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We moved here 3 yrs. ago and really like it alot. It is a great place to raise children.
I am origionally from LI and Hubby is from the Bronx. We spent 9 yrs. in Rockland County before the move to Cary NC.
It is definately a more affordable life here than LI, but it is not cheap. I think the biggest difference will be your taxes.
I just came home last night from a trip to LI. You don't realize how chaotic LI is until you move away and come back.
There will always be some things you will miss, but you get those things when you go visit. You will also get to have new things that you won't find in NY. For us that is the parks, greenway trails and much less traffic. And also much less snow. Overall, it is a much better quality of life down here with alot of areas geared towards families.
My best advice would be to only come if you have a job here and to rent first and get to know the area. It really is all NYers where I am. I feel right at home.
Please let me know if you have any questions I can help you with.
Best of luck!
thanks lauradrops for your input. My husband would be transferring from his job up here to an office down there, so he would have that secure before we went. We are thinking of renting a house until we find the neighborhood we want to settle in. We have a baby and two big dogs so we'd need some space and a yard for the interim.
Did you move leaving family up in New York? How was the transition for that? And did you raise small children there?
There will always be some things you will miss, but you get those things when you go visit. You will also get to have new things that you won't find in NY.
That's pretty much the case anywhere.
If one is having trouble making ends meet on LI and it's not due to financial mismanagement but lack of opportunity combined with a high COL then a move makes sense.
If one constantly complains that they can't get decent bagels, pizza, etc. and they will miss their family too much then they shouldn't move. To the last point though I'm starting to see whole extended families moving away from LI to NC, SC, FL, GA, TX, etc. It's no longer just retirees.
NC is different than LI. Different is not better, or worse. And it depends on the personal situation.
I moved away from LI, and am happy with the move. My quality of life is better, and there are new things to explore. To be honest I don't miss that much, but will probably visit NYC as a tourist at some point and enjoy the sights with the money I've saved by having a lower cost of living. Good luck!
thanks lauradrops for your input. My husband would be transferring from his job up here to an office down there, so he would have that secure before we went. We are thinking of renting a house until we find the neighborhood we want to settle in. We have a baby and two big dogs so we'd need some space and a yard for the interim.
Did you move leaving family up in New York? How was the transition for that? And did you raise small children there?
My husband, myself and my 9yr. old daughter (she was just 7 when we relocated) came here and left everyone behind. Very hard to do but ultimately the right move for our family. My oldest son lives in Westchester and my younger son is finishing up college and coming to live with us in NC to go to Grad school.
It is a very doable drive for us to run up north to visit and in the event of a family emergency. When my Mom fell ill it was just a quick 1 hour plane trip. That said, of course you will miss family and friends. You have to weigh that out for yourself. I have also made some great new friends here.
As for my little one, this was a great move for her. She was at a good age to move and adjusted beautifully. This is a wonderful place to raise children. I am very pleased with the schools. I was extra worried about the schools because my daughter has an IEP and the services are hard to beat in NY. Thankfully she is doing great and her needs are well met.
I would also recommend you take a trip down and explore some of the areas. I found different areas had a very different feel to them. We really got to know the area after renting for 9 months so we learned exactly where we wanted to be.
If I can help answer anything else just ask away. Good luck!
My husband, myself and my 9yr. old daughter (she was just 7 when we relocated) came here and left everyone behind. Very hard to do but ultimately the right move for our family. My oldest son lives in Westchester and my younger son is finishing up college and coming to live with us in NC to go to Grad school.
It is a very doable drive for us to run up north to visit and in the event of a family emergency. When my Mom fell ill it was just a quick 1 hour plane trip. That said, of course you will miss family and friends. You have to weigh that out for yourself. I have also made some great new friends here.
As for my little one, this was a great move for her. She was at a good age to move and adjusted beautifully. This is a wonderful place to raise children. I am very pleased with the schools. I was extra worried about the schools because my daughter has an IEP and the services are hard to beat in NY. Thankfully she is doing great and her needs are well met.
I would also recommend you take a trip down and explore some of the areas. I found different areas had a very different feel to them. We really got to know the area after renting for 9 months so we learned exactly where we wanted to be.
If I can help answer anything else just ask away. Good luck!
I'm glad to hear good things about schools, being a teacher myself. It's funny, because people on LI tend to tell me that schools elsewhere just aren't as good, and I try to tell them that that's just not true. There are quality schools all over. And it's like this Long Island attitude I think, that everything is better up here. Plus with all the testing going on up here, I believe the quality has gone down. How do you call testing testing testing quality teaching and learning?
Yes, I look at the plane ride and how quick that is. My grandparents lived 3 hours away from my parents, so we had to drive there to see them. This wouldn't be too different. Plus as they get older, my dad wound up having them move closer to him. I think families try to do that eventually.
Can I ask you which areas did you like when you looked? We are thinking Holly Springs area, since my husband will be commuting to RTP.
If one is having trouble making ends meet on LI and it's not due to financial mismanagement but lack of opportunity combined with a high COL then a move makes sense.
If one constantly complains that they can't get decent bagels, pizza, etc. and they will miss their family too much then they shouldn't move. To the last point though I'm starting to see whole extended families moving away from LI to NC, SC, FL, GA, TX, etc. It's no longer just retirees.
NC is different than LI. Different is not better, or worse. And it depends on the personal situation.
I moved away from LI, and am happy with the move. My quality of life is better, and there are new things to explore. To be honest I don't miss that much, but will probably visit NYC as a tourist at some point and enjoy the sights with the money I've saved by having a lower cost of living. Good luck!
I agree with you that it definitely depends on the person, whether they would like NC or not. I feel like my husband and I are adaptable people and we make friends wherever we go. When we bought our house 6 years ago in a whole new county, we made friends with neighbors and community members. We get out with the baby and the dogs and meet others. So I think we'd be able to establish a new network of friends.
And yes, the COL is too high, that's our main reason for needing to leave. We both have careers and good jobs up here but they aren't allowing us to just catch up to taxes...etc. I'd hope that if we go down there, my husband can work, and I can stay home for a few years until our kids are in school. Then I'd go back to work. I think we can live off one salary for a while, and if not, I'd go back to teaching. If it means being able to provide for our family better, more and more I want to go there.
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