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Old 08-14-2006, 12:18 AM
 
Location: PSL,FL
421 posts, read 466,343 times
Reputation: 87

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I lived in Jersey for 54 yrs...there are a few nice towns and areas left but for the most part, it is most definately not worth the very high cost of living. There is much too much industry...too many chem plants and the traffic is soooooooo horrible..the highways are horrible! The beaches "used" to be beautiful but are now congested and polluted. The price to park and get on the beach is insane and the boardwalks are so over priced it is a sin. Jerseys taxes are criminal....there are sooo many corrupt mayors and police and politicians. There is toxic waste dumps and acid rain. House prices and reants are just soooooooo bizzare. I don't know who would possibly want to live in Jersey!!!!
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Old 08-14-2006, 07:51 AM
 
86 posts, read 379,998 times
Reputation: 27
I think soon enough NJ apartment rentals will go up even higher than they are now as Gov. "Terpentine" (Corzine) has cut education dollars to most towns/cities in NJ which has led to INCREASED property taxes within the last few months as towns/cities are making up for the deficit that way and wait till many of the new property reasessments take place - OHHHH BOY! The end result - the landlord will increase rental prices to try to make up their extra cost or greed - whichever applies.
Soon NJ will be solely for "millionares" at this rate.
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Old 08-14-2006, 04:33 PM
ira
 
Location: Bergen County
657 posts, read 3,921,940 times
Reputation: 297
Most of what you said is true. However, NJ has one thing that no other state has - proximity to NYC (and that's why people put up with all that stuff you said). New York is where the jobs are. That's where the opportunities are. That's where the diversity, the culture, the "what America is all about" is. Middle America may be great but quite frankly, its boring. There is no place like New York. It sounds like a cliche but its true.

I don't want to offend anyone who lives in other places. There are many, many wonderful places in this country. But, really, does any one of them compare to New York?
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Old 08-14-2006, 07:21 PM
 
86 posts, read 379,998 times
Reputation: 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by ira
Most of what you said is true. However, NJ has one thing that no other state has - proximity to NYC (and that's why people put up with all that stuff you said). New York is where the jobs are. That's where the opportunities are. That's where the diversity, the culture, the "what America is all about" is. Middle America may be great but quite frankly, its boring. There is no place like New York. It sounds like a cliche but its true.

I don't want to offend anyone who lives in other places. There are many, many wonderful places in this country. But, really, does any one of them compare to New York?

I agree with what you've said.

However, the middle class doesn't quite make it easily here.

One has to have "THE JOB" that pays quite well verses "A" job which one will struggle in this "wide neck of the woods".
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Old 08-14-2006, 07:36 PM
 
1,248 posts, read 4,048,849 times
Reputation: 884
Default Sure if you are very rich

Quote:
Originally Posted by ira
Most of what you said is true. However, NJ has one thing that no other state has - proximity to NYC (and that's why people put up with all that stuff you said). New York is where the jobs are. That's where the opportunities are. That's where the diversity, the culture, the "what America is all about" is. Middle America may be great but quite frankly, its boring. There is no place like New York. It sounds like a cliche but its true.

I don't want to offend anyone who lives in other places. There are many, many wonderful places in this country. But, really, does any one of them compare to New York?
Again, that is nice, but NYC really has gotten to be nothing more than a playground for the rich. If you are middle class or make less than six figures you cannot afford to live in this region with housing & the cost of living the way it is today.

Many people feel the same way. That is why NJ & NY are losing population specifically middle income people and being replaced by either very wealthy transplants from other parts of America or third world immigrants. Disagree if you want, but that is the truth.

The above may be nice if you have a trust fund, work on Wall Street or a highly paid lawyer, but many working people will never be able to afford the "Diversity & Culture" (Quotes Intended) nor would even feel comfortable with the sick conspicuous consumption that you see all around you.

Newsflash: There are many places west of the Delware River & South of Washington DC (meaning out of the NYC metro area) that are gaining professional jobs faster than NYC where you aren't paying $2,000 a month rent for a closet sized apartment, commuting 2 hours each way to work to Manhattan, and seeing 40% of your pay disappear in taxes
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Old 08-14-2006, 10:10 PM
 
Location: New York City
104 posts, read 386,012 times
Reputation: 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by NickL28
Again, that is nice, but NYC really has gotten to be nothing more than a playground for the rich. If you are middle class or make less than six figures you cannot afford to live in this region with housing & the cost of living the way it is today.

Many people feel the same way. That is why NJ & NY are losing population specifically middle income people and being replaced by either very wealthy transplants from other parts of America or third world immigrants. Disagree if you want, but that is the truth.

The above may be nice if you have a trust fund, work on Wall Street or a highly paid lawyer, but many working people will never be able to afford the "Diversity & Culture" (Quotes Intended) nor would even feel comfortable with the sick conspicuous consumption that you see all around you.

Newsflash: There are many places west of the Delware River & South of Washington DC (meaning out of the NYC metro area) that are gaining professional jobs faster than NYC where you aren't paying $2,000 a month rent for a closet sized apartment, commuting 2 hours each way to work to Manhattan, and seeing 40% of your pay disappear in taxes
Horsehockey!

I make much less than six figures, and do very well. All you have to do is watch your expenses, invest your money wisely, and ditch the car, which is easy to do if you live in NYC. The money I save on gas, oil, repairs, insurance, etc, is like having a second income. I live in Queens, my commute is 45-60 minutes one way; bring a book or newspaper, and you won't even notice it. My rent is $1,400/mo. for a very nice sized one bedroom apartment in a very nice area. It is no more than 100 yards from the subway, express line. I have plenty of clothes, get take out food nearly every night, have a gym membership, and go on vacation once a year. After taxes and all expenses, I pocket about 15% of my salary each month.

Anyone who can't handle the cost of NYC, they either had too much debt to start with, or they just don't have the smarts or desire.

Last edited by New_Yorker; 08-14-2006 at 10:21 PM..
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Old 08-25-2006, 04:02 PM
 
12 posts, read 115,088 times
Reputation: 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by ira View Post
Most of what you said is true. However, NJ has one thing that no other state has - proximity to NYC (and that's why people put up with all that stuff you said). New York is where the jobs are. That's where the opportunities are. That's where the diversity, the culture, the "what America is all about" is. Middle America may be great but quite frankly, its boring. There is no place like New York. It sounds like a cliche but its true.

I don't want to offend anyone who lives in other places. There are many, many wonderful places in this country. But, really, does any one of them compare to New York?
I could not agree more! before moving from NYC to South Orange, NJ, my hubby and I scouted several locations in the nation. Sure, it's nice to visit Florida, Virginia Beach, Georgia and the Carolinas, but to live there? No thanks!! Truck-filled highways, malls and more malls, and gaudy huge houses on large streches of land that felt so desolate. Or some areas that were so backward, you thought you had traveled back in time. And good luck if you don't want to buy everything at Wall-Mart or eat your dinners at Denny's. And people are indeed very overweight, because nobody walks anywhere, and clearly less educated in some parts, and everything is soooo sloooooow.... Simply put, it was far worse than Jersey and without a New York anywhere close by. It is so true that the proximity to New York is the number one reason to move to, or stay in, Jersey. It is worth the price. For a New Yorker, jersey is not expensive at all. Let's face it; a lot of the rest of the nation is cheap to live in for a reason.
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Old 08-25-2006, 04:24 PM
 
Location: Missouri
6,044 posts, read 24,029,179 times
Reputation: 5182
I have no love for NYC. NJ does indeed feel like an extension of NYC and just a place for those who work there to live.
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Old 08-25-2006, 05:12 PM
 
Location: Jersey Shore
1,574 posts, read 4,742,409 times
Reputation: 1016
Quote:
Originally Posted by New_Yorker View Post
Horsehockey!

I make much less than six figures, and do very well. All you have to do is watch your expenses, invest your money wisely, and ditch the car, which is easy to do if you live in NYC. The money I save on gas, oil, repairs, insurance, etc, is like having a second income. I live in Queens, my commute is 45-60 minutes one way; bring a book or newspaper, and you won't even notice it. My rent is $1,400/mo. for a very nice sized one bedroom apartment in a very nice area. It is no more than 100 yards from the subway, express line. I have plenty of clothes, get take out food nearly every night, have a gym membership, and go on vacation once a year. After taxes and all expenses, I pocket about 15% of my salary each month.

Anyone who can't handle the cost of NYC, they either had too much debt to start with, or they just don't have the smarts or desire.

Now try giving up the one bedroom apartment for a house and income to feed and entire family. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but there's a huge difference. I lived in a great one bedroom in Hoboken on my tips as a waitress when I was single. Although I feel pretty ancient-that's not TOO long ago If I'd had to buy a home and raise my family there, I'd have been scr*wed.
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Old 08-25-2006, 08:02 PM
 
60 posts, read 454,628 times
Reputation: 39
Some people have to live in this area, whether for work or family reasons. There are plenty of cheaper options in NYC if you want to take them. I lived in a rent controlled apartment in Greenpoint for 3 years before coming to Hoboken. My rent was pretty low (and I got what I paid for too), but it was a good enough place to stay, and probably comparable to a rent controlled unit here in Yuppieville.
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