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OK, I don't even live on Long Island...I actually live Upstate (FWIW, I did move to the south for 13 years, and then moved back). But how can you not expect a backlash when somebody comes onto a forum and dedicates a whole thread to saying what can basically be summed up as "hey, I moved away from this place where you all live, and the place I moved to is much nicer and I'm better off than all of you stuck there and blah blah blah....you should all be as smart and adventurous as me and move out west"... That is extremely condescending and small-minded. If this person is enjoying their new location that is great; but coming onto the forum of their hometown only to bash it makes them look very insecure and really opens them up to the criticism they've received here.
Sorry, but it does have to be said: Any school ranking system you look at puts LI schools much higher than AZ schools. And also, I don't think Phoenix or Tucson have the same job prospects as NYC.
Sorry, but it does have to be said: Any school ranking system you look at puts LI schools much higher than AZ schools. And also, I don't think Phoenix or Tucson have the same job prospects as NYC.
Apples AND Oranges.
LI schools may well and good be better, NYC schools, may not.
LI job market is awful, NYC on the other hand, is not.
Arizona/the desert south west is a joke. Very nice place to visit but not a place that can sustain a thriving metropolis in the long term. If the real estate bust hadn't made it so that those areas will never grow the way they did over the past 20 years again and probably begin losing population soon....it would have just happened a few years later when they friggin run out of water. There is a reason that 60% of the US population lives on the less than 1/3 of the country's land that lies East of the Mississippi river.
All of the migration maps show the steady flow of traffic OFF the coasts toward the southwest and southeast. They will continue to grow, we will continue to decline. People like land. We don't have any. The reason 60% live here is because this is where most emigrated to. Most people don't get off the boat and immediately head west. That takes a few years. It's happening now. Not saying one is better or worse, that's a personal decision, but it's no joke, it's significant shifting of resources. Phoenix already IS a thriving metropolis. It's the 6th largest city in the country. Rather than losing population, Arizona and Texas will continue to grow. Long Island on the other hand, will continue to decline due to lack of dynamic business development or job growth. They build high tech, we build more retail.....but that's for 700 other threads.
hahaha still missing the big picture...the reason that the east is more heavily populated has a lot less to do with the "slowness" of migration patterns over the past 200 years and a lot more to do with the fact that areas with no major source of water aren't very habitable. Northern CA and the PNW also developed way before Southwest because they have freshwater sources necessary to sustain large populations. The west will NEVER be as populous as the east because it simply cannot support that large of a population. You are right, people like space; but they especially like space on land that can more naturally sustain human life. That's a big part of the reason why land is generally more expensive in the east vs west. Supply and demand. It will bottom out eventually and census estimates since the real estate bust suggest it really already has....or at least the western trend has slowed significantly. Also, hop on a bridge and venture just a little ways away from the NYC metro area; most of the east coast (and really everything east of the Mississippi River) the overwhelming majority in fact, it not nearly as developed/congested as LI....in fact it is mostly heavily forested, fertile land.
All of the migration maps show the steady flow of traffic OFF the coasts toward the southwest and southeast. They will continue to grow, we will continue to decline. People like land. We don't have any. The reason 60% live here is because this is where most emigrated to. Most people don't get off the boat and immediately head west. That takes a few years. It's happening now. Not saying one is better or worse, that's a personal decision, but it's no joke, it's significant shifting of resources. Phoenix already IS a thriving metropolis. It's the 6th largest city in the country. Rather than losing population, Arizona and Texas will continue to grow. Long Island on the other hand, will continue to decline due to lack of dynamic business development or job growth. They build high tech, we build more retail.....but that's for 700 other threads.
Everything in Phoenix is new and modern, you can get a newer, bigger, more stylish house for half the price of the average home on Long Island.
Wow! A strip-mall, a Walmart and a McMansions residential suburb in the endeless urban sprawl of Phoenix are better than anything in NYC because they are shiny and new
But, wait till your 5th or 6th "summer".There it's May 1-late October. I didn't mind the heat there in the late 90's. We'd get runs of 105's, sometimes 107-108, and back down to 105 from May 1 to mid to late September. I used to walk in the early evening when it was 100 +. Last 5 years, maybe before that, as population exploded, along with blacktop, housing, all of it, temps rose. Now, you get runs of 110's, even 114's for weeks. Nights are 86-90 for probably 3 + months. Rest of months are 102-104 (bookend months of May and October).There are very few, if any, cool (under 100)days except Monsoonal days. Dew point in July & AUgust rising last few years. Weather guys say, not hype, lows in "summer" will top 100 in 5 years or so. Heat island effect getting stronger. QOL will be impacted as heat rises.
Good points of open mindedness, live and let live libertarian very strong there, lots of great shopping/dining. Roads are flat, wide and great condition. Nov-April good weather, but not like Florida. Misnomer. Heavy coats (in early am's and later pm's) and long pants Dec-late March.
Red state (with right wing types there getting stronger). LA vibe there, too, superficially friendly, laid back. Midwest transplants heavy there. Interesting mix I guess?Lots of transience in most neighborhoods. Illegal immigration issues constantly on TV/in your face.
Last edited by Nanny Goat; 09-02-2012 at 10:20 AM..
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