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hi everyone, was hoping to get some advice. I currently live on Long Island, NY and have been looking to move to Raleigh for some time with my Wife and two kids who are 1 and 2. I just got a job offer as a NC state employee. I've done research on this and it seems like an even trade with my current salary up here but i would be working just 40 hrs a week to my current 50-60 hours and I would have a much larger house/property down in Raleigh. Also my family is in Florida and Tennessee so I will be closure to them.
Does anybody have any pros and cons for working for the state? Also what do you think a family of 4 needs to live on in the areas of Raleigh such as Apex, Cary etc.. Thanks.
I can tell you the state benefits (healthcare particularly) aren't too impressive. Also the state government has recently decided to stop funding the university system at a sensible level.
Benefits aside (I don't know much about State benefits), the quality of life improvement you'll experience from Day 1 will be stunning to you and your wife. There are so many desirable areas to explore and consider you'll need to figure out the ones which will afford you the most sensible commute. Regarding what you'll need to earn, depending on whether you're buying or renting you could make it on anywhere from $50K per year on up. Big ticket items are cheaper here (auto insurance, gas, rent or property tax, utilities, etc.).
And be forewarned, many will try and dumb down the upside of living here and stress that this isn't nirvana, don't spend too much time focusing on that sort of rhetoric. We relocated here from Long Island in 2007 and the upside is HUGE and the downside manageable.
me and my husband and son are moving to Raleigh Jan 31st. I cant wait. We came for a visit and loved it. We liked Cary, Apex and North Raleigh. We are just renting a house until we get settled. Everyone was so helpful and friendly while we were there.
Thanks for the advice everyone. One of my biggest questions with the State is regarding health care and pension. Im coming from a job without one and just a 401K so the pension benefits seem like a big plus. I will be making more than $50,000/year and my wife will be staying home with the kids until they start school in 4 years then she will go back to work as a teacher.
I'm also coming from a job commuting to the City everyday and its finally taking a toll on me now that I have kids. We went down last June and really liked the Cary/Apex area. If everything works out we will be putting our house up here on the market in January. My job will start in February, if we don't sell the house right away im going to have to rent a 1 bedroom while the family stays up in NY until the house sells. Then we plan on renting a house until we figure out the right location to buy.
Thanks for the advice everyone. One of my biggest questions with the State is regarding health care and pension. Im coming from a job without one and just a 401K so the pension benefits seem like a big plus. I will be making more than $50,000/year and my wife will be staying home with the kids until they start school in 4 years then she will go back to work as a teacher.
I'm also coming from a job commuting to the City everyday and its finally taking a toll on me now that I have kids. We went down last June and really liked the Cary/Apex area. If everything works out we will be putting our house up here on the market in January. My job will start in February, if we don't sell the house right away im going to have to rent a 1 bedroom while the family stays up in NY until the house sells. Then we plan on renting a house until we figure out the right location to buy.
As long as you factor in the lower salary your wife will make once she starts teaching here, you'll be fine. Sounds like you've got all your ducks in a row.
You will also want to factor in maintenance costs for a larger home/property, but since you plan to rent here first, you have time to do your due diligence there.
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And be forewarned, many will try and dumb down the upside of living here and stress that this isn't nirvana, don't spend too much time focusing on that sort of rhetoric. We relocated here from Long Island in 2007 and the upside is HUGE and the downside manageable.
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We moved here in 2010 also from Long Island and I think I love this quote. Perfectly stated.
Your state benefits won't compare to NY's (in all likelihood) - but it's probably not worth the struggle of day-to-day living just to reap the reward when you retire. At one time when the cost of living on LI was manageable, but not now. Get out while you can sell your house if own one before the monthly tax bill becomes bigger than your mortgage (which is where we'd be now if we'd stayed).
I agree with all of the above. We moved here from LI 16 years ago with a young family and for the most part it has been wonderful. My kids had a very hard time adjusting, especially to the schools, but yours are so young it will not be a problem.
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