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[Max Rockatansky]

A “better place” is a subjective measure.  Not having access to outdoor recreation is an immediate non-starter for me, perhaps not for others. 

[Dirt Roads]

Sounds like some of the references above are to payroll or occupational taxes.

My county of residence does not levy a payroll tax. Both the city and county where my office is located do levy such taxes.

During the time I worked from home due to the-virus-that-shall-not-be-named-under-threat-of-thread-lock, I was more or less exempted from paying those taxes. The state has forms you fill out to designate the amount of time you work in certain jurisdictions. Since I was going to the office only when needed, or once every couple of weeks otherwise to pick up mail and do things on the work computer network I couldn't do at home, I put that I was working in my home county 95 percent of the time and in the office 5 percent of the time. This amounted to a de facto 3 percent increase in my take-home pay for that period, plus fuel savings.

In Kentucky, these flat-rate taxes are levied on anyone who works within a certain jurisdiction regardless of residence. The money is automatically deducted from your check by your employer and remitted to the taxing agency. There is no difference made for residents and non-residents of the taxing jurisdiction, to my knowledge.

And therein lies the difference.  I'm pretty sure that back in the 1970s, the city of Ashland still required employees to fill out an annual form to pay the occupational tax.  If those jurisdictions now have those funds automatically taken from your paycheck, the situation I was referring to is already covered.  But in both New York City and New York State, you fill out an annual income tax form which gives you the opportunity to pay whatever you calculate (as lawful).  And it is hard for the local jurisdiction to prove that you did something unlawful unless you specific legislate against the activity of relocating (or working) outside of the jurisdiction (when you employer was in the jurisdiction) as a means of avoiding the additional income tax.

[ZLoth]

Q: How many Texans does it take to change a light bulb?
A: They don't change the bulbs because the power's out anyhow.

My power has been extremely steady, thank you very much. Of course, being on the same circuit as a medical center and a fire station helps as well.

And, no, I don't change my light bulbs. I replaced them all with energy efficient LEDs bulbs when I moved in, and only had to replace 2-3 in the past four years.

A “better place” is a subjective measure.  Not having access to outdoor recreation is an immediate non-starter for me, perhaps not for others.

Yes, very subjective. But it feels like this:



I like being able to be able to afford a home that is within walking distance (15 minutes) from my workplace, thus I'm filling up my car once a month at $40.46 instead of weekly or bi-weekly at $55.16. I like the better entertainment opportunities in the Dallas area (30 minute drive or public transit one way) or Fort Worth (60 minute drive one way) instead of having to drive to the SF Bay Area (2 hours one way) to attend a show. Outdoor activities? How about:

• Dallas Zoo
• Dallas Arboretum
• Trinity River Audobon Center
• Fort Worth Zoo
• Fort Worth Water Gardens - Especially if you saw the film Logan's Run
• Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
• Fort Wortth Nature Center

And that was derived from the Dallas Wanderer. If you want outdoor parks, you are better off going east of Dallas.

Also, travel? DFW is the headquarters of both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which means more non-stop travel destinations compared to Sacramento. I was looking forward to travel in 2020 and both my mother and I got Global Entry cards, but then "THAT" happened. And, since I now live on the eastern side of 80-20 line plus in the mid-point of the country, that opens up more road trip possibilities.

I will admit that the weather is more interesting and isn't as great here in Dallas as it was in California, especially this week. And I do miss the Sierra Nevada mountains. Having said that, I ended up in North Dallas because I was job relocated here, and I figured that the job opportuntiies here in DFW are much better than in Sacramento, CA. I got here at the "right time" before home prices shot up, although it also means that I'm "rate-locked" and cannot move.

I'm not going to state that DFW is the best place for everyone. If's up to each individual person to figure out what is important to them, and decide based upon that.

[Max Rockatansky]

The other day I drove 25 minutes from my house to climb a trail which gains 995 feet in 1.2 miles.  If I was so inclined I can hit three National Park boundaries in under 100 minutes.  Sorry, those ain’t happening in Dallas-Fort Worth. 

Worth noting, the Florida move I described upthread was my three year test run living as an adult back east.  Money and career wise, things were good. The big problem for me was that I overwhelmingly bored.  Coming off of somewhere like Arizona which has so much stuff outdoors that I like to do made Florida a huge let down. Once a viable transfer back west opened up (which wasn’t in a big urban area) I took it.

Big cities definitely don’t do it for me anymore either.  I’ve been chasing smaller and smaller cities as I’ve gotten older.  Adult life has been quite the contrast after living places like Chicago while in high school. 

[ZLoth]

The other day I drove 25 minutes from my house to climb a trail which gains 995 feet in 1.2 miles.  If I was so inclined I can hit three National Park boundaries in under 100 minutes.  Sorry, those ain’t happening in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The highest point in North Texas is Palo Pinto at 1,520 feet. And, no national parks near Dallas.... you are in for a several hour drive.

Worth noting, the Florida move I described upthread was my three year test run living as an adult back east.  Money and career wise, things were good. The big problem for me was that I overwhelmingly bored.  Coming off of somewhere like Arizona which has so much stuff outdoors that I like to do made Florida a huge let down. Once a viable transfer back west opened up (which wasn’t in a big urban area) I took it.

You made a decision on factors that were important to you and made you happy. What's wrong with that?

Big cities definitely don’t do it for me anymore either.  I’ve been chasing smaller and smaller cities as I’ve gotten older.  Adult life has been quite the contrast after living places like Chicago while in high school.

Again, personal preference. I spent a portion of my early childhood in rural Wayne county in upstate New York outside Rochester. The winters could be brutal because of the lake-effect snow from Lake Ontario, plus getting groceries meant a drive to Clyde. After several winters, we moved to California. For that reason, Chicago is on my list of places NOT to move to. While I see some of the appeal of living in a rural area, I prefer the opportunities and conveniences of an urban area... plus the Internet connectivity is better.

[Max Rockatansky]

Urban/suburban life seemingly has become more and more inconvenient as time has gone on.  I often ponder if that’s more a change in my own mindset than it is with the actual world around me changing?  Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now. 

[index]

Urban/suburban life seemingly has become more and more inconvenient as time has gone on.  I often ponder if that’s more a change in my own mindset than it is with the actual world around me changing?  Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

I feel this a lot. I don't live in a rural area, but it's extremely nice living in a smaller metro area when it comes to things like traffic. Every time I go to see my parents in Charlotte, I almost always get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic or end up waiting 30 minutes in line to pick up a prescription, which is essentially non-existent in the Tri-Cities. I don't know how I dealt with that as part of daily life but I'm not going back to it. I enjoy cheap housing, too. Large cities just aren't for me.

My long-term plan for my professional future is to try and find work in the mountains. I accept that it isn't always possible, but even if I have to go somewhere else, I want to avoid sprawling metropolises. And I *definitely* would avoid places like Texas and Florida. I can also easily walk five minutes to grab something to eat in my area of Elizabethton and I'd like to be able to keep doing that. The gridiron layout is superior in every way, even when it's less dense, than traditional suburbs.

[Max Rockatansky]

Urban/suburban life seemingly has become more and more inconvenient as time has gone on.  I often ponder if that’s more a change in my own mindset than it is with the actual world around me changing?  Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

I feel this a lot. I don't live in a rural area, but it's extremely nice living in a smaller metro area when it comes to things like traffic. Every time I go to see my parents in Charlotte, I almost always get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic or end up waiting 30 minutes in line to pick up a prescription, which is essentially non-existent in the Tri-Cities. I don't know how I dealt with that as part of daily life but I'm not going back to it. I enjoy cheap housing, too. Large cities just aren't for me.

My long-term plan for my professional future is to try and find work in the mountains. I accept that it isn't always possible, but even if I have to go somewhere else, I want to avoid sprawling metropolises. And I *definitely* would avoid places like Texas and Florida. I can also easily walk five minutes to grab something to eat in my area of Elizabethton and I'd like to be able to keep doing that. The gridiron layout is superior in every way, even when it's less dense, than traditional suburbs.

Put this way, I moved the Phoenix Metro area when it at three million residents.  At the time everything was great and Phoenix was really an enjoyable place to live.  It was easy to get around to places and pretty much nowhere was swapped with crowds of people.  Having brand new freeways facilitated getting around very quickly. 

When the Phoenix area topped four million people. a lot of big city problems started to happen and they weren’t something I could see not getting more pronounced as time went on.  The most dramatic effect was the spiking home problems near all centers of business.  Essentially to find somewhere affordable to life one had to live further and further out into the suburbs.  That of course lead to more cars on major freeways and more competition wherever I went.  Fortunately I was in position to move and seek another other opportunity out in Florida. 

Right now I live in Fresno.  Fresno for the moment has the right balance of infrastructure, home priced and being spread out enough that I don’t encounter things like traffic or large crowds of people.  Problem is that people in California are figuring out that Fresno (and other Central Valley cities) have a lot of tangibly good qualities and keep moving here.  At some point our quiet niche will likely be enveloped by the masses.  Fortunately if this happens it will likely line up with the final run down to retirement or close to when the mortgage is paid off.

[ZLoth]

Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

The bleeping Sunrise Bridge in Fair Oaks, CA played a major factor in my home purchasing decision because it crosses the American River. When there was no traffic, it takes 20 minutes to drive between my workplace and my home. When it's rush hour, that drive can easily take 60 minutes to just drive that same 8 miles.

When I moved to Texas, finding a place close to work was a big priority, and being within walking distance was a bonus. Just that BLEEP and then Adult Caregiver resulting in my WFHing to my dismay.

[J N Winkler]

I believe New York (the state) doesn't even let you move from house to house more than once per year, although I'm not sure of the specifics. It's to prevent speculators from driving up housing prices.

I don't know that any state could have such a restriction without impinging unacceptably on freedom of movement.  Others have suggested the policy in question is about ensuring NYS gets its bite in on income tax, but I wonder if it is actually a cap on the number of real-estate wholesaling transactions one can be involved in without holding a real estate agent's license.  Illinois has such a limit (fixed at one house per year) explicitly to discourage wholesaling, though I do not know the details of how it is enforced.

Urban/suburban life seemingly has become more and more inconvenient as time has gone on.  I often ponder if that’s more a change in my own mindset than it is with the actual world around me changing?  Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

Life in big cities just seems to me excessively precarious.  Housing drives cost of living up, while traffic congestion degrades quality of life to a degree that is often unpredictable from one day to the next but is always heavy.  Frankly, DFW as the lower-congestion alternative to Sacramento strikes me as reflective of a lingering coastal mindset:  living as I do in a city of 400,000 where commute time rarely exceeds 25 minutes, I would need a lot of convincing to move to Dallas.

This said, I'll be pleasantly surprised if we are able to hold on to what we have.  Later this afternoon I am going to an open house for widening of the K-96 Northeast Freeway, which was built only a little over 30 years ago and is already at the point of needing six lanes.

[hbelkins]

Tri-Cities... Elizabethton

Admittedly, it's been a few years since I drove US 321 between I-26 and US 19E, but I remember not being able to tell where Johnson City ends and Elizabethton begins without seeing a sign. My recollection is that the entire corridor is built up.

Ever think Elizabethton will get big enough to the point where Tri-Cities (Bristol, Kingsport, JC) becomes Quad-Cities? Or maybe it's really Quad now (two Bristols, after all).

Interesting fact -- that US 321 corridor is one of the few places where a concurrent Tennessee state route is fully signed with its companion US route.

[index]

Tri-Cities... Elizabethton

Admittedly, it's been a few years since I drove US 321 between I-26 and US 19E, but I remember not being able to tell where Johnson City ends and Elizabethton begins without seeing a sign. My recollection is that the entire corridor is built up.

Ever think Elizabethton will get big enough to the point where Tri-Cities (Bristol, Kingsport, JC) becomes Quad-Cities? Or maybe it's really Quad now (two Bristols, after all).

Interesting fact -- that US 321 corridor is one of the few places where a concurrent Tennessee state route is fully signed with its companion US route.

The corridor between those two points is pretty built up between 19E and Milligan Hwy, but it has no access from there till its next intersection with Milligan. It's pretty much sparse suburbs.

As for growth, I can definitely see it happening as JC gets bigger and people are looking for cheaper living with a short commute, but right now it seems to be pretty stagnant. There has been some minor residential and commercial development of old industrial sites along the former ET&WNC, but the population, according to Census data, hasn't seen much change. The most prominent building in town is still the abandoned Bemberg factory.

[CtrlAltDel]

Q: How many Texans does it take to change a light bulb?
A: They don't change the bulbs because the power's out anyhow.

My power has been extremely steady, thank you very much. Of course, being on the same circuit as a medical center and a fire station helps as well.

And the ones who have lost power can't get online to complain!

[Rothman]

Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

The bleeping Sunrise Bridge in Fair Oaks, CA played a major factor in my home purchasing decision because it crosses the American River. When there was no traffic, it takes 20 minutes to drive between my workplace and my home. When it's rush hour, that drive can easily take 60 minutes to just drive that same 8 miles.

Heh.  Reminds me of the Twin Bridges north of Albany, NY.  Have no idea why people kept and keep falling for the realtor sales pitch that Clifton Park was the place to live.  Couldn't pay me enough to deal with that commute over those bridges.

[Max Rockatansky]

Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

The bleeping Sunrise Bridge in Fair Oaks, CA played a major factor in my home purchasing decision because it crosses the American River. When there was no traffic, it takes 20 minutes to drive between my workplace and my home. When it's rush hour, that drive can easily take 60 minutes to just drive that same 8 miles.

The Sacramento area has never been on my list of considerations for relocation for the reasons you describe.  The area has outgrown the existing infrastructure and nobody wants to building anything to accommodate anyone (not to mention all the cancelled freeways).  Pretty all the major roads in the metro area are in a similar predicament during rush hour.

[bandit957]

I wonder if I've set a record for longest time living in the same efficiency apartment: 25 years.

[Max Rockatansky]

I wonder if I've set a record for longest time living in the same efficiency apartment: 25 years.

I've never even made it three years in a single apartment. 

[Rothman]

I wonder if I've set a record for longest time living in the same efficiency apartment: 25 years.

I've never even made it three years in a single apartment.

Huh.  I'm probably setting a personal record for longest time renting in one place.  Never thought of that before.  Not surprising though -- we really like this location and the management.

Still, the call to own a house again is always in the back of my mind.

[Dirt Roads]

Tri-Cities... Elizabethton

Admittedly, it's been a few years since I drove US 321 between I-26 and US 19E, but I remember not being able to tell where Johnson City ends and Elizabethton begins without seeing a sign. My recollection is that the entire corridor is built up.

Ever think Elizabethton will get big enough to the point where Tri-Cities (Bristol, Kingsport, JC) becomes Quad-Cities? Or maybe it's really Quad now (two Bristols, after all).

As a fairly frequent visitor to Elizabethton, I was under the impression that the area was in a steady decline.  In actuality, the population leveled off sometime prior to Y2K and has been in a slight decline ever since.   With Johnson City at 71,278,  Kingsport at 55,582 and the Bristols at 27,570 TN plus 17,054 VA*, it seems doubtful that the Elizabethton (14,015) will be able to catch up anytime soon. 

One of the key issues for Elizabethton is that Tennessee developed the US-19E route pushing vacation traffic towards the North Carolina vacation destinations of Grandfather Mountain, Linville Falls, Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain.  The chances of North Carolina ever constructing the complementary connection route to US-19E is slim to none.  But this lines up very well with my preferred route across that steep part of the Blue Ridge, which is NC-105 going southwest out of Boone.  The traffic is certainly there to justify a four-lane route across the mountains, as the vacation traffic feels more like rush hour (almost all day long, worse on weekends) in both directions between Boone and Linville (both Winter and Summer).  But the existing route tops out just a hair over 4,000 feet elevation and most certainly any alternative route would require a huge tunnel.  I don't ever see the other route (US-321 through Mountain City) ever getting enough traffic to warrant an upgrade.  All of which will limit if and how Elizabethton will see commercial growth.

[webny99]

Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

The bleeping Sunrise Bridge in Fair Oaks, CA played a major factor in my home purchasing decision because it crosses the American River. When there was no traffic, it takes 20 minutes to drive between my workplace and my home. When it's rush hour, that drive can easily take 60 minutes to just drive that same 8 miles.

The Sacramento area has never been on my list of considerations for relocation for the reasons you describe.  The area has outgrown the existing infrastructure and nobody wants to building anything to accommodate anyone (not to mention all the cancelled freeways).  Pretty all the major roads in the metro area are in a similar predicament during rush hour.

I would question whether it's the bridge that's the issue, or just the lack of freeways and high speed roadways in general? I don't see anything about the bridge specifically that would cause issues other than the fact that it should probably be a freeway instead of forcing traffic through signalized intersections on both sides.

[Max Rockatansky]

Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

The bleeping Sunrise Bridge in Fair Oaks, CA played a major factor in my home purchasing decision because it crosses the American River. When there was no traffic, it takes 20 minutes to drive between my workplace and my home. When it's rush hour, that drive can easily take 60 minutes to just drive that same 8 miles.

The Sacramento area has never been on my list of considerations for relocation for the reasons you describe.  The area has outgrown the existing infrastructure and nobody wants to building anything to accommodate anyone (not to mention all the cancelled freeways).  Pretty all the major roads in the metro area are in a similar predicament during rush hour.

I would question whether it's the bridge that's the issue, or just the lack of freeways and high speed roadways in general? I don't see anything about the bridge specifically that would cause issues other than the fact that it should probably be a freeway instead of forcing traffic through signalized intersections on both sides.

That is the issue, everyone is bottlenecking into what corridors are available.  San Francisco tends to overshadow how many freeways in the Sacramento area were cancelled, it’s a lot.  The Sacramento Metro area has about 2.4 million residents, not exactly a tiny urban area. 

[ZLoth]

Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

The bleeping Sunrise Bridge in Fair Oaks, CA played a major factor in my home purchasing decision because it crosses the American River. When there was no traffic, it takes 20 minutes to drive between my workplace and my home. When it's rush hour, that drive can easily take 60 minutes to just drive that same 8 miles.

The Sacramento area has never been on my list of considerations for relocation for the reasons you describe.  The area has outgrown the existing infrastructure and nobody wants to building anything to accommodate anyone (not to mention all the cancelled freeways).  Pretty all the major roads in the metro area are in a similar predicament during rush hour.

I would question whether it's the bridge that's the issue, or just the lack of freeways and high speed roadways in general? I don't see anything about the bridge specifically that would cause issues other than the fact that it should probably be a freeway instead of forcing traffic through signalized intersections on both sides.

With US-50 along the south, these are the following crossing between Folsom Dam and Downtown Sacramento:

• Folsom Dam Road - Was the major crossing in Folsom until September 11th when it was shut down due to "security risk". It was replaced with...
• Folsom Lake Crossing Bridge - Can't locate year of construction
• Rainbow Bridge (Folsom) - Constructed in 1917, it was a major bottleneck in Folsom
• Lake Natoma Bridge - Opened in 1999[/url]
• Hazel Ave - Expanded from 2 lanes to 3 lanes[/url]
• Sunrise Blvd - Expanded from 2 lanes to 3 lanes
• Watt Ave - Expanded to four lanes in each direction.
• Howe Ave - Two lanes each direction
• J Street Bridge -Two lanes each direction

It isn't the bridge that the issue, but the lack of bridges total. There has been a need for decades for a bridge between Sunrise Blvd and Watt Ave, but the NIMBYs kept saying NO. The population of Sacramento County has grown from 727,000 in 1977 to 1.54 million in 2018 (I left at the beginning of 2019), but the only new construction was the Lake Natoma bridge and the Folsom Lake crossing, while Hazel, Sunrise, and Watt being expanded. Many people live north of the American River and have jobs south of the American River. When I was younger, if the phone call crossed the American River, it was a "local toll call".

[Roadgeekteen]

In 2016, when my family was rebuilding our house, we were living in a temporary apartment. Our lease ran out in the end of August a few days before our new house was complete, so we had to move into a smaller apartment for a few days until our house was ready.

[Bruce]

Urban/suburban life seemingly has become more and more inconvenient as time has gone on.  I often ponder if that’s more a change in my own mindset than it is with the actual world around me changing?  Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

Life in big cities just seems to me excessively precarious.  Housing drives cost of living up, while traffic congestion degrades quality of life to a degree that is often unpredictable from one day to the next but is always heavy.  Frankly, DFW as the lower-congestion alternative to Sacramento strikes me as reflective of a lingering coastal mindset:  living as I do in a city of 400,000 where commute time rarely exceeds 25 minutes, I would need a lot of convincing to move to Dallas.

This said, I'll be pleasantly surprised if we are able to hold on to what we have.  Later this afternoon I am going to an open house for widening of the K-96 Northeast Freeway, which was built only a little over 30 years ago and is already at the point of needing six lanes.

Y'all do realize that this is proving induced demand is a thing.

Living in-city isn't the hardest thing in the world. You learn to avoid certain roads at certain hours, or switch modes entirely to bypass the jam. If I-5 looks jammed, I'll park and take the bus or train; if those look jammed, then I opt for a different way around. Downtown streets jammed? Train or rental bike.

Having to go drive miles and miles to run errands is exhausting. I'm looking at potentially moving in with a friend who lives in downtown Seattle, which would put me within a short train ride or bike trip of just about anything I'd need for daily living. The one hangup is being unable to bring my car to downtown, so I'd have to find a more remote parking situation and commute to and from the car if I want to road trip, but that's certainly not a daily thing.

[Rothman]

Urban/suburban life seemingly has become more and more inconvenient as time has gone on.  I often ponder if that’s more a change in my own mindset than it is with the actual world around me changing?  Things like waiting in large lines at the store or in a big rush hour traffic jam just seem excessively draining to me now.

Life in big cities just seems to me excessively precarious.  Housing drives cost of living up, while traffic congestion degrades quality of life to a degree that is often unpredictable from one day to the next but is always heavy.  Frankly, DFW as the lower-congestion alternative to Sacramento strikes me as reflective of a lingering coastal mindset:  living as I do in a city of 400,000 where commute time rarely exceeds 25 minutes, I would need a lot of convincing to move to Dallas.

This said, I'll be pleasantly surprised if we are able to hold on to what we have.  Later this afternoon I am going to an open house for widening of the K-96 Northeast Freeway, which was built only a little over 30 years ago and is already at the point of needing six lanes.

Y'all do realize that this is proving induced demand is a thing.

Both of them say traffic congestion is a deterrent to living in an area, which means once a threshold is met, demand to live in an area and for capacity of roadway actually is tampered.

When they want to move to Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo or Rochester because of their lack of traffic and available road capacity, let me know.