Carolina On His Mind

Joe Smolenski III of New Hyde Park attended Chaminade High School and then North Carolina State University in Raleigh where he graduated in 2003. Like many Long Islanders who went away to school, he could remain in North Carolina or return home. He opted for the former.

“I could afford to live on my own and did not want to go back to living with my parents (on Long Island),” he said. “I could maintain my freedom and afford it. Basically, the cost of living was lower than Long Island. Actually most of the country has a lower cost of living than Long Island.”

The decision to stay in North Carolina ultimately came down to more than just the cost of living as Smolenski had several friends living on Long Island. He could have worked with his dad at the . Beyond affordability, there were other factors about Raleigh that he enjoyed including the diversity of people.

“In my experience growing up on Long Island in the 1990s there were mainly Catholic and Jewish religions, Italian, Irish, German and Polish ancestries; mostly white middle to upper class, and most Long Island families had been in the New York area for as long as they can remember,” he said. “Raleigh was and is even more so now a melting pot… The Raleigh area has doubled in population since I came here in 1997.”

Smolenski III favored the slower paced environment, too.

 “That slight bit more of calm in one’s day is helpful to anybody’s life,” he said. “Also, the friendliness of people is apparent. I believe the idea of at least half of the residents being new to the Raleigh area yields a mentality of people wanting to branch out and get to know others.”

Where he lives is a two-hour drive to the ocean and three-hour drive to the mountains, and there are many outdoor activities within a few minutes of his home.

“There are no tolls or bridges. Country-living, urban-living and suburban-living are all options in the area,” he said. “I enjoy kayaking in the rivers, swimming in the local lakes, boating or jet skiing on the Albemarle Sound, walking or running in the many state parks and golfing on the many golf courses.”

Like his dad back in New Hyde Park, Smolenski III became a funeral director. He runs the only family-owned funeral home in North Raleigh. To put affordability and the cost of living differences between the two areas into context, Smolenski III’s funeral home in Raleigh sits on 1-5/8 acres, a full acre larger than the New Hyde Park Funeral Home. His real estate taxes on the property in Raleigh are $18,000 a year. The real estate taxes on the smaller funeral home on Long Island?  $90,000 a year.

You do not have to be a math major to see why Smolenski III is living a lot easier. Smolenski has a sister who moved to the Raleigh area and two other siblings may do the same in the near future.