Hey guys, I've seen people ask some random questions here, so if you don't mind I'd like to ask anyone's life experience with choosing a place to live. I graduated college a year or two ago, and have to choose between successful city life (NYC) or the happier country life (upstate)... I keep going back and forth, and I realize that where I move to has a significant chance of affecting whom i marry, where i live, where i wind up, career, all that stuff... so I'm curious how you guys weigh your jobs against happiness. All my friends and family are in NYC or Long Island, and while upstate isn't exactly across the country, it still leaves me with not much to do on a friday night.

I won't lie, I can afford to rent a nice place with a two car garage upstate... one for the camaro, the other for the tools... the jeep can stay outside:D

Any and all advice is appreciated!

Living the Big City life and expense will shorten your life and most likely increase your stress in life. Pick the happier country life.

City girls are alot thinner than country girls.
You will make alot more money in the city.
You can always move upstate later, or get a weekend house about an hour outside the city.
Stay in the city while you are young.
I lived in Orange County NY for 2 years, not much to do there for a young person.

Live in the city for a while...your young and single from the sounds of it...enjoy it while you are that. When you settle into a family...move to the country....You are right that you will reside where you work and fraternize, however, if you have to choose, choose wisely towards your happiness. You will thank yourself in the long run. I am lucky enough to really enjoy my job...but its just that...a job. I am hapiest with my wife and my kids around the house....and in the country, if you can call it that! Still a small town atmosphere up here north of LA.

Great question, and problem too! Wish I would have had that quandary!

Just stay above the Mason/Dixon line whatever you do. To many Yankees moving down south infiltratin us rednecks:D :D
I personally don't like the hustle & bustle of NYC been there a few times and could not wait to get out. Go for the upstate. since there are some beautiful areas up there.

Great great question, ...and you are absolutely right, ...it WILL affect the many facets of your life (probably most you haven't even thought of yet). ...it's also interesting since I currently live in Orange County, NY (60+ minutes north of NYC, where I've lived pretty much all my life).
...a successful life is a happy one, ...and whether that's more money, more time, ...or a great relationship, it really depends on you.

There sure are a lot of things to consider, but what it really comes down to is, ...your goals/interests in life. Do you enjoy the open space of the country? ...the outdoors? hiking? the mountains?, ...or are you more for the city? the close proximity of things? ...activity 24 hours a day? This may be a question for later on in life, ...but, do you plan on having a family? kids?, ...where would you like to see them grow up?

- You could do the 'commuter thing', ...work in the city, live in the country. Quite frankly, Orange County, NY has become a huge 'bedroom community', ...it amazes me how many people commute. Cons? ... possible long commute/days, ...Pros? ...you have the weekends in the country, ...best of both worlds so to speak.

...If you had a choice of something to do on a free weekend, ...would you chose to do something in the city or in the country? ...that in itself should tell you something...

Personally? ...myself, ...I love the country, ...the mountains, ...the outdoors. Living where I am, if I want to visit NYC, it's a little over an hour away. Yet if I want to take a drive on a nice country road, ...it's at the end of the driveway....

There sure are a lot of things to consider, but what it really comes down to is, ...your goals/interests in life.....What he said.

Enjoy life, its short. Reach within yourself and go accordingly.

This is a very personal decision and everyone chooses differently.

I have friends who have never left my small hometown (eastern Ohio, pop. 10K) and who couldn't imagine being "forced" to leave. They know the same people all their life, live in the same house, eat in the same restaurants and feel secure. We have nothing in common anymore and our conversations are limited to what happened when we were kids. We are both happy but have chosen different paths.

I have the best of both worlds--I live in the country and work in the city (Washington DC). The commute is 60 mins each way and I have no real problem with it. The big city allows me to travel the world and make a difference professionally while the country gives me some quiet and personal balance.

Money and a good resume are not the most important things to consider but they do give you more choices in life than not having them. However, the more money you have, the more it tends to obscure important non-material things. If you do something professionally that you enjoy, the professional success will follow.

Now is the time in your life to take chances and try things--when you are 40 yrs old with kids, you cannot really afford to do that. My advice--try both and see which lifestyle makes you bounce out of bed each morning excited to face the world and which lifestyle feels "deeper" and more meaningful.

Good luck.

I live in CT and I use to commute to the city for about 8 years not a bad thing at all specially when young like you. It has many advantages then if you live in the city and work in the city. I go 5 min from home and cut my own X-mas tree at the farm on the weekend or during the week I could go to the Rangers games at MSG. Your young get an apartment for a 1 year lease in the city and see how you like it move out after a year and see how you like it.
Me it was a no brainier work in the City make $$$$$ and $$$$ and more $$$$ and come back here and spend it on $3 beer at the bar instead of $8 beers in the city. Now I found my way into a company that I sarted in the city and moved over to CT but if the $$$ came up I would be back on the 5:55 train heading to the city.. This is something you need to see for your self how you want to live.. life changes for everyone in a different way everyday. ;)

Work where you can make good money. Invest in a piece of property away from all the headaches of the city and move out there and build once you had enough of living the fast paced lifestyle. The house you sell thats closer to the city will pay for a real nice house upstate. You can always commute but that gets real old. Both locations have there pro's and con's, it depends what you want.

I wish I had listened to my own advice. Whatever you do good luck !

Living in the city can be difficult for a car guy, but it can be done. As an example, we used to live in San Francisco in a condo with 1 car parking. We kept our 'driver' at the condo and my 69 Z28 stayed about 10 blocks away in a rented garage. When I was racing, I shared shop space about 40 miles away in Fairfield.

Country is the palce for me. Fresh air the stores (Green Acres them song):D

It is a good question. Depends on what you call Upstate. I am a transplanted Gentleman of The South. I moved up here from North Carolina and now live in the Fingerlakes region. I love North Carolina and it is also great here too. Snowy, but great. I also go to New York about once a month and love it there too. IMO it is absolutely the greatest city in the world. Your profile shows you have a Camaro already. If you live in the city plan on putting it in storage somewhere in the country until you don't live in the city anymore.

If I was young and didn't have a Camaro then I would live in the city for a year or two just to experience it. Yep, the women are thinnner and there is a lot to do. In some respects it is more impersonal, but my experience in the city is that the people are very friendly there and the neighborhoods are great. It can also be less expensive to live there than many think (except for housing of course). There are lot's of very cool things to do that are either free or not too expensive.

It's just different in the country. I live two miles from town and see deer, foxes, pheasant, etc between my house and town. I do live close to a city that offers many things to do, but of course nothing like NYC. I wake up in the morning to birds singing and don't have to lock my house.

And, by the way. Good women are everywhere, just gotta know how to find em. :thumbsup: Of course there are a lot of amazing women in NYC.

Financially I think you will be better off in the long run buyimng a house in a good area as soon as you can. If that means living in the country then go for it.

Whatever you do, make the most of it. If you choose to live in NYC for awhile, then immerse yourself in the city life and enjoy all its cultural experiences. If you live in the country then immerse yourself in that too and enjoy that to the fullest too.

Best of luck to you.

Mark

Go with the one that has the bigger garage.

Wow, I've had to read all your responses twice, thank you so much for your thoughts! You guys all put alot of fresh perspectives... I think Gary had a good idea, living in the city and invest in some property upstate, and move once I can afford it. As long as I don't get caught up in it... I know tons of people who are so indebted financially that they'll never be able to leave new york city. I think as long as I keep a good head on my shoulders, I should be able to make the best of it... You guys bring a good point in that I should try it out. I know my future is in the country somewhere, so for now I can give it a shot. I don't even mind the long commute, that seems like a nice compromise.

Thanks so much for all your helpful advice! God I love this message board, I swear everything from vintage parts to a good recipe for chicken I could find here :)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup dry breadcrumbs (use dry only!)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup ranch salad dressing (use bottled salad dressing, you might need a bit more dressing)
1/4 cup melted butter (no substitutes)

Set oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
In a shallow bowl mix together the dry breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
Dip the breasts into the ranch dressing to coat both sides (allow any excess to drip off).
Coat in the breadcrumb mixture.
Place in a single layer into baking dish.
Lightly drizzle the melted butter over each breast.
If desired you can sprinkle black pepper over the breasts.
Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked).

UPSTATE!! City life is wretched. Concrete, Noise, Pollution, Unpleasant smells. I know some people like it but if I ever had a choice like you have it would be the country life for sure. Learn how to live on less. There will be more people driving fords and chevys in the country instead of everyother car being a BMW, Lexus or a Benz as is the case in the city. Keeping up with the Jones's is a trap for city life and once you fall into it getting out is hard. It's like trying to change a bad habit. I'm speaking from experience, but do what you think is best for you. Good luck.

I'd opt for the country. However.....like was mentioned earlier, take the city job and buy property upstate. It will be a nice refuge on the weekends to decompress after the hustle and bustle of the city. If you never try out the city, you will always wonder "what if" and possibly regret not giving it a try. You can always quit the city job if you don't like it or sell the property if you decide to stay. Your options will remain open. Best of luck!

good and important question prelude. this is gonna dictate your future but you shouldnt base your decision on where to live on how you think your future will turn out. no matter where you live, you can meet the girl of your dreams and have the best job in the world. you will meet whoever is right for you and that will also be true for you job too. it can be very likely, as many has mentioned, live in the country and work in the city. just make sure you are happy at where ever you move.

listen to what everett and kevin said. and whatever you do, dont tell your future wife "i would have never met you if i didnt listen to those guys over at the team camaro forum."

I used to live in California, and Las Vegas, I visited Georgia about five years ago, and fell in love with it and the lifestyle.

I just moved here in a rural town in north east Georgia about a year ago and I just love it here.

Some of the incentives here is the fact that I don't have to get my Camaro emissions tested every year, like I had to in Las Vegas, When I get it on the road I have an endless choice of back roads to just let her loose and open it up, and most importantly I only live ten minutes from Ricks 1st Generation!!!!!

Did I mention I have a family? Sorry.... I was lost in the moment talking about my car:D

I got sick and tired of living in the big city, but when I was younger it didn't bother me.

As you get older you will feel the country life tugging on your sleeves. It's some serious culture shock that I have adjusted to, but I'm cool with it now.

I made about twice as much money in the city, but then again I was payin twice as much out, so its all relative.

Just do what makes you the happiest, I did and I wouldn't change it all for anything.

The only thing I can give advise on is about working overtime...........You can never make enough money on overtime to buy back the time that you lost with your family because you were working overtime:mad: .............just a thought.............................007

Dude, I moved from Long Island (Hampton Bays) to upstate NY (just E. of Albany) 3 years ago. BEST DECISION I EVER MADE!!!! Quality of life, better schools, COST OF LIVING, traffic - (the Northway is a country road compared to the L.I.E.), I could go on and on....

Anywhere near Carlisle PA...

These days with the world wide web you can find a good job just about anywhere. I believe you are more likely to settle down where you get your first full time job. If your destiny is to be successful, you will achieve that wherever you are. Being successful doesn't necessarily mean getting your 1st job in the city with a fatter paycheck. Success takes time. Lucky is fast. Good women (and men for the women reading this) can be found anywhere. There are just more in the city. Trying both is a good idea, but proceed with caution because the trap has been placed and is now being set.

Thanks guys... and Anthony, that recipe for chicken sounds delicious lol :p

I think I can try the city life as long as I keep a strong head on my shoulders... they say nobody leaves manhattan packing suitcases full of cash, so like many of you have said... as long as I don't get too caught up in it.

I suppose for now it'll be allright, I do have more friends in the city than I do in the country, and right now that is important to me. In a few years... I'm sure that will change! :)