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I came from a country where if you forgot your jacket in a car, the car will be open and jacket will be stolen. I am used to lock my cars, my home doors, even locking my balcony.
Insurance is for that kind of things anyways if they happen. However, I don't want to live again in a place where theft and criminals are waiting for you to do a mistake.
I am not fan of guns, their sounds, the way they look, etc... unless I am somewhat sure they are in the right hands. I don't want to wake up on a sound of a nearby gunshot every other week. I am OK with hearing that once in a 10 years though!
Now, where should I live?
I’ve never heard a gunshot here in my 8 years. Just don’t login to Nextdoor where there’s “was that gunshots?!?!?” posts every other day. Spoiler alert, it’s almost always fireworks or backfiring cars.
But there is the occasional shooting, maybe 5-10 a year in Cary? More than I’m used to.
Have you been here before? If not then definitely come visit, as that’s the only true way to get a feel. I’d visit Cary, Apex, Morrisville. Also check out New Hill which is part of Apex but a little more of a slower speed (for now).
Look, no one is shooting guns inside any town or city, they all banned that year's ago. Wake county just modified their ordinance to increase the distance you can shoot near a house even in rural areas.
When considering airplane noise, train noise, etc, the OP should consider that things are not like NJ here as far as volume of these occurrences. Unless they lived in the farmland of NJ even the worst area here is considerably less than what people deal with up there. Planes are not flying 1000 feet over dense residential neighborhoods here like I see every time in fly into one of the airports in NY/NJ.
May I ask where in central Jersey you’re from? I used to live in Somerset County , and I can probably give you some good comparisons. Nearly all of the Triangle is a safe, giant family friendly suburb. There is petty crime, just like anywhere else, but I have never once felt unsafe. We escaped NJ 8 years ago, and I have never spent a single second regretting our choice. I only wish we had moved sooner.
I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
I am in Somerset as well. Appreciate any comparisons!!!
Look, no one is shooting guns inside any town or city, they all banned that year's ago. Wake county just modified their ordinance to increase the distance you can shoot near a house even in rural areas.
When considering airplane noise, train noise, etc, the OP should consider that things are not like NJ here as far as volume of these occurrences. Unless they lived in the farmland of NJ even the worst area here is considerably less than what people deal with up there. Planes are not flying 1000 feet over dense residential neighborhoods here like I see every time in fly into one of the airports in NY/NJ.
Yes having lived under a flight path (JFK) I laugh when people here complain about airplane noise. We live closer to the airport here and we lived here three months before we saw a plane in the sky. My kids said “is there an airport around here?” Lol
Yes this has become an area where if you leave your car unlocked someone may go in and search for spare change and if you leave something better in there it will be gone. Same thing happened in my driveway on Long Island - once when I was living with my parents over 30 years ago and once in the driveway of our home parked in one of the richest zip codes on Long Island about 20 years ago. Pro adulting tip - YOU CANT CONTROL WHO COMES TO YOUR TOWN BECAUSE THATS HOW FREE SOCIETY WORKS. And things will continue to spiral in that regard. Nuff said here.
Based on one posters musings here you will probably be expecting to find a ghetto in the area. Come visit and you’ll see it’s just a normal American suburb with a lot of amenities and some problems. NORMAL TYPICAL SUBURB.
Yes having lived under a flight path (JFK) I laugh when people here complain about airplane noise. We live closer to the airport here and we lived here three months before we saw a plane in the sky. My kids said “is there an airport around here?” Lol
Yes this has become an area where if you leave your car unlocked someone may go in and search for spare change and if you leave something better in there it will be gone. Same thing happened in my driveway on Long Island - once when I was living with my parents over 30 years ago and once in the driveway of our home parked in one of the richest zip codes on Long Island about 20 years ago. Pro adulting tip - YOU CANT CONTROL WHO COMES TO YOUR TOWN BECAUSE THATS HOW FREE SOCIETY WORKS. And things will continue to spiral in that regard. Nuff said here.
Based on one posters musings here you will probably be expecting to find a ghetto in the area. Come visit and you’ll see it’s just a normal American suburb with a lot of amenities and some problems. NORMAL TYPICAL SUBURB.
I agree that much of the area here is typical American suburbs and not in the seventh circle of hell. That said, it doesn't necessarily mean it's as good or better than where the OP is from.
I have family in central NJ (a bit south of the OP) and have spend a ton of time there over the course of my life, and I personally think the area they're in is safer (and quieter!) than much of the Triangle area, and the schools are hands down higher quality. They also pay a lot more property tax (although I wonder if in the end with all the taxes added up if it's that different).
Whatever the case, the only way for the OP to really get a feel for things is to take a trip down here. It certainly attracts tons of other people to move here, but that doesn't mean it's for everyone or that our problems should be overlooked.
I agree that much of the area here is typical American suburbs and not in the seventh circle of hell. That said, it doesn't necessarily mean it's as good or better than where the OP is from.
I have family in central NJ (a bit south of the OP) and have spend a ton of time there over the course of my life, and I personally think the area they're in is safer (and quieter!) than much of the Triangle area, and the schools are hands down higher quality. They also pay a lot more property tax (although I wonder if in the end with all the taxes added up if it's that different).
Whatever the case, the only way for the OP to really get a feel for things is to take a trip down here. It certainly attracts tons of other people to move here, but that doesn't mean it's for everyone or that our problems should be overlooked.
Far and away the biggest reason to move here is the lower property taxes. My experience after many years on this board is people who rent in place "X" and move here and continue to rent are no happier than they were where they came from. In fact, moving away from family with no net benefit usually makes them less happy. If you have enough money saved to buy a house here but not enough where you came from it can also work out, but I think the ship has sailed on that. I know people who moved here 20-25 years ago and saved up and bought a house they never would have been able to get where they came from, but that has pretty much evened out here, all you might get here is a slighter newer house.
The schools up north will continue to attract people to the teaching profession because of the salary and benefits, here not only do you not get that but you are expected to put up with a lot more crap from parents, an equation that has never made sense to me. And the schools up there are probably status quo, while here they are going down hill fast, partially because of the lack of qualified personnel (starting with principals) and partially because there's nothing on offer from the school systems to make it worthwhile. Much easier to maintain the product and adjust to changes in a much smaller school district too.
If the OP thinks Somerset is crappy he is looking a nirvana he's not gonna be able to attain, IMHO.
Far and away the biggest reason to move here is the lower property taxes. My experience after many years on this board is people who rent in place "X" and move here and continue to rent are no happier than they were where they came from. In fact, moving away from family with no net benefit usually makes them less happy. If you have enough money saved to buy a house here but not enough where you came from it can also work out, but I think the ship has sailed on that. I know people who moved here 20-25 years ago and saved up and bought a house they never would have been able to get where they came from, but that has pretty much evened out here, all you might get here is a slighter newer house.
If the OP thinks Somerset is crappy he is looking a nirvana he's not gonna be able to attain, IMHO.
I disagree with the rent thing. A $2000 a month in NC rents a very nice 3 br place. In NJ an equivalent home would be $3500 a month. Even with purchasing a house, yea it got higher in NC, but it is now even way higher in NJ
I disagree with the rent thing. A $2000 a month in NC rents a very nice 3 br place. In NJ an equivalent home would be $3500 a month. Even with purchasing a house, yea it got higher in NC, but it is now even way higher in NJ
You completely missed the point of what I'm getting at.
Far and away the biggest reason to move here is the lower property taxes. My experience after many years on this board is people who rent in place "X" and move here and continue to rent are no happier than they were where they came from. In fact, moving away from family with no net benefit usually makes them less happy. If you have enough money saved to buy a house here but not enough where you came from it can also work out, but I think the ship has sailed on that. I know people who moved here 20-25 years ago and saved up and bought a house they never would have been able to get where they came from, but that has pretty much evened out here, all you might get here is a slighter newer house.
The schools up north will continue to attract people to the teaching profession because of the salary and benefits, here not only do you not get that but you are expected to put up with a lot more crap from parents, an equation that has never made sense to me. And the schools up there are probably status quo, while here they are going down hill fast, partially because of the lack of qualified personnel (starting with principals) and partially because there's nothing on offer from the school systems to make it worthwhile. Much easier to maintain the product and adjust to changes in a much smaller school district too.
If the OP thinks Somerset is crappy he is looking a nirvana he's not gonna be able to attain, IMHO.
I don’t think I agree with that - there are many reasons to live here outside of financial reasons. Commute time, weather, convenience were the big ones for us. The financials were a bonus but we never would have moved solely for that reason.
I think the people that move solely for financial reasons are the ones that don’t end up happy. Renting or not, if you’re leaving your friends and family just to be able to buy a nicer house and a nicer car, then it’s destined to fail.
This is for Raleigh, but City-data (you know, the "data" part of City-Data) has a page for every city or town.
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