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Never been to Ithaca. Grew up near Saratoga. There are alot of middle class areas surrounding Saratoga where you can hop on the northway and enjoy all the activities of Saratoga or the Lake George region. Suggest Ballston Spa, Burnt Hills, Clifton Park is now being built up, Malta, Glens Falls, Halfmoon, Latham. These areas are a short ride to the Albany airport. Check out the schools and rec programs and go from there.
I live in Schenectady (although moving this summer down south) and it is 40 minutes from Saratoga. We go there often and have many friends there. It is wonderful, but money is needed. But Saratoga County has many more middle class suburbs which are great and have all the benefits of the area without the traffic. The previous posts on Saratoga are right on target.
I went to Ithaca for college and my husband is from there. His family is still there and know this town very well too.
Ithaca is a little different. It is VERY liberal, and I am liberal. Many of the schools of the city aren't so good anymore. They just rezoned in the last few years and wealthier families are with innercity kids. Many fled to Lansing. Lansing is a great school system so you may want to consider there. All income levels go there but not impoverished (Sp?)
The medical system isn't the best. My sister in law and many of her friends went to Elmira or Syracuse for delieveries of their babies if there was ANY risks. (that is an hour away)
Also on my shallow end.....there is NO shopping. The only toy stores are target and a couple independent ones. The best indep. toy store went away a few years ago. Also, staples like Gap Kids is gone, so it is Old Navy, Target or Sears for the kids clothes. They are getting some of the big box stores now. New are Borders, Dicks, EMS...but shopping is a big issue I find for many. Although they do have Wegmans!!!
Good Luck.....I just find Ithaca to be more isolating than the Capital District area.
Rosette,
What is Schenectady like? Specifically, Niskayuna? What is the "vibe" like there? Did you feel alienated as a self-described liberal? Is there good access to nature without a drive? Good restaurants?
Thanks!
Wouldn't suggest the city of Schenectady...we have a VERY unique situation and that is the only reason we live in the city. Anyhow....most of my friends are Niskayuna residents.
Niskayuna is a safe town in the county of Schenectady. Other towns in the county are Scotia, Rotterdam, Duansberg (sp?) and of course the city of Schenectady. The county is democrate, but Niskayuna I would say tends to be more republican. (you may want to look at Scotia, I love it there. It is across the river and affordable with very good schools)
First off, I have 4 kids between 4-10 yo. and all but the oldest was born here.
My kids have all attended a Niskayuna Montessori preschool, which tends to be a bit expensive, but it has the full range of people from Niskayuna (Dr.'s/Lawyers, middle-class families, green-families and many internationals). I have not found Niskayuna to be clicky although every town has queen bees in their own minds.
The nature here is great. They have some small but good hiking perserves in the town of Niskayuna (it would be about an hour hike with litte ones, big people not too long). The best thing around here is the Erie Canal Bike Path System. There is a bike path that follows the Erie Canal from Buffalo I think straight to Hudson area. It goes straight through Niskayuna and is very family friendly. I have used it for training for a marathon and walking the kids. Within 15 minutes there is tons of hiking options. Niskayuna is on the Mohawk river and there is great kayaking on it.
The mountains are close by and the high peaks are huge for hikers. I believe there are 42 High Peaks in the Adriondacks and make for great day hikes. Also the best skiing in NY is only 1.5 hours away. A smaller "ridge" is only 15 minutes away and a great beginner place.
The vibe in Niskayuna is very open. Education is VERY strong and there more and more diversity every day. The head of R&D for GE is located in Niskayuna...meaning there are over 150 PhD.s with their families here.
There is not much business in Niskayuna including restaurants (except for a great pizza place), but Schenectady has been getting cleaned up and now have a ton of great ones. Also Albany is not too far way and we go there often too.
The big con to Niskayuna is the taxes. I think Ithaca is almost as bad, but be forewarned.
Sorry this was long, but hope it helps. This is my perspective and I am really going to miss the area when we move south.
saratoga is very nice but cold. that's the short answer. money, culture, good schools, state parks, good night life, restaurants, book stores, golf, many nice things. but coooold.
A couple people commented about being close to jobs in Albany. From experience, I can tell you that a commute into Albany during rush hour can take you 45-60 minutes. During off peak times, you can make it in 30+ minutes depending where in Albany you go.
Most of Saratoga Springs seems safe and upper middle class. The downtown is great but most bars and resturants seem centered around the track. Ballston Spa has a nice downtown and provides more affordable housing than Saratoga Springs. However, there are some ghettoey parts on the north side of town. I'm sure there are some ghettoey areas in Saratoga as well but I believe the whole area is very safe.
I have lived in both Ithaca and Saratoga Springs and can tell you that both places are very different.
Ithaca is physically one of the most beautiful places in the country offering up a variety of spectacular parks along Cayuga Lake as well as the many natural waterfalls streaming down the steep hillsides that lead to the lake, very special indeed!! Ithaca is both a college town (Cornell and Ithaca College) and a summer tourist town. As you walk the "Commons" (downtown pedestrian shopping mall) it's normal to hear several foreign languages spoken and see a variety of characters. Ithaca is also a nice place to walk/jog with much to see. However, there is a price to pay for its uniqueness. Ithaca is a small oasis in a very scenic but very quiet farming area. If you cannot make a living in Ithaca which can be very difficult with many Cornell alumni returning and competing for the scraps you may have to commute to Syracuse over 75 minutes away, think winter!! In addition, if you are not part of the Cornell community it can be socially isolating. Some public schools have concerns so choose carefully. By the way there is "Wegmans" near downtown which may be the best grocery store anywhere!!! I still miss the beauty and funkiness, just cannot figure a way to make a good living there.
Note: politically speaking Ithaca is Berkley East.
I currently live in Saratoga Springs. The beauty here lies in its wonderful architecture and landscaping, however, it lacks the physical beauty of Ithaca, unless you take a drive to the nearby Adirondacks or Lake George. The many renovated classic homes surrounding downtown are a joy to behold and when walking here you will feel as safe as one can. The Saratoga Library is absolutely outstanding, very large selection with the best "Used Book Store" you'll probably find in any library. Because of the horse track and ballet, etc., Saratoga boasts more restaurants per capita than almost anywhere else in the US. Some are overpriced but others are just perfect.
Although there is an enormous amount of wealth for such a small city you will find more people than not to be quite friendly, like any well to do place you will run in to some snobbery. Living in Saratoga feels like you are on a beautiful well to do island, however, if you cannot find something here you'll have to hike over to the Albany area (25-35 miles) and hope it's there, for example there is no movie theater downtown, only a lousy multiplex at the mall five miles from town.
If you are into cultural and economic diversity forget about it! Not much to speak of. As far as renting here goes it can be a nightmare for year round tentants as many of the properties are only available 10 months a year due to the track rental season, leaving slight pickings to choose amongst.
Lastly, Saratoga is perfectly situated for those who love to get away for the weekend. NYC, Boston, Montreal, Vermont, Lake George, the Adirondacks and the Catskills are all well within 2-3 hours, plus we have an Amtrak Station ideally located here in town.
Best of luck!
Saratoga is clean, historic, friendly with allot to do, especially in the Summer. Golf, concerts, horse track, restaurants, shopping.....You'll love it!
We're (finally!) gonna make it up to Saratoga Springs this summer.
Any advice on specific restaurants?
We'll have two young (and, for rambunctious little boys, well-behaved) kids with us. We love spicy food. In particular, an affordable Vietnamese, Thai, or Indian food place would be great--they're rare where we live now.
Any good sandwich/bagel shops?
Farmers' markets days & times?
In terms of kid-friendly things/places, feel free to recommend away. Our boys are happy digging in the dirt, and we'll take them to the track-side breakfast, but we'd like them to experience a full range of options, too.
Also, any more-affordable-than-Saratoga-Springs quaint towns/villages/hamlets that you could recommend in terms of place to move to with a young family would be great. We love older homes and enjoy rehabbing a potentially great place.
Lastly--what's the spread of Yankees fans relative to Red Sox fans up there? (We're the latter, though forgiving of the former.)
We're (finally!) gonna make it up to Saratoga Springs this summer.
Any advice on specific restaurants?
We'll have two young (and, for rambunctious little boys, well-behaved) kids with us. We love spicy food. In particular, an affordable Vietnamese, Thai, or Indian food place would be great--they're rare where we live now.
Any good sandwich/bagel shops?
Farmers' markets days & times?
In terms of kid-friendly things/places, feel free to recommend away. Our boys are happy digging in the dirt, and we'll take them to the track-side breakfast, but we'd like them to experience a full range of options, too.
Also, any more-affordable-than-Saratoga-Springs quaint towns/villages/hamlets that you could recommend in terms of place to move to with a young family would be great. We love older homes and enjoy rehabbing a potentially great place.
Lastly--what's the spread of Yankees fans relative to Red Sox fans up there? (We're the latter, though forgiving of the former.)
Thanks!
By far, the BEST bagels I've EVER had, are at Uncommon Ground coffee shop on Broadway. There are NO bagels that even come close!
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Restaurants? Kid-friendly things/places?
