How do you manage the harsh winters? (Albany, Granville: houses, school district)

[eyeye]

My husband is looking to retire for his current job (professor of medicine) here in Houston, Tx and look for an oncology job else where in the US. All the places we are looking at have cold winters (upstate ny, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, etc). I have been in Texas for 14 years and before grew up near Seattle where it's cold, but nothing brutal. We have 2 kids, 7 and 8 years old who have never even seen snow. I like the idea of escaping 90+ degrees from may-October. And the kids are begging for 4 seasons, nature, less pollution and SNOW. But I think it's novelty in a month or so.

So how do you manage?
What do you do with kids?
Can kids play outside in the winter months?
How quick can you get back out on the streets after a snow storm?
Do people just sort of stay in and chill or is there still a lot of activity?
Do you find yourself stuck at home often?

Thanks so much.

[eyeye]

Oh and I have a random question for your area specifically. We have 2 big-ish dogs and they spend a couple hours a day in our yard. Looking at houses up there so many don't have fences. What do you do about letting animals out to play? (Looking at houses 300-550k with .5 acre +).

[Muzic062014]

sometimes it gets so cold, you want to move down south, but then hate the hot water, cant escape ,no place where there is perfect

[wingsauce711]

Honestly, it isn't that bad in Albany as it is in other parts of the state, since they only get the tail end of lake-effect snow bands on rare occasions. Temperatures do get cold, but it can be sunny in the metro area, which can make it feel warmer. Albany averages just a bit more snow annually than Denver, CO, and a lot less than cities closer to the lakes. Albany usually gets its major snowfall amounts from a few Nor'easters that move through, whereas in lake-effect country, the snowfall amounts add up throughout the season as it snows bit by bit most days of the week. It also depends on where you live in Albany. One particular storm this past winter, it snowed about 14 inches in the city of Albany, but up on the Helderbergs just 15 miles away from Albany, they got 36 inches. There's quite a contrast usually. Snowfall forecast maps often look like Rorschach tests.

The only time you're stuck at home is during one of the major storms, and I'd say Albany averages around 4 or 5 a season. By the next afternoon, though, you're pretty much free to travel on most roads. In my experience, and with a little hypothesis I developed, snow removal in Albany is helped by what has been termed the "A-hole effect," where downsloping off of the 4 mountain ranges that surround Albany clear the skies in a perfect circle around the city. This causes it to be sunnier in Albany, which heats the roads and helps the snow melt faster.

As for your kids, they'll love it when it snows. Find a hill and go sledding. Or just play out in the front yard. There's plenty to do with it. Just bundle them up and make sure they aren't outside for too long if it's sub-zero temperatures. People tend to ignore snow here, in my experience. During storms, people drive slowly. But after it passes, it doesn't really affect anyone's life.

[Conteacher]

Originally Posted by eyeye

Oh and I have a random question for your area specifically. We have 2 big-ish dogs and they spend a couple hours a day in our yard. Looking at houses up there so many don't have fences. What do you do about letting animals out to play? (Looking at houses 300-550k with .5 acre +).

You can build a fence. Also, if that is your price range, you can find something with a whole lot more than 1/2 an acre.

[eyeye]

Thanks so much. My husband told me it wasn't too bad in the area (we do want to move north of Albany a bit if we head that way) but I saw a lot of comments about harsh winters while reading here. That sounds like a doable winter.

Yeah I would imagine the kids would enjoy the snow days. It will be a change, they don't even own coats.

[Ellwood]

Although we escape to the Keys for a couple of months in the winter, our daughter lives up here all year. She has two children, 7 and 10 and they are outside every chance they get. Snow sports (snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, etc.). AFA the dogs, many homes install invisible fences or train the dogs to stay on their own property. We trained our dog with the remote collar.

Upstate (Quaker Springs/Saratoga area) our roads are cleaned as soon as the snow stops. Never a problem getting out.

We love the area, especially spring, summer, fall and part of the winter. We have stayed all winter a few times and we were out every day walking, no matter what the weather. Our reason for heading south is we are retired and have many friends in the Keys, so it is more a change in scenery for us.

Houses in our area that have between 1-3 acres, less than 10 years old, sold for between $239K-$263K. There are STAR exemptions you could be entitled to which would lower your tax rate. AFA schools, Schuylerville school district is one of the best. Check some out on:
www.greatschools.org

[Conteacher]

My 82 year old mother handles Vermont winters with only a little grouching. We are moving to Granville, a small town about 40 minutes from Albany next year. I grew up in Illinois, where winters are as cold as any in the US, but with nothing to slow the winds.

[EastreturnsWest]

I'll give my honest opinion just for a little variety. Winters here can be pretty bad. Take this past winter as an example. Leaves are off the trees at the beginning of November and snow starts falling as early as Thanksgiving. Multiple huge dumps of 8 or more inches of snow through March and even some snow and ice in April. The leaves didn't start to bud out until a couple of weeks ago. Add to that a few weeks of the polar vortex with sub-zero temperatures and you have yourself a nasty winter. It also feels like the sun takes the winter off too, constantly shrouded by that wonderful Northeast grey. When the sun finally does start to come out in the spring, you wonder to yourself, "what is that bright yellow glowing ball of heat and light?"

Yeah you can get out in it, but you have to get bundled up head to toe. There's also something quite annoying about spending six months "dealing" with the weather. When that cold air hits your face day after day, you get sick of it...trust me.

The above posters are pretty hearty. I take nothing away from them. Just thought you'd like to hear a different perspective.

[Plantweed]

It was eight months difference between the last 80 degrees in the early fall and the first 80 degrees of the season recently. We've had enough, and are moving to the California desert.