Berne-Knox Areas (Albany, Guilderland, Altamont: real estate, hotel, houses)

[sminerva21]

Hi there! My husband and I are house hunting in the Albany area, and we've found some really great houses we love out in the Berne-Knox SD areas. Neither of us are from this area, so we're not as familiar with the schools. I've read reviews of the district online, and they seem middle-of-the-run, but some of my friends have said (without a real foundation - more hearsay than anything), that this is a bad area to live in. They say the schools are not great at all, and there's been rumors of meth labs? Sounded kind of fishy to me, but I don't really know. The houses we found are about 10 minutes to downtown Altamont, so they're close by some stores and restaurants. Just curious if anyone has any insight into the Berne area! Thanks so much for your help in advance

[wingsauce711]

That area does offer some absolutely stunning natural beauty, especially the crazy views off of the escarpment between Berne and Altamont. It's Albany's own "look-out point" high above the city.

Unfortunately, it is very middle-of-nowhere-ish and backwoodsy, so a meth lab or two would not surprise me. There was just an awful case of child neglect and murder off of Thacher Park Road in that area this winter. It shocked the entire state.

As of right now, I'd say Berne would be a nice place to retire, but I don't know about raising a family. The school district is slightly below average. Something needs to come there that will gentrify the area and take advantage of that natural beauty. Maybe a resort and hotel or something along the cliffs? It has a lot of potential.

[EastreturnsWest]

Originally Posted by wingsauce711

That area does offer some absolutely stunning natural beauty, especially the crazy views off of the escarpment between Berne and Altamont. It's Albany's own "look-out point" high above the city.

Unfortunately, it is very middle-of-nowhere-ish and backwoodsy, so a meth lab or two would not surprise me. There was just an awful case of child neglect and murder off of Thacher Park Road in that area this winter. It shocked the entire state.

As of right now, I'd say Berne would be a nice place to retire, but I don't know about raising a family. The school district is slightly below average. Something needs to come there that will gentrify the area and take advantage of that natural beauty. Maybe a resort and hotel or something along the cliffs? It has a lot of potential.

Don't forget the town of Guilderland, often in the top five performing districts in the area, also had it's own grisly child murder scene last year. I'd venture to say both were tragic anomalies.

Berne, Knox, and Westerlo are rural hill towns in Albany county, so you get what you pay for. Nothing will ever "change" in those areas, they don't have strong town centers that encourage business. What you do have is relatively inexpensive land and real estate - what some would call, a piece of the good life - a few acres with a stream running through it and none of the noise of the city.

Take a drive around Berne and you'll get an immediate feel of what the area is like. Sure, you'll see some beautiful houses hidden among the trees off the main road, but you'll also see ramshackle hovels with six pickup trucks parked in the front yard.

The school district is small, which some prefer, and I wouldn't say it's the worst district in the area - last year the district ranked 45th out of 85 Albany area districts.