Leaving New Jersey: What You Will Miss, and Not Miss, When You Relocate 🤌🌴
Jersey classics on the counter: bagels, cannoli, Taylor ham egg and cheese, Rutt’s Hut style chili dogs, Star Tavern style bar pie, and B&W crumb cake.
Let’s be honest. We Jersey folks have range. Once we move, we tell everyone how everything was better in Jersey, the pizza, the bagels, the diners, the attitude. While we are here, we complain about property taxes, traffic, jughandles, Blue Laws, and the six different permits it takes to fix a doorknob. Both can be true. So if you are plotting your exit, here is what people actually miss, and what they do not miss at all, once they unpack in a new zip code.
What You Will Miss ❤️
Taylor ham or pork roll, yes that debate
Breakfast sandwiches hit different when the roll is right and the salt, pepper, ketchup ratio is perfect.
Jersey Portuguese rolls and crumb cake royalty
Fresh Portuguese rolls from the Ironbound in Newark will spoil you. So will the heavy crumb cake from B&W Bakery in Hackensack.
Iconic bites
Rutt’s Hut rippers in Clifton, Star Tavern pizza in Orange, and bagels from Hot Bagels in Fair Lawn. Your new town will try, results may vary.
Diners at wild hours
Other states have diners, they do not have that chrome and neon at 1 a.m. with disco fries and stories at the next booth. Think Tops Diner in East Newark or the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton; you will notice the difference.
Close runs to everything
American Dream in East Rutherford, MetLife Stadium, Prudential Center, Red Bull Arena, plus three major airports, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia, JFK, all within a reasonable drive.
Transit choices
NJ Transit lines like Pascack Valley, Main and Bergen County, and the Northeast Corridor, plus PATH from Hoboken or Journal Square, plus ferries from Weehawken and Edgewater, give you options.
Walkable downtowns
Ridgewood, Westwood, Montclair, Maplewood, Summit, Morristown, Princeton, Red Bank, and the Jersey City waterfront. Main Streets like these ruin you for strip malls.
Four seasons with drama
Ramapo Reservation in fall, LBI and Asbury Park in summer, a snow day in Mahwah, cherry blossoms at Branch Brook Park in spring.
Sarcasm and speed
We speak direct. It is not rude, it is efficient.
Top-tier healthcare access and diversity
Hackensack Meridian, RWJBarnabas, Valley in Paramus, plus Columbia and NYU a train ride away. Food, festivals, and neighbors from everywhere.
What You Will Not Miss 🙅♀️
Property taxes that make your eyes water
Bergen, Essex, and Union can test your blood pressure. Monthly escrow can feel like a second mortgage.
Traffic, tolls, and parking gymnastics
Route 4 at dinner time, Route 3 by the Meadowlands before a game, Pulaski Skyway when it blinks red, the Holland Tunnel approach when navigation apps shrug. Parallel parking in Hoboken should come with a medal.
Blue Laws confusion
Paramus on Sunday is its own puzzle. Garden State Plaza closed, American Dream open, sometimes. Many places keep it simple, doors open seven days.
Tiny lots with big chores
That charming Cape in Teaneck or Maywood still needs leaves, ice, and gutters handled on the same weekend.
Winter that bites
Black ice on 208, salt stains on everything, the annual glove hunt. Sunshine starts to look like a bargain.
Inspection surprise bingo
Underground oil tanks on older blocks, open permits in towns like Clifton, chimney liner drama, the GFCI outlet that fails on closing week.
Cost of everything
Brunch in Montclair, a family day in Cape May, sneakers for the kids at the mall, totals add up fast.
Always-on pace
Lines that move like a sprint, horns that talk, schedules set five minutes fast. Some love the tempo, some do not.
The “Depends Where You Land” Pile 🧭
Food scene
Florida, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Texas are catching up, but your first bagel may hurt your feelings. Find the shops run by Jersey or New York transplants.
Schools
Some districts out of state shine, others do not. Do not move on rumors. Tour schools, check bus times, look at sports and clubs like you would in Tenafly or Ridgewood.
Weather trade
No snow is real. Storms and heat are real too. Insurance rules the budget, get quotes before you fall for the lanai.
Community and HOAs
Pools and pickleball are great. Rules matter. Read the documents, check reserves, look for special assessment history like you would in a Hoboken condo board.
Commute and daily life
Your fifteen minutes near Paramus may become thirty-five in suburban Charlotte or Tampa. Test at rush hour before you sign anything.
Try Before You Buy: A 30-Day Relocation Play 🧪
Book two to four weeks in your top town, not the tourist zone.
Do normal life, groceries, pharmacy, gym, school visits, a rush hour commute, a Saturday Target run.
Price the full monthly nut, mortgage or rent, property taxes, homeowners insurance, HOA dues, utilities, internet, car insurance.
Visit in the not-pretty season, August in the South, January in the Midwest.
Flying out of Newark Liberty or Trenton–Mercer for your test trip can save time and money.
Money Reality Check 💸
Property taxes often drop once you leave New Jersey, homeowners insurance can rise near coastlines and storm tracks. Get written quotes.
HOAs look cheap until special assessments arrive. Read minutes, ask about roofs and roads.
Utilities swing by climate and provider. Gas heat in winter may become high AC in summer.
If your new town is more Route 35 sprawl than Maplewood walkability, add fuel and maintenance to the budget.
In plain English, what all of that means ✍️
You will brag about the food and walkable downtowns you left, that Star Tavern pie in Orange, bagels in Fair Lawn, crumb cake in Hackensack, and you will not miss the taxes, tolls, or mystery Sunday closures. Costs shift, some down and some up. Commutes change. If you test the town, price the whole monthly cost, and check schools, insurance, and HOA rules like a Jersey detective, you will land in the right place for your life and your wallet.
Ready for Your Exit Plan, With a Jersey Guide 🤝
EscapeFromNewJersey.com exists to make your move easier and smarter. Here is how we help:
Match you with screened out-of-state real estate agents in your top destinations, Florida, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and more.
Share a simple 30-day relocation checklist, schools, commute, insurance, utilities, HOA research in the right order.
Coordinate your New Jersey sale so timing and net proceeds line up with your purchase, one timeline, fewer headaches.
Keep the Jersey honesty, clear numbers, zero fluff.
Want a no-pressure consult: take our “Where Should I Move” quiz, then request your free Exit Plan call. We will price your current home, map your monthly cost in two destination towns, and introduce you to trusted agents who actually know how to work with Jersey buyers. Your next chapter should start with confidence, not guesswork.
