Do You Want to Leave New Jersey? [POLL]

Speaking to a friend of mine who lives in Connecticut, he was bemoaning the fact that the home he lives in is costing him 15 thousand a year in taxes to live in.

My answer to that was that sounds about right – that a good many of us are paying about 12 to 15 thousand a year in taxes.

Unless you live in a condo or something smaller, you’re footing the bill for things like college loans, general expenses, taxes and the like.

These are among some of the reasons why neighbors and friends are pulling up stakes and moving to friendlier places.

Places that are friendlier in terms of the cost of living and quality of life.

And seeing how this is the first of the month, it’s not a bad time to look back to January to see if anything’s changed.

Here’s what I'd written back then:

A recent survey by United Van Lines finds that folks are leaving the Garden State in droves.
Where are they going? Possibly to places where the weather is more manageable and the cost of living is favorable – fewer taxes and intrusive government.

If you’re resisting the move, what is it that keeps you here? Family – change of seasons – perhaps proximity to places like New York and Philly – the mix of cultures?

NJ.com reports:

United Van Lines had a busy year moving people out of New Jersey in 2013.

For the third year in the past four, New Jersey led the list as the state with the greatest percentage of people leaving.

According to United, 4,045 of its New Jersey customers moved out of state last year, while 2,326 moved in, resulting in a 63.5 to 36.5 ratio.

In addition to New Jersey, New York (61 percent), Connecticut (59 percent) and Massachusetts (56 percent) are also included.

Where are people moving, according to United? Oregon (61 percent inbound), South Carolina (60 percent) and North Carolina (58 percent).

I love it here – and while dreading the possibility of having to be forced out because of high taxes – can’t see living anywhere else. I left the city behind 26 years ago. It’s now a pleasant memory – but that’s all.

I’d also lived down south – and while I grew to love it, it’s still not to my liking. Summers are brutal, and the pace is unbelievably slow.

Same goes for Florida – too much humidity, no change of seasons, and too many bugs and lizards.

So, unless things change radically for the worse (which is always possible) – I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.

My outlook still hasn’t changed. However, by the way things look around here, I might be the last of the Mohicans in my development that’s an original owner - and may have to learn a new language to get by.

And that’s bolstered by the results of a recent Gallup Poll that suggests 41 percent of us want to leave.
this despite the fact that 28 percent of us think that Jersey is one of the most desirable places to live in the country.

Such is life in the Garden State in 2014.