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I just returned from a trip out west to visit friends. On the way back, I stopped at another friend's house in Iowa. I was once again confronted with the fact that I live in a 300k box while for the same money they have a nice piece of property, beautiful deck, large garage, plenty of parking, and extra bedrooms for guests. One day... one day...
Yup. One of several reasons why I will never move back. I really, really like our home and nothing beats going out on the deck and watching the sun set (unobstructed by buildings) at night. It also gives me piece of mind knowing that God forbid if one of us loses our job, it wouldn't be the end of the world like it would be in NYC because everything is so damn expensive. You make more in NYC but it is eaten up by taxes. We have no income taxes here other than federal, and I have to admit that it does make a difference.
Yup. One of several reasons why I will never move back. I really, really like our home and nothing beats going out on the deck and watching the sun set (unobstructed by buildings) at night. It also gives me piece of mind knowing that God forbid if one of us loses our job, it wouldn't be the end of the world like it would be in NYC because everything is so damn expensive. You make more in NYC but it is eaten up by taxes. We have no income taxes here other than federal, and I have to admit that it does make a difference.
I could also list a million things that my NYC beats your Texas. At least for me. And I have lived in both. See, it's all personal. It's all what we want and like in life. It isn't NY's or TX's fight. It's our own.
I could also list a million things that my NYC beats your Texas. At least for me. And I have lived in both. See, it's all personal. It's all what we want and like in life. It isn't NY's or TX's fight. It's our own.
I agree, it's all personal. Totally. What I posted wasn't really trying to cause a pissing match, excuse my French. The thread is about wanting to leave NYC, so as an ex-NYC resident, I gave my reasons for why I wouldn't move back. I really don't consider Texas to be mine because I am (and will always be) a New Yorker. My husband and children are, however, 100% Texan.
We all have different needs and wants at different points in our lives. At this stage of my life, my wants, needs and likes are different and NYC just wouldn't do it for me. Don't misunderstand -- I love NYC for a myriad of reasons (especially since my family is from there) -- but having lived elsewhere, I can say that I've kind of "moved on".
I could also list a million things that my NYC beats your Texas. At least for me. And I have lived in both. See, it's all personal. It's all what we want and like in life. It isn't NY's or TX's fight. It's our own.
Im in Texas right now and I have to say its much cheaper and the women are much more hotter. I already have a job interview lined up, no guarantee I will get hired though. Overall I do agree with you, it really depends on the person. For me I been in NYC my whole life and it seems its time for me to move on, however I will stay in NYC if I find that job, money talks! In matter of fact I came across some Texans who hate it and want to move to NYC, these folks will fit nicely in a tiny 3000 dollar 400sqft apartment.
If I had to move out of NYC, it'd be to another big city. Suburbs suck *****
- No public transportation. If you're under 16 you're a slave to your mom's minivan, and if you're over 16 you're still a slave to your mom's minivan
- One deli for a five mile radius
- If you're gay, you will be freely accepted approximately once in a million years
- Trees are beautiful to look at, but they're awful for conversations. I like to talk to actual people when walking, not trees
- Vibrant but nonexistent nightlife
- Teach kids that anything they do is okay, as long as the town's varsity football team keeps winning
- Having one black guy on your block is considered diversity
i been to places similar to iowa, if u like it tho then thats all good, im jus sayin theres many places that can offer iowa style livin, but still not in the middle of nowhere
Iowa is not the middle of nowhere though, that's my point. Obviously parts of the state are, but parts of NY are far more rural than plenty of Iowa. Des Moines is a modern American city just as much as NYC. Iowa State university has been an education powerhouse since early in the 20th century; they played a large part in the nuclear program.
Des Moines may be smaller and not public transportation oriented like NYC, but very few cities in the world are as large as NYC or have as extensive a PT system. Other than those two facts, most cities are the same in more ways than NY lovers will admit.
Also Sioux Falls has a well-developed financial services industry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airborneguy
I just returned from a trip out west to visit friends. On the way back, I stopped at another friend's house in Iowa. I was once again confronted with the fact that I live in a 300k box while for the same money they have a nice piece of property, beautiful deck, large garage, plenty of parking, and extra bedrooms for guests. One day... one day...
I also came back from a wedding in DC. The couple who works office jobs there makes less than me on a combined basis but pay much less to rent a far more opulent apartment near Alexandria within 40 minutes commute to their jobs. NYC is not the best place to raise a family with kids while earning a paycheck.
If I had to move out of NYC, it'd be to another big city. Suburbs suck *****
- No public transportation. If you're under 16 you're a slave to your mom's minivan, and if you're over 16 you're still a slave to your mom's minivan
- One deli for a five mile radius
- If you're gay, you will be freely accepted approximately once in a million years
- Trees are beautiful to look at, but they're awful for conversations. I like to talk to actual people when walking, not trees
- Vibrant but nonexistent nightlife
- Teach kids that anything they do is okay, as long as the town's varsity football team keeps winning
- Having one black guy on your block is considered diversity
Wow, have you NEVER traveled outside of NYC EVER??? The whole country outside of NYC isn't like suburban Texas, you do realize?
I was born and raised in NYC. I traveled extensively, always knew I wanted to get out of NYC but could never find the 'perfect place'. I finally realized that most places are what you make of them and there is no 'perfect place'.
I moved to Buffalo, which I'm sure all my friends and family thought was crazy. Here, I have a huge (1,200 sf) 2 bedroom apartment for $600 in one of the safest neighborhoods in the country. (In Brooklyn, I was paying $1,500 for a tiny one bedroom dump).
As an example of what's possible when you escape from NYC: My husband and I used our savings to buy a two unit house (3 bedrooms each unit) for $35,000. We rent out both apartments and receive $1200/month in income from rent. In Buffalo (and many other places far away from NYC) cost of living is so much cheaper. I find the expensiveness of NYC to be very oppressive.
I can walk to the library (the library system here is EXCELLENT), my gym, the post office, a beautiful huge park, and a number of markets and restaurants. Many others are a 5-10 minute car ride away or a 10-20 minute bike/bus ride. AND...Buffalo has NO TRAFFIC. Seriously. Sometimes 5 minutes of slower traffic around 5pm, but it disappears instantly. You NEVER have to plan a trip to avoid rush hour. Buffalo has an extensive bus system and many residents rely on it instead of having a car (though a car is preferable in the winters, but standing at the bus stop in NYC during the winter sucks, too.)
And there is a pretty decent LGBT scene here; Buffalo is right now flying rainbow flags in preparation for its Gay Pride Parade. There are independent theaters, coffee shops, museums, an active music and arts scene, and restaurants that are every bit as good as what I found in NYC. Here, you can work a part-time or minimum wage job, and still live in a really nice apartment with roommates (I have friends paying $250/month each) and have time to devote to making music, art, or doing what you really want to do.
People are warm and friendly here, and what's very different is that here they have TIME to relax and hang out. I can contact any of my friends for a last minute get together and THEY WILL ALL SHOW UP. In NYC I'd have to plan a potluck more than a month in advance because everyone was so overworked and crazy busy or else the thought of wasting 2+ hours traveling to/from my apartment on the subway (if they didn't live on my subway line and had to transfer) was too overwhelming after a long work commute. In NYC everything is so close yet impossibly far unless it's in your neighborhood on your line.
And the thing is my friends here all have professional jobs; several are engineers, some are social workers, others are skilled tradesmen. Yet, they all have time to kick back and relax in the park on a last minute call to enjoy the beautiful weather and play some frisbee by 4-5pm during the week. There isn't an 'overworking culture' here like in NYC, and they all either own beautiful huge houses or live in gigantic apartments with decks and backyards.
For anyone who wants to get out, I say that you never know how much better it is someplace else until you try it. And if it turns out that NYC is where you want to be, at least you can move back and be satisfied with your decision instead of wasting your life regretting that you didn't get out.
Im in Texas right now and I have to say its much cheaper and the women are much more hotter. I already have a job interview lined up, no guarantee I will get hired though. Overall I do agree with you, it really depends on the person. For me I been in NYC my whole life and it seems its time for me to move on, however I will stay in NYC if I find that job, money talks! In matter of fact I came across some Texans who hate it and want to move to NYC, these folks will fit nicely in a tiny 3000 dollar 400sqft apartment.
Hope you land the job. Change is always good. I did my time in TX too, and I agree on the women. For some reason, they have a thing for NYers.
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