For those of you who've fled Illinois, where did you go? (crime, new home)

[4122]

What are the differences between your new home and Illinois? Do you like it better or no?

[froglipz]

Originally Posted by 4122

What are the differences between your new home and Illinois? Do you like it better or no?

Florida....NO state taxes! Much nicer winters and not any hotter or humid summers. I can swim in December in my pool, and we have nice beaches to visit.

[Tyryztoll]

North Texas - DFW Metroplex. No state income tax, lower property taxes than in Chicago area. Salaries in my field (medical) just as competitive in DFW as Chicago. Awesome winters (sans the F4 tornado from last Christmas). Great Mexican food, great medical facilities.

Overall though? I would move back to Illinois if we could afford to. We're born and bred Midwesterners and really loved living in McHenry for the year we were there. It was an absolute perfect spot - smack dab between Chicago and Milwaukee with quick access to both while still maintaining a nice country feel. We hate the housing setup in DFW - every house looks the same, they're all right on top of each other seperated by cheap fencing that falls apart, and worst of all - NO BASEMENTS for storage, man caves, or shelter from the infamous severe storms. The North Texas landscape is butt ugly, horrible for building on, and the water is nasty. We loved being so close to the inland natural lakes in Wisconsin and Michigan up there and the Great Lakes also. Miss the beautiful farmscapes, too. There are venomous spiders, tarantulas, poisonous snakes, and even alligators in North TX as well. Don't like any of that stuff having little kids.

Biggest difference? Chicago. No town in the world like it, and sorry.....Dallas and Ft. Worth are good towns in their own way, but they don't approach the Windy City on any level. Chicago does have the horrible crime zones, but other than that I miss it immensely. The trains, the lake, the sports, the food, the architecture.....oh my.

Like I said, we'd go back if it were financially feasible, but the property taxes especially up there are simply unpayable for us. We're looking to eventually move to either NW Arkansas or back to Michigan where we're originally from.

[4122]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

North Texas - DFW Metroplex. No state income tax, lower property taxes than in Chicago area. Salaries in my field (medical) just as competitive in DFW as Chicago. Awesome winters (sans the F4 tornado from last Christmas). Great Mexican food, great medical facilities.

Overall though? I would move back to Illinois if we could afford to. We're born and bred Midwesterners and really loved living in McHenry for the year we were there. It was an absolute perfect spot - smack dab between Chicago and Milwaukee with quick access to both while still maintaining a nice country feel. We hate the housing setup in DFW - every house looks the same, they're all right on top of each other seperated by cheap fencing that falls apart, and worst of all - NO BASEMENTS for storage, man caves, or shelter from the infamous severe storms. The North Texas landscape is butt ugly, horrible for building on, and the water is nasty. We loved being so close to the inland natural lakes in Wisconsin and Michigan up there and the Great Lakes also. Miss the beautiful farmscapes, too. There are venomous spiders, tarantulas, poisonous snakes, and even alligators in North TX as well. Don't like any of that stuff having little kids.

Biggest difference? Chicago. No town in the world like it, and sorry.....Dallas and Ft. Worth are good towns in their own way, but they don't approach the Windy City on any level. Chicago does have the horrible crime zones, but other than that I miss it immensely. The trains, the lake, the sports, the food, the architecture.....oh my.

Like I said, we'd go back if it were financially feasible, but the property taxes especially up there are simply unpayable for us. We're looking to eventually move to either NW Arkansas or back to Michigan where we're originally from.

Sorry to hear you're not happy in Texas. I wasn't aware there were alligators in Dallas. Michigan and Arkansas sound like they would meet your criteria. Also, look in Wisconsin (Madison is great, yet not far from Chicago), or Tennessee (Nashville is great).

[Maintainschaos]

My family and I moved to Austin when my father received a better job offer than where he had been working in central Illinois. However, once the difference in COL was factored in, the pay differential was nominal. Traffic was much worse, and Texas still taxed you, just in different ways. Most of the time we spent there was during late spring and through the summer, which was dreadful. My father then got a better job offer at his former employment, and we moved back. Austin was alright, but the grass wasn't greener (it was crunchy and brown!).

[Tyryztoll]

Another thing people may not know about North Texas is how AWFUL the roads are. You always hear about the terrible road conditions in the northern states like Illinois, but many in DFW and surrounding areas are just as bad if not worse. The soil there is awful for building on because it contracts and expands so much from season to season, and as a result homes have tons of foundation issues and the roads crumble like cookies.

[usagisan]

I relocated my business to Florida, bought a home in Lakeland, and because of Obamacare, terminated my captive employees and went to a 100% contractor model (they love it, I love it). Now I simply commute between Florida and Illinois. I have been looking for property in TN for some time (love Tennessee) but the tax on dividends and interest thing is very discouraging.

In FL much more home for the dollar, property taxes are 1/4 Illinois, the people are so much nicer, I love the gated communities to keep the riff-raff away and I like how many of the cities are neatly segregated. And, drum roll, no income tax!!!!

The business climate in Fl is a dream compared to IL. The cities and counties are business friendly, unbelievably so. If not for Obamacare I would have expanded my captive employee model, workman's comp is cheap, it is not early as litigious, lower skilled workers have a great work ethic, and a much higher level of functional education, higher skilled workers don't have that "I am owed" attitude I found in so many Chicagoland workers. I love the fact that teachers are not treated like gods and goddesses as they are in IL and that unions are much weaker in Florida. Autos last forever in Florida and the roads are great.

There are a few negatives to me. IL is superior if you wish to home school - period. And Florida is a ticking time bomb in terms of pensions also. The people of Florida are asleep at the switch on this one. The state is growing more liberal. Not as bad as Chicago, but yucko.

[CtrlEsc]

Originally Posted by 4122

What are the differences between your new home and Illinois? Do you like it better or no?

Wisconsin - Fox Valley Area
Reasons for choosing this area.
-Lower crime
-Same COL
-Better Schools
-Lower Unemployment
-Friendlier People
-No entitlement mentality
-More snow
-More trees

[dtcbnd03]

I still live in Chicago but if I ever have to move to the burbs it'll be Wisconsin to avoid the pension fallout. I am looking pretty seriously at Eastern TN / Western WI for all the lakes, rivers, mountains and mild winters but we'll see. I love Chicago so it's hard to leave.

[Enigma606x]

I did not flee Illinois, but I got a job in Washington.