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To have a halfway enjoyable life, afford a decent legal 1-BR apartment (which to me includes central air and a washer/dryer in a clean, well-maintained unit that isn't 40 years old, in a safe neighborhood you wouldn't be ashamed to invite your out-of-town guests), be able to save money, afford fresh fruits and vegetables, buy and a new pair of shoes or enjoy a night out on the town now and then, and still take a few nice weekends away or a decent vacation once a year, you need to clear $3,500 a month after taxes--and that's with no debt and no exorbitant spending. If you commute into the city, make that $4,000. And that's in Suffolk County.
So unless you have opportunities lined up that will pay you $60K, if not $70K, don't bother.
And I don't know where you would be able to take your pit bull legally. I just did a bunch of apartment hunting for a relative who has a dog. Every "dog-friendly" place I contacted had breed restrictions that, fairly or not, included pit bulls. And you get what you pay for with most of the "dog-friendly" places I've seen. Let's just say that their "dog-friendliness" is apparent in the carpets and scratched up baseboards and floors.
Now, can you get by on less money? Sure. If you want a roommate. If you don't mind crappy landlords that do everything the cheapest way possible (Fairfield, I'm looking at you). If you don't mind schlepping through the snow to a communal laundry facility. If you don't mind old buildings with radiator heat and carpets older than this century. If you don't mind rickety wall units for your a/c, or even having to install your own a/c into a big hole in the wall that your landlord so "kindly" cut and will not fill in. If you want to live in a 450 sq. ft. efficiency like a sardine in a can. If you want to eat ramen and fast food. If you don't mind paper thin walls and hearing your neighbor's every burp and fart. If you don't mind constant noise from congested streets. If you don't mind a little crime. If, if, if. At my age, in my 40s, those "ifs" are enough to pass a place over. Someone younger might be more willing to compromise.
To have a halfway enjoyable life, afford a decent legal 1-BR apartment (which to me includes central air and a washer/dryer in a clean, well-maintained unit that isn't 40 years old, in a safe neighborhood you wouldn't be ashamed to invite your out-of-town guests), be able to save money, afford fresh fruits and vegetables, buy and a new pair of shoes or enjoy a night out on the town now and then, and still take a few nice weekends away or a decent vacation once a year, you need to clear $3,500 a month after taxes--and that's with no debt and no exorbitant spending. If you commute into the city, make that $4,000. And that's in Suffolk County.
So unless you have opportunities lined up that will pay you $60K, if not $70K, don't bother.
And I don't know where you would be able to take your pit bull legally. I just did a bunch of apartment hunting for a relative who has a dog. Every "dog-friendly" place I contacted had breed restrictions that, fairly or not, included pit bulls. And you get what you pay for with most of the "dog-friendly" places I've seen. Let's just say that their "dog-friendliness" is apparent in the carpets and scratched up baseboards and floors.
Now, can you get by on less money? Sure. If you want a roommate. If you don't mind crappy landlords that do everything the cheapest way possible (Fairfield, I'm looking at you). If you don't mind schlepping through the snow to a communal laundry facility. If you don't mind old buildings with radiator heat and carpets older than this century. If you don't mind rickety wall units for your a/c, or even having to install your own a/c into a big hole in the wall that your landlord so "kindly" cut and will not fill in. If you want to live in a 450 sq. ft. efficiency like a sardine in a can. If you don't mind paper thin walls and hearing your neighbor's every burp and fart. If you don't mind constant noise from congested streets. If you don't mind a little crime. If, if, if. At my age, in my 40s, those "ifs" are enough to pass a place over. Someone younger might be more willing to compromise.
But the pizza and bagels Avienne! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, the PIZZA and BAGELS!!!
No one cares where you went to elementary school, middle school and HS when you go out in the world. And if you think people from other parts of the country don't go to college you're deluding yourself. They do. And many, many states have a better state school system than NY, so you can save a few bucks too. If you go to SUNY Oswego and apply for a job at IBM in N.C., do you think the hiring manager is taking you over a candidate who went to Chapel Hill, everything else being equal? They're not, trust me.
I'm sure your kids will be thrilled to be told, once they've established all their friends and favorites on Long Island, that it's a terrible place to live and they should move now that they are adults.
PS Good luck unloading your house in 20 years when the taxes are 3 times what they are now.
I agree with you 1000%
Now you see things from afar like me
The only difference you get a pass on this board were I don't
I'm glad to see your making a easy transition and wish all the best to you and the family
Your assumption is arrogant (apparently based on the one place you wanted to move to and the story of one person who lives down south) that nothing beats a NY education and you are somehow above everyone else outside of NY.
I think you may find that quite the opposite is true of this often quoted phrase.
Unless you're talking about a job in a field where NYC represents the very top of the market like media/broadcasting, Broadway or running a large multi-national bank, (where from what I've seen all of these positions are not all occupied by LIers), I think it maybe easier for an average qualified person to get a job in NYC than elsewhere. There are so many companies with so many jobs in NYC, the average every day person has a better shot at getting an average job than in another locale where there are probably more qualified people per opening than in NYC. It is sheer numbers.
I posted an alternative opinion to the person I replied to. Yes, maybe, it came off as arrogant in the context you describe. Labeling someone arrogant for having an opinion different from your own is, well, ARROGANT.
For the record, we researched to death other school districts over half the state of Pa. We settled on a few different areas. When one such area (which happened to APPEAR to have the BEST schools of all the areas we checked out) turned out to APPEAR to have inferiorly educated citizens, we did a double take.
People go to school here in NY and get great educations and either stay in NYC (read: Manhattan) because they can afford to, or they go elsewhere because they have the ability to find white collar jobs anywhere in the country where the pay relative to the COL is more conducive to a high QOL.
How many taxi drivers or dock workers flee south to expand their career horizons? Construction guys go where the work is. Of course this is not what I have in mind for my kids. Not a slight on those blue collar folks at all.
Conversely, many people who come to NY to "make it" do so on GOD GIVEN ability (entertainment). Not all. Many.
The thread is about LI, so in essence I flew off topic. I just moved out here, born & raised & work in NYC and I can afford to live here. You bet it isn't easy but it's doable and if my kids benefit from that, my mission will be completed. I wouldn't think I am putting them at a disadvantage for raising them here.
Naturally the majority of rural areas are not going to be able to keep pace with the urban and suburban school districts based on money, teachers and access to those resources. But, you will find the same level of edcuation opportunity that LI provides in other metro areas like DC, LA, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Philly, SF, etc... if not better. I think kids raised in these or any of 100's similar metro areas in the country are not at a disadvantage because the didn't go to school on LI.
I'm reading through this thread and it makes me embarrassed of being a fellow long islander. The arrogance is just overwhelming. Long Island is nice place to live and its the place that I choose to live but lets face it, it does have its fare share of undesirable areas. Actually undesirable areas are a growing trend on LI that seems to be gaining momentum. There is a trend of people moving west and that is obvious from the recent announcement of the loss of NY seats in Washington due to demographic shifts toward out west. There are tons on very very nice places to live with a excellent quality of life beyond the shores of long island. Don't get me wrong, I think LI is still a great place to live but other options outside of NY are also excellent with even better offerings of quality of life amenities.
Like Henry Drummond said in "Inherit the Wind", "The Bible is a good book, but it isn't the only book".
LI is a good place to live, but it isn't the only place.
But the pizza and bagels Avienne! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, the PIZZA and BAGELS!!!
LOL!
I hate to say this, but as you have probably learned by now, other places do have those things. In fact, I rather liked Chesapeake Bagel Bakery in D.C. There was a pizzeria in Alexandria, VA that was set up and owned by some ex LIers where it was just like here. So much for the theory about New York water, because they weren't piping it in from some magic interstate water line.
Are those things "better" here? Only if that's what you're used to. I've run into people who didn't grow up here who don't see what all the fuss is about. And if you don't eat those things regularly, it doesn't matter anyway.
To have a halfway enjoyable life, afford a decent legal 1-BR apartment (which to me includes central air and a washer/dryer in a clean, well-maintained unit that isn't 40 years old, in a safe neighborhood you wouldn't be ashamed to invite your out-of-town guests), be able to save money, afford fresh fruits and vegetables, buy and a new pair of shoes or enjoy a night out on the town now and then, and still take a few nice weekends away or a decent vacation once a year, you need to clear $3,500 a month after taxes--and that's with no debt and no exorbitant spending. If you commute into the city, make that $4,000. And that's in Suffolk County.
So unless you have opportunities lined up that will pay you $60K, if not $70K, don't bother.
And I don't know where you would be able to take your pit bull legally. I just did a bunch of apartment hunting for a relative who has a dog. Every "dog-friendly" place I contacted had breed restrictions that, fairly or not, included pit bulls. And you get what you pay for with most of the "dog-friendly" places I've seen. Let's just say that their "dog-friendliness" is apparent in the carpets and scratched up baseboards and floors.
Now, can you get by on less money? Sure. If you want a roommate. If you don't mind crappy landlords that do everything the cheapest way possible (Fairfield, I'm looking at you). If you don't mind schlepping through the snow to a communal laundry facility. If you don't mind old buildings with radiator heat and carpets older than this century. If you don't mind rickety wall units for your a/c, or even having to install your own a/c into a big hole in the wall that your landlord so "kindly" cut and will not fill in. If you want to live in a 450 sq. ft. efficiency like a sardine in a can. If you want to eat ramen and fast food. If you don't mind paper thin walls and hearing your neighbor's every burp and fart. If you don't mind constant noise from congested streets. If you don't mind a little crime. If, if, if. At my age, in my 40s, those "ifs" are enough to pass a place over. Someone younger might be more willing to compromise.
BigMike did pull from another thread that that the OP would be moving with someone, so a dual income seems likely. So 2 earners making $30K a piece would yield about $3500/month after taxes, which may be OK for someone renting.
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lucky me, atleast this will not be one of the reasons for me to stay back !!
