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No one on here has to justify it. Yes it is really a crime at this point. New York and New England states getting worse by the year as well.
Everyone has a different reason for being drawn to or from certain areas. Of course you have to factor $$ first but beyond that there are other issues. You may live in a place that you could not pay me to live in or vice versa-so many variables.
....too many negative variables in New Jersey, though. I'm done arguing this subject matter. It's a mute point.
Good Luck to all y'all Jerseyans.
I'm happily embracing my new surroundings. (TheEmissary's post about NC was spot on!)
We went back up for Thanksgiving and have decided that it will be a very long time until we'll feel the need to visit NJ again. If any of our friends and family want to see us, they'll have to come down to NC. Two families, who are friends of ours, have already seen the light, or got fed up and decided to follow us (to different states). Some family members still think we were crazy to leave, but they're getting weary too.
Happy New Year to all.
I agree about the negatives but NC is not my cup of tea. I see negatives there that most would not see. Just personal preference. Good luck to you down there.
I agree about the negatives but NC is not my cup of tea. I see negatives there that most would not see. Just personal preference. Good luck to you down there.
cyntmac - I can understand that NC will not be everybody's cup of tea, but the negatives you see intrigue me. What are they for you? That sentence seems so cryptic. Please elaborate.
The NC scene is too outside what I'm used to. I'm with cyntmac in that it all comes down to personal preference. You'll have your group that prefers NC, and you'll have your group the prefers NJ.
I grew up in NJ -lived in that area for the better part of my adult life too. I am not in the area at the moment but am at a point where I am pondering relocation yet again. My history with the state of NC goes back more than 30 years. My father moved there when I was a child. He is still there. I am just not a fan of the U.S. south in general. I see the benefits to families that relocate there of course. I am not in that position. It is just myself that I have to worry about.
My personal story is not all that relevant here but needless to say my experiences there- contributed to my southern bias. The areas of NC that I am most familiar with are very soccer Momish and conservative. That does not appeal to me in the least. The rural people there I always felt more warmly about but I came from a different kind of world and never really connected with them. I am more familiar with natives down there as opposed to transplants. Lets just say- many decent people there but different world view which is not my cup of tea. Not at age 14- not now. My connection to the natives is through marriage(step-relations). They just seem to live in a bubble. I think I understand it now but when I was a youth it drove me crazy. I am dancing around a lot here but like I said it is just one person's preference based on personal history.
NC is a beautiful state with excellent temperate weather and seasons. It is very relaxing and family friendly when compared to other places I have lived. I think city-data is NC obsessed and I guess I find that funny because I never did anything but run from it. I happen to like transit and old cities and spicy people. All in very short supply there. I have my own history with the state and I have probably let it cloud my view to some degree. We all have different things that are important to us. This goes way beyond politics or corruption. Some people are stuck in the rat race and NC is an excellent jumping off point for them. There are just as many other people who feel trapped who would not find the answers in that type of move. Different strokes, different lives.
I grew up in NJ -lived in that area for the better part of my adult life too. I am not in the area at the moment but am at a point where I am pondering relocation yet again. My history with the state of NC goes back more than 30 years. My father moved there when I was a child. He is still there. I am just not a fan of the U.S. south in general. I see the benefits to families that relocate there of course. I am not in that position. It is just myself that I have to worry about.
My personal story is not all that relevant here but needless to say my experiences there- contributed to my southern bias. The areas of NC that I am most familiar with are very soccer Momish and conservative. That does not appeal to me in the least. The rural people there I always felt more warmly about but I came from a different kind of world and never really connected with them. I am more familiar with natives down there as opposed to transplants. Lets just say- many decent people there but different world view which is not my cup of tea. Not at age 14- not now. My connection to the natives is through marriage(step-relations). They just seem to live in a bubble. I think I understand it now but when I was a youth it drove me crazy. I am dancing around a lot here but like I said it is just one person's preference based on personal history.
NC is a beautiful state with excellent temperate weather and seasons. It is very relaxing and family friendly when compared to other places I have lived. I think city-data is NC obsessed and I guess I find that funny because I never did anything but run from it. I happen to like transit and old cities and spicy people. All in very short supply there. I have my own history with the state and I have probably let it cloud my view to some degree. We all have different things that are important to us. This goes way beyond politics or corruption. Some people are stuck in the rat race and NC is an excellent jumping off point for them. There are just as many other people who feel trapped who would not find the answers in that type of move. Different strokes, different lives.
Thank you for your insightful response! I find many of your points extremely valid. I think that the perception of a given place will be shaped by the your age and experiences while living there. I know exactly what you mean about the soccer mom, Lexus driving, areas that can be inhabited by both transplants and upscale natives. The "Stepford Wives" comes to mind!
One of the things that's a detriment to NC is a big lack of mass transit. I immediately noticed that I never saw what would be NC's equivalent of NJ Transit. I asked "where are all the buses that take people from the Charlotte suburbs to downtown (or as native Charlotteans call it "Uptown") Charlotte. The look I would receive from the natives would be about the same if I was asking about the Mars Rover.
I've also found it interesting when people ask you about what church you go to. This may be one of those true stereotypical questions asked of newcomers. I'd tell them I'm a very lapsed Catholic who gave up Catholicism for Lent in 1968. This takes about a minute for them to process and then you are very kindly asked to join theirs. I tell them I prefer to worship at the altar of "CBS Sunday Morning". They conclude I'm a lost cause!
I think I would have a tougher time down here if I had to work and wasn't retired. When I worked my little part-time job in the Union County Library, my female boss bought 2 cases to transport 8 17" laptops in each one of them. The individual cases when filled with the laptops weighed about 145 lbs each and were about the size of a 32" TV. I told here that moving them was an OSHA violation which went over like a lead balloon! I was given the little speech about "Well this is the South and that's the way we do things". I immediately responded back,"Well I'm here now and it's the New South -Adjust!".
About a week later, I gave my notice. I can only tolerate BS for so long - they say as you get older, you develop more understanding, - that's true, but I find my patience has inversely decreased with age! The rest of the library staff thought I was great for standing up to her (she wasn't very popular). I also managed to persuade the other guy who worked full-time and was a native NC'er to quit- he ended up getting a better position at a local college. She was left holding the bag - or more appropriately, the heavy cases and had to cancel the Computer Classes that we taught. Some people have to learn the hard way not to upset a cranky Yankee Jersey Boy!
The South and NC in particular have change me a bit, but I've also changed it!
With the influx of all the NJ people, perhaps NC could come up with a new slogan for their "Come visit NC commercials". It won't necessarily be too popular with the natives tho'.
"Come Visit North Carolina - New Jersey's Secret 22nd County!"
Last edited by TheEmissary; 12-31-2007 at 11:42 AM..
Reason: sp
I've also found it interesting when people ask you about what church you go to. This may be one of those true stereotypical questions asked of newcomers. I'd tell them I'm a very lapsed Catholic who gave up Catholicism for Lent in 1968. This takes about a minute for them to process and then you are very kindly asked to join theirs. I tell them I prefer to worship at the altar of "CBS Sunday Morning". They conclude I'm a lost cause!
LOL. I used to watch that when Charles Kuralt was on it. Funny enough-he was an NC native. I wonder if those church people down there know. On the road with Charles Kuralt, anyone?
LOL. I used to watch that when Charles Kuralt was on it. Funny enough-he was an NC native. I wonder if those church people down there know. On the road with Charles Kuralt, anyone?
Poor Charlie Kuralt died much too young! I think if you asked many NC residents they would be surprised that he was a native. Charlie Rose is also a native NC'er. An example of reverse migration I suppose.
This thread started out as a question of why NJ's growth is so small. There is an area of growth that most posters on this forum are unaware of.
As many of you know, I'm 55 and when you get to that age, you start to think of how many years you've got left rather than how old you are. Remember when you were young enough that adding the half to your age gave you more status - 9 and a half beats 9! LOL! I read the obituaries for the Bergen Record - Herald News on line every day - www.northjersey.com after I've read the Charlotte Observer in the morning. It saddens me to note how few people subscribe to a newspaper - but that's another story! New Jersey is actually quite good at getting its residents back - but only after they're dead! I can't tell you how many times I've read obits in the Observer which stated something like "Mr Smith moved to Mooresville eight years ago from Ridgewood NJ "- followed with "he will be interred at "Queen of Peace Memorial Park in Paramus NJ! Who says you can't go home again?
I get a chuckle reading the obits in the Observer which seem to lead off with "He went home to be with Jesus". Occassionally , I'll read one that makes me wonder - Like Sidney Bernstein went home to the arms of our Lord" and I find myself thinking "Sid what happened?" - I guess some of the bible-thumpers were better at it than I thought! LOL
tahiti - I think I know why you don't have your home town on your posts. You might have a lot more neighbors if you did! If Passaic County Freeholders kept their spending increases to 2 or 3 percent, the residents would stand up and cheer! That's one of the things I like about NC when it comes to spending. If you don't have it, you don't spend it! A new politician who mentions raising taxes down here, will be a one-term wonder.
Emissary,
Just out of curiosity, with the political climate in North Carolina being what it is, how in the hell did John Edwards get elected? Such an outcome would be predicated on the black vote equalling 100% with an 80% turn out.
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