Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Drivers here are tame compared to LA and New York.
That's true. North East Drivers drive in your back seat everytime. Especially when the light turns green. If you don't step on it 0.5 seconds AFTER the light is green you'll hear a symphony of car horns.
But Honestly after driving (literally) up and down the east coast (from Florida to Connecticut), North Carolina isn't bad at all.
I will admit their are some people that just can't drive. For example they'll make a turn as slow as possible without using their turn signal. Or when they keep driving with their turn signal on and never make a turn.
I wish I had known more about the taxes. I told my boyfriend just a few days ago that if I still lived in Texas, I wouldn't be paying taxes this year. I broke even with the federal return ($3 refund) but owe NC. Every year I keep adjusting my W4 to try and get it right. Plus, my car tax will come due long about May if I remember correctly. I still like it here but I was NOT prepared for the taxes when I first moved here.
Yes, but the real estate taxes in Texas are really high. And you pay those whether or not you are employed.
Where in MI? I moved from Detroit to S Fl in July of 2010and got somewhat use to the 90 degrees and humidity. I just don't like the fact that it last so long. Of course we have a breeze being near the gulf coast.I've never been to NC yet. What's it like? Were you from up north MI where the summers are cooler?
Quote:
Originally Posted by gnagroup
I moved here from Michigan. I agree with you, the summers
are brutal. I really miss Michigan summers. I also didn't realize
how hard it would be to make friends. I have been here
two years, and feel it is a very difficult adjustment. I am hoping to
move back to Michigan in the near future.
After 3 years, my wife has decided it has been too long since she has seen Michigan..We were there last June when the youngest daughter was married and she had to force herself to come back to NC. We spent a week in Copper Harbor and all the hardwoods were more than enough to convince her that Michigan was calling. Actually it was her daughters and family she missed more than the hardwoods and the cooler summer weather.
She is currently there and I am here wating to see if there will be a job for me. It was reversed in 09 as I came down for work and she stayed there for 4 months looking for work here.
If I can find employment in Michigan, I will be joining her in June..If I don't??
Your 2nd point is one that also definitely caught us off guard after a while and one that so many of the "well NC isn't THAT far from NY/NJ/FL/MA/DC.....we can still visit often and have relatives visit us" folks should not take lightly. Even when gas was WELL below $2 a gallon in the 90's, we found that we spent most of our vacation money (not to mention vacation time) going back north to visit family. In the 13 years we lived in NC we took a grand total of 2...TWO...vacations that did not involve going to visit family. We'd have visitors once every couple of years...but they would come one at a time. When you have a big extended family it is extremely naive to think that they will all come to visit you at once. If you want to be a part of family gatherings, and you are the "outlier" who lives far away; you better believe that YOU will be the one who does the traveling.
Now this obviously doesn't apply to all people relocating to the triangle. There are many people that move there from areas where they already have no family, or whose family is dispersed across the country already. But it seems a great deal of the folks posting on here (especially back in the earlier days, 2006/07) were leaving large extended families in the northeast who they said they knew they would miss but didn't think being in NC was THAT far away and that visits could happen easily and often. Unless you have a very flexible work schedule and a big travel fund; those aren't very realistic expectations.
I would have some amazing vacations to talk about if I stayed in Pa and vacationed with all the money I spent traveling back to see family!
Part of my interest in NC is getting closer to family in Pa. 8 hour drive or 2 hour flight is better than a 30 hour drive or 9 hour flight!
It's been interesting watching this thread and noting that the main theme seems to be homesickness. We moved up to Wake Forest 12 years or so ago not because we thought it was a good deal for our kids (we don't have any) or a great place to work (although it can be), but because we had friends here. That has always been our first criteria when selecting a place to live. Everything else being equal, going where you know you have a support system has always trumped any other consideration for us. Sometimes that concern seems to be underplayed, but in our experience, it seems to be the best reason to relocate. It's a free country, and we're more than welcome to move anywhere we want. But to me, friends and family always come first. It's definitely something to consider before you move hundreds of miles away from the people you love.
I agree that other areas have the same problem ... even capital cities. It's definitely not unique to the RDU/Cary/Chapel Hill area. But some people who move here might think that Raleigh or Durham or Cary are "big cities" with lots of attractions for visiting family members or friends. After all, they're between the mountains and the beaches ... riiiight?
Unfortunately, your loved ones may not think of the RDU/Cary/Chapel Hill area as not very exciting, as much as you love it. They may not be as inclined to visit when it can't be bundled with a vacation trip because it is far away from those tourist attractions ... at least two hours. There are no mountainous vistas, no crashing seashore waves within a half-hour's drive. No internationally-known amusement parks along the line of Disney World, or breath-taking national park that could be incorporated into a short day trip. People have only so many days to travel ... if they can even do so.
Newcomers might think ... "Well, there is a sizable airport not far away". Back then, we thought that as well, and indeed, took a couple of flights to our hometown. But this was before 9/11 and before airlines severely curtailed flights and free luggage. Before bringing a bottle of tea on a plane was frowned upon. Before the economy sank into its current quagmire. The world has changed dramatically since then. I wish I could say for the better.
Friends and family might be strapped financially themselves. Hey, it's great that some can afford to do so, or some can make group arrangements and cut their costs (such as renting out a small bus or van), but again, I've heard this comment from others across the country who have moved out. Not everyone who can't visit you does so because they don't care about you. That simply isn't true. Since I can't afford to travel so much anymore myself, I could not be so harsh on them, now can I?
Lol, do like everybody else, meet us at the beach! As great as DC and New York are to visit, after 2 or 3 vacations there, they become old news....not the beach, don't know many family members that aren't excited about a yearly excursion to the wonderful carolina beaches. Lets keep it real, NC isn't loaded with tourist trap areas...come on, Disney is Disney (two of em) and Yellowstone is yellowstone (one of em)...but the mountains and beaches are relatively a short day trip. Really, this area ain't much different that most in america in that category.
I've always liked the idea of family members living in different parts of the country. Really, after at home for an extended period of time, a lot of family can get on your nerves....lets not understate that point. An hour or so plane ride can be a healthy buffer for some family relationships.
Other words, lets keep this family "love fest" thing in perspective.
Last edited by Big Aristotle; 05-04-2012 at 08:56 PM..
Lol, do like everybody else, meet us at the beach! As great as DC and New York are to visit, after 2 or 3 vacations there, they become old news....not the beach, don't know many family members that aren't excited about a yearly excursion to the wonderful carolina beaches. Lets keep it real, NC isn't loaded with tourist trap areas...come on, Disney is Disney (two of em) and Yellowstone is yellowstone (one of em)...but the mountains and beaches are relatively a short day trip. Really, this area ain't much different that most in america in that category.
I've always liked the idea of family members living in different parts of the country. Really, after at home for an extended period of time, a lot of family can get on your nerves....lets not understate that point. An hour or so plane ride can be a healthy buffer for some family relationships.
Other words, lets keep this family "love fest" thing in perspective.
That is your perspective. There are many people who enjoy the "it takes a village" aspect of being near family. I like the idea of kids growing up near grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins who are like siblings to them. Having family get-togethers that happen more than once or twice a year. Obviously this isn't the kind of thing that works for all people and that is completely understandable; but for the people who have said it is their main reason for missing "home" it IS a big deal and in their (our) perspective, it is a good idea to live that way. Thus, not having that environment when relocating to The Triangle (or again, anywhere) can be a major factor in having "mover's remorse"
That is your perspective. There are many people who enjoy the "it takes a village" aspect of being near family. I like the idea of kids growing up near grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins who are like siblings to them. Having family get-togethers that happen more than once or twice a year. Obviously this isn't the kind of thing that works for all people and that is completely understandable; but for the people who have said it is their main reason for missing "home" it IS a big deal and in their (our) perspective, it is a good idea to live that way. Thus, not having that environment when relocating to The Triangle (or again, anywhere) can be a major factor in having "mover's remorse"
I understand that some folk are just homebodies and relocating more than hour away is a daunting thought but realistically DC, Phil and New York aren't that far away from NC...now, Phoenix, LA and Seattle...that's a haul. Lol, don't join the military...
It doesn't take a village, it takes 1-2 caring parents to raise a child. I think living near near grandma and grandpa makes it easier to drop the kids off so parents can do other things - good for grandma and grandpa who are usually retired or near retirement to enjoy time with grandkids. Shux, grandma and grandpa will move to be near grandkids and could care less about other relatives.
I understand that some folk are just homebodies and relocating more than hour away is a daunting thought but realistically DC, Phil and New York aren't that far away from NC...now, Phoenix, LA and Seattle...that's a haul. Lol, don't join the military...
It doesn't take a village, it takes 1-2 caring parents to raise a child. I think living near near grandma and grandpa makes it easier to drop the kids off so parents can do other things - good for grandma and grandpa who are usually retired or near retirement to enjoy time with grandkids. Shux, grandma and grandpa will move to be near grandkids and could care less about other relatives.
Again....all YOUR opinion. Doesn't make it "the truth" for everybody.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. Or when they keep driving with their turn signal on and never make a turn
I still like it here but I was NOT prepared for the taxes when I first moved here.
