The Pros And Cons Of Where You Live

[Yonah]

Another mehalech, in many states, such as CA and AZ, the property taxes are set at the time of sale and there is a cap on increases. In CA property taxes can only be raised 1% per year.
So, if you buy a house in CA 30 years ago you're all set
https://www.californiataxdata.com/pdf/Prop13.pdf

AZ - I think the values were set in 2011 and there is a minimal yearly increase regardless of sales. so even if you buy now you should do pretty well.

I used to have a neighbor who didn't grow up frum, in an LA suburb that is no where near any of the frum communities in LA. When her parents died, she wanted to sell the house, but because the house hadn't changed hands in over 35 years, the taxes would've exploded. So she opted to move in to her parent's house and get a shabbos apartment near their shul, because with the amount of taxes on the house it would have been hard to sell.

[Yonah]

Because our assemblypeople are an outspoken anti-semite and a self-hating Jew and they try to hurt us at every corner.

The state formula needs to be changed to cater to the unique needs of Rockland County, but they won't lift a finger.

Thank God, the people who they represent and one of them were utterly humiliated in the primaries this week.

Also, a few of the villages have ridiculous debt to pay off because they had and lost RLUIPA suits that cost them millions and they need to pay it off, and we end up paying, because we live there. They fought it (except Chestnut Ridge that got sechel) because they're vile anti-semites.

The rhetoric among some of them wouldn't embarrass the Nazis of the 1930s.

Here you have a sitting Republican Rockland County legislator, one day ago on Facebook.

I remember having an argument with someone about an article that was published by the NY Times (of course) on Rosh Hashana (double of course) about 10 years ago. The article talked suggested that the school board had 'Overly Ultra-Orthodox Representation' and that the 'Hasidim stuff the ballot boxes'. The people I was arguing with suggested that the Chasidim unfairly divert the money from the school board to weaken the school districts. They also argued it wasn't fair for people who didn't send their children to public school to be involved in the school board.

I pointed out to them that at least 2/3 of the district's children (as pointed out by the article) went to yeshivas - are they not entitled to proper support services? Speech and Language, OT, etc? They started to see my point - but they were still uncomfortable about the 'chasidim' running the school board - I pointed out that a) they were the clear majority of voters and b) their representation on the school board wasn't out of line with their demographics (I think it was 5/7 seats).

So they regurgitated their argument of 'people without kids in the district...', I asked what if we replaced chasidim with 'Old People?' - what if the people on the school board were empty nesters who no longer needed the school district? Would they feel the same way? That made them think.

[Yonah]

The housing market in Toronto (and NYC, Boston & LA) is another example why certain OOT communities with a certain amount of Jewish infrastructure are exploding. A close family member just moved from Toronto to Boca Raton and told me they got another 40 families that moved into the community last summer. They are living near one of the newer shuls (not the main one) but 600k there can get you a huge home with a pool, that backs onto a lake in a gated community.

If I am not mistaken, my In-laws snowbird in this community. They've had their place there for about 13 years, and we spend about a week or two a year with them. It was really small for the first few years, but in the last 4-5 it's exploded.There are at least 20-30 new families a year. To the point where one of the shuls in that community has outgrown it's current space and moved to a bigger location! Another shul that was meeting in a storefront built their own facility a few years ago, and they've also seen a lot of growth as well.

[Yonah]

I'm surprised that I never chimed in on this thread before, so I'll bite. I live in White Plains, NY. The frum community is definitely a little more modern, but we have two orthodox shuls (Young Israel and Hebrew Institute) with about 350-400 families.

The pros
- It's a relatively affordable community still within a stone's throw of NYC.
- Taxes are relatively good (but not great) most 4Bd will run between 10-13K per year
- Metro North to midtown is about 35-40 minutes by train, and reliable
- Conveniences of a city - supermarkets open late (Every once in a while I'll find myself in stop and shop at 11pm on Thursday getting the one thing my wife needs to finish cooking for shabbos and I meet 5 other people doing the same thing), 24-hour pharmacies.
- Not far from anything - in less than an hour you can be in Riverdale (20m), Monsey (30-35), Queens (about 40), UWS (25-30), Teaneck (35-40)- and Five Towns or Brooklyn on a Sunday morning.

The cons:
- Lack of restaurants - there's Pizza and Chinese in New Rochelle
- Only one large kosher supermarket nearby, and it's expensive (but most people go to Costco in New Rochelle, which has kosher meat or buy meat/cheese in Monsey/Riverdale/Queens)
- Yeshiva Choices - there are a few, but they're all co-ed - works for some, not for others.

I'm sure that for many of you this might not be a good fit, but if you have any interest and want to know more, please feel free to DM me.

[whYME]

in less than an hour you can be in ... Five Towns or Brooklyn on a Sunday morning.

lol

[Yonah]

lol

Never ceases to amaze me. If I leave to Brooklyn on a Sunday morning before 10am, I can be in BP or Flatbush within 45 minutes. Outside of that, it will often take 1:15.

[whYME]

Never ceases to amaze me. If I leave to Brooklyn on a Sunday morning before 10am, I can be in BP or Flatbush within 45 minutes. Outside of that, it will often take 1:15.

I don't even want to think about how long it takes from Brooklyn to you on a Friday afternoon

[12HRS]

I don't even want to think about how long it takes from Brooklyn to you on a Friday afternoon

generally equation is Time left till shkiya - 10 minutes if you need a shower. 5 if you don't

[Yonah]

I don't even want to think about how long it takes from Brooklyn to you on a Friday afternoon

This is why I have none of my brooklyn relatives come for shabbos in the winter

FWIW - It's just as hard going to Brooklyn/Queens on a Friday afternoon.

[ADG]

Because our assemblypeople are an outspoken anti-semite and a self-hating Jew and they try to hurt us at every corner.

The state formula needs to be changed to cater to the unique needs of Rockland County, but they won't lift a finger.

Thank God, the people who they represent and one of them were utterly humiliated in the primaries this week.

Also, a few of the villages have ridiculous debt to pay off because they had and lost RLUIPA suits that cost them millions and they need to pay it off, and we end up paying, because we live there. They fought it (except Chestnut Ridge that got sechel) because they're vile anti-semites.

The rhetoric among some of them wouldn't embarrass the Nazis of the 1930s.

Here you have a sitting Republican Rockland County legislator, one day ago on Facebook.

Jaw dropping...

[Dan]

https://www.cleveland.com/politics/2019/07/ohio-cities-to-lose-state-funding-for-traffic-camera-tickets-beginning-wednesday.html

[EJB]

https://www.cleveland.com/politics/2019/07/ohio-cities-to-lose-state-funding-for-traffic-camera-tickets-beginning-wednesday.html

Property tax going up to make up for lost revenue ...

[ExGingi]

https://www.cleveland.com/politics/2019/07/ohio-cities-to-lose-state-funding-for-traffic-camera-tickets-beginning-wednesday.html

With an annual budget probably the size of NYC daily budget, and a political scene that isn’t overwhelmingly tilted left, Cleveland can probably live without cameras.

But in NYC, there’s no way our city council and Bolshevik mayor would let go of the cameras cash registers.

[whYME]

But in NYC, there’s no way our city council and Bolshevik mayor would let go of the cameras cash registers.

Halevai not letting go of what's there was our biggest problem.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/02/nyregion/newyorktoday/nyc-news-speed-cameras.amp.html

[ExGingi]

Halevai not letting go of what's there was our biggest problem.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/02/nyregion/newyorktoday/nyc-news-speed-cameras.amp.html

Oh. There was no doubt this was coming. And they’ll come up with more ideas. It started with red lights, went to speeding, continued to bus lanes, and won’t stop there. It’s a combination of brilliant private business and politicians eager to fund their pet projects without being blamed for raising taxes.

[shaulyaakov]

People are very eager go try out world class bakery!

[ADG]

They do make a mean blueberry pie

[ExGingi]

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/property-prices/nyc/?srnd=premium

[spinkid000]

I live in Danbury, CT.    You've probably driven through it.  We border NY State and I-84 goes right through our city.   Danbury Fair Mall is known by many.  I guess I'm one of the token gentile guys on here.  I didn't know when I signed up.    This is my favorite deal finding site, who knew I'd learn more about other types of poeple

Listening to some of the discrimination faced .   I can't help but also see a comparison to the Amish, Hutterite and Mennonite communities scattered throughout the U.S.        People tend to find them so quaint and otherwordly in a way.  I wonder if they were move involved on the local level in their communities if they would suddently become less accepted.

[spinkid000]

Now, for my own Pros and Cons of where I live.    I live just over the border and I'm about 3 minutes off an exit for 84, but in a quiet area.    I'm about 3 minutes from the Danbury Fair Mall.

when i'm looking for cheap clearance sales.  I have 7 CVS stores within 10 minutes each.  Lots of other retail.

We have a very diverse community.  40% White which includes sizeable 2nd and 3rd generation Italians, Lebanese Christians (we have 3 churches and 4 restaurants! and also Portuguese and a Large Brazilian community  (5 restaurants)   We have 2 Synagogues.  We have a somewhat clustered Jewish community centered around a lake.  It used to be summer resort cabins, but in the 60's everyone converted them into full time homes and they have remained in the families, even if just rented.
                                                 40% Hispanic, mostly Ecuadorian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, HOnduran, but I've met families from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.
                                                 10% African American and African
                                                  10% Asian.   I wish I had a breakdown by country, but I'd say India, Pakistan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China

When flying I can choose from SWF (my favorite), HPN, LGA, JFK and BDL.   We often get retail stores quickly.  We had some of the first Primarks and H & M's in the country, oh, and we have a Stew Leonard's, yet Starbucks arrived late here, we don't have a Jamba Juice, also no Hobby Lobby or Ocean State Job Lot.