New York transfer to North Dakota Anyone...

I just passed a year in the new job.

In reality I really should say I returned to my old place of work. You see, I worked there six years ago in another function. It was a tough decision to make for me. I liked my previous job. It had a better title, better perks and a little bit better total pay package. I built the team from five to 14 and for the most part they were really good and I liked them all. The new gig isn't chopped liver either, just a change in trajectory.

So why leave?

This ties to a question that I wrote in http://www.myopenwallet.net/ in response to a Madame X question about living in New York. I twisted it a bit to ask the following:

(For New Yorkers or LA'ers, etc.) Everyone complains about the cost of living in New York or LA, but if you could make the exact same salary (not adjusted at all for cost of living, but dollar to dollar) would you live in Fargo, North Dakota?

The only response laughed me off the page (which I expected). But think for a moment, we are all budget mavens here, you would have 30-50% more disposable income, the day you get there. On top of it I believe there is still no State Income Tax!

This was posed to not mock North Dakota at all, I grew up in Nebraska and love the mid-west...as an adult, not so much as a pre-20 year old! It was really posed to make us think, how much of what we love, would we give up for financial gain.

My answer?

Pretty simple, I packed back up and returned to Oregon 'cause it was better for my family. And you can't put a price on that, can ya...