I think you make a good point about the culture in New Jersey. It's extremely different from Minnesota, where we have some of the highest voter turnout in the country, and corruption is much less rampant. I think culture makes a big difference - we don't have people exploiting state benefits and social programs the way that people seem to in New Jersey.
I just moved here about a year ago - I was transferred from Minneapolis to New York. While Minnesota taxes are actually worse than New Jersey, the overall cost of living in Minnesota is much lower. I sold my house in St. Paul and found that I couldn't afford anything here that wasn't in a complete ghetto. Right now I'm renting and waiting out another chance to transfer (or get a new job), either back to Minneapolis or to Chicago. Where did you relocate to? I also would like to leave, but I definitely do NOT want to follow the herds down south.
Why not? It's 70 degrees out and Florida is a machine gun state. Plus we need normal people to balance out the liberal twits.
Upstate NY offers much better home value, scenic beauty, four seasons, winter sports, and friendly people. Property taxes are high, but the overall cost of living is less than downstate. If you can get a job here that suits you, it's a great place.