After following this thread, I had to weigh in.
Gov. Andrew “Son of Mario” Cuomo, when asked why so many people were fleeing NYS a coupla years ago, said it was because of the weather.
Nonsense.
DW and I lived in western NY for our entire working careers. And loved it there. Sure, parts of every winter sucked, but we traded those few weeks for glorious summers, autumns and even the occasional cooperative Spring. But the weather never has been the real reason we’re all fleeing.
It’s the State of New York itself, the oppressive tax burden it lays on every property owner, and the little anyone sees in return except for ever-encroaching state control of all that matters.
I ER’d class of 2001 - now 18 years in & never looked back.
We stayed in NY after retiring solely due to caregiving responsibilities. When those ended, we joined the caravan to FL. But we left for (almost) purely financial reasons, as we gave up decades of friendships & contacts in an incredibly beautiful corner of the U.S. We loved it in WNY. And would still be there if it made sense.
Now two full years into being legal FL residents, we have seen an effective 36% increase in spendable income directly attributable to lower property taxes, no FL income tax (thanks, tourists & snowbirds), lower utility costs, comparable costs of living, & changes in our own spending habits. YMMV, but we’re shocked by the changes in cash flow & the need to look to our portfolio for support.
We’re not humping for the Sunshine State Chamber of Commerce. Florida in the summer is as hot/humid as WNY was cold/snowy. Both are barely tolerable, but ya can always put more clothes ON; at some point propriety stops the shedding of clothes.
It’s the taxes, Andy. It always has been. And all that the Peoples’ Republic of Noo Yawk has become. And any other try at explaining the continuing NY-FL exodus is simply wrong.
Y’all come down, ya heah? But this thread is “interesting”...
They don't call it "God's waiting room" for nuthin'!
