Jim, I understand the want to be with friends and family at the same time and that makes the move so much harder. I think taking a few weeks down there would be the best thing for you. You can relax, see what its like and just take in as much as possible. While down there you can figure out the costs of living and compare that to the amount of money you can make both places and see whats comfortable for you to live with (the main part). I think that you have good friends here and could make good friends there, but you most likely have had alot of your friends for a very long time. Go down for a few weeks take it all in, see how the people are, the way of life and the costs of living and give it a good comparison to NJ (dont forget the weather differences) and then on a clear head you can begin to make your decisions.
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