[crappyjones123]

my dad might be taking a new job in manhattan which would require us to move from sunny south florida to somewhere in nj or ny. has anyone made a change similar to this? i dont know why but i always get made in charge of logistics simply because im a math major but this is unfamiliar territory for me so help me out a little.

nj/ny guys - from initial looking, most of the apt's near manhattan are around $2500(cheap 2 bedroom) - $3200(cheap 3 bedroom) which is what our budget will be for residence. my dad requests no more than 45 minutes to an hour's travel time to work and just for an idea he will be working at some place very near grand central and waldorf astoria (i think it is midway between those 2 places. are there any places we should look at specifically that are within that price range for an apt in ny or nj? are there any places we should avoid for sure?

i will be taking a trip up around the 4th of july so i would like to take appointments before hand to check out a few model apts before we make a decision. we cant afford to keep moving around so whatever decision is made, will stick for quite some time to come. obviously a safe, quiet neighborhood would be a top priority. second highest would be my dad's travel time to his office. my sister will start college this fall and im in graduate school already so we dont really care if there is much to do around the apt.

are there any other factors that i should be prepared for before i go up in a few days or any suggestions in general? i know the taxes are much higher there but just a change in lifestyle is what im asking about. where we live now, everything is very slow and quiet. everything is very spacious and airy. are we in for a giant shock?

any help will be appreciated.

[size=xx-small]as far as im concerned, sofla > nj

[/size]

 

[malldian]

I live in Central/North Jersey and I wouldn't call things slow and quiet at all. In general the farther away from Jersey you go the nicer people are. I would suggest keep moving fast (especially on highways) and enjoy the diners. Oh, click the NJ Meet link in my sig

 

[BetaLyr]

You should probably move to Queens or Brooklyn. To get to the city by train is usually ~30-45 minutes from the outer parts of NYC (not including bus travel time). Safe and quiet neighborhoods = Queens and Brooklyn.

In most neighborhoods outside the city, you can rent an entire house for ~$2000.

If you move to Manhattan, you will definitely be in for a shock. It's pretty loud and fast-paced most of the time, not to mention crowded.

 

[lmilhan]

I moved from southern NJ to southern Florida and then back to southern NJ (not by choice), so I can at least answer a question or 2...


Quote:

Originally Posted by crappyjones123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif where we live now, everything is very slow and quiet. everything is very spacious and airy. are we in for a giant shock?

Yes. Just about everyone here in NJ (at least where I live in southern NJ) seem to always be in a hurry and miserable. The place is so overpopulated that I try to not even go out on the weekends because I hate dealing with the multitudes of miserable, ignorant people going about their miserable lives.

People drive like maniacs, and are very discourteous to each other, especially out on the major highways. The only time I will even go to the movies is the earliest showing on sundays in order to avoid dealing with the ignorant public and large crowds. About the only place you will get courteous and competent service is from waiters and waitresses at restaurants (because, of coarse they are putting on a show for tips). For all other services and stores, etc, expect rude and incompetent customer service for the most part.

The pollen count, deseased ticks, mosquitos and "greenheads" around the summer time are nearly unbearable.

The property tax and car insurance are both retardedly high, as is the cost of real estate.

The music scene sucks (except for the casinos, every once in a while a good act rolls into town). The medical services in the area I live are a joke, and most of the doctors seem to be incompetent quacks and don't care about anything except for collecting a paycheck (at least the doctors myself and my wife have been to) - it's really difficult to find a good doctor in my neck of the woods.

If you are into arms & knives, NJ is the LAST place you want to live. You can't even own a freakin' BB Gun without first getting a REAL handgun permit - I s**t you not. God forbid if you want to own a real firearm - have fun jumping through the required hoops to get that permit. Don't even bother carrying a knife, unless it has a tiny useless little blade, and EVEN then it is up to the cops discretion as to what they want to do about you carrying a knife in the first place in the event you are pulled over and they find it on your person.

Dealing with the DMV is some sort of sick and twisted joke, and a lot like what I imagine hell would be like. Have fun there!

I am sorry, but I have lived here for over 20 years of my life, and I have difficulty in finding anything positive to say (especially these days) about new jersey. If I didn't enjoy my job as much as I do, I would get the hell out of here ASAP. I still plan on moving sometime soon, but I am hoping to maintain employment with my current company, but just work at a different location or from home - that way I can get the hell out of NJ and still keep my job.

I guess we at least have Six Flags Great Adventure, which is always fun as long as you go on a day when there aren't 6 trillion people there, LOL. Oh and we have Tomatoes and Cranberries!

In summary, I would do my best to talk anyone out of moving to New Jersey unless it was absolutely necessary. I preferred living in Florida by a large margin. I also think it is important to note that I don't remember the overpopulation and miserable people always in a hurry being a problem back when I was younger (before the casinos came). So my theory is that the arrival of the casinos contributed a great deal to southern NJ going to s**t.


At any rate, sorry to rain on your parade, but that's the way I see it living in southern New Jersey. Maybe someone who lives in a different area of New Jersey can find some nice and positive things to say. I would, however, be shocked if someone from southern Jersey chimes in and doesn't agree with just about most of the things I have said in this thread. I honestly can't wait to get out of this place.

 

[NiceCans]

^ you nailed it

 

[oicdn]

My roomy is from Jersey, and he when he got out of the Navy, he said he'd move back...he hasn't since because he said so many people there are miserable and downright negative whenever he goes to visit and changed his mind. He goes home every other weekend, but said he wouldn't live there again.

He said best advice, is move to NYC, either Brooklyn or Manhattan. You won't get half the negativity, it's not that much more crowded (relatively speaking), and it's the city that never sleeps....so you're better off if that's your kinda thing. He's kinda like lmilhan....lived there his entire life and wondered why he lived there by choice, lol. I quote "Go to NYC if you can afford it, otherwise, live in NY away from Jersey..."

 

[crappyjones123]

how would you guys compare the taxes between nj and ny? mum says that ny is even more expensive to live in there.

 

[jellojoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crappyjones123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif how would you guys compare the taxes between nj and ny? mum says that ny is even more expensive to live in there.

I believe NYC has an extra city income tax. I don't know if it applies to all the boroughs though.

 

[crappyjones123]

well i guess what im really asking is, if we were to get an apt in brooklyn or queens or a house outside the city, would the lower prices and the decent people plus the extra tax be a better choice financially than getting a place in nj?

 

[oicdn]

Roomie said the taxes are what you pay for having the nicer surroundings. According to him, he said it's 100000% worth the money to live in NY.

I just asked him if he hates NJ so much, why does he go up every other weekend or so. He says "because, my mom lives there...otherwise, seeing old friends is NOT worth the hassle." LOL...I had to start laughing after that one, lol.

 

[crappyjones123]

well thats not really answering my question. of course its going to be worth the money to live in ny. its going to be worth the money to live in hawaii as well. if it were up to me id get an apt in the middle of times square but i dont have the money for that. so keeping the budget constraints($2500-$3200) in mind, is a combination of the budget, decent people, extra tax beatable by anything jersey has to offer? ive been looking around but the cheapest 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apts i can find in brooklyn are like 5k+. anyone care to give me a linkey to where they can find something in brooklyn or queens for less than 3k? i know i mentioned 3200 but that is the absolute max we can spend so 3k would be a good ceiling for now.