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My partner is potentially taking a job offer in Albany and I'm curious to know a little more about what the surrounding area is like before we make a decision. I'm from Vermont and he is from the Canadian Maritimes, but we've been stuck in the southwest for the past two years. Ready to move back to a place with maple trees, apple orchards, dairy cows, and WINTER.
We have a dog and a toddler and wherever we end up we'd like to live on several acres -- enough room for garden, chickens, etc -- in a fairly quiet area with good opportunities for outdoor recreation (we hike and bike in the summer, snowshoe and ski in the winter). My impression, having passed through the area but never spent much time there, is that Albany's urban core is fairly small, surrounded by suburbs and smaller cities (Troy, Schenectady, etc) and that once you get 20 - 30 minutes outside of town the landscape is fairly rural. Is this a correct assumption?
Are there any small towns in the region with the kind of vibrant rural communities I'm used to, coming from northern Vermont (ie great local foods, farmers markets, strong arts/music presence), or is that a pipe dream?
My partner is potentially taking a job offer in Albany and I'm curious to know a little more about what the surrounding area is like before we make a decision. I'm from Vermont and he is from the Canadian Maritimes, but we've been stuck in the southwest for the past two years. Ready to move back to a place with maple trees, apple orchards, dairy cows, and WINTER.
We have a dog and a toddler and wherever we end up we'd like to live on several acres -- enough room for garden, chickens, etc -- in a fairly quiet area with good opportunities for outdoor recreation (we hike and bike in the summer, snowshoe and ski in the winter). My impression, having passed through the area but never spent much time there, is that Albany's urban core is fairly small, surrounded by suburbs and smaller cities (Troy, Schenectady, etc) and that once you get 20 - 30 minutes outside of town the landscape is fairly rural. Is this a correct assumption?
Are there any small towns in the region with the kind of vibrant rural communities I'm used to, coming from northern Vermont (ie great local foods, farmers markets, strong arts/music presence), or is that a pipe dream?
Parts of Kinderhook or Valatie would be good choices.
If you're looking for rural with a vibrant "scene" nearby, you'd be checking out Saratoga County. There are relatively rural properties in close proximity to downtown Saratoga Springs (music/arts scene, farmer's market, etc.). You are also close to outdoor recreation. Search this forum for more info. about Saratoga Springs.
Indeed Albany is fairly small (and Troy and Schenectady even smaller) but the region as a whole has around 1 million people. Most of this is in the surrounding suburbs. I would also say Saratoga county might be a good choice. Saratoga Springs is hands down the best city in the area. It's very small (for a city) but it is quite vibrant and much more upscale than any other city in the area. And once you get outside the city it is very rural and there are many options for buying land or the home of your choice. Ballston Spa, which is just a little south of Saratoga Springs is also nice, it is more like a small village. Also, anything in Saratoga county has easy access to the north country and the Adirondacks with all the recreation and nature that that entails.
In Albany county you have places like Altamont and New Scotland. Nice, rural areas but not a lot in the way of action I don't think. A quicker commute to Albany though.
I don't know much about Greene county (south of Albany) but that is very rural and housing is fairly inexpensive.
I guess it would depend how far of a commute you want and how much you want to pay also?
Check out Chatham. Not far to Albany; artsy vibe; more liberal than conservative (just my opinion...I'm in the middle politically & find Chatham to be very much like VT in that regard).
I grew up in the Helderberg Mountains south of Albany. Lots of land and it's very inexpensive. My folks bought their house and a bunch of land for ~$100k (15 years ago). It's a great place to live if you enjoy being outside and value privacy. Tons of hiking, camping, 4x4 trails, and hunting to be done. Some might find the area a little hillbilly-ish, but most people are friendly and helpful, in my experience. I can't talk much about the schools up there because I went elsewhere, but I've heard they are improving.
Altamont Fairgrounds and Thatcher Park are close by and host various events. The towns themselves are small and scattered, so there isn't much of a scene. On the other hand, Albany is 20-40 minutes away (depends where you are and if you get stuck behind someone braking all the way down 443), and it's an easy trip.
All I can say is that it's a beautiful place to live. I'm working in Long Island right now and every time I go home to visit I can feel my anxiety decrease with each mile as I head north.
Edias, I lived on the Delanson/Knox town line for 3 years and totally agree with you. I didn't mention the hilltowns because of the OP's wish list, but yes, the people are great as is the scenery. My half hour commute to and from Albany was always very pretty and a major stress reliever.
I'll give a plug for southern Albany and northern Greene Counties. I lived in Ravena when I first moved to the Albany area, and roamed the area from the Hudson River west to Rensselaerville and south into the Catskills. It has absolutely the most gorgeous views of the Catskills, and it's probably closer to the Catskills than Saratoga is to the Adirondaks. Greenville, for example, is about 30 miles into Albany and maybe 10-15 into the heart of the Catskills.
As others have said, the towns are pretty small, so they don't have "scenes" but I think the resort towns in the Catskills might. Hunter Mountain used to hold all kinds of festivals during the non-ski season.
Saratoga Springs = check (although not exactly rural)
Berne= no
Knox= nonexistent
Westerlo = no
Windham = sort of
Hunter = not really
Altamont = summers are barely vibrant
Chatham = similar to Altamont in terms of summer vibrancy, rest of the year, not so much
Woodstock = moderately vibrant
New Paltz = pretty vibrant all things considered
Hudson = NYC vibe
I agree with the poster above me. Ithaca is a place you should consider. Meets all your requirements. Not that places in the Capital Region don't, I just feel like Ithaca is exactly what you're looking for.
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