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Current transplants do seem to be "fleeing" other parts of the country... People move here, saying they are looking for a friendlier place; maybe because of the weather. But would they really be so hot to live here if jobs were stable back where they came from; if it wasn't a necessity to be bilingual and they felt pushed out of place by people not in this country legally? Would the weather really be such an issue (at least to the younger folks) if they had their dream homes to bundle in, knowing they lived in an area where life was stable and they felt their kids were safe and well-schooled?
Very interesting post!
I can only answer for myself here, but I am fleeing *and* purposely choosing Raleigh because I've always loved the south and really want to live there.
Weather is the main issue I'm fleeing Portland (with the smug hipsters a distant second). The dark rainy climate here makes me miserable six months out of the year. I'm tired of spending half of my life with a deep damp chill in my bones. The lack of sun makes me crabby and depressed. I've really got to get out of here, so to answer your questions:
1. Yes. Jobs aren't stable here, but I have a successful small business I am giving up in order to move. I'll start up the same thing in Raleigh. Raleigh seems to have a strong market for what I do, as does Portland.
2. Yes. I grew up in LA, so I'm used to living around Mexicans and I like Mexicans. I'm not so fond of illegals, but I think NC and Oregon have about the same number of them. Unfortunately, it's a growing problem everywhere. I speak a little Spanish and want to learn more, but not out of necessity -- just because it's fun.
3. Yes. I don't have my dream home, but I own a home here and could upgrade to something a little better, if I wanted to stay here.
4. I don't have kids, but I feel safe in Portland, and Raleigh seems equally safe or maybe a little more dangerous.
It's not a 'Grapes of Wrath' situation for everyone looking to move to NC. For us, it's simply a chance for a better life, in a nice place. It's not like I'm currently living in a dust bowl or anything like that...people throughout history have moved here and there. Transplants aren't going to be the end of NC or the end of where they came from. 100 years ago, my family got off the boat from Italy. Italy is still there and well populated! People move. It's ok.
It's not a 'Grapes of Wrath' situation for everyone looking to move to NC. For us, it's simply a chance for a better life, in a nice place. It's not like I'm currently living in a dust bowl or anything like that...people throughout history have moved here and there. Transplants aren't going to be the end of NC or the end of where they came from. 100 years ago, my family got off the boat from Italy. Italy is still there and well populated! People move. It's ok.
It's OK when growth is managed well.
Just heard a prediction of a 20 cent rise in property tax in the future to build more schools.
Why should all Wake County residents be gigged for this? Transplants need to pay their way with impact fees. Otherwise, they will create the tax mess they are now fleeing in NY, NJ, and CA.
Growth is not always good. It can be stopped by a rigorous policy of not encouraging sprawl and making new development pay for infrastructure up front. If that pushes growth elsewhere, no loss.
It's not a 'Grapes of Wrath' situation for everyone looking to move to NC. For us, it's simply a chance for a better life, in a nice place. It's not like I'm currently living in a dust bowl or anything like that...people throughout history have moved here and there. Transplants aren't going to be the end of NC or the end of where they came from. 100 years ago, my family got off the boat from Italy. Italy is still there and well populated! People move. It's ok.
Italy is actually a mess. The birth rate is so low there among natives that they project within 100 years there will be no full blood Italians left in Italy! They have one of the lowest GDP growth rates among industrialized countries in the world. Granted this may have more to do with the reprecussions of WWII than the mass migration from the country around the turn of the century, but you never know. Look where most Italian immigrants ended up..in the Northeast. What area now is considered by many to be the "least liveable" and "most leaveable" area of the country...the NE. (note I am not blaming this on Italians or Italian-Americans, lol. I'm 1/2 Italian myself).
The people of Italy emigrated to America (again, mostly the northeast) because they were literaly starving to death and the country was faced with disease and dictatorship. The dust bowl migrants went to the west coast because a horrible drought killed all of their crops and left them with NO way to feed their families or support any kind of livelyhood. The majority of transplants to NC are looking for lower taxes and bigger, newer home, and in the case of those from the NE, milder weather (all of these things mixed in with a few others often equates to the given reason of "better quality of life"). I know there are some who actually have lost their jobs and really can't find another one where they are now, but that is actually a minority among transplants. Many actually quit the jobs they have at home, and move to NC without jobs lined up! I'm not saying that people don't have the right to move where they want to if they feel they will be happier there and perhaps live life more comfortably. But it is not right to put them in the same category as people who actually had MUCH more seious issues to flee for their survival.
Of course I can't be sure that only the transplants are speeding, but I was basing that on the the fact that the problem didn't exist here until after the mass influx began. The same goes for our litter epidemic.
So.... because transplants find our roads smooth and fun to drive on, that means drivers should be chronically speeding on them? I don't quite get your logic on that one. Guess I'm just too much of a law-abiding citizen.
It was a humorous comment--not to be taken seriously. What's serious is the state of the roads in New England, but that's a thread for a different forum.
I'm not saying that people don't have the right to move where they want to if they feel they will be happier there and perhaps live life more comfortably. But it is not right to put them in the same category as people who actually had MUCH more seious issues to flee for their survival.
Well, you really don't get to judge for other people, how serious their issues are to THEM. And you painted a pretty broad and not overall accurate picture of Italian immigrants.
For me, my reasons are accurate and serious and I am fully confident in the choices I am making, to move to NC.
Again, people have moved all over the place, all throughout history-that's how it goes. It's ok. Some folks need to really relax
Well, you really don't get to judge for other people, how serious their issues are to THEM. And you painted a pretty broad and not overall accurate picture of Italian immigrants.
For me, my reasons are accurate and serious and I am fully confident in the choices I am making, to move to NC.
Again, people have moved all over the place, all throughout history-that's how it goes. It's ok. Some folks need to really relax
True, but we can learn from past mistakes.
Greed of developers can power growth. It can, and must, be controlled. The developers spoil a nice area then move on to spoil another one.
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