drinkTHEkoolaid Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Simple enough I'm looking for some advice on those who have relocated from wny. I'm seriously considering moving out of the area. After really thinking about how frusterated I am. My main complaints are high taxes on everything and a high cost of living comparative to salaries here Where did you move to ? What about that area interested you ? How are the taxes real estate and cost of living? What advice would you have to someone thinking of fleeing wny with a young family ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Simple enough I'm looking for some advice on those who have relocated from wny. I'm seriously considering moving out of the area. After really thinking about how frusterated I am. My main complaints are high taxes on everything and a high cost of living comparative to salaries here Where did you move to ? What about that area interested you ? How are the taxes real estate and cost of living? What advice would you have to someone thinking of fleeing wny with a young family ? Buddy of mine had a great place just outside of East Aurora, ton's of property [acres,lot's of them] beautiful new house, barn [with horses and room to ride them] and he gave it up to move to Tennessee. doesn't have any connection there, just fell in love with it on one of his x-country Harley rides and bought property [cheap] there and built a home. Loves the climate[i think he lives in the hills at some altitude so not so hot] and the rural area he lives in. I never asked him about tax's but knowing him I'm sure there low. Anyway I would look into it. I know he loves it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Never lived in Buffalo for any extended period or time. Born and raise in Syracuse...moved to Richmond VA at age 29-30...loved it immensely....would recommend richmond to anyone. 2 years ago moved from Richmond to outside of Philly and I cannot say enough about how much I love living in the Phllly area. The Northeast gets a horrible rap...I NEVER thought I'd be back up this way....I have fallen in love with the area. Please put my vote for 1/2 vote for Richmond, VA 1/2 vote for the Philly area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drinkTHEkoolaid Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 Never lived in Buffalo for any extended period or time. Born and raise in Syracuse...moved to Richmond VA at age 29-30...loved it immensely....would recommend richmond to anyone. 2 years ago moved from Richmond to outside of Philly and I cannot say enough about how much I love living in the Phllly area. The Northeast gets a horrible rap...I NEVER thought I'd be back up this way....I have fallen in love with the area. Please put my vote for 1/2 vote for Richmond, VA 1/2 vote for the Philly area. What about Richmond did u like ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Never lived in Buffalo for any extended period or time. Born and raise in Syracuse...moved to Richmond VA at age 29-30...loved it immensely....would recommend richmond to anyone. 2 years ago moved from Richmond to outside of Philly and I cannot say enough about how much I love living in the Phllly area. The Northeast gets a horrible rap...I NEVER thought I'd be back up this way....I have fallen in love with the area. Please put my vote for 1/2 vote for Richmond, VA 1/2 vote for the Philly area. Not everyone lives for bar hopping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 while i was there it was a very vibrant economy...unfortunately at the same time, Circuit City, qmonda and S&K went out of business putting a serious dent in the economy...still plenty of opportunities there but i couldn't find a replacement in enough time. outside of that...it was the perfect location...8 hours from my home town of syracuse...close enough, but far enough...2 hours to DC, Raleigh, Mountains and Ocean. Very mild climate. Nice people. tons of history. Very family friendly. couldn;t say enough about Richmond. Wish I was still there. What about Richmond did u like ? and thats my problem why???? Not everyone lives for bar hopping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Lots of great places in this country we live in. Love Richmond now, but loved DC for the 16 years i lived there, as well as the 18 months i lived In Chicago. My point, you make whereever you live great or miserable, not the other way around. WNY great place, don,t be so quick to give up on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVUFootball29 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I'm in VA near DC. Its pricey and the drivers are worse than many foreign countries, but there are things to do and most importantly JOBS! If i could be anywhere right now though, I'd be in Denver, Salt Lake, or Vegas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Moved to N VA in '70-stayed till 78. More moderate climate than BUF, sales tax 1/2 of NY, property tax 2/3 less than NY, depending where you go. On to Seattle 78-80. 10 months of drizzle/fog, occasional snow-huge problem because the whole area is hills & mountains and the drivers are in constant panic mode! Sales tax the same as NY, No State income tax but they make it up with property & car registration taxes. August & September are beautiful! Back to Chicago 80-82. A lot of similarities to BUF..weather, taxes etc., absent a great job, no real advantage with Chicago. To Houston 82-86. In my opinion, the butthole of the universe! Gas was cheap then, no State Income tax but high property & sales tax. Lived thru a CAT 5 hurricane in 82 along with the normal steady high humidity most other times. Fire ants, fu*k bugs, no a great spot! Escaped back to Seattle 86-03. Put up with the weather. When it's clear, it's beautiful! Occasional Earthquakes! 6.2 is my personal best! Company went CH11 in '02 and I retired in 03, moved to Williamsburg VA. Stayed for 15 months, I lost most of my pension to PBGC, found a job in Richmond VA. Moved to the Richmond area because; it was a 50 mile drive each way, dodging deer, and Gas was $1.60 then and I "couldn't afford that!" I'm not crazy about Richmond, but that's just me. It's working out till I can maybe really retire again. Don't think I'll be able to sell this house very easily, so I could be here for a while. Sales tax 1/2 of NY, Property tax is OK. When I look on Realtor.com, a comparable house to what we have in VA., in Rochester or Buffalo, would have an annual property tax of $10,000-$12,000 while we pay a little over $3,000 in Chesterfield county. I feel your pain! The reasons that you are thinking about leaving are many of the same ones that keep me from going back. It's a big decision and by all means, make sure your wife is totally on board with a move before you have even grerater probems. if you decide to leave, obviously have a firm job, and don't look back! The closest Wegmans to me is 75 miles N in Fredericksburg VA. Good Luck whatever you decide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I'll throw out another vote for Philly. I moved away from there back in '99 and I've missed it ever since. I loved the mid-Atlantic climate, the fantastic public transit (trains), the history, the architecture, the schools (proud Temple U grad), the diversity, the women, the food, and above all, the AMAZING SPORTS CULTURE. As I told Pooj before he moved there, it doesn't even matter if you're a fan of any of the Philly teams. The scene there is just amazing...the fans are intensely loyal, the main sports talk station (WIP 610am, although I think they have an FM spot now) is hugely entertaining, the sports complex in south philly is amazing (and conveniently accessible by the SEPTA trains, might I add!), and there is ALWAYS something to do. If a spot ever opens up with my company to transfer back there, I will do it in a heartbeat. I was born in the opposite corner of PA, but Philly is my second hometown as far as I'm concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 There is a wegmans in the works for westchester commons i believe. They should begin construction shortly Moved to N VA in '70-stayed till 78. More moderate climate than BUF, sales tax 1/2 of NY, property tax 2/3 less than NY, depending where you go. On to Seattle 78-80. 10 months of drizzle/fog, occasional snow-huge problem because the whole area is hills & mountains and the drivers are in constant panic mode! Sales tax the same as NY, No State income tax but they make it up with property & car registration taxes. August & September are beautiful! Back to Chicago 80-82. A lot of similarities to BUF..weather, taxes etc., absent a great job, no real advantage with Chicago. To Houston 82-86. In my opinion, the butthole of the universe! Gas was cheap then, no State Income tax but high property & sales tax. Lived thru a CAT 5 hurricane in 82 along with the normal steady high humidity most other times. Fire ants, fu*k bugs, no a great spot! Escaped back to Seattle 86-03. Put up with the weather. When it's clear, it's beautiful! Occasional Earthquakes! 6.2 is my personal best! Company went CH11 in '02 and I retired in 03, moved to Williamsburg VA. Stayed for 15 months, I lost most of my pension to PBGC, found a job in Richmond VA. Moved to the Richmond area because; it was a 50 mile drive each way, dodging deer, and Gas was $1.60 then and I "couldn't afford that!" I'm not crazy about Richmond, but that's just me. It's working out till I can maybe really retire again. Don't think I'll be able to sell this house very easily, so I could be here for a while. Sales tax 1/2 of NY, Property tax is OK. When I look on Realtor.com, a comparable house to what we have in VA., in Rochester or Buffalo, would have an annual property tax of $10,000-$12,000 while we pay a little over $3,000 in Chesterfield county. I feel your pain! The reasons that you are thinking about leaving are many of the same ones that keep me from going back. It's a big decision and by all means, make sure your wife is totally on board with a move before you have even grerater probems. if you decide to leave, obviously have a firm job, and don't look back! The closest Wegmans to me is 75 miles N in Fredericksburg VA. Good Luck whatever you decide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2011/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Simple enough I'm looking for some advice on those who have relocated from wny. I'm seriously considering moving out of the area. After really thinking about how frusterated I am. My main complaints are high taxes on everything and a high cost of living comparative to salaries here Where did you move to ? What about that area interested you ? How are the taxes real estate and cost of living? What advice would you have to someone thinking of fleeing wny with a young family ? Where else have you lived besides WNY? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBud Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Moved from WNY after graduating from RIT in 1984 to the Dallas TX area. Reason - lack of entry level jobs. Company provided me a huge amount of career opportunities that I still use today. Area was ok, but the level of haves and have nots was huge. Plenty of things to do almost every hour with all kinds of diversity. No state income taxes, but plenty of usage fees. 1994 - moved to Raleigh NC to get out of the defense industry. Really liked the area, enough city goings on while being very close to the country. Weather was a plus. 2001 - moved to Columbus OH as my work assignment in Raleigh was eliminated. Very satisfied with living here. 3 hours to my in-laws in Indy. 5 to Buffalo if a trip home is needed. Don't see us leaving any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 What is your education? Wife work? Kids? How close to your parents are you? You should pick 3 places that you think you may like and spend several days checking out the area. Schools, work, and the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Left WNY after high school to go to college. Met my wife there and we moved to Florida where she finished her degree. We then moved to Southern California because as a Chef in the early 80's it was the place to be. What did I like? Well the weather of course but there is just so much to do there and you have everything from the ocean, mountains, dessert, forests, etc. Stayed there for 26 years then moved to SF three years ago for my job. Had the opportunity to open up a regional office for my company and they asked where we wanted to go. How's that for a company? They wanted to promote me and asked me where I wanted to relocate. Well loving food and wine SF was the most logical place and they were excited about have an office in the bay area. I don't regret it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevestojan Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I moved to Tucson originially. Lovely place if you enjoy dirt, hot, and english as a second language. I then moved to my current locale, virginia beach. Good seafood. Besides that, meh. Both moves for work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I moved in Minnesota in '94. I came here to go to the University of Minnesota after SUNY Fredonia screwed me over. They were ranked in the top-10 of undergrad computer science degrees, so seemed like the thing to do. The weather is similar to WNY, except that it gets a LOT colder (most years... This year's been great!), but nowhere near as much snow. Taxes are reasonable - far less than WNY. Lots of job (in both IT and healthcare at least, haven't checked other industries). Tons of culture - theater, sports, music, you name it. Very hot music scene. There's actually a large contingency of ex-WNYers here too, although the site hasn't been updated in quite awhile: http://www.mspbillsbackers.com/ As others have said, most place are what you make of them. You just need someplace with decent taxes and good jobs and the rest will fall into place no matter where you are, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Been in the Philly area since '93 and now live in Delaware. Great area, low taxes and fairly mild climate. Plenty of Sports with Philly 30 mins away and Baltimore 1 hr. Ocean City, Atlantic City....lots of cool places close by. I miss Buffalo but most likely won't return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drinkTHEkoolaid Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 What is your education? Wife work? Kids? How close to your parents are you? You should pick 3 places that you think you may like and spend several days checking out the area. Schools, work, and the area. Have a BA and currently work in logistics. My wife works and have kids. I'm close to my parents but its possible depending where I move they would consider moving as well. After thinking about it more I'm coming up with a better idea of what I'm looking for. Ideally no more than a 10-12 hour drive to buffalo LOW taxes. Low or no state income tax. Low property tax. Lower cost of living Interested in the mid south states NC. TN. KY VA or maybe even OH . looking for a small town feel to medium sized city Interested in areas where you can have a neighborhood type feel in more country area while not being too far of commute to a city looking for a "red" state with accessible pistol permits more individual freedoms lower taxes etc... So far everyone has great feedback and comments and its appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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