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My husband, a landscape designer for the past 15 years and myself, a landscape office manager for the last 7, with our 1yr old daughter and 3yr old pup are ready to move to Saratoga Springs. My husband's god-parents live nearby, his friends and family live in the Catskill area and we really want a better quality of life. So far Saratoga seems to fit the bill and offer plenty of things to do.
We are in the process of getting our house "staged" for selling and plan to put it on the market slightly below to hopefully help it move quickly. I have seen homes in Toga that are within our price range. Do you recommend renting until we pick a neighborhood to live in or is driving through the neighborhoods enough? Any neighborhoods better than others?
I wasn't really interested in other towns outside of Toga as we really like walking to the parks, library, watching town parades and going to farmer's markets. If there is another town that offers what Toga does, I am interested, please let me know.
The other main concern is the job market for landscaping professionals in Saratoga. Is there major landscaping companies there and what is the job market with them realistically like? Oh and of course, if you have an opening, please let me know!
Realistically, we'd like to wait to move until we both have job offers, but any advice is super appreciated!
OK, so after some research it seems that there are major landscaping companies in Schenectady and while I don't know the area that well, my husband said, "you mean scuzznectady". Please don't hate on us! Maybe the area has improved since he was a kid, but I don't know.
I am now looking at towns that are on the southside up to and including saratoga springs. Milton, Ballston, etc. As the commuting is ok for us (mostly ok). I went to their respective town sites and I have to say, they haven't given me a sense of the area.
Does anyone have recommendations for which websites to view for more pictures and ideas of the area or recommendations in general?
If what you were looking for is a town like Saratoga Springs, then anything else around the area is probably not going to be ideal. Schenectady is not really a city you want to be walking around in, especially at night. With a little one and a dog, it seems you're best to find yourself a nice, safe area.
Saratoga Springs will run you a bit more than the surrounding area, but as far as lifestyle goes, I think it's the nicest with the State Park, Congress Park, shops and restaurants.
I have no clue about the landscaping business, but Troy's Landscaping in Latham is pretty big and they might be able to give you some ideas. It would probably be a 30-40min commute from Saratoga Springs down Rt.9.
If you're just looking for a nice suburb to live, there are many areas including Clifton Park, Malta and Ballston Lake in Southern Saratoga County.
Thank you all so much!~ We've at least narrowed down the list of cities (in order of preference) to Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa and Clifton Park. Depending on what landscaping company my husband can get a position will help us pick where we live. (I know I'm in landscaping too, but my job skills are transferrable to different fields).
So here's my last question, what is the most available or growing job market in these three cities? All I hear is healthcare, but I wanted someone to confirm that...
I don't live in the area anymore, but have many friends there. The capital region has never really been a big boom town for growth which is why the economy is fairly stable compared to other areas of the country. Although many years ago, GE was a big thing, but that's been on the decline for years.
The tech and research field is fairly significant in the area. Employers include GE Schenectady and the R&D center, Knolls atomic. Now there's the new AMD Chip plant in Malta. There are some nanotech stuff in Albany. There are several large universities including RPI, SUNY Albany and Skidmore that employ a good chunck of people. There are a good number of state workers around, although with the budget crunch these days, I don't think that it's a growing field. People just seem to do "everyday" stuff like teaching, working at a bank, a store or restaurant, doctors and nurses, etc.
As usual, the medical field is always a stable and growing field. People will always get sick and need medical care. It's not something that's "unique" to the area, just what is pretty much a constant everywhere when the economy is bad.
Sorry I can't really answer your question, but good luck in your move.
Before you sell your home and move, I would seriously recommend researching the job market alot more, especially as specialized as your husband's work experience is. Keep in mind that you are moving headed into the fall and winter months, so probably not alot of landscaping done until spring I would imagine. I'd recommend having at least 9 months of savings to hold you over until you find jobs. And I would also suggest renting a home first to see how it goes and you can check out the area alot better.
Friend works in Glen Falls for Landscaping Company and has been busy all spring and summer. In winter, many do snow plowing, but not sure if you need your own truck.
Friend works in Glen Falls for Landscaping Company and has been busy all spring and summer. In winter, many do snow plowing, but not sure if you need your own truck.
Good point, as many just adjust and do snow removal work in the winter.
can one really support a family doing snow removal?
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