[Michael G.]

Americans Are Leaving High-Tax New York and Moving to Florida

[Stu from NYC]

They have to make room for new arrivals.

[JMintzer]

[Sage327]

[QUOTE=Michael G.;2181597]Americans Are Leaving High-Tax New York and Moving to Florida[/QUOTE

Taxes are not the only reason people are leaving NY

[gatorbill1]

Taxes and weather definitely better in Florida, don't know anything else better here. I have been here over 40 years, so I am probably not best judge of this. When I moved to Florida, cost of living was a lot better here than in NY, but not so much now.

[manaboutown]

Crime in NYC is a factor as well. Major crime continues to surge in NYC, up 36% this year: new police data

[ThirdOfFive]

[QUOTE=Sage327;2181643]

Originally Posted by Michael G.

Americans Are Leaving High-Tax New York and Moving to Florida[/QUOTE

Taxes are not the only reason people are leaving NY

Indeed. Crime is a biggie, and not just New York but Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, etc. etc.

If anyone here reads V i l l a g e s - N e w s, the comparison is pretty stark. That publication thrives on sleaze and local criminal activity lives on the front page (or its electronic equivalent). But in point of fact, I'd say that probably 80% of what is called "crime" down here would elicit nothing but a belly laugh if called in to police departments of major NE and Northern cities. One recent story (if I'm recalling it correctly) was that local law tracked down and arrested someone who walked a $13 restaurant check!

Cops down here are allowed and encouraged to do their jobs, which is quite a stark change from the reality that many of us come from. It appears that law enforcement here knows who the troublemakers are, and keeps the pressure on them. How many times have we read of a person being stopped for stopping ahead of the white line, broken taillight, license plate not illuminated, etc. etc. etc., K-9 is called and the dog "alerts" to the presence of drugs in the vehicle, a search is initiated and inevitably a suspended license, drug paraphernalia, outstanding warrants, etc. etc. are discovered. The advocates UpNort would be screaming to high heaven if such tactics were used there. But here, it is done, and it keeps crime heavily in the "petty" bracket.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Wow what a dumb comparison. You're comparing problems with a very small city (geographically), in a small state (geographically) to the entirety of a somewhat large state (geographically).

NYC has approximately 9 million people in it, over around 306 square miles. The last count was approximately 29,000 people per square mile.

The State of Florida has approximately 22 million people in it, over around 66,000 square miles. Florida has only around 406 people per square mile as of last count.

Of course crime will be higher in one of the most densely-populated cities in the country, than in the entirety of a large state that is primarily rural, other than the coasts and very small sections of inland.

Manhattan is only 22 square miles, and has almost 2 million people in it, and at last count was approximately 74,000 people per square mile.

The Villages is around 6 square miles, has only 150,000 people in it, around 2800 people per square mile.

Why anyone would even think to compare the two is pretty insane. Taking such comparisons seriously is even more insane.

People are leaving the State of New York for a multitude of reasons.
1. High taxes, especially within NYC, which has borough taxes, county taxes, and state taxes, plus high sales tax and usage taxes.
2. Anyone renting within "the city" with multiple wage-earners - and losing one person's wage, likely has to move out due to no longer being able to afford the rent. But in the city, there is rent control - which means they are paying much less than whoever moves in to their old place - and what they can now afford, doesn't exist for new tenants anywhere in the city.
3. Winters - this isn't a new thing, people have moved south due to northern winters - ever since there've been people born and raised in the north.
4. Politics - this is actually not common. There are places in New York that have a very strong 'red' representation, so if that was the big reason, they could've just moved to a red pocket. Or a neighboring state, such as Ohio, which is controlled primarily by Republicans on every level of state government.
5. The expectation of career opportunities - many people come down here thinking they'll get a better job with more money. This isn't true, but it's a reason why they come.
6. Retirement - another "not a new thing." People have been flocking to Florida to retire from New York since the 1950's. The difference between the 1950's and now is - there are more people. More people = more people retiring = more people moving.

[Ele201]

Originally Posted by gatorbill1

Taxes and weather definitely better in Florida, don't know anything else better here. I have been here over 40 years, so I am probably not best judge of this. When I moved to Florida, cost of living was a lot better here than in NY, but not so much now.

True, and the transplants moving south hike up property values and living costs.

[Pete Swanson]

Welcome to the Free State of Florida

[pvetrano1]

You obviously haven't been in NY lately. It's not even close !

[Sandy and Ed]

Originally Posted by Ele201

True, and the transplants moving south hike up property values and living costs.

But hopefully they do not destroy the wonderful “attitude” of Florida. Come on down but leave your Northern cynicism, etc. there. Florida ain’t broke so don’t try to fix it to suit a northern lifestyle you are leaving

[rsmurano]

Of course you can compare crime rates. NY/Oregon/California/Illinois/and many more states are trying to defund the police and the state attorneys are not prosecuting non-violent crimes, you get a slap in the wrist when robbing a store now. Remember the new Illinois law that just went into effect Jan 1: “As the calendar turns to 2023, Illinois was set to become the first state in the U.S. to completely eliminate cash bail for defendants awaiting criminal trials.”.
Remember the quiet riots in Portland that happened everyday for a year where they demolished the city with fires. Let me check if Florida had the same type of riots.
Besides crime, taxes are much cheaper here, no state income tax here, housing prices are nothing here compared to the west coast or northeast. Electric costs/water costs are much cheaper here, I was paying over $100 a month to water my lawn years ago and other places you aren’t even allowed to water your lawn or wash your car.

[Dusty_Star]

Crime is a much bigger factor than the taxes, which in New York City have always been high. People with school age children are also leaving because of the schools. This was brought into high relief for parents during the last several years. Schools opened in Florida, they did not in New York. For those leaving recently it was the overall abysmal COVID response that caused people to decide once & for all to abandon the city. Except for the very rich, NYC apartments are tiny. Kitchens are either non-existent or a joke. NY'ers predominantly ate out, showered at the gym & spent very little time other than sleeping in their apartments. That all changed with the COVID response & it drove many former NYC boosters to seriously reconsider their life choices. They were stuck in tiny apartments with more people than the apartment could comfortably handle. Their 'I love NY' lifestyle crashed & burned. Now I don't think many of these people are landing in The Villages, but they are moving out of NY & yes, the effects are still being felt. For many of the non rich it takes several years to devote funds to a major relocation. Meanwhile the worsening crime on the city streets is strengthening their resolve to get out.

[Shapdaddy]

You’re damn right. Make America Florida. Keep you Northeast attitude up there.