Moving from Texas to Nooh Joysey

Considering taking a job in Rockaway, NJ that will transplant me from my hometown and all I've known - Houston, TX. I'm single with no kids or girlfriend, so there is nothing locking me down in Houston. The challenge of moving where I know nobody is one that, I believe, could be exciting and life altering. It should be made clear that the move will be about a 40% increase in salary, so it is a heavy decision that should be taken as such. The trouble is that I've never been more north than North Carolina!

I am looking for sound advice on what I can expect as far as:

1) weather: I know it gets fairly extreme, but how long are winters? Summer expectations? Coming from Houston, I only know 2 seasons: hot and hotter.

2) housing: More specifically, what is a good general area of where to begin searching? Say within 25-30 miles? 

3) cost of living: I know that I will be making adjustments that I'm not used to, which is fully taken into consideration when accounting for salary. A broad idea is all I'm looking for here.

4) entertainment, etc: If you could even call it a concern, it is obviously the smallest on the board. Just curious of what kind of trouble a 24yr old bachelor can get into.

Anybody who currently lives in or has lived in this area, please chime in with your opinion!

You're going to be working in Morris County, which is about 30-40 from NYC off of Route 80.  Entertainment will be the least of your issues b/c you have Morritown, Hoboken, and NYC all within reasonable driving distance.  Morris County is nice and you usually don't get your stereotypical "Jersey Shore" guidos in that part.  I'd like for housing in Morris County or sections of Passaic County, but I'm not sure if you're renting or buying property.  Sussex County would not be that bad of a commute.  The housing is cheap but it's very suburban.  You deal w/ lots of deer and black bears out in those parts. 

Weather may be an issue for you b/c most Southerners can't tolerate the winters months, but it's not as bad as the New England area.  The cost of living up here is expensive like the majority of places in the Northeast.  You pretty much pay extra for everything, but you also get paid more so it may be relative. 

GL with your decision.  I worked a town a couples miles west of Rockaway and the people are a lot nicer in those parts.  North, South, and West Jersey are like going to completely different states.  Just check out this map.  I live in the area of "Happy White Families" but work in the area of "Poor Minorities."

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/nj_man_puts_rednecks_hippies_a.html

Oh and FYI, if you do decide to move here, you'll learn that no one from Jersey pronounces it "Joysey." 

GL buddy. 

learn the fist pump?

i got nothing

Winter sucks,NJ DMV requires car inspection,Insurance rates are high and NJ has state income taxes.Another cost of living issue.but you can walk in a 7-11/WAWA with a cup of coffee,newspaper folded and a bagel with cream cheese and the Indian teller has you rung up correctly before you drop the shit on the counter..nobody wastes time..

Florida takes ten minutes inand out of 7-11 sometimes..

good things to think about-

Monmouth Park and AC are at your disposal,just an hour or two drive down the Garden State Parkway..

And there is almost always a live sporting event going on in at the Meadowlands or in the City...Giants Jets..Nets Devils Rangers Knicks..

If you have nothing to lose go for it man!! at 24 it will be a great experience! Best wishes!

steady,

i live in nj and its really pretty nice. i live about 30 minutes from rockaway. anyway, i grew up in queens, moved to nj when i was about 13 and went away to west virgnia for college where i was friends with people from all over the country (ny, nj,pa,md,va,tx,ok,ar,ca, az,oh, prob more im forgetting. so i feel i know how different people are.

weather:  its not bad. you get all 4 seasons here, winter is cold, spring is wet then really nice, summer is hot and humid, fall is great.

housing by where you will be will be affordable. you could get a pretty nice 1br appartment for 800-1000 or so. and i would think that i would be nice and updated for that price in a housing complex

cost of living is not expensive. going out to eat is with my wife is usually around 50, a night at the bar might be like 60 (beers and shots).

entertainment: theres a lot to do: morristown, hoboken, nyc, ac. just gotta be careful, drinking and driving is no joke around here

as far as friends go, it will be tough. i went through it after college and am still going through it. i feel all my real friends are from wvu and have a hard time finding people to hang out with. i love you man....so true. but i think its cause i never really worked in an office where i coulda made friends, ive always been self employed.

move here and hit me up, i need some drinking/gambling friends haha  

Hahaha.  I said the same thing.  My buddies and I were discussing this several months ago. 

Majority of us from North Jersey pronounce Newark as "Nork" , whereas people from DE pronounce it "New-arc". 

Steady, a small benefit of living here is that we don't have to pump our own gas, and it's one of the cheapest gas states in the nation. 

Thanks for all of the responses, gentlemen. From poking around online, it looks like Morris County/Morristown would be the ideal landing spot. All things considered, I'll be living comfortably with the new salary. At worst, it would be a learning experience.

gprix - I'll be in touch if/when the move happens.

 As far as the "Nooh Joysey" headline goes, I had to catch everybody's attention somehow right?

 Are you Crazy???? Leave Heaven for Hell?????

 GL Kemosabe on your decision........