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Considering that all major metropolitan areas have to deal with traffic / congestion / high costs etc, Long Island should be compared to other large metropolitan areas ( and not small towns in Idaho for example).
Long Island does offer a lot when compared to other places in a major metropolitan area. Dallas / Houston and even Austin has pretty bad traffic. But home prices and cost of living is way low. The bay area offers great professional opportunities, but the cost of living there is higher than LI and traffic is worse.
This is the Long Island forum, where we discuss things related to Long Island. I don't think there is any denying we have some serious issues facing us on Long Island. Hence the "whining". I think it's Pollyanna-ish to believe it's all going to get better. You disagree. Reasonable minds may do that.
As far as leaving - we are. BUt you can't just get up one day and leave, when you have a house to sell and kids who are in school. But we ARE leaving...just as soon as we can. And when I leave, I will still come back to this board and visit if I so choose and let those on the fence know that it doesn't have to be the World's Scariest Decision to leave Long Island.
That's my biggest issue... what does LI offer for a future to my kids? Answer that question honestly and I believe you have the answer to your poll.
THis is the single biggest reason we are leaving. UNless my kids want to be cops or teachers and get on the "gravy train" living on LI is not gonna happen for them. I don't see the point of raising them here if they aren't going to come back here, I don't want to be left here alone in my dotterage. My sister's 3 kids have already told her they have no intention of living here when they settle down.
I also don't want to be stuck with bad winters. No one ever thinks they are going to get too old to shovel the driveway or have trouble walking on the ice and snow, but I've seen my ILs (who LOVE the cold weather - they don't even OWN winter coats) become homebound the last couple of winters. And I don't want to relocate when I'm a senior citizen - my parents just moved south, and the move and adjustment has been much harder on them than they anticipated. And again - cost of living. My father is literally "the millionaire next door" and he just got sick of $10K a year in taxes - on a condo.
Exactly my point... Even though I could afford it, I don't want to stay. The reason I do is about 5'2" and owns my cojones - if she comes completely around and finally realizes she has 95%+ of her family time on the phone, I'll leave a vapor trail.
So many of the things in this thread have been discussed to death, but we seem to continue to find new threads to debate the same topic. In this particular case we have an OP who believes the answer is that people hate it here and are leaving because they can't afford it. Which at face value makes one think "um - duh!"... the hidden message appearing to be a vaguely disguised insult along the lines of "can't hack it here in the zomg best place on Earth so *****/complain and leave".
All things being equal - LI is declining and not even close to one of the best areas to raise a family anymore. The big problem is that it used to be and there doesn't appear to be any improvement in sight. 20-25 years ago I was proud to tell people I was from LI - not so anymore. Don't get me wrong, people will continue to live here... very good people will continue to live here. Hell, I may have to stay here. But that doesn't change the fact that I dislike what's happened to LI and desire to make a change. You can't write that off by simply saying "the people who hate it most here either cant afford it (or are struggling)". I don't care what the results of this poll ends up being.
But again...what PART of LI do you live in...if it is 30 miles from my town, how is your comment about an entire regions decline accurate? I might never drive through or spend time in the area of LI you dislike.
The town next to mine growing up in Connecticut was eh, and starting to struggle with some public housing issues and flagging schools when I was growing up. But I did not live in that town, and although it was next door (literally) to my town the problems associated with that town were said only about that particular town...novel concept. They were not subsequently said about the entire surrounding 100 mile radius....that would be ill-informed. For whatever reason LI critics feel they can lay claim to an accurate opinion of the entire land mass, which is ridiculous.
This is the Long Island forum, where we discuss things related to Long Island. I don't think there is any denying we have some serious issues facing us on Long Island. Hence the "whining". I think it's Pollyanna-ish to believe it's all going to get better. You disagree. Reasonable minds may do that.
As far as leaving - we are. BUt you can't just get up one day and leave, when you have a house to sell and kids who are in school. But we ARE leaving...just as soon as we can. And when I leave, I will still come back to this board and visit if I so choose and let those on the fence know that it doesn't have to be the World's Scariest Decision to leave Long Island.
See you soon ; )
All kidding aside, good luck to you and yours.
Half of my friends who took the plunge came back ...the other half wont even come here for Holidays.
Riddlemethis
Wish I could say the same. We're 'stuck' in LI due to hubby's job. I am so afraid my kids will grow up thinking the same way as the LIlanders I meet, who have never left LI and live next door to their parents, and think this is IT. I am still struggling with the fact that just a year since we've moved here my kids are talking like long islanders.
Crookhaven, the day I leave is the last day I ever see LI. Your friends who came back probably came back to make sure they're on their parents' will .
With unemployment in NY upwards of 10%, any one can suddenly find ourselves in the " struggling" category, so we all have skin in the game IMO. It is in everyone's interest to avoid an outcome such as this headline below, as i don't think anyone can argue that we haven't been charting a similar course than that of California.
The bottom line is that there are so many Long Islanders that are sheltered. They dont know anything else. Im originally from bklyn which is more of the city mentality then eastern long island. I have traveled around the world and know there are far more better places to live but I also know that its hard for so many people to leave their home especially in LI where its actually hard to go anywhere. Its a tough situation and there is no poll that can answer it with a yes or no, its your personal preference of a certain type of lifestyle, its not all about the money although that is a big part of it. Before I started to travel, I had no idea how other people lived but once I saw the other side and lived on the other side, it was a much easier lifestlyle.. I moved back to NY and tried it again for 10 yrs but now its time for me to go but that doesnt mean leaving is for everyone..If you have a great life whether its here or another state, that should be the most impt thing that anyone should want. We all have just a short time on Earth so why not make the best of it wherever you are and if you cant than go and try to find the place that will.
Half of my friends who took the plunge came back ...the other half wont even come here for Holidays.
Crooks
I always wonder about the people who come back. I wonder what they think they are getting when they leave??? I have about 10 friends who've relocated - CA, AZ, FL, PA - and none of them would consider coming back. I think I know one person who moved back, but only for family reasons...she got sick of being alone in Cali.
We left LI for NC three years ago and are now back north..in Jersey but back. We know people who left and love it and many, many who are soo sorry & trying to come back home. Food for thought - the grass is not always greener and for us "The Charlotte Experiment" failed.
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