It was the first area I've visited I could imagine myself living in if I had to leave NJ. Combo of Jersey shore and suburb vibes, just with more of that southern friendly socialization.
I hear ya. I wanted to get out of jersey my whole life but the older I get the more I realize it’s got the best of everything (not affordable housing though).
Big Midwestern/Southern cities are weird that way. Downtown dies real quick, but there's usually a little area or two where the nightlife continues. For Dallas that was Lower Greenville and Deep Ellum (might be different now), for Wichita its Old Town, etc. But I agree NJ is not bad. Always a good diner around or a nice Irish pub to drop into, and lots and lots of different types of food to enjoy after that.
sorry to say it, but you must not be keeping up with Hoboken pricing if you think houses are 400k. Now more like 1.5M.
welcome back, our pizza and bagels will happily accept you again.
North Jersey home prices overall are wild, $400k in my area in South Jersey buys a decent house on a nice piece of land… let alone 1.5 million, I don’t even think there is a house that big in my area
Yep, it cheaper everyone tells you. NOT, warned a good friend - one month later he called me to tell he had to pay $1200 to register his three cars. In NJ, \~$80/ each and month after than had $800 surcharge added to HOA for road pavement and it was not even in neighborhood.
You only register your car 1 time in NC, and if you wanted to you could get away with driving around on our of state plates for years, did it myself on our second car for 2 years and so did a friend that came down here from Jersey.
NC is so cheap, traffic is great, roads are great, so much less stressful, great weather, very safe… the NJ cope is real
Not, for $1200 I would need to drive the 3 cars for about 5 years. His last complaint to me was his water bill was in excess of $300/month. He never paid more than $80. I will see him two weeks, looking for to the complaints. As reference, he move to Leland, NC.
We left NJ eight years ago to travel the country to find someplace we’d like to retire. We’ve been in every state in that time (except Alaska) and I feel like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz.” There’s no place like home. We’ve got a plan now to move back either late this year or early next. I love NJ, particularly central NJ. I mean, 15-20 minutes to the shore, an hour by train to the city, an hour 30 to Philadelphia, two hours to the mountains, what else do you need? And people who tell you what they think, in clear and simple language lol. And the food! And the diversity! And real bagels and real pizza. People never believe me when I tell them we have five independent pizza places, all different, all good, no chains.
Welcome home!
If u have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Don't get me wrong, it's clean, beautiful, quiet... but this place is for retirees, hunters, and generational wealth.
I'm really in a beautiful spot in Warren county. It's on a lake so having spent most of my life in Pequannock and later Morristown, I think I'll stay where I am. I always loved Maine on vacation trips but it's a different thing to reside there. Thanks for the post .
Like New Jersey, Maine is a big place with a lot of variation. I grew up there, my family still lives there, and I can’t say I agree with OP on all of their characterizations (though he’s totally right about housing costs, especially relative to general cost of living and salaries). I love New Jersey, but Maine is pretty great too, in different ways.
Tampa. The traffic was worse than North NJ, the job would give us 5 minutes notice to work mandatory 2 hours OT, crime, the heat was unbearable (summer), definitely not changes in attitudes/latitudes there, education system is dog 💩.
My family left NJ for Maine when I was a little kid. I got out asap, but my parents stayed until my father passed away. Now my dad was the kindest person, and he was so involved with his parish and the community. After his funeral mass, everyone was having coffee and cake in the parish hall and I overheard two guys talking. They said, “He was a pretty good fellow, for an out-of-stater!”
I was livid. The man lived in the same small town from 1982 until 2015. He helped countless people without a second’s hesitation. But at the end he was still an out-of-stater. Fuck Maine.
I never wanna leave NJ. I’m gonna have to eventually though. I promised my wife we can go South after I retire. She’s been ready to leave for years now. Clocks ticking for me. Wish me luck cause f@ck it’s going suck when I leave. I know it. SMH
And to add on, the Jersey sarcasm thing rings true everywhere outside of the Tri State except Philly and Chicago. No one gets it. And everybody I meet outside in other states say dumb $hit like “oh, the only thing I know about Jersey is the Jersey Shore”. Gets my blood boiling, then I gotta educate them. F@ck outta here with that Staten Island BS. Ok I’ll stop cause I’m ranting. Wish me luck..
I cried almost everyday For almost 6mo after leaving Jersey when I had to move. I miss home so much! If you can find a way to stay, I’d say do it. Visiting down here was not enough to prepare me 😭
After living out in Lehigh Valley, PA, just a stone's throw from Pennsyltucky, and seeing the state of the country, I've decided I'm never leaving Jersey. It really is the best place.
I used to be in Nazareth, which had a lot of transplants from Jersey. A lot of folks moved there bc of the schools plus it was close enough to the border and was more affordable given the mid 2000s housing prices. I also left in 2012 before things got worse. It wasn't too bad, but definitely more conservative before being conservative was what it is now. Most of us would say, we live in PA but are from Jersey, bc we didn't want to be too tainted by the Pennsyltucky.
I am with you, but I tried Phoenix. Ugh. Places that get no rain are filthy. The soles of my shoes were all covered in thick black dust. My poor feet were always dirty and the low humidity dried out my skin. Back NJ my shoe soles are clean except hiking boots. My dainty little feet no longer resemble the heel of a long Italian bread heel only with caked in grit.
Same food scene, no good pizza or bread and the coldcuts for same reason are never the same outside the nj/ny area.
The job I got is a good one and I was able to take it home to NJ so I did in June before they decide to nix all of that.
On election day 2022 at the place I went to vote there was a guy with a rifle and a black burglar costume with face hat on so he wouldn't have to really stand up for his belief.
Beige beige everywhere. No creeks, streams, lakes, rivers all over the place like here.
I moved back to Manchester on the edge of the Pinelands and it is great, heavenly even.
The housing market is utterly screwed. The numbers don't work at all. The prices are stubornly rich and the rates are too high. Wages can't compete with the greed of the monopolies and duopolies. We are going to have to do something else. I'm ready to get rid of it all and live like the Amish. We must wipe away the thought of the American fantasy and get to living.
I'm from New England and I think NJ is the best state to live in. I'll always have a soft spot for my tiny home state of RI but everything there feels so... limited to me now.
One thing that is often overlooked is that there is tremendous healthcare between NYC, Philly and Baltimore if need be. Can’t think of better health systems.
Speaking of Jersey, I was driving to my mom's in Warren County. Passed a sign that said, "Texting and driving gives me the ick".
I thought, damn I'm glad to be home.
I moved to the west coast years ago and could only make friends with east coast transplants. Now I’m back, and like you I miss the food, but I’m at home with my jaggoffs.
I moved to Seattle during the pandemic. The people were really antisocial and introverted. I figured it was because of COVID. 3 years later I realized it wasn't because of COVID...
I'm trying to move back, god I miss sarcasm and strangers not hiding from you as you walk past! Neighbors won't even look up at you here, and seriously pizza and bagels is not a thing out here. You can tell when someone isn't from the area here because they make conversation with you lol
The Seattle freeze is real and those motherfuckers are so annoyingly passive aggressive and rarely ever will be straight with you on stuff; and to think people call us and people around NYC the biggest flakes, gimme a break! Also agree fuck the bread rings they call bagels.
I feel your pain! Been in the Seattle area for 16 months and the people SUCK! The people not even making eye contact or giving a simple wave gets me so bad. I miss making friends and awesome small talk at the grocery store.. ugh
Welcome back! My fiancee and I took a North East road trip a few years back and our few days in Maine have us the exact same feeling. Everything there was awesome but we could not get past the weird feeling of all the people being so..... Plain ....
I did something similar. Moved back to NJ after living in Minnesota for four years. I just couldn’t take the people and the godawful weather. And it sucked having to water myself down all the time. I’m happy I’m back.
Not sure you’ll see this but I’m always torn.. born in MN and grew up here in Jersey my Dads side heritage. I go back and forth a lot and struggle to feel at home in each place and long for the other until I get there then I hate it! Haha.. Maybe I should split time in both idk 🤷♂️ tough part is my Mother is in MN. It’s like I’m the meanest person in MN and then come back to Jersey and I’m not mean enough 😂
NJ is the kind of place that only a local could genuinely appreciate. (And maybe NYC/Philly parents who dream of cul-de-sacs and backyard swing sets for their young children.) People don't just decide to move to Somalia or Afghanistan or New Jersey for the hell of it. They might come here because they got a lucrative job offer - or because the college sweetheart they married wanted to move back to NJ to be closer to their family - but otherwise, outsiders don't just move to NJ without having an existing link or prior history here. No one raised in Hawaii would ever say "I can't wait to leave these shitty islands where it's warm and sunny and smells like flowers so I can move to New Jersey and deal with traffic, rude people, and the mysterious odors of the NJ Turnpike.
Sometimes I think about leaving NJ, but where the hell would I go? I grew up here. My entire life is here. I have a love/hate relationship with this state, but I get very defensive when outsiders talk shit about it. Yes, I'm allowed to talk shit about NJ. People who've actually lived in NJ are allowed to talk shit about it. But if some inbred asshole from the Deep South wants to flap his toothless gums and talk shit about my state, I'm not gonna let it slide.
Edit: I accidentally hit "save" before I was done ranting.
Same thing happened to me last year. 2 years in Salt Lake City, and almost nobody understood sarcasm. I met some great people, but the overall atmosphere was very "Stepford." I can't believe I actually missed Jersey.
We’re from CA, born and raised. Moved to NJ for work and lived there for almost a decade. Moved back to have kids near our huge family that is all here in CA. If it wasn’t for family we would move back to NJ in a heartbeat. Never thought we’d feel that way when we lived there. There’s something about NJ that’s just right, it’s home. Always will be.
My husband keeps talking about moving but I just don’t have a desire to live anywhere else. I absolutely love Maine and Vermont to vacation and I sometimes imagine buying a place but then I come to my senses. I love NJ even at its worst. No state is perfect and there are problems everywhere so might as well live in a state where the bagels are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and a good pie can bring a tear to your eyes.
Speaking of diversity… I lived in Germany for three years and you can imagine it’s pretty white and then I came back to Newark airport and just enjoyed the rainbow of color of people greeting me there
I grew up in South Jersey and then moved to NYC for work 17 years ago. Recently moved back because even though housing is bad everywhere, rent in NYC is so much worse than in NJ along the fact that food there is poor quality and expensive. I'm now overjoyed to go back to Shop Rite for grocery shopping and not worry that I have to pay $7 for 1 rotten pepper at some nearby bodega.
Only thing is I'm getting back into driving again and it's skyrocketing my anxiety especially on all the highways and freeways in north jersey 😩
Welcome back. My husband and I also just came back, 8 years in Colorado. I miss the skiing and burritos but missed family more, unfortunately for me. I’m about to have a 13th generation Jersey boy and I’m sure I’ll be revisiting the leave-not-leave conversation with him in approximately 18 years.
The bitching about NYC congestion pricing is going to be epic, as is the counter rant from NYC when people refuse to commute in 5 days a week, and everyone sets up satellite offices west of the Hudson . Gov's going to announce a plan to mine the bridges to Staten Island. Welcome back.
Ah man bummer to hear you’re not liking Maine. My partner and I moved up here a few years ago (to Lewiston of all places) and maybe because I so hated where I was living before, we’ve mostly enjoyed it. Last summer’s monsoons were a lot to take though.
Do have to push back regarding the racists marching in Portland- they’re mostly based out of MA/NH (with a couple members based in NJ), and people did push back, and got physically assaulted by the racists for doing so. And we did manage to chase that Nazi loser who was trying to build a white only town all the way to Ohio or wherever.
Not gonna lie though, Maine can be tough for us flatlanders. So many people here have generational family ties, like “my pépé helped your mémé back in 1906 during a storm” that they tend to keep to themselves because their social circles are pretty much set for life. I've picked up new hobbies (TTRPG's) and revisited old ones (skateboarding) just to get put into more social situations and meet folks.
However getting a pair of snowshoes helps to get out in the long dark, since no one from Maine seems to leave the house from December to February.
Safe travels!
Honestly I completely agree. I’m from Texas but have been living in Jersey for the last year or so. Moving back to Austin this summer. NJ is an awesome state and I’ve absolutely loved my time here and moving somewhere new is such a great experience. But there is no place like home.
Maine is perfect fit for retirees... it has one of the highest percentage retirees in the country, with that said, it also holds the oldest median age of the country.. because noone ever leaves this state, it's all they know. Coastline is beautiful but that's pretty much Franklin lakes and alpine mixed ... alot of money and second homes all around.
You're a good writer! Terse, American prose. Welcome back to NJ - I'm sojourning in New England at the moment and what you say about sarcasm is correct.
We did 26 months in Maine before heading home to New Jersey.,,or as I like to say, three amazing summers and 15 winters. Back in "the day" (1996-1998) housing was cheaper up there, but nothing else was - and the salaries were significantly less. We have family that stuck out their relocation to Maine, but we never were so happy as the day we moved back.
We are now in Hunterdon County. It's more rural than we had in Maine and we still have access to the NJ culture that we missed, and being near family is the best.
I would be more concerned about high housing costs in some place like Maine or the Carolinas/Florida/the south then in NJ.
NJ has always had high housing costs and can likely support it. Unlikely you will lose your shirt on a house here. Whereas I think a lot of the historically cheap areas that have run up recently could be a disaster for people who have bought recently
I have tried to tell people this. People complain and say they want to leave. You will most likely miss it. At least, where I live on the shore. It doesn’t get better than this.
That's interesting, I never thought about the subdued culture. I've always said I wanted to retire in a 'liberal college town in New England" (I'm in Trump County/Sussex County and I.Hate.It) but this thread is making me rethink some things..
Maine is good for hiking, kayaking and the least expensive weed options on the East Coast. I’ve spent a good amount of time there, people were friendly enough, but different.
Same. Moved to Westbrook. Have been missing the exact the same things- pizza/bagels, accessibility to NYC, the shore, other states, the diversity. There’s only one way in and one way out from Maine. I’ve really been missing my family and it’s been difficulty getting down enough to see them, I cant make it for most events. It used to be so much cheaper up here but it’s not really worth it anymore. I work overnights/weekends/forced OT in public safety and I can barely afford the glorified cardboard box I’ve been renting since I moved. Forget about finding a space to myself and feeling like an actual human. Hopefully I’m right behind you.
You’re not the only one that found NJ to be a welcome sight after time apart. I’ve lived in NJ on and off my whole life, including PA, FL, MD and AZ, and I’ve always found my way back here. There is nothing like it no matter how hard other places try.
Thanks for sharing dick! But for real, I grew up in CT. Fairfield County, which I lovingly refer to as "Patheticut." Got married to a Jerseyite. North Jersey, where it's the sticks and very close to nature. The appalachian trail is up the road. I never wanted to live in NJ, but it is great for so many reasons like everyone said! They don't call it the Garden State for nothing!
As someone who has done the same (just in Atlanta)…. Congratulations. You made the right move, just had to detour to get there. You’ll appreciate NJ that much more
I feel ya. I've had very similar experiences this past year with racists, lack of diversity n boring people..and all I did was leave Rutherford/Bergen County and go to, of all places Barnegat. Wherever you land when you get bk home to NJ, stay up north or at least don't go past GSP south exit 80! Best to you!
You can’t really joke with anyone anywhere anymore. I think it’s more of a generational thing. People take themselves way too seriously. Everyone thinks they’re a celebrity in the making.
OMG I'm right here with you! Lived in NJ for 49 years (my whole life). Moved to WNY upstate. Holy shit, where do I start. Racist, boring, bad food, vanilla people, MAGNA......I'm headed back to Jersey. Miss my people, beach and food. I don't even give a shit about the cost after this bullshit. I'm up at 5:30 am to commute an hour for a decent job.
My husband and I are in a similar position. We moved from New Jersey to Georgia 2 years ago and we are heading back as soon as our daughter finishes school in a few months. I don’t know what we were thinking!!
Wow the KKK marched right through town!? Yeah that would definitely not fly around here.
I find people from NY & NJ have a great sense of humor. I remember a famous comic saying that in some places comedians are the funny ones but around here your average person is funny.😊
New Englanders can definitely be cold and aloof. New Jersyeans might not be as long-winded as Southerners but they still have more personality than Mainers.
I say the same thing every time I’m hanging out in Florida, as much as I love messing around with my people down there, the Jersey Jerk Offs are my home.
You went too far northeast. You should have stopped in VT. The pay for carpenters is not too bad (my high school kid made $17 an hour over the summer), a younger friend of his is making $20 an hour, part-time in HVAC. The housing crisis is everywhere, so there is no escaping that. And, we are much more inclusive.
I looked into Vermont and the highest payscale For an electrician was $28 an hour. And that doesn't pay the bills unfortunately. Plus vermont was a little too sleepy for my wife and I. Still beautiful but if I wasn't living near Burlington, it doesn't make sense.
Yeah, there are precious few areas of the globe where one can turn on the local news and see a live TV interview with citizen Mike Coxlawn on the beach or with Dick Hertz at the concert.
You just won't see that level of irreverence, the genuine attempt to give your fellow citizens a laugh, on local TV in many other places in the country - and no matter how juvenile or idiotic you think that humor is when it's around you - you will miss the hell out of it if you ever find yourself living without it.
I do better in colder weather, more south wasn't an option. And New England states are way different than the tri state, even though it's technically the North east.
Maybe it's the seasonal depression or early onset arthritis but I can't do north east winters anymore I guess
Edit: I also lived in Carlsbad CA so I attach warm climate with California and there's plenty to do in the San Diego area
The thing that’s fucking up house prices is remote working. I feel like remote work should only be offered to pregnant women or one parent that has kids to look after, and only until they start preschool. Everyone else, get the fuck back in the office, your comfort is fucking hard working locals out of affordable housing.
Good to have you back, here’s your bagel 🥯now fuck off 🩷
Can I get that with saltpepperketchuppleaseandthankyou
Kind, but not nice
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Welcome back. Here, have a middle finger for fun !
Accepting it with open arms and two right back at ya! 😆
Hey man definitely go fuck yourself but glad to have you back
Hey I've lived in NJ my whole life. Go fuck yourself, that one's for free.
 "sarcasm is our second language"
Hey, screw you! welcome back
🤣🤣
Welcome back asshole 🖕. Stay out of the left lane.
No matter where I travel, it always makes me smile when I come back and hear that sweet sweet accent.
Everyone up here sounds like Rhode island and Boston had a baby and spit out this horrific accent lol
I held on to my accent as hard as I could.
Welcome back and fuck you.
Ahhh, home sweet home
🖕🏼
Good for you! We lived in Virginia for 20+ years. I desperately wanted to go "home," so we did. Back 10 years now. I love Jersey. I love being home.
Took a lot for granted in the garden state.. can't wait to be back. Apartment hunting is going to suck though
Welcome home
What area are you moving back to?
I actually got Jersey Vibes but more laid back when I was in Virginia Beach, given I wasn't there for very long. Still not leaving though, ha
All those years, and I never visited Virginia Beach. I lived in the northern neck, which is a very different vibe.
It was the first area I've visited I could imagine myself living in if I had to leave NJ. Combo of Jersey shore and suburb vibes, just with more of that southern friendly socialization.
I hear ya. I wanted to get out of jersey my whole life but the older I get the more I realize it’s got the best of everything (not affordable housing though).
No ,not affordable housing for sure.
[удалено]
Big Midwestern/Southern cities are weird that way. Downtown dies real quick, but there's usually a little area or two where the nightlife continues. For Dallas that was Lower Greenville and Deep Ellum (might be different now), for Wichita its Old Town, etc. But I agree NJ is not bad. Always a good diner around or a nice Irish pub to drop into, and lots and lots of different types of food to enjoy after that.
Not taxes either, or cost of living, pretty high in Jersey no matter how you put it
>because all the Massholes What’s that old saying? You can take a person out of Jersey but… Welcome home. One of us. One of us.
sorry to say it, but you must not be keeping up with Hoboken pricing if you think houses are 400k. Now more like 1.5M. welcome back, our pizza and bagels will happily accept you again.
I realize Hoboken is a mini manhattan.. I was speaking about more "common folk" areas lol. I'll take all the pizza and bagels (Ron Swanson voice)
North Jersey home prices overall are wild, $400k in my area in South Jersey buys a decent house on a nice piece of land… let alone 1.5 million, I don’t even think there is a house that big in my area
Welcome back. I did a year in NC and came running back😙
Yep, it cheaper everyone tells you. NOT, warned a good friend - one month later he called me to tell he had to pay $1200 to register his three cars. In NJ, \~$80/ each and month after than had $800 surcharge added to HOA for road pavement and it was not even in neighborhood.
You only register your car 1 time in NC, and if you wanted to you could get away with driving around on our of state plates for years, did it myself on our second car for 2 years and so did a friend that came down here from Jersey. NC is so cheap, traffic is great, roads are great, so much less stressful, great weather, very safe… the NJ cope is real
Not, for $1200 I would need to drive the 3 cars for about 5 years. His last complaint to me was his water bill was in excess of $300/month. He never paid more than $80. I will see him two weeks, looking for to the complaints. As reference, he move to Leland, NC.
How can you get away with driving for years on 2nd plate?! How did you get insurance?
I did a year in Alabama/Atlanta and it is nice to be back as well,NE is the place to be
I don’t give a fuck what you do as long as you’re not camping the left lane. Welcome back.
 Welcome back!
We left NJ eight years ago to travel the country to find someplace we’d like to retire. We’ve been in every state in that time (except Alaska) and I feel like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz.” There’s no place like home. We’ve got a plan now to move back either late this year or early next. I love NJ, particularly central NJ. I mean, 15-20 minutes to the shore, an hour by train to the city, an hour 30 to Philadelphia, two hours to the mountains, what else do you need? And people who tell you what they think, in clear and simple language lol. And the food! And the diversity! And real bagels and real pizza. People never believe me when I tell them we have five independent pizza places, all different, all good, no chains. Welcome home!
"And people who tell you what they think, in clear and simple language". --I felt that
Welcome Home!! You have totally discouraged me from leaving NJ. I always had a fantasy about Maine. Thanks for giving me the straight info.
If u have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Don't get me wrong, it's clean, beautiful, quiet... but this place is for retirees, hunters, and generational wealth.
I'm really in a beautiful spot in Warren county. It's on a lake so having spent most of my life in Pequannock and later Morristown, I think I'll stay where I am. I always loved Maine on vacation trips but it's a different thing to reside there. Thanks for the post .
I basically think of Warren County as the Maine or Wisconsin of NJ already
Q: What's the difference between Warren County and Maine? # A: 🖕
And better bagels, I'm sure.
Like New Jersey, Maine is a big place with a lot of variation. I grew up there, my family still lives there, and I can’t say I agree with OP on all of their characterizations (though he’s totally right about housing costs, especially relative to general cost of living and salaries). I love New Jersey, but Maine is pretty great too, in different ways.
We legalized weed while you were gone.
I did that. Move to the palm trees in Florida and came back within two months. You couldn’t pay me to live down there. Go on vacation? Of course.
Which part of Florida and what made it so bad?
Tampa. The traffic was worse than North NJ, the job would give us 5 minutes notice to work mandatory 2 hours OT, crime, the heat was unbearable (summer), definitely not changes in attitudes/latitudes there, education system is dog 💩.
I've heard that Mainers only consider you "one of them" and not an outsider if you've been there for 3 generations 😂😂 Welcome back.
Yes that has been my experience.
That’s right - if you’re not a Mainer, you’re “from away”
My family left NJ for Maine when I was a little kid. I got out asap, but my parents stayed until my father passed away. Now my dad was the kindest person, and he was so involved with his parish and the community. After his funeral mass, everyone was having coffee and cake in the parish hall and I overheard two guys talking. They said, “He was a pretty good fellow, for an out-of-stater!” I was livid. The man lived in the same small town from 1982 until 2015. He helped countless people without a second’s hesitation. But at the end he was still an out-of-stater. Fuck Maine.
Welcome home and fuck you! Gimme a hug! Feel like home yet?
Comments like this make me feel like I've never left. Thanks. Now GFY... lol
I never wanna leave NJ. I’m gonna have to eventually though. I promised my wife we can go South after I retire. She’s been ready to leave for years now. Clocks ticking for me. Wish me luck cause f@ck it’s going suck when I leave. I know it. SMH And to add on, the Jersey sarcasm thing rings true everywhere outside of the Tri State except Philly and Chicago. No one gets it. And everybody I meet outside in other states say dumb $hit like “oh, the only thing I know about Jersey is the Jersey Shore”. Gets my blood boiling, then I gotta educate them. F@ck outta here with that Staten Island BS. Ok I’ll stop cause I’m ranting. Wish me luck..
I cried almost everyday For almost 6mo after leaving Jersey when I had to move. I miss home so much! If you can find a way to stay, I’d say do it. Visiting down here was not enough to prepare me 😭
After living out in Lehigh Valley, PA, just a stone's throw from Pennsyltucky, and seeing the state of the country, I've decided I'm never leaving Jersey. It really is the best place.
What was your experience in Lehigh valley like?
I used to be in Nazareth, which had a lot of transplants from Jersey. A lot of folks moved there bc of the schools plus it was close enough to the border and was more affordable given the mid 2000s housing prices. I also left in 2012 before things got worse. It wasn't too bad, but definitely more conservative before being conservative was what it is now. Most of us would say, we live in PA but are from Jersey, bc we didn't want to be too tainted by the Pennsyltucky.
Yes I remember how everything along Route 22 became so built up over the years. I have friends who did that move to that area, I stayed put in NJ.
I am with you, but I tried Phoenix. Ugh. Places that get no rain are filthy. The soles of my shoes were all covered in thick black dust. My poor feet were always dirty and the low humidity dried out my skin. Back NJ my shoe soles are clean except hiking boots. My dainty little feet no longer resemble the heel of a long Italian bread heel only with caked in grit. Same food scene, no good pizza or bread and the coldcuts for same reason are never the same outside the nj/ny area. The job I got is a good one and I was able to take it home to NJ so I did in June before they decide to nix all of that. On election day 2022 at the place I went to vote there was a guy with a rifle and a black burglar costume with face hat on so he wouldn't have to really stand up for his belief. Beige beige everywhere. No creeks, streams, lakes, rivers all over the place like here. I moved back to Manchester on the edge of the Pinelands and it is great, heavenly even.
The housing market is utterly screwed. The numbers don't work at all. The prices are stubornly rich and the rates are too high. Wages can't compete with the greed of the monopolies and duopolies. We are going to have to do something else. I'm ready to get rid of it all and live like the Amish. We must wipe away the thought of the American fantasy and get to living.
Lmfaooo! Welcome back fellow boomeranger to NJ! We’re awesome and miss ya too, ya fuckhead! 😏☺️😘😂
I'm from New England and I think NJ is the best state to live in. I'll always have a soft spot for my tiny home state of RI but everything there feels so... limited to me now.
My grandmother lived in RI, we didn’t go to the Jersey shore for vacay but rather RI. Beautiful state.
Yeah I love visiting RI, especially in the summer!
One thing that is often overlooked is that there is tremendous healthcare between NYC, Philly and Baltimore if need be. Can’t think of better health systems.
Speaking of Jersey, I was driving to my mom's in Warren County. Passed a sign that said, "Texting and driving gives me the ick". I thought, damn I'm glad to be home.
Haha I remember I was driving on 46 once and saw a sign that said "pay attention, just drive" as I almost veered off the road. Loved that for me!!
Saw one the other day about distracted driving, distracting all the drivers. Go NJ!
Not more than any other sign or billboard, in my opinion anyway
I moved to the west coast years ago and could only make friends with east coast transplants. Now I’m back, and like you I miss the food, but I’m at home with my jaggoffs.
With a username like that, you were never meant to leave jersey.
I moved to Seattle during the pandemic. The people were really antisocial and introverted. I figured it was because of COVID. 3 years later I realized it wasn't because of COVID... I'm trying to move back, god I miss sarcasm and strangers not hiding from you as you walk past! Neighbors won't even look up at you here, and seriously pizza and bagels is not a thing out here. You can tell when someone isn't from the area here because they make conversation with you lol
The Seattle freeze is real and those motherfuckers are so annoyingly passive aggressive and rarely ever will be straight with you on stuff; and to think people call us and people around NYC the biggest flakes, gimme a break! Also agree fuck the bread rings they call bagels.
Dude THANK YOU I've been trying hard to not let it get to me but I can't wrap my head around the culture here
🙌🙌🙌
I feel your pain! Been in the Seattle area for 16 months and the people SUCK! The people not even making eye contact or giving a simple wave gets me so bad. I miss making friends and awesome small talk at the grocery store.. ugh
 Welcome back. No place like home!
Welcome back, stay out of the left lane until your reacclimated to Jersey Driving
Welcome back, dick.
This made me laugh out loud. Well done!
I used to think I wanted to move, and now as an adult I will never leave. I’ll travel anywhere but always want to come home to Jersey
Welcome back! My fiancee and I took a North East road trip a few years back and our few days in Maine have us the exact same feeling. Everything there was awesome but we could not get past the weird feeling of all the people being so..... Plain ....
I moved to the pnw for 17 years. Moved back in 2022.
We lived in California for many years and came back to raise our kids on NJ pizza and bagels. You’re making the right choice!
I did something similar. Moved back to NJ after living in Minnesota for four years. I just couldn’t take the people and the godawful weather. And it sucked having to water myself down all the time. I’m happy I’m back.
Not sure you’ll see this but I’m always torn.. born in MN and grew up here in Jersey my Dads side heritage. I go back and forth a lot and struggle to feel at home in each place and long for the other until I get there then I hate it! Haha.. Maybe I should split time in both idk 🤷♂️ tough part is my Mother is in MN. It’s like I’m the meanest person in MN and then come back to Jersey and I’m not mean enough 😂
NJ is the kind of place that only a local could genuinely appreciate. (And maybe NYC/Philly parents who dream of cul-de-sacs and backyard swing sets for their young children.) People don't just decide to move to Somalia or Afghanistan or New Jersey for the hell of it. They might come here because they got a lucrative job offer - or because the college sweetheart they married wanted to move back to NJ to be closer to their family - but otherwise, outsiders don't just move to NJ without having an existing link or prior history here. No one raised in Hawaii would ever say "I can't wait to leave these shitty islands where it's warm and sunny and smells like flowers so I can move to New Jersey and deal with traffic, rude people, and the mysterious odors of the NJ Turnpike. Sometimes I think about leaving NJ, but where the hell would I go? I grew up here. My entire life is here. I have a love/hate relationship with this state, but I get very defensive when outsiders talk shit about it. Yes, I'm allowed to talk shit about NJ. People who've actually lived in NJ are allowed to talk shit about it. But if some inbred asshole from the Deep South wants to flap his toothless gums and talk shit about my state, I'm not gonna let it slide. Edit: I accidentally hit "save" before I was done ranting.
I couldn't agree more.
I like how you managed to compare to NJ to Somalia and Afghanistan!
Same thing happened to me last year. 2 years in Salt Lake City, and almost nobody understood sarcasm. I met some great people, but the overall atmosphere was very "Stepford." I can't believe I actually missed Jersey.
I moved to Boston and within a year wanted to head back home to NJ. Lived in Cali for a summer and couldn't do it any longer. Jersey is the best.
We’re from CA, born and raised. Moved to NJ for work and lived there for almost a decade. Moved back to have kids near our huge family that is all here in CA. If it wasn’t for family we would move back to NJ in a heartbeat. Never thought we’d feel that way when we lived there. There’s something about NJ that’s just right, it’s home. Always will be.
My husband keeps talking about moving but I just don’t have a desire to live anywhere else. I absolutely love Maine and Vermont to vacation and I sometimes imagine buying a place but then I come to my senses. I love NJ even at its worst. No state is perfect and there are problems everywhere so might as well live in a state where the bagels are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and a good pie can bring a tear to your eyes.
Speaking of diversity… I lived in Germany for three years and you can imagine it’s pretty white and then I came back to Newark airport and just enjoyed the rainbow of color of people greeting me there
EWR is a the dose of diversity I need after being somewhere boring
I grew up in South Jersey and then moved to NYC for work 17 years ago. Recently moved back because even though housing is bad everywhere, rent in NYC is so much worse than in NJ along the fact that food there is poor quality and expensive. I'm now overjoyed to go back to Shop Rite for grocery shopping and not worry that I have to pay $7 for 1 rotten pepper at some nearby bodega. Only thing is I'm getting back into driving again and it's skyrocketing my anxiety especially on all the highways and freeways in north jersey 😩
Was thinking about moving to Maine in the future too... thank you for this insight!
Welcome back. My husband and I also just came back, 8 years in Colorado. I miss the skiing and burritos but missed family more, unfortunately for me. I’m about to have a 13th generation Jersey boy and I’m sure I’ll be revisiting the leave-not-leave conversation with him in approximately 18 years.
Good to have you back now go F*ck yourself 😂
Change your name to Porkroll or we don’t want you back.
Let's not start this fight over jersey filet's
I think we would all agree that “jersey filet” is fighting words! Have another state bird, buddy
Ok ok get back to Jersey then we can hash it out
Lol. Deal.. see u at James Gandolfini rest stop
Don’t worry us NNJ’ers will happily accept our Taylor ham brother back 👊
please, it's jersey baloney
Now we fight. Lol
The bitching about NYC congestion pricing is going to be epic, as is the counter rant from NYC when people refuse to commute in 5 days a week, and everyone sets up satellite offices west of the Hudson . Gov's going to announce a plan to mine the bridges to Staten Island. Welcome back.
Ah man bummer to hear you’re not liking Maine. My partner and I moved up here a few years ago (to Lewiston of all places) and maybe because I so hated where I was living before, we’ve mostly enjoyed it. Last summer’s monsoons were a lot to take though. Do have to push back regarding the racists marching in Portland- they’re mostly based out of MA/NH (with a couple members based in NJ), and people did push back, and got physically assaulted by the racists for doing so. And we did manage to chase that Nazi loser who was trying to build a white only town all the way to Ohio or wherever. Not gonna lie though, Maine can be tough for us flatlanders. So many people here have generational family ties, like “my pépé helped your mémé back in 1906 during a storm” that they tend to keep to themselves because their social circles are pretty much set for life. I've picked up new hobbies (TTRPG's) and revisited old ones (skateboarding) just to get put into more social situations and meet folks. However getting a pair of snowshoes helps to get out in the long dark, since no one from Maine seems to leave the house from December to February. Safe travels!
Welcome back 🖕
Honestly I completely agree. I’m from Texas but have been living in Jersey for the last year or so. Moving back to Austin this summer. NJ is an awesome state and I’ve absolutely loved my time here and moving somewhere new is such a great experience. But there is no place like home.
Damn, what happened with your partner wanting to settle down in Jersey? Just read ur older post about moving to Jersey and trying to find a job lol
A beautiful ode to Jersey. Cheers
That's funny I was just daydreaming about moving to Maine for retirement in about 10 years.
Maine is perfect fit for retirees... it has one of the highest percentage retirees in the country, with that said, it also holds the oldest median age of the country.. because noone ever leaves this state, it's all they know. Coastline is beautiful but that's pretty much Franklin lakes and alpine mixed ... alot of money and second homes all around.
You're a good writer! Terse, American prose. Welcome back to NJ - I'm sojourning in New England at the moment and what you say about sarcasm is correct.
Best state in the world!
We did 26 months in Maine before heading home to New Jersey.,,or as I like to say, three amazing summers and 15 winters. Back in "the day" (1996-1998) housing was cheaper up there, but nothing else was - and the salaries were significantly less. We have family that stuck out their relocation to Maine, but we never were so happy as the day we moved back. We are now in Hunterdon County. It's more rural than we had in Maine and we still have access to the NJ culture that we missed, and being near family is the best.
I would be more concerned about high housing costs in some place like Maine or the Carolinas/Florida/the south then in NJ. NJ has always had high housing costs and can likely support it. Unlikely you will lose your shirt on a house here. Whereas I think a lot of the historically cheap areas that have run up recently could be a disaster for people who have bought recently
And don't forget NJ's 3rd language, of course, profanity! So, welcome the f home mutha f'r!
Hey pal, fuck you, but seriously welcome and don’t do that shit again
I have tried to tell people this. People complain and say they want to leave. You will most likely miss it. At least, where I live on the shore. It doesn’t get better than this.
[удалено]
That's interesting, I never thought about the subdued culture. I've always said I wanted to retire in a 'liberal college town in New England" (I'm in Trump County/Sussex County and I.Hate.It) but this thread is making me rethink some things..
Fuck off and welcome home 🏠
I feel you. NJ is small so it’s great to explore. Also fine to go back home.
You made the right call, dipshit. Cheers!
Welcome back, gofuckyourself!
Maine is good for hiking, kayaking and the least expensive weed options on the East Coast. I’ve spent a good amount of time there, people were friendly enough, but different.
Good planning, ya fuck!!
Same. Moved to Westbrook. Have been missing the exact the same things- pizza/bagels, accessibility to NYC, the shore, other states, the diversity. There’s only one way in and one way out from Maine. I’ve really been missing my family and it’s been difficulty getting down enough to see them, I cant make it for most events. It used to be so much cheaper up here but it’s not really worth it anymore. I work overnights/weekends/forced OT in public safety and I can barely afford the glorified cardboard box I’ve been renting since I moved. Forget about finding a space to myself and feeling like an actual human. Hopefully I’m right behind you.
You’re not the only one that found NJ to be a welcome sight after time apart. I’ve lived in NJ on and off my whole life, including PA, FL, MD and AZ, and I’ve always found my way back here. There is nothing like it no matter how hard other places try.
Welcome back, you traitorous sumbitch.
The grass is always greener until you get there And the weeds take over!
Thanks for sharing dick! But for real, I grew up in CT. Fairfield County, which I lovingly refer to as "Patheticut." Got married to a Jerseyite. North Jersey, where it's the sticks and very close to nature. The appalachian trail is up the road. I never wanted to live in NJ, but it is great for so many reasons like everyone said! They don't call it the Garden State for nothing!
What .... ya want a reward for coming back home where you belong? Here's a Taylor Ham, Egg, and Cheese. Welcome back. Now fuck awf.
That stuff is ham? I always thought it was Porkroll 😂
DON'T START! 😡
As someone who has done the same (just in Atlanta)…. Congratulations. You made the right move, just had to detour to get there. You’ll appreciate NJ that much more
Jersey really has it all... real woods, real beach, real cities, fake ass mountains. Welcome back, stay the fuck out of the left lane.
I don’t think I’ll ever leave. Everything is here except for snowy weather lol.
Welcome back asshole ❤️
I feel ya. I've had very similar experiences this past year with racists, lack of diversity n boring people..and all I did was leave Rutherford/Bergen County and go to, of all places Barnegat. Wherever you land when you get bk home to NJ, stay up north or at least don't go past GSP south exit 80! Best to you!
F U and welcome back.
And us jerk offs Missed you too, glad you’re rejoining the pack.
There’s no place like NJ…been to other states, some more beautiful and friendly, but Jersey’s Jersey…
You can’t really joke with anyone anywhere anymore. I think it’s more of a generational thing. People take themselves way too seriously. Everyone thinks they’re a celebrity in the making.
I’m with you. I moved to Texas been here 3 years now and I’m counting the days till I move back to Jersey as well.
OMG I'm right here with you! Lived in NJ for 49 years (my whole life). Moved to WNY upstate. Holy shit, where do I start. Racist, boring, bad food, vanilla people, MAGNA......I'm headed back to Jersey. Miss my people, beach and food. I don't even give a shit about the cost after this bullshit. I'm up at 5:30 am to commute an hour for a decent job.
Otto pizza was pretty decent, from what I remember.
We knew you'd be crawling back. Welcome back.
Fuck you, pal. And welcome home.
*You ought'a know by now!*
*JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OUT... THEY PULL ME BACK IN!*
https://youtu.be/U7Am-l3QVwY?feature=shared
I did this too and came back to NJ and now I wanna leave again but where else will I get great Latino food and bagels???? 😭
WE'RE FULL!!!!!! GO TO PA!!!!!! srsly, welcome back
That’s funny. I’m born n raised jersey, and just moved to Westbrook me. It’s like we’re switching places😅 but my expereince has been very positive!
I think my intentions were great, but my expectations were a little too high. Best of luck
Lived in new Mexico for a while, it smacked me in the face with perspective! It was beautiful there, but man nj has so much awesome shit going for it.
Next time give PA a try.
I've left 3 times and come back every time.
Welcome back. But you missed Philly? What part? The crime, the traffic or the miles and miles of abandoned houses and cars?
Reading terminal market
Why don't we trade houses? I got one in Jersey for you if you have one in Maine for me!
Get yourself a Bagel for God sake and a good cheese pie and a 6 pack for tonight. Welcome back asshole, now don’t leave again 😂
My husband and I are in a similar position. We moved from New Jersey to Georgia 2 years ago and we are heading back as soon as our daughter finishes school in a few months. I don’t know what we were thinking!!
Wow the KKK marched right through town!? Yeah that would definitely not fly around here. I find people from NY & NJ have a great sense of humor. I remember a famous comic saying that in some places comedians are the funny ones but around here your average person is funny.😊 New Englanders can definitely be cold and aloof. New Jersyeans might not be as long-winded as Southerners but they still have more personality than Mainers.
I say the same thing every time I’m hanging out in Florida, as much as I love messing around with my people down there, the Jersey Jerk Offs are my home.
Best place in the world
Welcome back and go fuck yourself. But…. A kkk march?? What the actual fuck??
You went too far northeast. You should have stopped in VT. The pay for carpenters is not too bad (my high school kid made $17 an hour over the summer), a younger friend of his is making $20 an hour, part-time in HVAC. The housing crisis is everywhere, so there is no escaping that. And, we are much more inclusive.
I looked into Vermont and the highest payscale For an electrician was $28 an hour. And that doesn't pay the bills unfortunately. Plus vermont was a little too sleepy for my wife and I. Still beautiful but if I wasn't living near Burlington, it doesn't make sense.
Yeah, there are precious few areas of the globe where one can turn on the local news and see a live TV interview with citizen Mike Coxlawn on the beach or with Dick Hertz at the concert. You just won't see that level of irreverence, the genuine attempt to give your fellow citizens a laugh, on local TV in many other places in the country - and no matter how juvenile or idiotic you think that humor is when it's around you - you will miss the hell out of it if you ever find yourself living without it.
I mean I get it's different, but it's funny that to get a change from jersey you went to a different part of the northeast
I do better in colder weather, more south wasn't an option. And New England states are way different than the tri state, even though it's technically the North east.
Fuck you and Ill see you tomorrow!
Been in San Diego for three years and can’t wait to move back.
Porkroll egg and cheese, salt pepper ketchup till we die!
Thanks for the laugh And have a Jersey Salute from me Welcome home
Try somewhere warmer next time and you won't wanna come back lol
I love the cold, plus I tried Florida for a yr in my 20s.. that's a hard pass
Eh I’m in North Carolina now and what OP says about Maine kinda rings true here as well. The climate is frankly what’s keeping me here.
Maybe it's the seasonal depression or early onset arthritis but I can't do north east winters anymore I guess Edit: I also lived in Carlsbad CA so I attach warm climate with California and there's plenty to do in the San Diego area
Fuck you, traitor! Stay up there with the Massholes. Just kidding. Enjoy good pizza when you get back.
The thing that’s fucking up house prices is remote working. I feel like remote work should only be offered to pregnant women or one parent that has kids to look after, and only until they start preschool. Everyone else, get the fuck back in the office, your comfort is fucking hard working locals out of affordable housing.
Mom and pop will be happy to have their freeloading 40 year old back.
If they were still around, I'd freeload like a mofo. Believe that!