New Jersey anyone?

[Donna]

I have lived in NJ my whole life....very rural south Jersey area. I love it here. We are close to Philly and within driving distance for day trips to NY or DC. I love the beaches...though I'd prefer not having to pay to get on them. The people are nice, cultural activities are plentiful, and I love having 4 season to my year. I also love not having to pump my own gas!! :lol:

 

Downsides...car insurance, property taxes, government corruption.

 

Forgot to add... I live very close to Atlantic County if you have any specific questions.

[Mom-2-7]

Egg Harbor City or Township? Hammonton is North of the City and is nice. If you live anywhere near the Black Horse Pike it won't be hard to get to Philly, or the Express Way, that is a fast way to Philly. Mays Landing is nice, it is more west, but along 40 instead of the Black Horse Pike.

 

I think that whole area is a great place to live, but I grew up not too far from there (more north on the Black Horse Pike). Egg Harbor was rural back then. It may still be. You mentioned having a garden. I don't know what the land towards the shore is like, but where I lived I think you could just throw some seed down and everything grew great. There is a reason it's called the Garden State. :001_smile:

 

It's Egg Harbor Township. It seems like our choices are pretty limited since we need at least a 5 bedroom house. Then add on the acreage that I want and the pickens are slim. But I'm sure "our" house is out there for us.

 

I'm getting excited about this move. Thank you! And my husband thanks you too! I've been digging my heels in about the move lately. I'm ready to go now.

[SonshineLearner]

I forgot to mention: Fresh Mozzarella (like out of the whey at the deli) Fresh sandwiches with cheese, tomatoes, vinegar... salt & pepper on fresh bread. Friday night dinners from the Jewish delis. One of my favorites "mushroom barley"... (mushrooms with barley pasta?? with dressing) Seriously incredible Challah.... well, all the places I lived in NJ. Real Pizza. Just incredible food.... Great plays in the city... (if you're close enough??) And we traveled to Philly... Great... incredible... fun... times ;)

[justamouse]

If people are dumb enough to watch Jersey Shore and think that is what New Jersey is like so be it. As long as they know that 99% of the cast is not from New Jersey.

 

:lol::lol: I know, right? Great post. Even when I lived in the sticks of NJ, I could be in the middle of Manhattan in 1.5.

 

And you forgot Edison's compound is here. Which just got remolded and is now open. And then you can visit the Turtleback Zool

 

I'm in Warren county :001_smile: (northwest NJ), born and raised.

 

I'm in Sussex! My parents live in Warren (where I grew up).

 

We're moving out of NJ (to SW VA), but we have mostly enjoyed our 11 yr stay here. We live in central NJ--friendly people, easy traffic, great shopping.

 

The bad--property taxes, insurance. And, yes, government intrusion. We had to have an inspector come to see if our house is up to code to sell--not a horribly bad idea, but no place else I lived required it except for new construction. Some of the codes are good (mounted kitchen fire extinguisher), some are over the line (screens on all windows--how is that their business?). Friends went through a permitting process for building a new deck, and it was insane and way overkill (speaking as a civil engineer) what they required for the design.

 

Love the hsing laws though! And there is way more rural NJ than most people think.

 

Now, see, I love those laws. I think buying houses in other states is like the Wild West. I WANT an inspector to come through and fine tooth comb it-not only do I know exactly what I am buying but I can also make a better negotiation. I want the well tested, I want the survey redone. It's a HUGE investment and I want to know exactly what I am buying with my $.

 

I like the codes because there are dirtbag contractors who will slap two boards together with some nails and call it sound.

 

Yes, there is some stupidity in the permits, but having been on the other side of an old owner NOT having a permit, I can see why they are strict (The guy just decided to dig himself a pond, the town gave him a nod but no papers and the bank flipped out. Then to find the guy had totally disrupted the water table and runs and had now flooded his basement every time it rained...)

 

It's Egg Harbor Township. It seems like our choices are pretty limited since we need at least a 5 bedroom house. Then add on the acreage that I want and the pickens are slim. But I'm sure "our" house is out there for us.

 

I'm getting excited about this move. Thank you! And my husband thanks you too! I've been digging my heels in about the move lately. I'm ready to go now.

 

Philly is awesome and you'll be close, a TON of history in that town! And the museums! *sigh* and so is Cape May-just gorgeous-and the Cape May zoo is free and amazing. I think it's better in some ways than the Bronx Zoo. You'll have a great time there.

 

And we should be allowed to buy Raw Milk soon! :001_smile:

[cjbeach]

It's Egg Harbor Township. It seems like our choices are pretty limited since we need at least a 5 bedroom house. Then add on the acreage that I want and the pickens are slim. But I'm sure "our" house is out there for us.

 

I'm getting excited about this move. Thank you! And my husband thanks you too! I've been digging my heels in about the move lately. I'm ready to go now.

You'll find 5 br the more rural you go. Check out realtor.com Galloway, NJ (ATlantic County). You'll find some there in the $350K range on up.... From Galloway you won't be too far from Cape May. Love Cape May. ((Locals don't shoot me - but you wouldn't be far from Wildwood as well which is fun for the occasional boardwalk night, dinner, or Irish Weekend!!!))

[Jeannie in NJ]

yes, the Cape May County Zoo is just beautiful, so nice to walk there especially with all the tall trees there. Also the zoo is in a huge county park area with tons of grassy areas and trees with picnic areas and playgrounds. We go there all the time.

I know you will find the house you want. As long as you are not looking to buy on any of the barrier islands, (which you are not) you can find houses with lots of acreage and at a large range of varying prices.

 

My nephew and his family live in Egg Harbor Township in a beautiful house but I am not really familiar with the rest of that area.

 

However if you decide to look in Upper Township (some of the towns there are Beesley';s Point, Marmora, Palermo, Seaville, Ocean View, Petersburg, etc) in Cape May County I am quite familiar with that area as that is where we are looking to move to away from our island house.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I had forgot about Galloway, lots of acreage there, pretty area but then I find all of the South Jersey shore and off shore area to be gorgeous. Love the trees here, lots of trees here in the off shore towns.

[cathmom]

Dh and I are both from South Jersey (near Philadelphia), but we would never move back because of the property tax issue. It's just insane! The other thing that drives me crazy now is the traffic and the gazillions of stores (do we really need two Targets a mile away from each other????) I am also very rusty at NJ driving now (and it doesn't help that they've gotten rid of all the traffic circles - can't believe the ridiculousness they're building to eliminate the Marlton Circle!) and find it very awkward to always turn right to go left now, as a PP mentioned.

 

But South Jersey is way better than North Jersey IMO!

[Mom-2-7]

Wow! Property taxes are high in NJ. They are (average) triple where I am.

 

But then again, we boast 1 museum, 3 state parks (1 that is so trashy, I won't go), a school district that ranks among the bottom in the nation and.......well......that's it. It's not that I live in a small town either. We have over 2 million people. So, I guess I'm ok paying a little more since I will be getting more.

 

Triple taxes will take some getting used to though.

[nono]

I love the beaches...though I'd prefer not having to pay to get on them.

 

There are no beach tags on Five Mile Island (The Wildwoods). :)

[SweetBean]

Wow! Property taxes are high in NJ. They are (average) triple where I am.

 

But then again, we boast 1 museum, 3 state parks (1 that is so trashy, I won't go), a school district that ranks among the bottom in the nation and.......well......that's it. It's not that I live in a small town either. We have over 2 million people. So, I guess I'm ok paying a little more since I will be getting more.

 

Triple taxes will take some getting used to though.

The property taxes are the hardest part for us. If you buy a house, be aware that the tax assessment automatically goes to the purchase price. That is different from our old state. We have a 2,000 square foot, 4 bedroom 2 bath house on 1 acre and pay $13,000 per year in property taxes alone. :ohmy:

[cathmom]

The property taxes are the hardest part for us. If you buy a house, be aware that the tax assessment automatically goes to the purchase price. That is different from our old state. We have a 2,000 square foot, 4 bedroom 2 bath house on 1 acre and pay $13,000 per year in property taxes alone. :ohmy:

 

See...that's why we couldn't move back there! Our house is the same size and number of rooms, except we have over 2 acres, and we pay less than $1000 in taxes.

[Puma Mom]

Besides the outrageous property taxes, ridiculous government intrusion and control over your life? Nothing.

 

I live here, and were it not for my husband's very secure job, I would move out in a heartbeat. Yes, we have beautiful beaches, but you pay through the nose to use them. It is very difficult to live comfortably here.

 

Was it recently?

 

My house was for sale 2 years ago and there was no such requirement.

Yes, recently--last month. It's called a Certificate of Continuing Occupancy, and apparently each township can make up their own rules about what is required. The inspector told us that they change the rules every 4 years.

[Mom-2-7]

The property taxes are the hardest part for us. If you buy a house, be aware that the tax assessment automatically goes to the purchase price. That is different from our old state. We have a 2,000 square foot, 4 bedroom 2 bath house on 1 acre and pay $13,000 per year in property taxes alone. :ohmy:

 

 

:ack2: :ack2: :ack2: :ack2: :ack2:

 

I guess we'll be eating a lot of Top Ramon.

[Jeannie in NJ]

right now we live on one of the barrier islands and pay about 3,000 property taxes on our 9 room 2200 sq. ft house. We plan on moving off shore to a house which will probably be about 150.000 LESS than what we will be selling our house for and our taxes off shore will be 6,000-7,000. Crazy huh. oh and our house off shore will probably be larger than our current house and we will def have a bigger yard.

[Wheres Toto]

right now we live on one of the barrier islands and pay about 3,000 property taxes on our 9 room 2200 sq. ft house. We plan on moving off shore to a house which will probably be about 150.000 LESS than what we will be selling our house for and our taxes off shore will be 6,000-7,000. Crazy huh. oh and our house off shore will probably be larger than our current house and we will def have a bigger yard.

 

The taxes can vary greatly from one town to the next. We pay about $3,500/year in a town with a great school, rural, population about 5,000. Next town over taxes on our house would be $6,000.

 

I've been told a lot of it has to do with what kind/how many businesses and schools there are in town. We have a large out-patient hospital facility, one gourmet grocery store and a little strip shopping center. We only have one K-8 school and send our high schoolers to a different town.

 

Down in South Jersey, there are a lot of regional school districts (DH graduated from Mainland Regional High School many, many, many years ago). I'm not sure what effect that has on the taxes.

[justamouse]

The taxes do not automatically rise to the sale price of the house. Ours actually were lowered.

 

My taxes are killer, yup. We have the highest in the nation. And I hate them, but it's not a reason I would move at this time. They are high (we pay 15k), but we can't make what we make anywhere else. We've looked into it.

[Jumping In Puddles]

:ack2: :ack2: :ack2: :ack2: :ack2:

 

I guess we'll be eating a lot of Top Ramon.

 

But the pay here is pretty high too. I know if we move out of state for cheaper housing and taxes, my dh will only make a fraction of the money he makes here.

[Alicia64]

There is a very good chance that Dh will be transferred to his company's New Jersey office.

 

When I tell people of this, I get the same reaction from everyone. They say "New Jersey? Why on earth would you move there?" All said with a little sneer on their face.

 

I HAVE to respond and I've never been to NJ in my life. Although I work for a super nice woman who is HQ'd there.

 

We moved out of CA to the east coast last year. People in CA would look at me just as you describe and sneer in exactly the same way.

 

Once I arrived in our new state I'd hear the same thing along the lines of, "OMG, why on earth did you leave CA??" (But on the east coast it was under 30's who would say this.)

 

Because of reactions I'd received in CA from mature adults, I was a little scared. Absolutely.

 

And here's the rub: they were completely wrong.

 

Our new state is, as one guy put it last summer, "paradise." It's beautiful with awesome weather, gorgeous flowers and trees, nice people.

 

I don't want to say something rude but the type of person who sneers like that about another state is just plain. . . oops. . . I won't be rude.

 

They're a lot like people who want to tell you how damaging it is to homeschool.

 

Really, really, really: don't go off of those "sneer" types unless they're offering you hard proof of nuclear waste pouring into the ocean (Japan) or something factual like that.

 

Alley

[SweetBean]

But the pay here is pretty high too. I know if we move out of state for cheaper housing and taxes, my dh will only make a fraction of the money he makes here.

My DH made the exact same salary in CT, as he is making here in NJ, the cost of living is just much higher.

 

The taxes do not automatically rise to the sale price of the house. Ours actually were lowered.

 

My taxes are killer, yup. We have the highest in the nation. And I hate them, but it's not a reason I would move at this time. They are high (we pay 15k), but we can't make what we make anywhere else. We've looked into it.

So the tax assessment isn't the same as what you paid for your house? Have you had a re-assessment that lowered it?

 

I do have to say that NJ does not deserve the nasty reputation that it gets in other parts of the country. We have made wonderful friends here, and it is very beautiful. I have yet to meet anyone who is the personification of the Jersey Shore cast. :glare:

[gingersmom]

J

 

 

I have yet to meet anyone who is the personification of the Jersey Shore cast. :glare:

 

That's because only one of them is from New Jersey.

[SweetBean]

J

 

That's because only one of them is from New Jersey.

exactly.

[Sahamamama]

There is a very good chance that Dh will be transferred to his company's New Jersey office.

 

When I tell people of this, I get the same reaction from everyone. They say "New Jersey? Why on earth would you move there?" All said with a little sneer on their face.

 

So, please tell me, what is wrong with New Jersey? Specifically south Jersey - Atlantic County area. I'm really starting to get nervous about this move since the negative reaction has been universal. I need to know the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

A New Jersey Native Speaks:

 

I was born and raised here, my family is all here, I live here now. In some ways, I agree with this question. WHY, oh WHY would you move here? We are longing and praying to get out. :tongue_smilie:But we really only want to get out of our neighborhood/house/township, into a more rural place. If we could afford Northwest NJ, we'd move there in a heartbeat. It's beautiful, and I grew up camping and roaming the lovely green hills of that part of the state (grandparents lived up there). If we could move to a more southern part of NJ, this would also give us a more rural/small-town feeling. But we are in the congested West-Central section (Ewing, near Trenton, the capital), and we are in a dumpy little house, on a dumpy little dead-end street, in a dumpy part of a dumpy town. There are some beautiful places, but I don't live in one of them. :glare: Sigh.

 

Can you blame me for wanting to move? :tongue_smilie:New Jersey has a 9% unemployment rate. High, high, unbelievably high property taxes. High immigration rate, very ethnically diverse (not necessarily a negative, depends on what you want). Where we live, the taxes are high, the public schools are terrible, and the township picks up our trash ONCE per week. Whatever. What do we pay for? I have no idea. Must be those six-figure school administrator salaries, or the mayor's expense account. ;) Corruption is rampant here, BTW, but we have a governor trying to change that.

 

Top Three Things Wrong with NJ

1. It's expensive to live here -- highest cost of living in the US, I think.

2. It's crowded -- highest population density of any state in the US, I think.

3. It has a lousy reputation, which is perhaps well-deserved.

 

New Jersey Weather

Winter = ice, snow, gray skies, more snow, ice, gray skies, snow, snow, snow

Spring = for two weeks, it's very pretty, depending on the rains

Summer = hot and sticky

Fall = for two weeks, it's very pretty, depending on the rains

 

New Jersey Attitudes

I live in the West-Central section (too close to Trenton), and it's not the intense/rushy part of the state (IMO, that would be up closer to NYC). This area is less relaxed/rural-feeling than the southern part of NJ. I think that Atlantic County would feel like another world, compared to my town (Ewing), so take all I say with a grain of salt.

 

No one says "sir" or "ma'am" here, so if you do, you'll stick out. If you speak with a Southern accent, you might have a hard time fitting in. If your children are blond-haired and blue-eyed, you might want to home school them in some districts (we had friends who HAD to do just that, because their pale little Sven & Ole children were beaten up daily, and the school did nothing -- it was on the way to school, or on the way home, there's nothing we can do... yada yada yada yada.... ).

 

We do have great home school laws, though! No registration, portfolios, tests, records, affadavits, reading lists, evaluations, attendance, or anything -- just teach them, you're the parent. If we left the state, I would miss that. HTH.

[gingersmom]

A New Jersey Native Speaks:

 

I was born and raised here, my family is all here, I live here now. In some ways, I agree with this question. WHY, oh WHY would you move here? We are longing and praying to get out. :tongue_smilie:But we really only want to get out of our neighborhood/house/township, into a more rural place. If we could afford Northwest NJ, we'd move there in a heartbeat. It's beautiful, and I grew up camping and roaming the lovely green hills of that part of the state (grandparents lived up there). If we could move to a more southern part of NJ, this would also give us a more rural/small-town feeling. But we are in the congested West-Central section (Ewing, near Trenton, the capital), and we are in a dumpy little house, on a dumpy little dead-end street, in a dumpy part of a dumpy town. There are some beautiful places, but I don't live in one of them. :glare: Sigh.

 

Can you blame me for wanting to move? :tongue_smilie:New Jersey has a 9% unemployment rate. High, high, unbelievably high property taxes. High immigration rate, very ethnically diverse (not necessarily a negative, depends on what you want). Where we live, the taxes are high, the public schools are terrible, and the township picks up our trash ONCE per week. Whatever. What do we pay for? I have no idea. Must be those six-figure school administrator salaries, or the mayor's expense account. ;) Corruption is rampant here, BTW, but we have a governor trying to change that.

 

Top Three Things Wrong with NJ

1. It's expensive to live here -- highest cost of living in the US, I think.

2. It's crowded -- highest population density of any state in the US, I think.

3. It has a lousy reputation, which is perhaps well-deserved.

 

New Jersey Weather

Winter = ice, snow, gray skies, more snow, ice, gray skies, snow, snow, snow

Spring = for two weeks, it's very pretty, depending on the rains

Summer = hot and sticky

Fall = for two weeks, it's very pretty, depending on the rains

 

New Jersey Attitudes

I live in the West-Central section (too close to Trenton), and it's not the intense/rushy part of the state (IMO, that would be up closer to NYC):tongue_smilie:. This area is less relaxed/rural-feeling than the southern part of NJ. I think that Atlantic County would feel like another world, compared to my town (Ewing), so take all I say with a grain of salt.

 

No one says "sir" or "ma'am" here, so if you do, you'll stick out. If you speak with a Southern accent, you might have a hard time fitting in. If your children are blond-haired and blue-eyed, you might want to home school them in some districts (we had friends who HAD to do just that, because their pale little Sven & Ole children were beaten up daily, and the school did nothing -- it was on the way to school, or on the way home, there's nothing we can do... yada yada yada yada.... ).

 

We do have great home school laws, though! No registration, portfolios, tests, records, affadavits, reading lists, evaluations, attendance, or anything -- just teach them, you're the parent. If we left the state, I would miss that. HTH.

 

I live in New Jersey and 99% of my experience is completely different.

[Firestar Academy]

(and it doesn't help that they've gotten rid of all the traffic circles - can't believe the ridiculousness they're building to eliminate the Marlton Circle!) QUOTE]

 

oye! I hate that circle....miles of back-up, each way, all day long....hoping it will be better soon....:auto:

 

 

 

 

And we should be allowed to buy Raw Milk soon! :001_smile:

 

 

NO.WAY!!!

 

Robin

[Wheres Toto]

I live in New Jersey and 99% of my experience is completely different.

 

:iagree: I spent my entire life in NJ, lived in 3 different counties and dh is a lifer from a completely different part of the state and we've never had experiences like that.

 

FWIW - I have one blonde-hair/blue eyes, one blonde/hazel eyes and one red hair/brown eyes. One has gone to public school all along and will graduate next year (for pre through 8th she went to a very racially diverse school district), one went for a year of Early Intervention and one has never gone. No problems at all.

 

I've been trying to find a simple COL list by state but not having much luck. A cnbc survey puts NJ at 3rd but lumps it in with parts of New York (and New York is 6th or 7th but includes parts of NJ :confused:).

 

Big pet peeve of mine - when artists or athletes are playing/performing at the Meadowlands and talk about how great it is to be in New York. :glare:

[cathmom]

Big pet peeve of mine - when artists or athletes are playing/performing at the Meadowlands and talk about how great it is to be in New York. :glare:

 

Way back when on MTV, Martha Quinn (obviously not a football fan) called them the "Jersey Giants." Someone corrected her during the video, and when she came back on, she apologized and then said with a confused look on her face, "But they play in New Jersey, don't they?"

 

:lol:

[Jumping In Puddles]

My DH made the exact same salary in CT, as he is making here in NJ, the cost of living is just much higher.

 

 

Oh yes, I do know CT, NY have high salaries too and yet I didn't think about whether or not the cost of living would be less in either state. I thought cost of living was similar (except NYC which is way higher because of housing cost). :)

 

When I think about relocating, I am thinking south, like the Carolina's or out to the midwest where my dh could relocate with his company but make less money.

[Jumping In Puddles]

But we really only want to get out of our neighborhood/house/township, into a more rural place. If we could afford Northwest NJ, we'd move there in a heartbeat.

 

:w00t: Yes, move to NW NJ!! It is one of the most affordable places to live in NJ. We moved here from Bergen County (which I loved!) because I couldn't drop 3/4 million on a 2 bedroom house in my hometown. :sneaky2:

 

One drawback is that it is really difficult to get a job around here because, well there is not much here! Lots of farms, small shops (strip malls :ack2:), parks, a decent hospital but not much industry.

 

Plus justamouse is here :D:D:D and Capt_Uhura and Kalmia are close by :w00t:

[justamouse]

NO.WAY!!!

 

Robin

 

WAY! I know, right??!!! I am positivly *giddy* with anticipation. I have a farm a few miles away that would be selling. *bounce*bounce*bounce*

 

Plus justamouse is here :D:D:D

 

Lol! that may be a deterrent. But yeah, NW NJ is not citified. It's farms, and farms, and farms. And woods. And bears. *lots* of bears. But you can still be in Manhattan in 1.5.

[Jumping In Puddles]

WAY! I know, right??!!! I am positivly *giddy* with anticipation. I have a farm a few miles away that would be selling. *bounce*bounce*bounce*

 

 

 

Lol! that may be a deterrent. But yeah, NW NJ is not citified. It's farms, and farms, and farms. And woods. And bears. *lots* of bears. But you can still be in Manhattan in 1.5.

 

I get raw milk every friday. just sayin' ;)

[justamouse]

I get raw milk every friday. just sayin' ;)

 

Ohh I shoulda known. And here I missed my connection. I won't make you mule for me, I'll run and git it myself. I've been working the PA end, I shoulda been digging in NY.

[Donna]

There are no beach tags on Five Mile Island (The Wildwoods). :)

 

I know. We have gone there. :001_smile:

[nono]

I get raw milk every friday. just sayin' ;)

 

 

That goes without saying. After all, this is Jersey. :tongue_smilie:

[Impish]

Only thing I know about New Jersey is that Bon Jovi is from there

:D

[Jumping In Puddles]

Only thing I know about New Jersey is that Bon Jovi is from there

:D

 

And Bruce! :D

[Sahamamama]

WAY! I know, right??!!! I am positivly *giddy* with anticipation. I have a farm a few miles away that would be selling. *bounce*bounce*bounce*

 

 

 

Lol! that may be a deterrent. But yeah, NW NJ is not citified. It's farms, and farms, and farms. And woods. And bears. *lots* of bears. But you can still be in Manhattan in 1.5.

 

And that's why I was moaning about living down here in dumpy Ewing (near Trenton). :tongue_smilie:NW Jersey would be like a dream-come-true for me. I grew up camping there, going to kids' camp there, visiting relatives there. I love it, and it's actually the only place on the East Coast that my California-raised husband has thought of as beautiful. He would be happy there, if he could find a good job within commuting distance, plus a house with land that we could afford.

 

Shoot up a prayer for us. ;)

[justamouse]

And that's why I was moaning about living down here in dumpy Ewing (near Trenton). :tongue_smilie:NW Jersey would be like a dream-come-true for me. I grew up camping there, going to kids' camp there, visiting relatives there. I love it, and it's actually the only place on the East Coast that my California-raised husband has thought of as beautiful. He would be happy there, if he could find a good job within commuting distance, plus a house with land that we could afford.

 

Shoot up a prayer for us. ;)

 

Shooting, shooting!!! check out http://www.gsmls.com and see if there's anything!

[july19]

*waving from Bergen County* I hate the stigma and bad rap that NJ has.

 

I'm originally from Michigan - a beautiful tourist town on the lake...I miss it.

 

Anyhow, I moved to be with my now-husband. I had known him two months and I just up and moved. I knew. I knew he was it. And my friends and family thought I had done lost my mind. I was moving after two months AND I was moving to NJ?! They wanted me committed.

 

But, it's beautiful here. I will admit that where I live (about 20 minutes from NYC...love it!) it is VERY EXPENSIVE. But there are beautiful neighborhoods and friendly people. And it's pretty cool to have virtually anything you need on any block! I'm used to having to travel 40 minutes to a large city for my stuff =P

[Sahamamama]

*waving from Bergen County* I hate the stigma and bad rap that NJ has.

 

I'm originally from Michigan - a beautiful tourist town on the lake...I miss it.

 

Anyhow, I moved to be with my now-husband. I had known him two months and I just up and moved. I knew. I knew he was it. And my friends and family thought I had done lost my mind. I was moving after two months AND I was moving to NJ?! They wanted me committed.

 

But, it's beautiful here. I will admit that where I live (about 20 minutes from NYC...love it!) it is VERY EXPENSIVE. But there are beautiful neighborhoods and friendly people. And it's pretty cool to have virtually anything you need on any block! I'm used to having to travel 40 minutes to a large city for my stuff =P

 

That's so funny, because my husband moved from sunny California to be here in New Jersey with me. We met on eHarmony. Yup.

 

We "met" in August, started talking on the phone in September, he flew out here in October, I flew out there in November, then he MOVED here in December, proposed in February, and we were married on May 1st. :D

 

Oh, and we literally got pregnant on our wedding night. :lol:

 

Nine months, seven days later, we were parents.

 

Less than two years later, we added twins.

 

I remember our third anniversary CLEARLY -- Husband was holding one baby, I was holding the other, the toddler was clinging to my knees. We looked at each other and laughed. "Happy Anniversary, Honey!" :lol::lol::lol:

 

New Jersey has been good to us, in that our memories have been built here. Please forgive my previous descent into moaning. We're just finding ourselves frustrated with our house/location/urban-ness, but maybe someday we will be able to live "further out," as we say here. Good luck, OP!

[Carrie12345]

And that's why I was moaning about living down here in dumpy Ewing (near Trenton). :tongue_smilie:NW Jersey would be like a dream-come-true for me. I grew up camping there, going to kids' camp there, visiting relatives there. I love it, and it's actually the only place on the East Coast that my California-raised husband has thought of as beautiful. He would be happy there, if he could find a good job within commuting distance, plus a house with land that we could afford.

 

Shoot up a prayer for us. ;)

 

Oh, I hear ya! We spent 2 years on the Hamilton/Trenton border. Not the best representation of NJ!

 

Where did you camp? My family spent about 14 seasons at PAC. ;)

 

Our current dream is to get a mini farm in Wantage. :D

[Wheres Toto]

And that's why I was moaning about living down here in dumpy Ewing (near Trenton). :tongue_smilie:NW Jersey would be like a dream-come-true for me. I grew up camping there, going to kids' camp there, visiting relatives there. I love it, and it's actually the only place on the East Coast that my California-raised husband has thought of as beautiful. He would be happy there, if he could find a good job within commuting distance, plus a house with land that we could afford.

 

Shoot up a prayer for us. ;)

 

When I lived in Sussex County I had to go to a seminar for people on unemployment. First thing they said was - Don't expect to find a job in Sussex County. You will be commuting.

 

A lot of people in NW New Jersey commute to Morris County for work. A nice long ride on Route 80 (aka Route Wait-y). It's actually not totally awful if there aren't any accidents - about 30 to 45 minutes to go 20 miles. And if you can, get a job with slightly off hours - I had a boss that came in at 5am and left at 3pm to miss the traffic.

 

If you can get a job in the International Trade Center in Mount Olive (which is Morris County but barely) you can avoid the 80 mess but most people seem to work down by Parsippany.

[Jumping In Puddles]

oh, i hear ya! We spent 2 years on the hamilton/trenton border. Not the best representation of nj!

 

Where did you camp? My family spent about 14 seasons at pac. ;)

 

our current dream is to get a mini farm in wantage. :d

 

DO. IT. :D:D:D

[Carrie12345]

DO. IT. :D:D:D

 

Lol. If we could offload this house, we'd be there YESTERDAY! :auto: