Moving to New Jersey by way of Ohio...well maybe not

[bousozoku]

What a twisted journey I'm having!

I was looking to move to central New Jersey but the money I owe on the house is too great to get me more than a shack there.

So, I'm planning to head to the Dayton, Ohio area and finish up my current mess of degrees at Wright State University, live in a comparable size house for almost nothing, and be able to work at a reasonably stress-free job doing whatever will pay decently.

The only real problems I see moving from central Floriduh to Dayton is that I don't remember things all that well after 17 years of not being in the area daily and the bitter cold--I got frostbite a long time ago.

My parents are moving to an area of eastern Indiana so we won't be too far away for the first couple of years. After that and/or when my degrees are finished, I'll move to New Jersey. We're going to use PODS to move out stuff.

Any thoughts?

 

[mkrishnan]

Thoughts? That I know how much you hate Florida and so I'm glad you're finally getting an opportunity to leave here! Good luck!

BTW, what're PODS?

 

[bousozoku]

Thoughts? That I know how much you hate Florida and so I'm glad you're finally getting an opportunity to leave here! Good luck!

BTW, what're PODS?

Thanks! The only thing I really like here is the weather although Miami isn't a bad place, if my Spanish were better.

PODS (http://www.pods.com/) are storage containers that are brought to your house or business and that you fill and that can be stored at one of their sites or transported anywhere within the continental U.S.A. Hopefully, the homeowner's association won't make a big deal out of my having one in my driveway for a little while.

I'm hoping to sell most everything so I don't have to move much this time...or when I move to New Jersey/Philly.

 

[Poeben]

My thoughts? Why do you want to move to New Jersey? Granted, Philly is a nice city, but why central NJ?

And before everyone gets too excited, I live in New Jersey and I'm just wondering what draws you here. I want nothing more than to leave here for many reasons. In any case, good luck with your move/travels.

 

[bousozoku]

My thoughts? Why do you want to move to New Jersey? Granted, Philly is a nice city, but why central NJ?

And before everyone gets too excited, I live in New Jersey and I'm just wondering what draws you here. I want nothing more than to leave here for many reasons. In any case, good luck with your move/travels.

Thanks! I love Philly but central NJ always felt so comfortable for me, too. I'm not talking about Trenton. I worked in PA just about 10 minutes' drive from there and never found anything endearing about the city, even if it does have some popular restaurants.

New Jersey itself just draws me to it, the same way that Philly does. Besides, being partway between Philly and NYC would be great and living closer to the shore would be good, too. I was looking around Middlesex and Monmouth counties but it's too expensive for what I would want and what profit I'll have from the sale of my house. I'm not saying that NJ is heaven but in the right location, it's a long way from hell.

 

[bousozoku]

So, I was in New Jersey last week and it was home, even though I'd never lived around Somerville, where I stayed.

Actually, last Tuesday, I went to the Japanese mall (http://www.mitsuwa.com/) and got Japanese food and looked at all the Japanese goodies and bought Japanese magazines and remembered what it was like to be Japanese without leaving the U.S.A. That was pretty close to heaven.

Housing in NJ is definitely expensive, esp. the closer you are to NYC. I'll probably end up somewhere further south but still between NYC and Philly.

 

[njmac]

I love NJ too.

For one thing, the Pizza and bagels here are awesome.

Great restaurants, the Jersey Shore, close to NYC. Mountains in NW Jersey, Farmland/OpenSpace in Western NJ, many lake areas.

I know people love to make fun of NJ, but I would have a hard time leaving here.

and we have Springsteen too!

 

[homerjward]

congrats on the move! i'd sure love to get out of the s***hole i live in now
i was looking at your pro and noticed your age. i had always taken you for someone about 25
anyway, i wish you success in ohio!

 

[wdlove]

I think that you will like Dayton, Ohio bousozoku. It will be quite a change weather wise. If you like snow, there will be plenty to enjoy.

Born and raised just twenty miles south in Middletown.

I think that you will like Wright State, it's a good school. What degree are you pursuing?

 

[bousozoku]

I hate the cold because of my frostbite but the snow isn't too bad. It certainly gets interesting driving sometimes, though. A week before I moved from Philly to Floriduh it snowed like crazy and I ended up on a slick spot of I-95 trying to stay out of the path of a huge truck.

Wright State is a competent school for Computer Science, one of the degrees I've been pursuing. I'm not sure I'd go there for Graphic Design but I can finish that in Philly/NJ. Drexel University in Philly has some great degree programs.

There is some good food in the Dayton area and I know the area fairly well. I just don't want to live there permanently. Beavercreek is close to the school, so I'll find some house around there so I won't have to commute forever.

homerjward:

25? That old? darn Oh wait! You can't tell that I usually act 15 in real life.

I looked at Texas and was recently through San Antonio but the state really isn't any better off than Floriduh and people seem to share similar thinking so I'm better off somewhere else. I know a few good people in Texas but they all seem to want to leave.

 

[bousozoku]

Uggggh, I went up to Ohio and Indiana for Christmas.

When I stepped out of the car into 14 degrees F (-10 degrees C or something like that), it really didn't feel all that good. Dealing with the adoptive family, the traffic, and the people in general didn't add up to a good experience.

Anyone think a California city would be better for me? I could go back to Philly/Jersey straightaway and try to go to school there but it's not exactly warm in the winter either.

What about Singapore or Malaysia? I think my chances there are quite a bit worse, as far as working goes.

 

[katchow]

i live in dayton. it's been a pretty mild winter so far. Its in the fifties today.

Some new things going on downtown...check out the Schuster Center if you like music.
http://www.schustercenter.org/
I saw the dayton phili there a few weeks back and the acoustics were incredible, and yes, still good food downtown. Good luck.

 

[pseudobrit]

Anyone think a California city would be better for me? I could go back to Philly/Jersey straightaway and try to go to school there but it's not exactly warm in the winter either.

You'd have to try California too, I'd say. It depends on where you'd be. I've spent time in LA and it is disgustingly expensive for rent but there are jobs aplenty and UCLA is nice. My other experience with California was in the depths of the Sierra Nevada mountains which is not the place to be if you don't like cold (snow beside the roads in the shady parts in July).

 

[saabmp3]

Uggggh, I went up to Ohio and Indiana for Christmas.

When I stepped out of the car into 14 degrees F (-10 degrees C or something like that), it really didn't feel all that good. Dealing with the adoptive family, the traffic, and the people in general didn't add up to a good experience.

Get used to it. It's in the 30's for about 4 months of the year, and honestly, it's not all that bad, especially if you're just there for school. I don't know how old you are, but finishing a degree should be your top priority. School is, at most, 6 years of your life. After which you have much more leeway with location to work.

Anyone think a California city would be better for me? I could go back to Philly/Jersey straightaway and try to go to school there but it's not exactly warm in the winter either.

Just FYI, it's pretty dang cold in Jersey as well. After that, California is a very large state and the population trends have wide ranges of difference. You really need to figure out what key living points are, then narrow down cities (or towns, etc) after that.

What about Singapore or Malaysia? I think my chances there are quite a bit worse, as far as working goes.

Again, I don't know what nationality you are, but getting VISA's is not easy. A student visa is fairly obtainable, but most countries require the hiring company to search internally first and then (and only then) can they hire outside of the country. One of the easiest ways to move out of the country for work is to work for an international company with locations in the US. Once you work for them, a large portion of the visa process can be ignored.

So, narrow down what you want for living conditions, find the best school that will take you and make a compromise until you finish school.

Ben

 

[bousozoku]

Downtown Dayton, according to relatives is so far gone, why bother? I even drove through the area and I was surprised at how empty it was--it was like Toledo. On the other hand, the traffic in Kettering and Miamisburg was overwhelming.

California offers a lot but it has its drawbacks in price and, for me, it's not particularly warm except in the desert, as I experienced in June 2005. I wanted to return to San Jose but it's incredibly expensive, even on the bad side of town. I can't imagine trying to live in Redding or Bakersfield or FresNO in order to live in California. Los Angeles in general was great, but I'm not sure I can live far enough out--maybe even Riverside isn't far enough out to be affordable.

Yes, Jersey gets cold but generally, it's warmer than Ohio in winter. After being back there in July 2005, I'd be happier there than most places. Of course, certain parts of the Philadelphia area are cheap like Upper Darby, where I used to live. I think I have an 80% chance of moving there right now, simply because it's affordable. Public transportation is effective and going to school would be reasonably easy with so many great schools in the area.

There are a lot of Asians in California and Philly/Jersey and that would certainly be comfortable for me, being Japanglish or whatever you want to call it. Singapore seemed good because it's progressive, they have a lot of foreigners, and they promote English instead of a Chinese dialect. Japan would be nice but I would have to teach English or something since unemployment is rather bad.

 

[pseudobrit]

Los Angeles in general was great, but I'm not sure I can live far enough out--maybe even Riverside isn't far enough out to be affordable.

You could always apply for on-campus housing somewhere.

Japan would be nice but I would have to teach English or something since unemployment is rather bad.

And since your English is utterly incomprehensible, I can see how such a job would be daunting.

Seriously, why not try that?

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Hey, welcome back to Ohio!

I thought Dayton was pretty nice - there's a little resturant downtown that has a French inspired cusine. I thought it was great. It was on a brick street but I can't remember the name. I liked Dayton better than Columbus, and Cleveland....well, I was born & raised on the outskirts of that monument to our rusting industrial past.

One of my cousins is a Philly resident, and was a rabid Eagles fan until recently...

 

[blackfox]

...SNIP...

I looked at Texas and was recently through San Antonio but the state really isn't any better off than Floriduh and people seem to share similar thinking so I'm better off somewhere else. I know a few good people in Texas but they all seem to want to leave.

I just moved back to Texas from the NW (Oregon), and I would have to say it is actually a pretty great State (for the record, I despise Florida). Not all of it shares my interests - but Austin (where I now live [again]) and San Antonio are pretty great. Good, friendly people, great food, and decent opportunities. The weather ain't bad either (it is 70 today).

Just for context, I am 30, with degrees in similar fields.

In any case, best of luck.