My wife of 46 years and I live in the “Garden State.” We’re both retired. We have 3 grown children, each of whom has three of their own. Two kids (and thus 6 grandkids) live within an hour of us, in NJ and Brooklyn. Our third child lives north of Dallas with his family.
The Dallas son has been proselytizing for years, trying to get us to move there. I’m finding it increasingly difficult to justify living in NJ, a state with a high income tax, very high property taxes, loony liberals at every level of government, nasty traffic, expensive tolls (we spend almost $30 round-trip on tolls each time we visit our daughter in Brooklyn), ugly winters, the virtual impossibility of owning a gun for protection, and now, with the new tax proposals, potentially losing a few of the tax breaks that make living here manageable.
We could replace our house with one in Texas for about half the cost, and do away with most of the aforementioned problems. The main negatives, of course, are being away from 2/3 of our family, not to mention various other relatives in the northeast, plus the awful Dallas summers. And, having lived here for close to 40 years, losing contact with the nice group of close friends in our circle. A couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have even considered it, but as the political climate grows worse, I am leaning towards making the move. Either that, or just sitting on my back porch smoking marijuana all day in order to forget what a hellhole this has become.
I’d greatly appreciate any comments or suggestions relative to my dilemma. The son who lives nearby, in NJ, has mentioned that he is considering making the move as well. Should he do so, that would put 2/3 of the grandkids in Texas, and make the decision a lot easier.
I am probably one of several million conservatives who is living in a high-tax, left-wing state (as most high-tax states are) who is struggling with the same, or a similar dilemma.
If you are retired, Pennsylvania doesn't tax pensions, IRA distributions and Social Security -- without limit, unlike the People's Republic of New Jersey. Like Texas, a house costs 1/2 as much. PA is 2A friendly, too.
If there is any better proof, the State of New Jersey prohibited state employees from living in Pennsylvania decades ago.
I love the NJ beaches, pizza and tomatoes. But enough is enough.
President Trump has a pied-à-terre here, but he doesn't live in New Jersey full time.
Look at it this way.
In the south the style of living is reversed from the north.
In the north people put up with the cold weather of winter, run the heater, and wait for spring, summer and fall.
If you move to the south you adjust your lifestyle by six months.
You work your way through summer with the air conditioner and iced tea (or something stronger) and do your high living in the fall, winter and spring.
In the north the best time for a back yard barbecue is the height of summer.
In the deep south the worst time for a back yard barbecue is the height of summer.
More times than not, northerners who move to the south and try to live the northern time cycles are the ones who give up and move back north.
Those that make the seasonal adjustment learn to enjoy the life.
You need to check with your Dallas-resident son or maybe one of your former neighbors who have decamped to NC, SC, or FL about this guy Carrier and his fantastic invention in the last century of air conditioning. The other FReeper who pointed out the activity shift in your calendar was also right on the mark. We really don’t melt into puddles of goo from May-September.
My family goes back many generations in New Jersey. The absolute best thing my wife and I have done for ourselves was to move to PA in 2004. I still work in Pburg. The 45 mile each way commute is worth every second of my time.