Headin' South

We spent this weekend visiting friends in Chesterfield, Virginia which is about 30 miles from Richmond and a good example of what’s happening in many southern states. They moved into a relatively new development around five years ago and purchased a home for about half of what you would pay in most of Ocean County. While there wasn’t much around them there were big plans for the area and those plans have become a reality.

As people from the northeast kept moving the area continued to grow and they now have shopping malls and centers filled with just about every retail outlet and restaurant you’ve ever heard of. Of course it’s meant changes to the infrastructure of that area and roadways are being expanded to keep up while new schools are opening as well. Just like what happened here in the 70’s and 80’s longtime local residents are not all thrilled with the invaders from the north as they now have to deal with issues like traffic which is quite new to them.

So why are people moving in droves to communities that may not have even been on the map a decade ago? Real estate prices are certainly a big reason
although they are on the rise. Generally the cost of living is less…our friends pay under $2000 in property taxes and auto insurance is less than half of what they were paying in New Jersey. Weather is obviously a factor
with shorter winters and longer summers…although where we were this weekend was 2 ½ hours away from the ocean which my daughter said is way too far.

There is no doubt a southern migration taking place and it’s similar to what’s led to our growth in Ocean County for the last 30-40 years. However instead of people moving from New York and North Jersey to our area they are heading to Virginia, the Carolinas and Florida and they are doing so in large numbers. That’s fine for now but it’s just a matter of time until people in those states seek out areas which are less costly and congested….how does Alaska sound?