U.S. employment wages

[Emancipation 2]

We have both decided to NEVER purchase property in this State, nor do we wish to make this part of the country our permanent home.. FAR FAR FAR to expensive, and the quality of life is not as good (face paced, individualistic, & the traffic is horrific).

Ah the tri-state area is a nightmare, isn't it? Unless you live in NYC, I don't think it is worth it at alllll. There are current talks in my town, which is right beside Newark, NJ (very dangerous city), that my town is turning right into Newark's direction. This means...

+poverty

+crime

+property tax

Great combo!

Gah.. yep.. truly is.. we're in a much safer feeling town now then we were when we first arrived.. I'm glad for that.. i think the level of poverty & crime in this area of "New England" really shocked me. I wasn't expecting the drastic (and i mean drastic) changes between one street to the next. Literally in New Haven, one street is fine and the next one is considered unsafe.

[Eric_and_Corinna 0]

Ya location location location. VA average for a firefighter is freaking high. I know guys making 90k for my rank.

It was cheaper. My insurance from work is everything covered style so its awesome. No waits for anything because they love my insurance.

Our step 1 FF/PMs make about $50k during their their first year, but that goes up to about 75k after year 1 and by year 4 are making about 100k. No sales tax or state income tax in Anchorage, only city property tax which is about $1,300 per $100,000 of property assessed. Unfortunately, they just changed our pension system for new hires into a 401k, not a true pension. Insurance is still pretty good...we pay 10% of the increase in the premium costs from base year 2002, which currently is like $20 a month for us.

[thetreble 19]

We have both decided to NEVER purchase property in this State, nor do we wish to make this part of the country our permanent home.. FAR FAR FAR to expensive, and the quality of life is not as good (face paced, individualistic, & the traffic is horrific).

Ah the tri-state area is a nightmare, isn't it? Unless you live in NYC, I don't think it is worth it at alllll. There are current talks in my town, which is right beside Newark, NJ (very dangerous city), that my town is turning right into Newark's direction. This means...

+poverty

+crime

+property tax

Great combo!

Gah.. yep.. truly is.. we're in a much safer feeling town now then we were when we first arrived.. I'm glad for that.. i think the level of poverty & crime in this area of "New England" really shocked me. I wasn't expecting the drastic (and i mean drastic) changes between one street to the next. Literally in New Haven, one street is fine and the next one is considered unsafe.

Seems to be a theme that runs through many areas of the US. I know certain areas of Detroit are similar as well. There are some areas of cheap housing in the more dangerous cities and towns where we live, but you would be surprised in New Jersey how expensive it still is to live in some of the most dangerous areas where the violence is bad. That is one thing I was never prepared for before I lived here because as a visitor I never saw these things.

There are so many more things you become aware of once you live in a certain place.

[Reba 2]

Yeah, a lot of new immigrants get that cold bucket o' water in the face feeling after they've lived in their spouse's city for a while. Its a whooooooooole lot different when you're just visiting, even if you're lucky like us Canucks and can stay for extended periods. I've a friend who somehow believed the hype that the US is the land of milk n honey, and then she tried to find a job and affordable housing in the same area where she wouldn't have to worry about leaving her car in a parking lot, or herself to walk down the street at dusk She really knew nothing about the US at all, despite having lived her entire life only an hour and a half from the border. She somehow thought it was exactly like Canada.

[Emancipation 2]

Yeah, a lot of new immigrants get that cold bucket o' water in the face feeling after they've lived in their spouse's city for a while. Its a whooooooooole lot different when you're just visiting, even if you're lucky like us Canucks and can stay for extended periods. I've a friend who somehow believed the hype that the US is the land of milk n honey, and then she tried to find a job and affordable housing in the same area where she wouldn't have to worry about leaving her car in a parking lot, or herself to walk down the street at dusk She really knew nothing about the US at all, despite having lived her entire life only an hour and a half from the border. She somehow thought it was exactly like Canada.

shhh now.. you'll awake the "Canada is just an extension of the US" nay-sayers on the forum.. or the "if you miss Canada so much why don't you go the bleep bleep back there?" crowd!!

[Abby-Ron 8]

I just got done on a interview about 3 hrs ago. I graduated with a 4 years degree in the Philippines and currently takin up my board exam as a registered Nurse in California. The interviewer thought I had already passed my exam here but I told her that I only have an interim permit to work temporary as an RN in California. She did offer me a base pay of $27.50 per hour when I pass the RN board exam in CA. She said to schedule a final interview once I pass my exam and I plan to take it next month... Other than that I have a mental health work job that pays $10 an hour but its contractual for 6 months.. and I don't plan on taking up that job.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Yeah, a lot of new immigrants get that cold bucket o' water in the face feeling after they've lived in their spouse's city for a while. Its a whooooooooole lot different when you're just visiting, even if you're lucky like us Canucks and can stay for extended periods. I've a friend who somehow believed the hype that the US is the land of milk n honey, and then she tried to find a job and affordable housing in the same area where she wouldn't have to worry about leaving her car in a parking lot, or herself to walk down the street at dusk She really knew nothing about the US at all, despite having lived her entire life only an hour and a half from the border. She somehow thought it was exactly like Canada.

shhh now.. you'll awake the "Canada is just an extension of the US" nay-sayers on the forum.. or the "if you miss Canada so much why don't you go the bleep bleep back there?" crowd!!

lol i was thinking that a few days ago,lol