My sister owns a little box of a house on a typical tiny Jersey lot in upmarket Hillsdale, NJ, up by the New York state border. If she sold it, she could come where we are in beautiful Athens, GA, and get twice as big a house on 10 acres of land, and still have money left over in the bank.
I asked her, “Why on Earth do you stay?” She blubbered some baloney about proximity to New York City (a train stops two blocks away from her address).
So, I then ask her, “No bull, how many times exactly did you go to The City last year, in the past 12 months?” Her reply? “Once!”
I’m like, are you stupid or what? Sell all your crap, move down here, and fly back once a year!
We went to Florida first—bad move. Getting way too crowded—mostly with New Jersey and New York transplants—and crazy stupid laws, too. Everything seems to be a felony in Florida. A couple of years ago, two kids in their 20s got, like, years in prison for sex on a beach. Florida is nuts!
Georgia is much more hip, with winters almost as nice as Florida. In some ways, it’s better, because the seasons change. Last year, we got maybe a whole inch of snow. Friendlier people. Economy booming, jobs everywhere for those who want to work.
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a new van, got tags in exactly five minutes—in and out. Try that trick in Jersey, but you better pack a lunch, and maybe a dinner, too. We love this place!
Plus, if you do decide to drive back for a visit, it’s a breeze. From Fort Lauderdale, Broward, Dade or Palm Beach counties, it takes all day—over seven hours—just to get to the Georgia line. Heading north from Atlanta, you can hit the Pennsylvania line in almost that same time.
Don’t wait, just go. In fact, run!
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