Relocation opportunity

[Bertotti]

New Jersey to Iowa? Wow - that's gonna take some getting used to! Good luck with it!

I've done the "big move" a few times. Bi-coastal stuff. East to West, West to East, then back to the West again. I highly recommend it - it can open your eyes about how other parts of the country live.

If you have the time to do it at a leisurely pace, it's fun to do it as a road trip. Some of the best memories of my life were things I stumbled into while on a long road trip - unexpected delights, so to speak.

And with your trip, you'll be passing right thru Chicago. If you've never been there, set aside a few days to check it out. Fun town - lots of history, great music, and great food!

Biggest issue people from the northeast have is politeness. My room mate in the Marines is from NY, upstate, and his sense of humor has most Iowans shaking their head and preparing to toss his mangled corpse into a hog confinement, they eat everything. The other people I knew from the Boston area had issues with wait staff and hellos. Out here people check on their table routinely, if they are good wait staff. Politely asking how your doing, do you need anything. My friends from out east were just rude all the time. Leave me alone, if I want something I’ll yell, we just don’t do that hear and in a smaller town it’ll get you tossed out. Big culture shock both ways. I about got into fights saying hi to people in NY And Boston! Very different worlds. I got along better in Japan and China than I did in NY and Boston!

 

[Highroller]

... Big culture shock both ways. I about got into fights saying hinto people in NY And Boston! Very different worlds ..

So true ... and it's not really that New Yorkers are "rude". They just communicate differently. That's what I mean when I say "it'll open your eyes"!

We're the same in that we're all Americans, but all Americans aren't the same! Every region has its own distinct cultural and social norms. Depending on your overall life outlook, it can be either fun or a PITA to make the adjustments you need to make to succeed in a new region. It takes a certain amount of open-mindedness to make it all work.

I hope the OP has that!

 

[CBHScott]

I had lived about an hour from Chicago in different exurbs for most of my life, but then 4 years ago, relocated for a job opportunity with my company to the Columbus, OH area. Other than the relocation trip itself (late at night, with an injured, bi-polar wife, disabled stepsister-in-law, a dog and two cats) that almost made me run the car into an overpass support, it was the best possible move we could have made.

Columbus is a pretty cool city, and sits in proximity to a lot of cool surrounding activities, and is easy to get around - absolute paradise compared to trying to get anywhere within 50 miles of Chicago. It also seems there are a lot of other Chicagoland ex-pats around here.

 

[radd]

Culture shock, no kidding. I’m a born and raised California boy and I married a into a large extended Jewish family from the Bronx. OMG. As the Goy, the Hebrew term for me, it took a long time just to adjust to the social interaction style at family gatherings. Everybody talked loud and never bothered to wait until someone else finished talking.

Having said that, what a wonderful group of folks who accepted me immediately even though I was the first Goy to marry into the family.

 

[Bertotti]

Culture shock, no kidding. I’m a born and raised California boy and I married a into a large extended Jewish family from the Bronx. OMG. As the Goy, the Hebrew term for me, it took a long time just to adjust to the social interaction style at family gatherings. Everybody talked loud and never bothered to wait until someone else finished talking.

Having said that, what a wonderful group of folks who accepted me immediately even though I was the first Goy to marry into the family.

Ever watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding? My dads side is decidedly Italian. All from Illinois Spring Valley Chicago and that show had me laughing at the social dynamics! I have to be careful because I’ll still talk over and around people and most around here can’t do that. One sentence at one time then move on. Hahahha moving to California was the easiest transition from Iowa where I grew up back in the ‘80s. All the local girls thought I was local. The new with a look my friend was from NY. One told me syou local or from Iowa, they seem to be equally laid back.

 

[Bertotti]

So true ... and it's not really that New Yorkers are "rude". They just communicate differently. That's what I mean when I say "it'll open your eyes"!

We're the same in that we're all Americans, but all Americans aren't the same! Every region has its own distinct cultural and social norms. Depending on your overall life outlook, it can be either fun or a PITA to make the adjustments you need to make to succeed in a new region. It takes a certain amount of open-mindedness to make it all work.

I hope the OP has that!

All about perception my friend form NY had no idea he wasn’t funny here like he was there. His joking just went several steps beyond what we were used to.

 

[Dansimpson]

Culture shock, no kidding. I’m a born and raised California boy and I married a into a large extended Jewish family from the Bronx. OMG. As the Goy, the Hebrew term for me, it took a long time just to adjust to the social interaction style at family gatherings. Everybody talked loud and never bothered to wait until someone else finished talking.

Having said that, what a wonderful group of folks who accepted me immediately even though I was the first Goy to marry into the family.

That sounds like the Welsh...... I have experience with that, only English man at a Welsh party...
ATB
Dan

 

[Jelly Roll Horton]

That sounds like the Welsh...... I have experience with that, only English man at a Welsh party...
ATB
Dan

That’s funny, because to this yankee I just think of anyone and everyone in the UK as a Brit. Except the Scots and Irish, 0’course.

 

[Uncle Daddy]

I moved to a coastal backwater about 15 miles and 25 years from my hometown. You need 4 grandparents in the local graveyard (preferably dead!) to be considered a local. There's been such an advent of house building in the last few years that blow-ins now outnumber locals, and you only hear the local dialect from a few remaining old timers, which is a shame. Local teenagers' cars seem to be weed-powered, if the smell coming from them is anything to go by, and the rest of the town is on anti-depressants, which is more a comment on society in general now than the location.

Local kids can't afford local homes any more, so we're fast becoming a retirement town, meaning health services are overloaded. The High Street banks are shutting, and being replaced by Papa Johns and charity (goodwill) shops. The schools are overflowing, the roads falling apart, and teenagers don't know what a litter bin looks like.

All of that said, we have tons of local history, micro-breweries, morris dancing, coastal walks, beautiful parks, old churches, and helpful bus drivers. Barge races, steam fairgrounds, and more tea rooms than you can shake a stick at. On balance it works out well.

 

[stiv]

I moved to a coastal backwater about 15 miles and 25 years from my hometown. You need 4 grandparents in the local graveyard (preferably dead!) to be considered a local. There's been such an advent of house building in the last few years that blow-ins now outnumber locals, and you only hear the local dialect from a few remaining old timers, which is a shame. Local teenagers' cars seem to be weed-powered, if the smell coming from them is anything to go by, and the rest of the town is on anti-depressants, which is more a comment on society in general now than the location.

Local kids can't afford local homes any more, so we're fast becoming a retirement town, meaning health services are overloaded. The High Street banks are shutting, and being replaced by Papa Johns and charity (goodwill) shops. The schools are overflowing, the roads falling apart, and teenagers don't know what a litter bin looks like.

All of that said, we have tons of local history, micro-breweries, morris dancing, coastal walks, beautiful parks, old churches, and helpful bus drivers. Barge races, steam fairgrounds, and more tea rooms than you can shake a stick at. On balance it works out well.

View attachment 186459

That's what I'm planning to do in a few years when my retirement plan will kick off.
I was thinking about moving to the south of Spain but with the recent climate changes I'm not sure I'd be equipped to live in a desert-like environment, so my wife and I just thought that Cornwall ain't that bad, considering that in 10 years there would probably be a nice warm weather there . After all, we both don't like swimming (I can't, to be honest) but we like living nearby the sea, we don't have kids, and we like to live on our own (or "with few selected friends", to say it politely, that would mostly visit us from London ) doing nothing but painting, playing music at home and visit local tea houses (wife) and pubs (me). Also, being italians would sure gave us a bonus in making friends.

 

[wabash slim]

I grew up near Chicago in NW Indiana. I'm a Regionite, and definitely NOT a Hoosier. South Bend is like the far Eastern suburb. We're connected to Chicago by the last interurban railroad in the country, the South Shore. Large Eastern European community full of city kids. Watched Chicago TV, listened to Chicago radio, and in Chicago, they can pronounce my name properly. Family originally settled in Michigan, an hour North.

I moved two hours South and within a week someone asked me, "Yer a furniner, ain't cha?"
Before that, I lived in Texas, Colorado, Kansas, and East Anglia Britian while in the service. Stayed in South Bend afterwards, couldn't get a decent job for love nor money. Moved away for school and never looked back.

Advantages here are no hurricanes, fires or floods, cheap housing, and decent work.
Disadvantages are politics, stagnant economy, and closed-minded people.
Too old to move, and it's still a lot better than other places.

 

[5120mantis]

I leave Tuesday and I'm excited, the current job has been notified, they seem reluctant to lose me but understand. I don't think I've mentioned what I'll be doing out there.
I'm going to work in the Indian Motorcycle assembly factory!
It's as if willy Wonka gave me the keys to the chocolate factory.
Opinions of the bikes themselves aside wish me luck, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.
I personally think the Polaris built Indians are gorgeous and once I get up to speed hope that what departments I work in I can match and eventually exceed the current quality of production.
I love Harley Davidson and Triumph, Victory, Yamaha BSA, Royal Enfield, etc.
Indian always had that mystique to it though, and the vintage modern style is up my alley, kind of like our Gretsch's!
I hope to take a rider safety course out there and eventually get a scout sixty.
I'm planning on 4 days driving time, and hope to hit the rock n roll hall of fame museum in Cleveland.

 

[juks]

I've lived in CA since my parents moved here when I was an infant (I'm 60 now). Moved from Sillycon Valley to high desert in '08. Love the county and small-town vibe, but CA pretty much just sucks. We're stuck here for the time being due to some family stuff. No idea where we'll retire but it won't be in Cali.

I like the bay except cost of housing is ridiculous. I like LA too but housing isn't any better and the traffic is just stupid. San Diego is very nice but again not any cheaper.

Portland and Seattle are nice but it rains way too much. After CA I don't think I'd want to deal with that. Lot of people like Denver but I wasn't very impressed when I used to visit there due work. Florida used to be on my list of possibilities but no longer. Those storms make it a no for me.

Problem is that I have no idea where I'd want to move if I want to escape the stupid housing cost.

My boss is in the UK but the guys over there say it would not be a good idea since brexit. We have an office in Germany as well and I already lived there so I could adjust back in quite easily.

Ideally I could move to one of those Caribbean islands. Being EU citizen there are several I could move to without any hassle. And the southern most don't seem to get hit by the storms. But they are French and you really need to speak the lingo to be able to live there.

So no clue. At least for the next 5+ years I'll likely stay put. But when I retire I will likely move away from bay.

 

[Edison]

New Jersey to Iowa? Wow - that's gonna take some getting used to! Good luck with it!

I've done the "big move" a few times. Bi-coastal stuff. East to West, West to East, then back to the West again. I highly recommend it - it can open your eyes about how other parts of the country live.

If you have the time to do it at a leisurely pace, it's fun to do it as a road trip. Some of the best memories of my life were things I stumbled into while on a long road trip - unexpected delights, so to speak.

And with your trip, you'll be passing right thru Chicago. If you've never been there, set aside a few days to check it out. Fun town - lots of history, great music, and great food!

A 'big move' at least once is something I think everyone can benefit from. Unless you grew up in a family that got transferred a lot, army brat, etc. at which point some geographic stability might be preferred.

After I finished college I was floundering, living back with my parents, freelancing and working in downtown Chicago while trying to figure out my next move. I looked at a few apartments in the city but hadn't really felt drawn to anything there. Then I visited a friend living outside of Philadelphia (Ambler) and just fell in love with Philly. Even though Chicago had the proximity in its favor, maybe even more career opportunities for me, I just felt compelled to find an apartment while I was there and went for it. I didn't have any prospects, and only one friend there, still I felt drawn to the experience. It had its challenges but those were some of my most formative years. I lived there for 9 years, buying my first home and starting a family, before moving back to the mid-west. At that point, Chicago seemed like a big friendly cow-town by comparison.

 

[radd]

Grew up in SoCal, hated it. Spent every spare minute at the beach 60 miles away.

At 20 moved to Santa Cruz to school and made it my home.

I must be by an ocean, swimming, sailing, kayaking, SCUBA diving, love it.

I feel guilty here, much of the country bakes right now and we have our normal morning fog that cools us down and burns off for mostly blue sky 70 degree days during the summer..

I walked to the dog beach daily



You can see how much I like the ocean in this pic, I’m driving the boat…Ya I was young once…



My town

 

[wabash slim]

The Midwest prices are great.

Problem is that I have no idea where I'd want to move if I want to escape the stupid housing cost.

Housing costs here in the flatlands is low. My place costs a fraction here from what it'd be in Cali.

 

[juks]

Housing costs here in the flatlands is low. My place costs a fraction here from what it'd be in Cali.

No doubt!

 

[HypotenusLuvTriangle]

Have any Gretsch talkers pulled up stakes and relocated for a career change of life/pace opportunity?
Tell me the experience you had...

I moved from Detroit to Los Angeles. Best thing I ever did. Sooooo much happier here. However, in doing so, especially moving to LA, you need to make sure you can afford it or else its gonna be a rat race.

 

[CBHScott]

Housing costs here in the flatlands is low. My place costs a fraction here from what it'd be in Cali.

Except for (at least Northern) Illinois - property taxes, sales tax, other taxes are atrocious. Illinois is in the top 5 states that are the highest in the country with taxes as an overall percentage of income.

 

[englishman]

Well, in 1981 I decided to move to the USA from the UK. When your possessions total what you can carry through an airport, it redefines downsizing.
In 1983 I moved from Michigan with a pregnant wife to Austin Texas as the employment scene was quite rosy compared to Michigan at the time.
At the end on 1983, I became homeless with a wife and 8 month old baby, a character building exercise for sure. Worked my way out of that and moved back to Michigan when the price of oil dropped and all construction along with it.
Moved back to the UK in 1987, had another baby but within a year and a half realized I couldn't take it there. It was great being close to family but really, you can't go home again.
Moved back to the USA and became a truck driver.
Another baby in 1997.
2007, I was offered a job on the other side of the state in the Detroit area. 60K to start and a free new pickup truck of my choice. Best decision of my life, bought a house and for the next ten years I was stupidly happy with my lot in life.
Around 2018, paper magazines became as relevant as buggy whips and eventually we had to shut it down.

So yeah, go for it, the safe option may be tempting but just use your best judgement and try not to leave yourself with any 'what if' moments later on.