Sorry, Jersey: N.C. is 10th-biggest state

[citizen snips]

Fuhgeddaboudit, y'all. North Carolina overtook New Jersey in population earlier this year, the U.S. Census Board announced today, re-elevating the Tar Heel State into the top 10.

That may not surprise North Carolina suburbanites who sometimes feel as if they live close to the last stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. A humming state economy, cheaper homes and lower local taxes lure thousands of Jerseyites each year.

They're part of a broader influx. Last year, North Carolina grew by 184,000 people, roughly the size of Winston-Salem.

"Everybody in my neighborhood is from somewhere else," said former New Jersey resident Mary Johnson, now of Wake Forest. "Really, nobody is from Raleigh."

more...
http://www.newsobserver.com/238/story/524278.html

[Jo March]

1. LOL, no one I meet around here is from around here

Everyone is from "off." My closest friends are from New York and Pittsburg.

Well, congrats to NC. Now if we can only get rid of Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr. :eyes:

[pecwae]

2. I only know what I hear about NJ

from all the transplants here in the Triangle. And what I've heard is taxes, taxes, taxes. They are all thrilled with the property tax situation here...and Durham is higher than Raleigh. Then there is the weather.

[gregflynn]

4. NC Property Taxes

NC property taxes on existing properties, as low as they are, have been paying for an inordinate amount of the cost of new growth at the expense of services for existing neighborhoods, especially those that have been recently developed. For the growth to be sustainable, without diminishing the quality of life or municipal services, new revenue mechanisms that are more directly related to growth will have to be found.

These include imapact fees, impact taxes, adequate public facility ordinances and property transfer taxes. The NC State legislature has a tight hold on the authority of local governments and in the coming session there will be moves to give local governments more control over how they meet the needs of growth. However, Realtors and homebuilders are among the highest contributors to state politics and the status quo may well endure.

[GreenInNC]

3. Jersey family

My in laws from New Jersey are visiting us and I was comparing property taxes with my brother in law. I have three times the land and my house is about twice the square footage as his yet my taxes are one fifth of his.

In the immortal words of Nelson Muntz - HAHA