What do you dislike about the state you live in?

[Breton Wench]

Don't live in the US - but I am SO enjoying this whistle-stop tour from you guys!!!

[EEinNJ]

I live in NJ. Where would you like me to start?

NJ is tax hell.
NJ is insurance hell.
I'm not allowed to pump my own gas.
The state has outrageous duplication of municipal services thanks to having 566 municipalities in the state, each with their own little government, school board, police and fire department, mayor, etc. The waste created by that arrangement is unbelievable.

Pros: Location, Location, Location. I can be in Philadelphia in 15 minutes, NYC in 90 minutes, at the beach in 60 minutes, DC in a couple of hours. We are surrounded by every imaginable shopping venue, fantastic dining, professional sports, endless cultural activities and more.

To clarify, by "hell", we mean #1 highest tax & insurance costs in the nation. Property & income tax, car & health insurance.

Beyond the aforementioned duplication, greed, corruption, and sweetheart deals for public employees all add to the costs.

The time you would save by being close to things is made up for by the time you spend sitting in traffic and waiting in line!

In the last year it's been hotter than Florida in the summer and colder & snowier than Vermont in the winter.

[bjl584]

Yep. NJ and I think Oregon are the only two places where that is true. Of course, that is balanced out by the fact that we have some of the lowest gas taxes in the country so even though someone else gets paid to pump our gas, we still pay less than most other places. Still, it drives me nuts.

What would happen if you got out of the car and started pumping? If I was passing through your state I wouldn't know that I wasn't allowed to pump my own gas. I would instinctively go for the pump and start filling away.

[disneysteve]

What would happen if you got out of the car and started pumping? If I was passing through your state I wouldn't know that I wasn't allowed to pump my own gas. I would instinctively go for the pump and start filling away.

Every pump is marked Full Service, not Self Service. Some stations have little notices on the pumps saying that you can't pump yourself. What happens if you do? That varies from place to place. Usually, the attendant will come over and take over doing it for you. I think at some stations, the pump won't actually start unless you punch in some sort of code, so at those places, you couldn't pump your own if you wanted to.

I just hate it when I'm sitting at the pump and the one attendant is covering 8 or 12 pumps. By the time he gets to me, I could have been filled and gone.

[KTP]

Every pump is marked Full Service, not Self Service. Some stations have little notices on the pumps saying that you can't pump yourself. What happens if you do? That varies from place to place. Usually, the attendant will come over and take over doing it for you. I think at some stations, the pump won't actually start unless you punch in some sort of code, so at those places, you couldn't pump your own if you wanted to.

I just hate it when I'm sitting at the pump and the one attendant is covering 8 or 12 pumps. By the time he gets to me, I could have been filled and gone.

So do you guys have Costco? I usually get my gas there because it is $0.15 to $0.20 a gallon cheaper even though the wait is sometimes long...but I can't imagine how long the lines would be if you couldn't pump your own gas...

[disneysteve]

So do you guys have Costco? I usually get my gas there because it is $0.15 to $0.20 a gallon cheaper even though the wait is sometimes long...but I can't imagine how long the lines would be if you couldn't pump your own gas...

Most times, lines aren't long at all. Most stations have multiple attendants, typically one person per an island of 4 pumps, 2 on each side. And as I said, NJ gas prices are among the lowest in the country. We are just a few miles from PA where gas is easily $.20 or more higher per gallon.
We do have Costco but I'm not sure if they have gas stations here.

[MonkeyMama]

What would happen if you got out of the car and started pumping? If I was passing through your state I wouldn't know that I wasn't allowed to pump my own gas. I would instinctively go for the pump and start filling away.

They make it pretty darn obvious to out-of-towners.

[ukgaz]

California

Cons: Expensive and overcrowded.

I've learned over the years that the expensive is not such a bad trade-off. We have excellent healthcare, cheap/good education, and higher wages than average, etc. Anything you would want to do or see is here (reducing travel costs), and having grown up here, I can't imagine living in any other climate. Spoiled by the mild weather/abundance of sun (though just an hour from the mountains/snow). I don't even think the traffic is bad, but depends I guess.

As far as overcrowded, the economy has driven a lot of people out of the area. Phew!

Of course, we settled in a less expensive and less crowded area of the state, so I have few complaints.

P.S. I hate driving in Oregon - that no pumping gas thing is just so weird to me.

Agree with the expensive part. Overcrowding is not such an issue for me compared to when I lived in London, England

Weather is great. Been here in Northern California for 3 years. We looking at buying house next year so hoping we get a good neighborhood

hates: Miss some of the food from back home and off course the real Football
Plus have to drive everywhere here

[fe2o3ez]

East Tennessee: Love that there is no State Income Tax! Hate that we have a 9.25% Sales Tax on virtually everything. Love the Smokies, hate the allergies. Love the milder winters, hate the dreary, rainy days of January. Miss the snow (grew up in WI), hate the way that people here panic over the threat of it falling. Love the commute - get anywhere in 15 minutes, several metro areas within 3 hours; hate the small airport airline prices to get anywhere else.

[asmom]

I live in Georgia, born and raised. Things I hate:

1. The overwhelming religiosity. It's oppressive.
2. The tendency to glorify the old South and the "good old days" while simultaneously ignoring the state's violent and repressive history as if really wasn't as bad as all that.

[irmanator]

@ DisneySteve, I hate pumping gas so that would be a plus for me.
@ wincrasher That is too funny
@ coronel What is a State store?

[disneysteve]

@ coronel What is a State store?

I'm from Philly so I can answer that one. State Stores are liquor stores run by the state of PA Liquor Control Board. They are the only places authorized to sell wine and liquor. Beer can be sold by private distributors but not wine and liquor. As a result, there is zero competition and the high prices that results from that. Most people, except those who live in the dead center of the state, travel elsewhere to buy their liquor. From Philly, we went to New Jersey. A lot of people go to Delaware. My SIL and BIL do that a couple of times a year to stock up with a few cases of wine. I would imagine that those in the north go to NY and those out west go to Ohio.

[sandrark]

East Tennessee: Love that there is no State Income Tax! Hate that we have a 9.25% Sales Tax on virtually everything.

We have state income tax, AND sales tax of 9.75%. Maybe we should be looking at TN.



Sandi

[ActYourWage]

We have state income tax, AND sales tax of 9.75%. Maybe we should be looking at TN.



Sandi

I'm from TN, aside from the high sales tax, the cost of living is very low.

[tripods68]

I love Northern California....but I hate government politics...lots of them here...

I love the mountain and beaches...but hate politics...