looking for new housing developments

[CitiesThatStartWithA]

Just for the record, I was in Albany during a different economic time (roughly 1997-2004). Before that, Atlanta, and since 2004, Austin. And again we agree, when you come from different places you will interpret things differently. I don't post to "bash" Albany myself, but because I feel others moving in may find a similar interpretation. In other posts, I've pointed out some of my favorite Capital District features too, but that was not the question here.

Indeed, Saratoga is a very nice place.

[RollsRoyce]

Originally Posted by montydean

Thanks. the number one criteria is a new development. we wont know anyone there so we would like a neighborhood with other couples with newborns, toddlers, etc... I dont mind a longer commute into downtown albany but we cant live in a desolate area either. the wife demands to be close to target and I need a home depot close by. (will go through wegmans withdrawal but nothing anyone can do for that).

second to that is landscape. we like rolling hills and forestry. Comparable to eastern syracuse suburbs (manlius, pompey, caz) if anyone is familiar. Being near water would also be a bonus. What I liked about Syracuse is the activity around Oneida Lake. Not sure what albany has that is comparable.

Lastly,and this is off topic, but what is the overall attitude of the capital district like. In Syracuse I have noticed a lot of positive attitude and pride in the city. In fact, if it werent for its snow and isolated location I think CNY would boom. Given that albany has superior locaion to eastern power centers and much better weather I would like to think it could be on the upswing. So, Is the atmosphere around albany positive? or is it the kind of place where people look at you with a surprised face and ask "why would you move here?"

Could you please explain more about people with a "positive attitude and pride in the city of Syracuse." While I love Syracuse and do have some pride in the city, I have never found this to be dominant mentality among suburbanites, particuarly among more affluent people who reside in the eastern suburbs. Do you have a demographic breakdown of people who have immense pride in Syracuse? Age, educational attainment, native vs non-native. Are they mostly Italian people with working class roots from places like Eastwood and the north side? If that's the case, I would agree with you as they seem to be pretty loyal to Syracuse and have taken tremendous risk to start businesses and place a strong emphasis on family. It has been my experience, that most other people, particuarly executives, doctors, attorneys and people of more old money backgrounds have a fairly negative view of Syracuse and its future prospects, especially when compared to its heyday and even as recent as the 1980s. I'm not sure if you went to Fayetteville-Manlius schools, however I had quite a few friends there (I went to high school in downstate Westchester County but have cousins my age who went to F-M) and the vast majority of them left to attend colleges in major cities. Very few have returned. The prevailing attitude then and it still seems to be the case now, is that the city is small, rundown and depressed with few if any white collar career prospects. Many of these kids had parents who were transplants to the area or were more wordly and moved back to the area after working along the Boston-Washington corridor or Chicago. I definitely get the impression that they thought Syracuse was beneath them and was a good place to grow up or "be from" but not to live in adulthood. My cousin who just graduated from F-M and most of his firends, have the same mindset as well and are attending out-of-town colleges.

There is definitely a "Debbie Downer" attitude in the Capital District, however I think it is much more pronounced in the Syracuse area. Albany, with its decent concentration of law and consulting firms in addition to substantial operations like GE, KAPL, and the growing nanotech industry attracts far more transplants than Syracuse. The Albany and Saratoga area reminds me a lot more of suburban Hartford and the Poughkeepsie area than Syracuse. There seems to be a more New England vibe as well as a downstate edge that can be viewed by people from the midwest, south and west as unfriendly. Personally, I think people in Syracuse are more affable and down-to-earth, but there is little denying that Albany is more white collar which I find attractive. Both areas are nice, however for career prospects, Albany has more to offer on a per capita basis than other upstate cities. I especially like Saratoga.