Moving from Albany NY to Canton NY (north country) (Potsdam: school, colleges)

[fab61]

I was sent this link by a friend who is considering moving to this area from Long Island. After reading Key's response to some of these postings, I felt compelled to post a slightly different perspective. First, let me begin by saying that my family and i moved up from Queens 10 years ago. The attitude that "Keys" described with regards to the "locals" resenting the "transplants" may have been true 10 years ago but I find that's changed considerably. The influx of "transplants" from Long Island, the 5 boros and even NJ and CT especially after 9/11 has had quite an impact on this area...realistically, good and bad but i tend to think most has been for the better. It has given an economic shot in the arm to this area. The Glens Falls area is experiencing a re-birth like it hasn't seen in years. Homes that have been let go are being bought and renovated into beautiful homes again. The infrastructure of the city is being updated. Glens Falls/Queensbury is still one of the best real estate investments around. With regards to jobs...there are plenty of jobs for those who are interested in working... in all different fields. With the development of Luther Forest, a nanotechnology park in Malta, there will be even more jobs to fill in the next few years. Lake George thrives on tourism. There are plenty jobs available in the hospitality industry as well...many restaurants, several beautiful new hotels, tours, boating, etc. Glens Falls Hospital is a large employer i this area as well. Retail is also growing in this area. The small mall that used to sit off of exit 19 with only two anchor stores has now expanded to include 5 anchor stores and a sit down restaraunt along with the fast food court. They expect to open a Bed, Bath and Beyond as well as a Victoria's Secret in the coming year. It currently houses a JCPenneys, Sears, BonTon, Target and Dicks Sporting Goods along with many smaller shops. In the few years that we've been here, a Lowe's and Home Depot were added to the area as was a Super Walmart. And we all know that a neighborhood is not complete without a Starbucks...we've got 3! And let's not forget Panera's. The point of mentioning all these things is just to show that the area is in fact thriving. I have three school aged children...there's a very good parochial school in glens falls if that's what people are looking for but the Queensbury Schools are awesome. All three of my children so far, have had very good experiences there. They have programs that are offered to these students that would have never have been available in the NYC school system. The teachers are excited and enthusiastic about their work.
Now, with regards to the issue of drugs and crime. Yes, there is crime in this area...but alot of the crimes that are committed are crimes of passion. There have been several murders in the last 10 years but all have been by locals who have been jilted by an ex. The most prevalent crime committed in this area involves people skimming a little extra off the top from their employers. Violent crime is not an issue around here. You might hear of an occasional bar bawl on South Street but usually nothing of any major consequence. The best way to get a good idea of the local news is to check out www.post-star.com the web site for our local newspaper. There really isn't any area that i wouldn't feel comfortable walking thru after dark except maybe the industrial area in glens falls (only because it's rather desolate at night). There are low income housing areas in glens falls that i wouldn't consider the nicest of areas but certainly not unsafe. Thats not to say that i'd make a habit of taking nightly walks in these areas but you certainly don't have to lock your car doors while you're passing thru. With regards to the drug issue. yes...it's a problem...but there aren't many places where it isn't. Underage drinking is a problem as well but i have to say...the police dept is being extremely proactive in terms of curtailing that. They're doing a great job with addressing that issue. The drug issue is a bit more complicated because its being fed from other areas...NYC for one as well as more recently Rochester. Again, the police dept is being very proactive in keeping things under control...but that's a problem each community needs to attack. Overall, this area is a lovely place to live and a wonderful place to raise a family. I couldn't be happier to have moved up here! Hope this gives you a better perspsective of this area...it's not the crime and drug infested area that "keys" made it out to be. Hope this helps!

[key]

Fab61, didn't you post that before?

[Wisteria]

I'm not even in on this thread, really, just kind of looking around and saw the thing about Glens Falls. I live in California, now, too (in the mountains of Santa Cruz), and I've been to Glens Falls and Hudson Falls many times -- great friend of mine lives in Gansevoort.....I thought it was kind of depressing up in that area -- except nice to hang out at Lake George in the summer. And the joke was, when I'd get on a Greyhound to go to the City (NY), (I hate to drive there), was to watch for the prisoners traveling. My friend in Gansevoort, who was raised in that area, is now longing to leave it now that he is retiring. Anyway, I agree that having the mom and pop places go out of business makes for many chains to move in -- it's sad.

[Reporter]

To the original poster thinking about Canton. I would say that Canton is a very nice little town. So are villages like Philadelphia and Theresa. The schools there (Indian River) are top notch - they've spent over $100 million improving already good schools in the past few years. Indoor swimming pools, really dedicated teachers, small town atmosphere, but not out in the sticks by any means, really.

[upstater]

A little more about Canton in response to the original post... We moved to Canton from a large city in 1999. It really is a nice little village. We bought a turn-of-the-century house on a quiet street where people sit on their porches or walk babies up and down while the older kids play together in the street. Canton's downtown area is still functional, still viable for small business, and is an easy walk from many village homes. You can actually leave your metal womb-on-wheels parked in your driveway and do a lot of your business on foot... Imagine being able to walk to the bank, to church, to the post office, hardware store, or drugstore, to have coffee, lunch, or see a move, get your hair cut, and even do a little shopping! Amazing.

We just haven't noticed many of the problems with crime and drugs that other people mention having elsewhere in the North Country, though it could be a matter of perspective since these things were a huge, huge part of everyday life where we used to live. Our neighbors laughed at us for locking our house at first, and we've gone from locking up everything we own to not even knowing where the keys to our house are.

It does get pretty darn cold here, but we're too far north to get the worst of the lake effect snow. If you like being outdoors in the winter, this is a good place to be. We spend a lot of time sledding, snowshoeing, and skiing cross-country on the golf course and on trails right in town. If you're indoor types, there's more to do during the winter than you might think, especially since St. Lawrence University is good about making events and facilities available to the community. It's not exactly the entertainment capital of the world but we don't get bored. If you really get cabin fever, Ottawa is only about an hour north of here and there are tons of things to do there, especially if you have children.

Canton schools are OK, especially compared to some rural districts in the North Country. It's a decent K-12 facility and our neighbors with school-age children say that they're happy with the environment and the quality of the education their kids are getting. They don't seem to have many of the problems that large districts in bigger cities have. There's also a small private school (Little River Community School) and a Catholic grade school.

There are great camping areas nearby, and many people here have a camp on a river or lake in the area. You probably wouldn't have a problem finding something not too far away.

I should add that there are more than a few residents who moved here from other places. The people who were born and raised here were never anything but friendly and welcoming to us when we first arrived, and most of us "transplants" value the nice things about our adopted town and work hard to help keep it this way.

Hope this helps to answer some of your questions.

[homeward bound]

Congratulations on living life as it oughta be lived! God/fate/luck/careening trucks willing, we'll be doing the same thing in a couple of years, somewhere (UPSTATE, of course!) in the greatest state in the union!

[EugeneBKLYN]

Originally Posted by YankeeFaninOrlando

Is the crime problem from the locals? Or is it being imported from someplace else like NYC? Would you say that there are areas that you wouldn't be in at night? You mentioned Saratoga as a better alternative. There seems to be a short distance between them. So Saratoga is a safer place? Thanks.

Wow. Don't be ignorant.

Stay in flordia.

[Bella321]

I actually moved from Canton, NY about 6 years ago when I was in 9th grade...The high school there(even though it's small- about 120 kids per grade) is AWFUL! It's full of teachers that should have retired about 15 years ago and really don't want to be there...I could not wait to get out of there- also there is really nothing to do, there's 1 movie theater and no real specialty restaurants. Mainly just the fast food restaurants.
I moved to Clifton Park with my mom before 10th grade started, and she had hesitation about enrolling me in Shenendehowa High, however it turned out to be the best decision she ever made! they have the best sports teams and more classes that canton NEVER or could never offer even if they wanted to. The teachers actually showed concern over their students and each grade had their own dean of students. Even with about 800 kids per grade, it was 10 times better than the small-minded school of canton. I DO NOT suggest moving there! you will regret it, i know i did

[barefootone]

Haha... I moved from Potsdam (15 min from Canton) to Albany. Sure the winters are cold (colder than Albany from what I can tell so far), but you get used to it pretty quickly. And because the town is used to dealing with snow and bad weather I find that they are more efficient with clearing the roads and getting the power working then they are here.
Canton is a great town, very friendly and cute - as is Potsdam. Sure, there may not be as much to do as there is in a city, but we do have 4 college in the area (Suny Potsdam, Suny Canton, St. Lawrence & Clarkson) and they bring a lot to the town. There are concerts, art shows and all kinds of stuff. Also, Ottawa, ON, the capital of Canada, is only about an hour away if you feel you need to get to a city. I love going to Ottawa, it's a really beautiful place.

[popeye0652]

i live just out side of ogdensburg ny and i will tell you what if you like being on wellfare and a pill head then move there i broke my back in 13 places and tryed to get help but forgeit right now me and my wife are trying to find a moterhome some one wants to get rid of so we will have some where to live befor winter gets here but i dont think it looks to go if any one knows of any one that wants to get rid of a moterhome email me at plalone12@yahoo.com well thanks Paul L