Relocating to Malta (Albany, Colonie, Schenectady: renting, insurance, home)

[rroble01]

Hello everyone!

I am a married father of 3 boys currently residing in San Diego. I was born and raised in NYC and when I married, moved to south jersey. I entered the service and that brought me to chicago, virginia, and now ca. I will be renting first before I buy. I have a job offer, in Malta Ny, for about $60,000 + but still negotiable. My wife will be looking for work as well. I wanted to know how is the scenery as far as, safety and schools. That is my priority, My boys are in elementary, middle and high school. Is the cost of living acceptable to a family with a medium income of about 90,000? Thank you

[Ellwood]

Cost of living in upstate is IMO quite affordable. We moved from NJ when we retired and find housing, groceries, etc. cheaper than NJ. Compared to San Diego, upstate will definitely be within your budget.
There are several COL calculators that you might try which would give you a better idea of difference in costs from San Diego to Malta.
http://swz.salary.com/costoflivingwi...oll_start.aspx


AFA schools, you can check them out at:
GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

Would also suggest you do a search on this forum and you will find a lot of information regarding the various towns (Clifton Park, Colonie, Malta, Ballston Spa, etc.)

check out the local paper:

Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga News, Weather, Sports, Capitol | timesunion.com - Times Union

[ckhthankgod]

If you want good schools close to your place of employment, you might like Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Schuylerville, Shenendehowa and even Saratoga Springs. Niskayuna Schools aren't too far away either. Ballston Spa seems to be alright too.

[KittyKat7]

The area is great. Malta specifically, not so much since some city planner decided to take out almost ALL the traffic lights and replace them with traffic circles. Very annoying and accidents are up 48%.

[sunbound5]

I love the traffic circles...accidents are up because a lot of people are either driving too fast, get too aggressive, or are unsure of how to merge. It use to take me 15+ minutes to get across town with the 2 lights, now it takes me only 8 or so. I have 3 young girls all under the ages of 7. Malta has an amazing community center with tons of reasonably prices class, a YMCA branch and new stores and development going in. There are many nice parks...the camp program is wonderful. I have loved the Ballston SPa schools thus far and my children are progressing well and are happy. The only thing I would change if I could would be the long winters....besides that to me it is the perfect area to raise children. Just enough green space, recreation, cultural events, and tons of activities. PM me if you want more information.

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by KittyKat7

The area is great. Malta specifically, not so much since some city planner decided to take out almost ALL the traffic lights and replace them with traffic circles. Very annoying and accidents are up 48%.

They are everywhere up there now. Malta, Ballston Spa, even out on 85 toward Slingerlands. Awful archaic things.

[KittyKat7]

No one I know "loves" the traffic circles. Everyone HATES them! They are being overused. A dozen circles within a mile or two range? Seriously?!?! I overheard someone saying that they avoid going to Malta altogether now just because the circles are too much of an annoyance.

[sunbound5]

Malta has been very smart about creating an infrastructure that will support the increase of population in the area due to the new Global Foundaries plant. The circles allow for flow and I couldn't imagine what kind of back up there would be with traffic lights at 5 pm when State Farm and Global Foundaries(in the future) are done for the day. The accidents or "fender benders" may have increased due to the many "yahoos" who don't know how to drive them or are driving too fast. The actual number of fatalities have decreased due to the nature and physics of the circle.

Malta is a modern progressive area moving forward not backward. The opportunities of the technology and science entering this area will be amazing for any family with young children for the future

[TroyNWOLegacyForensics]

WRONG!

La Jollan & NYC 'er here ... Capital Land aka Capital District proves
expensive mistake!

Careful what you wish for ... all that "verdant scenery" and
"heavy-duty masonry architecture" comes at significant costs.

- annual burdens are off-the-charts! Tops the nations (US of A)
- food costs, on average (let alone health food-stuffs eg, organic),
typically run some 7-15% more than comparable items found in
NYC or San Diego (ie, La Jolla) grocery stores: no kidding; the
middle-man and "costs of transport" are the touted factors
- housing: can be glorious ... pre-colonial through high-masonry Victorian
and Belle Epoch housing stock in Capital Land.

ASIDE: ARCHITECTURE: The two cities contain
a bewildering array of High-order Italianate and Second Empire, along
with Federal, Georgian, Renaissance, Romantic, {often cut in regional
marble} and true Dutch Colonials, Cobblestone, Granite (foundations
and/or facades), Field-stone jobbers, Greek Revival eclectic ... through
many iterations, in "newer" c. 1960's suburban neighborhoods of the
perennial Slit-levels and Bi-level mugglies

PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Descendant Cost Rank: The Emma Willard School
for Girls (real cost approx. $50k annually: an international elite crew);
The Albany Academy for Boys & Girls (real cost approx. $17.5 K annually);
various parochial schools (cheap, under 3k annually; but, neurotic
inculcation of religious gobble-**** ie, Catholicism ... if that works
for you and your kids' minds).

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES: RPI is grand-daddy to MIT and Cal-Tech,
and it is rightfully termed a "small Ivy-Leaguer" in its own right. Union
College rates as "an almost Ivy League", home to most US of A Greek Life:
frats & sort.

- there are many desperately poor urban dwellers .... and "hidden
near-poverty suburbanites" ... lots and lots of state, regional and
federal welfare funding ops and fatalities, so to speak ... students galore
- among the locales ... there exists ... a curmudgeon "hard-breaks" knack
disposition-trait
- weather is fun, fierce, fickle and dicey: can fry or flash-freeze the
unwary or weak of mind or limb
- traffic ticket GANGSTER aka Macon-County-line QUOTA initiative,
especially in Troy ... serves as a "private and public funds revenue
stream" [get it?] and many of an unsuspecting "tourist" or "local" has
succumbed to having his or her "civil rights along the roadside robbed"
(the specter of such un- Constitutional events, witnessed in breaks
along any local roadside, rates chilling to say the very least ... and is a
frequently observed occurrence ... be on guard for "pull-over-escalation"
- local dinning establishments assume that "difficult customers" are to be
ignored: a "difficult customer" encompasses anyone whom would dare
request warm food .... vs. cold or stale items served on a plate aka
"plated" (noun as verb).
- while housing is relatively cheap, compared to SD and NYC, the actual
cost of living can prove higher ... eg, insurance, burdens, fees et cetera

.... word to the wise: escape ... while you can ..... lol

Good luck!
============================================

Originally Posted by Ellwood

Cost of living in upstate is IMO quite affordable. We moved from NJ when we retired and find housing, groceries, etc. cheaper than NJ. Compared to San Diego, upstate will definitely be within your budget.
There are several COL calculators that you might try which would give you a better idea of difference in costs from San Diego to Malta.
Cost of Living Wizard | Salary.com

Originally Posted by Ellwood

AFA schools, you can check them out at:
GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

Would also suggest you do a search on this forum and you will find a lot of information regarding the various towns (Clifton Park, Colonie, Malta, Ballston Spa, etc.)

check out the local paper:

Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga News, Weather, Sports, Capitol | timesunion.com - Times Union

[cheapdigs]

Originally Posted by TroyNWOLegacyForensics

WRONG!

La Jollan & NYC 'er here ... Capital Land aka Capital District proves
expensive mistake!

Careful what you wish for ... all that "verdant scenery" and
"heavy-duty masonry architecture" comes at significant costs.

- annual burdens are off-the-charts! Tops the nations (US of A)
- food costs, on average (let alone health food-stuffs eg, organic),
typically run some 7-15% more than comparable items found in
NYC or San Diego (ie, La Jolla) grocery stores: no kidding; the
middle-man and "costs of transport" are the touted factors
- housing: can be glorious ... pre-colonial through high-masonry Victorian
and Belle Epoch housing stock in Capital Land.

ASIDE: ARCHITECTURE: The two cities contain
a bewildering array of High-order Italianate and Second Empire, along
with Federal, Georgian, Renaissance, Romantic, {often cut in regional
marble} and true Dutch Colonials, Cobblestone, Granite (foundations
and/or facades), Field-stone jobbers, Greek Revival eclectic ... through
many iterations, in "newer" c. 1960's suburban neighborhoods of the
perennial Slit-levels and Bi-level mugglies

PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Descendant Cost Rank: The Emma Willard School
for Girls (real cost approx. $50k annually: an international elite crew);
The Albany Academy for Boys & Girls (real cost approx. $17.5 K annually);
various parochial schools (cheap, under 3k annually; but, neurotic
inculcation of religious gobble-**** ie, Catholicism ... if that works
for you and your kids' minds).

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES: RPI is grand-daddy to MIT and Cal-Tech,
and it is rightfully termed a "small Ivy-Leaguer" in its own right. Union
College rates as "an almost Ivy League", home to most US of A Greek Life:
frats & sort.

- there are many desperately poor urban dwellers .... and "hidden
near-poverty suburbanites" ... lots and lots of state, regional and
federal welfare funding ops and fatalities, so to speak ... students galore
- among the locales ... there exists ... a curmudgeon "hard-breaks" knack
disposition-trait
- weather is fun, fierce, fickle and dicey: can fry or flash-freeze the
unwary or weak of mind or limb
- traffic ticket GANGSTER aka Macon-County-line QUOTA initiative,
especially in Troy ... serves as a "private and public funds revenue
stream" [get it?] and many of an unsuspecting "tourist" or "local" has
succumbed to having his or her "civil rights along the roadside robbed"
(the specter of such un- Constitutional events, witnessed in breaks
along any local roadside, rates chilling to say the very least ... and is a
frequently observed occurrence ... be on guard for "pull-over-escalation"
- local dinning establishments assume that "difficult customers" are to be
ignored: a "difficult customer" encompasses anyone whom would dare
request warm food .... vs. cold or stale items served on a plate aka
"plated" (noun as verb).
- while housing is relatively cheap, compared to SD and NYC, the actual
cost of living can prove higher ... eg, insurance, burdens, fees et cetera

.... word to the wise: escape ... while you can ..... lol

Good luck!
============================================

Hey -- that's enough crystal clear imagery to scare away Lucifer himself. The place sounds nuts!

So what you're saying is that housing is relatively cheap, but the cost of food (?), insurance, fuel (?), and "bankable" or frequent pull-overs are a fact of life in Troy's & Albany's shakedown scene?

I admit that I'm looking for cheap kool housing, but hell on earth is not part of the bargain trade-off I've in mind.

How is Schenectady for all that?