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What do you miss most from Long Island? Bagels, Diners and the Beach being 20 minutes away
What are somethings you just can't get used to? Nothing yet
Does it take a long time to adjust to living there It did not take us long to adjust. I think people are friendly and it was the right move for our family (now aged 12 (boy) 10 (boy) and 6 (girl)
When you visit NY do you miss it and want to move back, or you can't wait to get back to Union County? We thought we would visit NY more than we do...we usually only go back for weddings and stuff like that. I don't miss NY, but I do enjoy visiting -- I get to see people I haven't seen in awhile, and I like to show my kids things that were important to us when we lived there. I'll qualify that by saying that my parents moved here six months after we did...
Is the summer that much hotter than Long Island? It is hot here in the summer, but I think a lot of people don't realize that it is hot in NY in the summer as well. For us, it is better here because we have a community pool and everything is airconditioned. I like the fact that it is warmer for a longer time period than in NY, and the winters make it well worth it, IMO
Does everyone like living in a community? Pros/Cons I like living in a community because my kids have playmates very close by. Cons are that you usually don't get a lot of land. But we (fortunately!) have great neighbors and that really does make a difference.
Well, I have been lurking for a few days now and I decided this would be a place to start...
These questions are for former Long Island, New Yorkers that moved to Union County:
What do you miss most from Long Island? Mostly I miss my family! Other things I miss include decent bagels, pizza, and italian ices (Ralph's Italian Ices to be specific!)
What are somethings you just can't get used to? Um, I have gotten used to most everything here as we've been here for just about a year now. There are more similarities than there are differences IMO.
Does it take a long time to adjust to living there> The first two weeks here were HARD! I was so home sick and I just didn't expect to be that home sick. But after we got used to our apartment and learned where everything was we were quite alright! We LOVE it here and don't ever plan on moving back to NY. This is our new home.
When you visit NY do you miss it and want to move back, or you can't wait to get back to Union County?Technically, we are not in Union County. Our apartment is in Ballantyne. But Union County is where we hope to buy a home in the next few years and where I plan to work after I graduate, so we spend a lot of time there. We have visited NY for a week around Christmas time and it was wierd. Everything looked dirty and unkept in comparison to the area we live in now! We moved from the Ronkonkoma/Holbrook area of Long Island to Ballantyne, so it's probably an unfair comparison in favor of Ballantyne! The week trip felt long to us and we were happy to come back to our new home in Charlotte, even though its hard to say goodbye to family.
Is the summer that much hotter than Long Island? YES! It gets very hot here. We moved here during the tail end of July '06 and it was hot hot hot. But everything is airconditioned so it's fine as long as you are indoors. Taking the dog out to do her business is a sweaty trip. I work in childcare and taking the kids out for play time is my least favorite part of the day. Let just say my native coworkers are more tolerant of the heat!
Does everyone like living in a community? Pros/Cons Well, we don't live in a community yet (can't wait though!) we have noticed some pros/cons from conversations and visits with good friends of ours that do. We love how all the houses can look nice together without all looking the same. We love how the neighbors seem to be really friendly with each other and make an effort to get to know one another. We usually see people out in lawnchairs in the cul de sacs hanging out with neighbors. We just didn't see that on Long Island. We like the idea of a community pool, playground, and other ammenities. We aren't crazy about the small backyards and lack of fences. We definitely plan to buy a house in a community.
Is it really cheaper to live there? I would say YES! Salaries might be less, but it definitely doesn't "even out". The cost of living is simply cheaper here. Housing, Taxes, Insurance, etc. The little things are the same such as groceries, clothing, movie tickets, etc.
These questions are for former Long Island, New Yorkers that moved to Union County:
What do you miss most from Long Island? I moved from Bklyn... but I miss everything... Working in Manhattan, the food, diners, wide variety of things to do. Family and friends too.
What are somethings you just can't get used to? Driving around some parts that are broken down with trailors. Driving everywhere and the limited amounts of activites.
Does it take a long time to adjust to living there> Here almost a year and I am having a hard adjusting.
When you visit NY do you miss it and want to move back, or you can't wait to get back to Union County? Yes,..I visited 3 weeks ago and I am even more depressed.
Is the summer that much hotter than Long Island? Yes it's hot.. but not that much hotter.
Does everyone like living in a community? Pros/Cons Not really... the apts. are gorgeous for the $$ but some people are nosey and some are sloppy and the pool gets real crowded.
Is it really cheaper to live there? Housing .. yes.. everything else.. no. Groceries and produce are real expensive, hair salons and nail salons rip you off. Clothing is moderate. The dog vet and groomer cost a small fortune.
Location: Charlotte,NC, US, North America, Earth, Alpha Quadrant,Milky Way Galaxy
3,770 posts, read 7,546,456 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaborti
These questions are for former Long Island, New Yorkers that moved to Union County:
What do you miss most from Long Island?
What are somethings you just can't get used to?
Does it take a long time to adjust to living there>
When you visit NY do you miss it and want to move back, or you can't wait to get back to Union County?
Is the summer that much hotter than Long Island?
Does everyone like living in a community? Pros/Cons
Is it really cheaper to live there?
Thanks everyone for your answers:
Here's a question for you which may help you with your decision making process.
If you could wave a wand and be in a bigger house (or your dream house) on LI, and have enough income to be happy about paying the taxes (which implies you have an excess of discretionary income)- would you be happy? If the answer is yes then you may be really miserable moving into a bigger home here, if it's no and your answer is you want a change of pace, scenery, attracted to the newness/history of Charlotte has to offer, community friendly/minded neighbors, want to down/upsize and get a little breathing room financially (reduced taxes, house note, etc.), you probably will be happy.
Good point Mike. Plus if you move somewhere or are put in a crappy situation..make lemonade out of lemons. Life isn't always perfect but if you dwell on the negative then you will never see the positive. I see some places with trailers too but I don't go to those places, I stick to areas that are nice and some rural areas.
Well said Miker2069. Yes I would definately love to have oodles of money and a house of my dreams on LI, but I don't think I would be entirely happy. Half of my family has moved away and living here all my life I am tired of it and can't stand the conjestion and rising taxes. I am sick of the hustle and bustle and never feeling there is enough of money even though my husband and I both work. Yes we live 5min from the beach and 1 hour from the city, but how often do I utilize either of them. Rarely. Everyone in LI has a busy life and doesn't have time to enjoy life. I feel like these new communities in NC are geared to get people involved with each other and get back what we have lost living in LI, how to get to know your neighbors and enjoy your neighborhood. I think I am ready for that. And it wouldn't hurt having a new big beautiful house to live in, instead of my original 1960's cape that we redid room by room and I still don't like it.
I just wish someone would open up a good bagel, pizza store, diner, or a deli so it would bring a little more of LI to Union County. That seems to be what most people miss!!! Could you imagine the money that person would make!!!!!
Thanks everyone for your honest opionions.
Keep they comming!!!!!
These questions are for former Long Island, New Yorkers that moved to Union County:
What do you miss most from Long Island?
As for most, my family and friends would be at the top. Here's my list for all the other things: I miss 7-Eleven and the Slurpees, the New York Post, NY pizza, skipping rocks w/ my kids at Cedar Beach while waiting for sunset, softball on Saturday mornings w/ my brother and friends, Ralph's Italian Ices, quick rides to the beach, watching the Yankees on the YES Network, cheap water bills, going to Yankees games w/ my kids and Manhattan during the Christmas season.
What are somethings you just can't get used to?
I haven't found anything yet.
Does it take a long time to adjust to living there?
Not for us, although, I imagine it would be a big adjustment for those who move from one of the 5 NYC boroughs, or people who visit the city a lot and people who eat out a lot. The Charlotte area has some good restaurants but nothing compares to the variety and options you have in NY. I was surprised by the shopping down here. There are a bunch of places to choose from and the way the shopping centers are designed is fantastic. The stores are great and the people are extremely pleasant and helpful. Despite being a bit pricey, I love Harris Teeter. Harris Teeter blows away any supermarket chain on Long Island. Load up on their T-bones and Porterhouse steaks when they're on sale, it's usually half price. incidentally, there is a pizzeria in the Ballantyne shopping center called Tony's Pizza that sells "New York" pizza and they claim the water they use to make their pizza is shipped from NY. my family has eaten there and I can honestly say the pizza does taste like NY pizza, not the best NY pizza, but definitely NY pizza.
When you visit NY do you miss it and want to move back, or you can't wait to get back to Union County?
having grown up in Brooklyn and lived there for 26 years, I always loved looking at the Verrazano Bridge when driving along the Belt Pkwy or viewing the downtown and midtown Manhattan skyline when driving on the BQE. so even after having moved to Suffolk County and living on Long Island for 11 years, before moving to Union County (Waxhaw), I've always missed NYC and got that nostalgic feeling everytime I would be in NYC. my family is spread out thru all 5 boroughs so I would make frequent trips into the NYC area. the bakeries, the pizza, the bustle and 24hr lifestyle are incredible. but i still don't regret living in Union County and look forward to providing a lifestyle for more family i could never have approached had we stayed on Long Island. i love driving around here and seeing some much open land and green pastures w/ all the horses, it's beautiful around here.
Is the summer that much hotter than Long Island?
the summer is hot but it's not like Florida. and when it's hot in NY it's usually disgusting because of the humidity. when it's hot in NY, it's hot in the morning, afternoon and night. in union county, there is usually a minimum 15-20 degree difference from the daytime high and nightime low. even when it's 90+ degrees in Union County, it's not bad, it's more bearable than 90 degrees on Long Island.
Does everyone like living in a community? Pros/Cons
the biggest con i have is all the rules with the HOA, some of them being real petty. other than that, i think it's great. i live on a cul-de-sac and my kids are able to play outside in the court and everyone on my street gets along w/ each other. the neighbors on my street are always outside socializing and we have frequent impromptu gatherings. most of the people in my community are from parts outside of NC so it's been pretty easy making friends because most of us are in the same position and most of the people i've met have relocated for the same reasons. lower housing costs, cheaper property taxes and more relaxed lifestyle. there's only ONE person on my street who's originally from North Carolina, everyone else is from different parts. on my street we have my family from Long Island, 3 families are from the Atlanta area, 2 families moved from Jersey, a young couple moved from Manhattan, another family is from the D.C. area, another from Virginia, another from Florida, another from Cleveland and another from Southern California.
Is it really cheaper to live there?
not necessarily. houses are cheaper, property taxes are lower, car insurance is cheaper and gas is cheaper (even cheaper in South Carolina which is minutes aways) but that's about it. i was shocked the first time i went into the local supermarket and found a gallon of milk cost over $4. the food is expensive here, water bills are much higher than Long Island and the electric seems to be about the same. i can't offer insight into natural gas costs because i had oil to heat my house and water on Long Island but I will say that my gas bill during the peak winter months in NC seems to be what my average monthly oil bill was during the winter in NY. also, salaries/wages are not comparable to the tri-state area for the same occupations so in most cases, you will earn less money for the same job.
What are somethings you just can't get used to? Traffic
Does it take a long time to adjust to living there> Right away, wife a year!
When you visit NY do you miss it and want to move back, or you can't wait to get back to Union County?Can't wait to get back to Waxhaw
Is the summer that much hotter than Long Island? Yes!, Longer.
Does everyone like living in a community? Pros/Cons Don't know about everyone, but I do!
Is it really cheaper to live there? Except Water bills, Yes!
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