80 Percent of New Jersey Residents Polled Intend to Move Out-of-State

Imagine that you woke up one morning, and all the neighbors on the opposite side of the street just disappeared ? I know it sounds strange, however, that is exactly what is happening right under our noses. According to a poll sent out by the Asbury Park Press (October 2007), 80 percent of the responders said they planned to leave the state. The question was not if but when. In this state you must earn approximately $100,000 to live here. It is especially sad for those of us who have spent our entire lives in the state.

In my case, the family lived in northern Jersey, (Upper Montclair), a bedroom community with lovely large homes. It was an old town because when I rode my bike downtown for milk or bread, the trees formed umbrellas of green that covered the sidewalks and streets---a delight on a hot sunny day. Our state's population was diverse. Of course we, the Garden State, had not only fruit and vegetable farms, but horse farms and trails in the mountains. Our fishing boats lined the docks with commercial and recreational vehicles. The Garden Arts Center was just that, art amid a garden. There were two types of horse racing and tourists, oh the tourists. With beaches up and down the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and lakes and rivers, it became a hard choice to decide where to go on vacation. We had it all here.( Oh, by the way, did I mention that we are 2 hrs. from NYC and Philadelphia offering the most varied choices of museums, concert halls and history of our nation.)

Fast forward to the present.

So you might wonder why, why leave this pristine, albeit flawed (with a greater number of corrupt politicians every year) garden of Eden? For young couples just starting out, that $100.000. price tag looks way too high if you plan to have a family. Keep in mind that NJ is highest in medical insurance and car insurance. It is far easier to pull up stakes and look at Pennsylvania. There you will find taxes that don't choke you, housing that is affordable and hopes that you can commute back to NJ to see family .So head for the NJ Turnpike and go west to the Pocono area. It is beautiful there too

Now for the senior or ready to retire groups that see industry shrinking and highways engorged with SUVs. New Jersey life becomes a puzzling new phenomena. The traffic patterns and signs become too complicated or too small to read. Social Security and pensions did not anticipate medical insurance bills of $900 a month or taxes of $7,000 to $10,000 a year---a low average. This group either heads to 95 So. for Florida or looks to Arizona or Las Vegas where part time jobs are plentiful and taxes are so low that you can actually go out to eat once in awhile.

With 80% of residents looking to relocate, who you may ask is coming into this grand state of ours? From where I sit, the newcomers are hi-tech, double earning yuppies who can afford to buy our homes and turn them into vacation homes! They want large houses with little property to take care of. They don't want neighborliness: the want a pied-a-terre. It seems that old-fashioned manners are no longer taught at home and the children are encouraged to call their elders by their first names. (That is a whole new article!) They are not interested in the mom and pop stores on Main Street, they shop Wal-Mart or the mall.; One of the saddest aspects about this transition is that our children are unable to experience the same New Jersey that we knew in our youth.

Unfortunately, many New Jersey residents relocate and then find the new state is not what it is cracked up to be. They want to come back. I feel sorriest for these people. They can't afford to buy their old homes back and must settle for what is left. You can buy a new house in in a new location, but you cannot buy neighborhoods and community.

My family is in the die-hard, hold tight variety. We have six adult children and eight grandchildren who we adore. As long as they are here, we are here. We can tell stories to the young ones of how it used to be; our children will smile and we will all try to assimilate our neighbors into Little League and pride in our community. We can only pray that our politicians hear our voices, clean up their acts and work on the insurances and taxes that are driving others away. New Jersey and You Perfect Together; thank you Gov. Keane. We couldn't agree more.