[thomschoon]

My wife is transitioning to a new job and we have some cities to pick from, any expereinces in these places would help. Since I fly out every Monday it really doesnt matter to me but I would like to get back to a 3 car garage.

DC - stay here and continue to look for a bigger mortgage as it would come with a bigger garage.

Philly - all I saw was ghetto, there must be more in the area.

Wisconsin by Minneapolis - colder than heck all winter, low cost of living with 4 car garages easily available.

Princeton NJ - nice college town

Thanks for any help/info

Thom

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by thomschoon

Philly - all I saw was ghetto, there must be more in the area.

There certainly is a lot. I have relatives who live in the Glenside area. I think that that area was pretty nice. The area is far more established than here. You may have to go way out to get a place with a 3 car garage.

Wait till Pari wakes up :P and rings in. He goes to Philly all the time.

[BlackTalon]

My sister and brother-in-law live just west of Philly (in Malvern). Lots of big (2.5+ acre) lots in their area; it's farmland that's slowly being built up (lots of twisty roads, as well). Their property values started shooting up this past year, but they have not seen the gains we have seen in the DC-area.

[Eli]

Originally Posted by thomschoon

My wife is transitioning to a new job and we have some cities to pick from, any expereinces in these places would help. Since I fly out every Monday it really doesnt matter to me but I would like to get back to a 3 car garage.

DC - stay here and continue to look for a bigger mortgage as it would come with a bigger garage.

Philly - all I saw was ghetto, there must be more in the area.

Wisconsin by Minneapolis - colder than heck all winter, low cost of living with 4 car garages easily available.

Princeton NJ - nice college town

Thanks for any help/info

Thom

I'd look outside of Philly as well. A lot of new developments going up. Property is starting to appreciate. A friend of mine just moved to Yardley, PA. It's about 15 minutes outside of the city, right by the train station. Nice little town...

[Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by thomschoon

DC - stay here and continue to look for a bigger mortgage as it would come with a bigger garage.

Unreal how much houses cost here. I'm just lucky I bought 5 years ago and have hopfully ridden the wave up. Every-so often I broach the subjuect of selling our overpriced house here in the DC area and moving somewhere where we could buy a mansion for the same price - like Charlotte or Virginia Beach.

Originally Posted by thomschoon

Philly - all I saw was ghetto, there must be more in the area.

Saying Philly is all ghetto is like saying DC is all ghetto - which is to say, its a pretty much an accurate statement. Sure there are a few nice areas, but Philly proper is a dump - I spent 4 months there last year and speak from experience. Like with any big city, there will be some nice suburbs like Malvern, King of Prussia, etc, but everyone lives in those places and the roads suck, so rush hour traffic tends to be as bad there as it is here.

Originally Posted by thomschoon

Wisconsin by Minneapolis - colder than heck all winter, low cost of living with 4 car garages easily available.

You get what you pay for. Cost of living is low, but so is pay for jobs. Access to things you may have goten used to in large east/west coast cities is gone. There is something like a 3 week driving season, but lots of time to work on the car. But hey - the people are nice - you betcha!

Originally Posted by thomschoon

Princeton NJ - nice college town

Central Jersey is a very nice place to live. I was there for 2 years right out of college and liked the area a lot. Check on house prices in that area (), real estate taxes (highest in the nation), car insurance (again highest in the nation), and how nice the NJ state police are to Porsche drivers and get back to us.

Good luck on the search. If I were thinking about moving somewhere with a lower COL, I think Charlotte would be the first place I looked. Its like what Atlanta was 10 years ago, before all the northerns like us moved there and ruined it.

[Mike W]

Originally Posted by jazzbass

You get what you pay for.

That statement is pretty much spot-on. This area is expensive but of the places you mentioned, has the most attractions (restaurants, night clubs, theatre, museums and other cultural offerings). Minnesota has the fewest but is the cheapest to live in (although Jazbass is correct in saying that salaries are lower). Also, in general the DC suburban jurisdictions have some of the best public schools in the nation.

Not sure if it helps at all, but in the end it comes down to what you are most interested/concerned with.

Coming from someone who does not yet own their own home, the prices around here (especially close to the city) are daunting at best, but I can't see myself moving unless it is back to NYC or Boston areas (not cheaper) unless it is for an absolute dream job. I can just hope for a weakening of the housing market... but I'm not holding my breath.

[thomschoon]

[quote="Central Jersey is a very nice place to live. I was there for 2 years right out of college and liked the area a lot. Check on house prices in that area (), real estate taxes (highest in the nation), car insurance (again highest in the nation), and how nice the NJ state police are to Porsche drivers and get back to us.

Good luck on the search. If I were thinking about moving somewhere with a lower COL, I think Charlotte would be the first place I looked. Its like what Atlanta was 10 years ago, before all the northerns like us moved there and ruined it. [/quote]

The funny thing about Minnesota is they are actually looking to give the wife a nice raise to come there as they are having a hard time getting anybody to stay. As for the limited driving time, I figured I would keep the car in Houston for the winter so I can drive it a week every month. Plus it doesnt cost me anything to get it transported so it would be better than nothing, but still not high on my list.

I agree on NJ as I get paid there and they are kind enough to keep 7% (just got changed) as a way of making me want spend more time there.


Thanks for the input

[Jase007]

they are kind enough to keep 12.5%

Yeah .. a few years back it was 4.5% in CT but was "promised" the income tax would be rescinded .... HA!

So, you're the guy funding the new NOS kits for the NJ "troop F" bubble cars so they can keep up with Pari!!!! Thanks!

Jase

[markwemple]

My pick is Princeton (if you can afford it). Ultimate college town and the yuppie factor isn't too bad. Wonderful small town atmosphere w/lots to do. Minn. would be the pick for raising a family but if that is the factor that's being considered, I would pick up-state NY (and I'm not talking about West Chester or Orance co.s here). Best schools in the country, very low cost of living and prettiest views. Not much for work and a lot of snow (Less than Minn. and warmer to boot!)
My 2c.

[thomschoon]

Originally Posted by Jase007

Yeah .. a few years back it was 4.5% in CT but was "promised" the income tax would be rescinded .... HA!

So, you're the guy funding the new NOS kits for the NJ "troop F" bubble cars so they can keep up with Pari!!!! Thanks!

Jase

I just got an email from the HR folks, tax rates were changed, now the are going to keep only 7%. As for funding NOS, the condition of most of their cars is so poor it would make them scary. The ones to watch out for are the Maryland Ford expeditions they have cruising on 95.