrounded by your native culture, central NJ has a huge indian pupulation, with entire areas geared to it. The town I moved from (Iselin, NJ) has an entire shopping district full of Indian restaurants, jewelry stores, clothing shops, movie theaters, etc. You could find a home in any of many surrounding areas and be close to the shopping/culture, if that's something you're interested in.

[back2dc]

DC area would be best for you. The school systems are top notch. The Indian-American community is very extensive both in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. The job market in DC is the strongest in America, with the federal government and IT.

You can live close to DC (such as in Arlington, Bethesda) or in one of the new urbanism cities (Reston, Silver Spring) and still be in excellent school districts.

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by darkone

Well, if you want to move to the northeast from Atlanta, consider the often overlooked Philadelphia/Southern NJ area for the following reasons:

-Your money will go further than in Boston, metro NYC or the DC area.
-You will have access to other cities in the corridor.
-Winters will be colder than Atlanta's certainly, however you won't get nearly as much snow as Boston for instance.
-You say you are Indian? Well nearby in central NJ, there are lot of Indians and their restaurants and stores, so you can avail of those.

Good Point Dark,

I lived in Mount Laurel, NJ for 10 years then was transfered to Chicago, now Atlanta. I have been trying to get a transfer back for 4 years now. Mount Laurel, NJ was the best place I have ever enjoyed living. Everything at your fingertips, Philadelphia, the history, the culture, the shore, the food, etc., NYC to the north, Balitmore/DC to the south. All a hop, skip, and jump away.

Yes, the taxes stink. But nothing compared to north of Exit 7 on the TP or I-195, which will provide a 20% increase in overall cost of living.

Most folks can say Jersey bias here, but this opinion is coming from an old hick who grew up in the sticks of West Virginia that adopted S.Jersey as my hometown.

Outside of property taxes which are cheaper in the Atlanta area, but not for long if we keep our current pace of rapid growth, not to mention all the nickle and dime hidden taxes (common in the southern states), this area does not hold a candle to the Philadelphia/South Jersey location no matter what your race, culture, or creed.

Good luck.

[FromGA]

Originally Posted by Georgia

Good Point Dark,

I lived in Mount Laurel, NJ for 10 years then was transfered to Chicago, now Atlanta. I have been trying to get a transfer back for 4 years now. Mount Laurel, NJ was the best place I have ever enjoyed living. Everything at your fingertips, Philadelphia, the history, the culture, the shore, the food, etc., NYC to the north, Balitmore/DC to the south. All a hop, skip, and jump away.

Yes, the taxes stink. But nothing compared to north of Exit 7 on the TP or I-195, which will provide a 20% increase in overall cost of living.

Most folks can say Jersey bias here, but this opinion is coming from an old hick who grew up in the sticks of West Virginia that adopted S.Jersey as my hometown.

Outside of property taxes which are cheaper in the Atlanta area, but not for long if we keep our current pace of rapid growth, not to mention all the nickle and dime hidden taxes (common in the southern states), this area does not hold a candle to the Philadelphia/South Jersey location no matter what your race, culture, or creed.

Good luck.

For us, it will most likely be a tossup between Philly / Southern NJ, and DC. Mount Laurel seems not too far from Cherry Hill NJ that I had looked into. Is there a good website that will work for Mt Laurel area housing? What county does that come under, and how is the access to mass transit? How does Mt. Laurel compare to Cherry Hill. Thanks.

[FromGA]

Originally Posted by back2dc

DC area would be best for you. The school systems are top notch. The Indian-American community is very extensive both in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. The job market in DC is the strongest in America, with the federal government and IT.

You can live close to DC (such as in Arlington, Bethesda) or in one of the new urbanism cities (Reston, Silver Spring) and still be in excellent school districts.

Did you live in Atl for a while, and move back to DC?

Tossup between DC, and Philly / Southern NJ for us at this point. My understanding is that Fairfax county and Loudon county are the good NoVa areas to look into. If you bought or are looking for a house, what is the range I need to be prepared for a solid neighborhood?

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by FromGA

For us, it will most likely be a tossup between Philly / Southern NJ, and DC. Mount Laurel seems not too far from Cherry Hill NJ that I had looked into. Is there a good website that will work for Mt Laurel area housing? What county does that come under, and how is the access to mass transit? How does Mt. Laurel compare to Cherry Hill. Thanks.

Mount Laurel is right down the road from Cherry Hill, about 4 miles.
Rt 73 is the main route in Mount Laurel to Marlton which is on 70. Rt 70 leads into Cherry Hill.
The largest difference is county. Mount Laurel, Marlton, Moorestown, Hainsport all reside in Burlington County.Welcome to Burlington County, New Jersey! Cherry Hill is in Camden County.
Though side by side, you will experience a higher property tax and car insurance rate in Camden County vs. Burlington.

As far as transit. NJ Transit covers the entire state. In the Mount Laurel area and Cherry Hill area it is bus with more stop locations than anyone would actually need. The NJ Transit system in the Cherry Hill West and Burlington area is safe and clean. You do have to watch the Cherry Hill east area as you are approaching Camden city.
The SEPTA (Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority) does run from Philadelphia from Cherry Hill. Has a large parking area off it's own exit on 295. Exit 31. Marlton Cherry Hill is Exit 34 to show the short commute. The SEPTA into Center City is well patroled by the Transit Police.

As far as websites, Weichert Realty New Jersey Real Estate: Find Homes for Sale & Properties in NJ. has a strong hold on South Jersey. Realtor.com also helps. Zips are 08053 and 08054.

As another FYI, I grew up in WV about 50 miles to Fairfax County and to this day have business in the Dulles area. The Fairfax / Loudoun area is another very nice place. Loudoun Loudoun County Home as far as living goes today is much better in regard to cost of living than Fairfax mostly due to the overall proximity to Washington DC. You will find the cost of living much higher here than in South Jersey with the exception of property and income tax rates.

One good note is you cannot lose on either choice. Both are great areas!!!

[back2dc]

Originally Posted by FromGA

Did you live in Atl for a while, and move back to DC?

Tossup between DC, and Philly / Southern NJ for us at this point. My understanding is that Fairfax county and Loudon county are the good NoVa areas to look into. If you bought or are looking for a house, what is the range I need to be prepared for a solid neighborhood?

Yes, I did live in Atlanta for about 4 to 5 months and headed back to DC. Very happy to be back.

[chip1980]

DC is a great place to visit but......

- cost of living is extremely high (high paying jobs in DC doesnt help)
- one out of twenty people in DC have aids (highest rates in america) http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3905808&page=1
- DC suburb of PG County is ranked #4 in the nation in Aids
- 1 out of 3 people in DC cant read ( highly educated people move to dc though) http://www.dc.gov/mayor/newsletter/2..._issue6_4.shtm
- DC has nearly 200 murders last year, also ranked high in auto theft
- nightlife closes early at 2am/3am
- traffic is bad in certain area's on saturday/sunday (WW Bridge/395)
- if you are a single person and you want to live by yourself you need to make at lease 72k a year to live comfortable in a one bedroom apartment

Great place to visit but I would never live in the DC metro area

[marjan]

Good things about Atlanta:

Cheaper homes, insurance, food, taxes
No potholes! No graffiti
Better air to breathe
Friendly people
No snow and no more cold winters.

No reason to move back home but I do miss NY pizza and bagels.

My neighborhood in NY was really changing (not for the better) and it was becoming totally unaffordable. Everything goes up here too but things are still more expensive in NY.