OT- NJ is the Best State to Live In

[oldtimer67]

Right, because of the flex alerts and rolling power outages, lower consumption. What a state!!

California Flex Alert extended to Friday

The first statewide Flex Alert of the year has been extended through Friday as a punishing heat wave across much of the southwestern U.S. threatens to push California’s electricity supply to …

ktla.com

Too bad you didn't read the whole article. Headlines can be deceiving and out of date. The Cali grid actually ended up with more power than they expected when the initial announcement was made. And, there were no rolling blackouts. Many improvements were made from last year to this year. But just keep reading headlines.

 

[Knight Shift]

Too bad you didn't read the whole article. Headlines can be deceiving and out of date. The Cali grid actually ended up with more power than they expected when the initial announcement was made. And, there were no rolling blackouts. Many improvements were made from last year to this year. But just keep reading headlines.

I'm quite familiar with California's energy issues. That was just a quick example. Good luck with that.

 

[jtung230]

Didn’t get a chance to read the entire thread but the OP is correct because I live in NJ.

 

[fsg2]

We just opened a 10 mile difficult mountain biking course part of which is in my neighborhood overlooking the Arkansas River. Hot Springs Arkansas has a lot going on right now and a house on Lake Hamilton is very desirable. If you love golf, you should seriously look into Hot Spring Village. 5 beautiful championship golf courses!

If you are a laid back wannabe hippie who appreciates fine arts and crafts, then Eureka Springs in NorthWest Arkansas should grab your attention. Beautiful Ozark mountain area with very progressive residents. It resembles a Swiss Village with somewhat narrow streets and zero traffic lights. Additionally it is 30 minutes from some Great Lakes , hiking, fishing, mountain biking, etc. NW Arkansas is one of the top mountain biking destinations in America now.

Let me know if/ when you make a trip.
SG

Thanks, great info! Both areas sound right up my alley.

And I will let you know.

 

[newwavedave1]

I moved from NJ to Washington in 1994. Have never regretted it.

 

[Knight Shift]

Thanks, great info! Both areas sound right up my alley.

And I will let you know.

How is your area faring with heat and drought? Periods like this remind me I don't think we could live in Arizona year round

 

[fsg2]

How is your area faring with heat and drought? Periods like this remind me I don't think we could live in Arizona year round

In general, I like our summer weather better than NJ's (i.e. sunny, dry heat every day, with about zero full rainy days), but yeah, too hot too quick this year. Set a record for earliest 100-degree day earlier in the month and had three or four in a row this week. Usually don't see any until July or Aug, if at all.

I speak from experience on the above ...headed high into the mountains earlier this week and it was actually comfortable again instead of just a wall of hot fire the minute you step out of A/C. Forgot about mosquitoes, though.

Drought is more of a prob. Local reservoir is at about half level, wildfire danger way higher than usual and they're talking shutting down secondary water by July instead of Sept or Oct. I basically gave up on my lawn already. Not even sure I'm technically allowed to grill in my backyard.

 

[CollegeObserver]

This is a joke. Murphy bought his "survey". LOL

 

[NotInRHouse]

Sounds like those living in Bucks County, PA like living there better than staying in NJ by the business they work at.
Sounds like Jersey still is a good place for them, if only for the benefits of working in NJ.

Wonder how they would feel about living in NJ if their business moved to Newark and they had a long commute to work from their present home that might force them to move closer to work in a NJ area that's a much shorter commute .
Or would living in Bucks be so good that they would leave their present position and get a job around where they reside now..
Would the pay make that choice for them, or the difference in pay-scale in the Bucks commuting area is competitive enough to have them stay and work there?

In my opinion it sounds like the people living in Bucks have the best of both worlds, low property tax in Bucks, good pay in Jersey .
Every state has something about it that makes its residents think it's the best for them.
A few others might think they're crazy to think their state is the best 🙃

I can see people who like a more rural lifestyle, but only need to be in NYC or NJ once or twice a week, moving to PA. It's not for me, but for those who like nature and want to save on taxes and home prices it will be an option.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Granite Bay, Roseville, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Brentwood all up in NoCal just to start

Just to pick one out of random, the average home price in Petaluma is 818k which is over the 700k CA average.

That's comparable to one of the most sought after NJ burbs, Montclair, 820k average, where a commute to NYC is relatively easy.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Please don't make the mistake of comparing only the purchase price of a house. You must look at the total cost of ownership. For instance, a one million dollar house in Cali has property taxes slightly in excess of $10,000.00 per year. How much are the taxes on the same house in NJ? Also consider energy costs. Likely much less in most of Cali, too.

That is true, but income tax in California is higher as well, as is gas.

I do think California is one of the most expensive places to live in the US, maybe the most expensive, but versus say, Hawaii, the trade off is higher salaries (probably the highest nationally in the Bay Area). I am a four seasons and walkability person, but if I wasn't, I'd probably live in SoCal.

 

[rucoe89]

Just to pick one out of random, the average home price in Petaluma is 818k which is over the 700k CA average.

That's comparable to one of the most sought after NJ burbs, Montclair, 820k average, where a commute to NYC is relatively easy.

Lots of folks commute from Petaluma to San Francisco. About an hour away. Novato (avg. $847k) is closer to SF. Both also have the benefit of being right next to wine country (Sonoma), great microbreweries (Russian River area), the outdoors (camping hiking fishing) in addition to being close to a big city (San Francisco).