[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Well said. Young people tend to like change so when they are starting out, they look for something different than where they grew up. Connecticut is a state of great suburbs so our young people tend to want more urban areas at first. I saw this with young people I know who went off for the bright lights of the big city only to return when they found out it was not all that it seemed. They got sick of the expense, noise and aggravation of it and realized how well they had it.

I too saw the latest census information which is showing a slow down in the move back to the cities. It is too soon to say if this is a real trend though. Here in Connecticut there is still strong growth in our cities like Stamford and New Haven. Even Hartford is looking stronger. We will see. Jay

I would love to live in a truly urban environment, at least for awhile to try it out. However, the few cities in this country that are truly walkable/urban are also prohibitively expensive for most of us, and most are all along the east coast.

Here in IN, one can find an adequate home for under $100k. It may need some updates, but there are plenty of livable homes within a reasonable commute to Indianapolis in that price range. If a person/couple are earning even a decent salary, they could pay off their home well before retirement, rent it out and have a source of passive income, or just bank the rest and save it. That's really hard to do in the more desirable urban coastal areas where a decent SFH may start at $500k or a townhome at $300k.

This may be a bit unusual, but I think South Carolina has gone a great job in reinvigorating their core cities and are way ahead of the curve of the rest of the Sun Belt in this regard.

[FutureTown]

I lean on the conservative side regarding to the exodus, and trust me, I plan to add to that statistic. I do want to move out of Connecticut, and it's not because I don't like it here, but my heart will be happier being closer to family, and most of my family is in the Carolinas (I hate the South, tbh, but, I'm willing to sacrifice). If I can, if everything goes well in my life, I would love to come back here to raise a family in the Danbury area. I just love being in Fairfield County/close to NYC without dealing with Lower FFC. I really think I found the best spot for me in Connecticut. And while there are other places in the Northeast about as beautiful as here, I'm content with Connecticut. I like having the status of being in New England. =)

I was checking out the suburbs of Houston, and not gonna lie, they look really nice. Some of the more upscale ones are gorgeous. Of course, they suffer from the typical city neighborhoods of having a lot about as big as a shack, but, even then, I do wonder what my life would be like over there. The problem with places like Houston is that I'm in the middle of the country and if I wanna mobilize somewhere, it'll be more expensive. Being in CT, Europe isn't that far away. Car ride to JFK, board a plane, and I'll be in London in roughly 5 hours-ish. I can't do that being in Houston, Nashville, or Charlotte. Or if I can, much more expensive. I was able to get direct flights from Hartford to Los Angeles through BDL, while my family down South from Charlotte, Columbia, and Atlanta couldn't. There are things like these that add up, to be honest. Connecticut is in such a prime location, I'm thankful I've lived a decent chunk of my life here, and whenever my family does leave, I'll miss this state.

[smackfu]

I wonder how this squares with the "young people moving back in with their parents in droves" trend.

In general, young single people are going to be the most mobile. They don't have any strong ties like a house or a partner's career, they are sick of the place they grew up, and think the grass is greener somewhere else. I don't know that this is a new trend.

[NewJeffCT]

I've been in some of the Houston suburbs and they are really nice, though many of them do have 1/4 or 1/5 acre lots. (some of the older subdivisions in Sugar Land have 1/2 acre lots, as do some of the exclusive gated ares within these subdivisions) People here complain about 3-4-5 homes on 1-2 acres lots in the same area as being a cookie-cutter subdivision. In Houston, those cookie cutter subdivisions are 3,000, 4,000 or 5,000 homes on 1/5 to 1/4 acre lots... you can lean out your window and pass your neighbor a cup of sugar, if they needed one. However, they do have their own pools, tennis/basketball courts, walking/biking trails, retail, etc. The Woodlands even has their own medical centers and a large shopping mall with an IMAX theatre.

I do think CT needs to sell itself on its location - easy access to Boston and New York, a short flight to Europe or the Caribbean, good arts scenes for small cities in both Hartford and New Haven, etc.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

When one is looking at finances only, most people are simply going to be a lot better off being in a northern state than a low cost state.

Up to retirement. Then if one is looking at finances only, moving to a lower COL state is compelling in terms of not running out of your money before you die.

[Sigequinox]

Originally Posted by FutureTown

...Being in CT, Europe isn't that far away. Car ride to JFK, board a plane, and I'll be in London in roughly 5 hours-ish. I can't do that being in Houston, Nashville, or Charlotte. Or if I can, much more expensive. I was able to get direct flights from Hartford to Los Angeles through BDL, while my family down South from Charlotte, Columbia, and Atlanta couldn't. There are things like these that add up, to be honest. Connecticut is in such a prime location, I'm thankful I've lived a decent chunk of my life here, and whenever my family does leave, I'll miss this state.

We fly a few times a year and have only had ONE direct flight (for the trip to Orlando--not the reverse). Growing up using JFK, I would say BDL sucks. And Atlanta is one of (the most?) busy airport in the US, so I have trouble believing your gonna do better with flights out of BDL.

[Stephy0519]

I fall into that 25-35 age group and have also had many, many friends leave. I've toyed with leaving as well (I can do what I do anywhere with a hospital and be guaranteed the same salary), but I am just too much of a CT girl. Yes, it's expensive, yes there could be more urbanization. However, I grew up in a FFLD county suburb, with regular (every other week/weekend) trips into NYC and Boston. I love having the City close and being able to come home to a nice quiet spot. While I toyed with the idea of moving into the City recently because of a job location change, I decided to stick with just moving back home to FFLD county. I love being able to catch a jazz show, get a fantastic dinner (anywhere from a Michelin spot to an amazing hole in the wall,) shop, get drinks, etc....but I love being able to come home to peace and quiet and sit on a beach on a warm day if I want. Granted, I probably have more disposable income than most 32 year old single (well, with a BF) women my age...but I wouldn't change a thing.

And I agree--as I said, I know many people my age who have left and have no plans to come back...but I also know those who DO have plans to come back. I think it's split and really just depends on who you are and what you do/like.

[Sigequinox]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

I would love to live in a truly urban environment, at least for awhile to try it out. However, the few cities in this country that are truly walkable/urban are also prohibitively expensive for most of us, and most are all along the east coast.

Here in IN, one can find an adequate home for under $100k. It may need some updates, but there are plenty of livable homes within a reasonable commute to Indianapolis in that price range. If a person/couple are earning even a decent salary, they could pay off their home well before retirement, rent it out and have a source of passive income, or just bank the rest and save it. That's really hard to do in the more desirable urban coastal areas where a decent SFH may start at $500k or a townhome at $300k.

This may be a bit unusual, but I think South Carolina has gone a great job in reinvigorating their core cities and are way ahead of the curve of the rest of the Sun Belt in this regard.

South Carolina is an awesome state. Unfortunately they have almost no biotech industry that I could find. Nashville area is equal to CT so it's a pretty easy trade off. Not about to go move to silicon valley.

Comparing the job market of a state as small as CT where even the "most rural" part of the state is within 45-60 minutes of a city and the south where rural is RURAL is disingenuous. TN for example is 7.5 times larger than CT. Sure, those dirt poor rural areas have problems, but I don't think many working class people are moving from the north to those towns.

[EricS39]

Originally Posted by Stephy0519

I fall into that 25-35 age group and have also had many, many friends leave. I've toyed with leaving as well (I can do what I do anywhere with a hospital and be guaranteed the same salary), but I am just too much of a CT girl. Yes, it's expensive, yes there could be more urbanization. However, I grew up in a FFLD county suburb, with regular (every other week/weekend) trips into NYC and Boston. I love having the City close and being able to come home to a nice quiet spot. While I toyed with the idea of moving into the City recently because of a job location change, I decided to stick with just moving back home to FFLD county. I love being able to catch a jazz show, get a fantastic dinner (anywhere from a Michelin spot to an amazing hole in the wall,) shop, get drinks, etc....but I love being able to come home to peace and quiet and sit on a beach on a warm day if I want. Granted, I probably have more disposable income than most 32 year old single (well, with a BF) women my age...but I wouldn't change a thing.

And I agree--as I said, I know many people my age who have left and have no plans to come back...but I also know those who DO have plans to come back. I think it's split and really just depends on who you are and what you do/like.

Awesome. See there is a distinct crowd of young pro-CT residents

[LRPct]

Originally Posted by Sigequinox

South Carolina is an awesome state. Unfortunately they have almost no biotech industry that I could find. Nashville area is equal to CT so it's a pretty easy trade off. Not about to go move to silicon valley.

Comparing the job market of a state as small as CT where even the "most rural" part of the state is within 45-60 minutes of a city and the south where rural is RURAL is disingenuous. TN for example is 7.5 times larger than CT. Sure, those dirt poor rural areas have problems, but I don't think many working class people are moving from the north to those towns.

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

The non rural parts of TN have plenty of problems too. And the thing with these type of numbers is that they have been steadily increasing over the last few years statewide. Pretty soon Nashville, Memphis etc. will catch up with St Loius etc.

Places like Hartford or New Haven do not excel in this regard, but their numbers have stayed steady or decreased over the last few years regarding crime at least.