Moving to Albany... good neigborhoods? (Schenectady, Troy: fit in, apartment complexes, rental)

[mmechlin]

My husband and I are relocating to Albany for his residency program. We'll be moving there in late May. Any advice on places to live in the Albany area would be greatly appreciated. We are from the Midwest and don't know the East Coast AT ALL. We are going to be shopping for a home in the 165,000-205,000 range. Looking to start a family there so family-friendly is key!

[arudd427]

The Village of Altamont is about 20 minutes from downtown Albany and is very nice and definately family friendly. It's small village, walkable & old. It's in Guilderland School district which has a good reputation, the high school might be a little rough.

Voorheesville is also very quaint. Not quite as picturesque as Altamont, but very nice & about 20 minutes from Albany.

Northern Columbia County (Valatie, Kinderhook, Nassau) is also a recommended small-town area about 20 minutes south of Albany. It's a bit more suburban than Altamont but just as charming.

Within the city of Albany the Pine Hills area is desirable. Near the hospitals and the College of St. Rose is nice too.

Beware of Arbor Hill or South Albany. Schenectady is cheap & parts are becoming nicer, but it is still bit rough. Same goes for Troy & Rensselaer.

Because renting is pretty cheap in Albany (check out craigslist.com. Apartment complexes tend to be not so hot. Older homes converted are nicer & more young/trendy/hip), I'd recommend renting for a few months & seeing where you feel you really fit in & how his residency goes & how long of a commute he's going to feel like.

Also recommended is Guilderland, Loudonville, Niskayuna, Bethleham & Delmar.

Luckily prices have frozen/dropped so finding something in your price range shouldn't be hard. Personally, I'd worry about location first, it will be worth the extra money.

[mom2kids]

I hope it's not too late to post but Guilderland and Bethlehem have the best schools and neihborhoods and you are a stones throw from Albany Medical Center, St. Peter's hospital and Albany in general

[FrmAllOvaNy]

i dont know alot about albany but what i do know is dont move to the downtown area cause its full of Ex-drug abuser and AIDS patients from the NYC and Monticello NY

[j12308]

Dear mmechlin,
I would personally look for a rental near the hospital, then search for a home. There are so many nice places to live that you should really look around. I would imagine that your husband will have long hours, so being right near there would be nice. If you don't have children now, try living in downtown, Central Square area. Albany is NOT full of druggies and Aids patients. Sure you'll have some of that in any city. But downtown Albany has beautiful architecture, great parks, restaurants, museums, etc. Enjoy living in a beautiful brownstone for a while, being able to walk around the city. After you have kids you'll want a nice yard, a neighborhood with other kids, a garage, etc. I have 3 kids, my husband and I looked to buy in Albany; in hindsight I'm glad we didn't. I would have had a hard time getting a parking spot lugging an infant carseat, carrying groceries, holding the hand of a toddler then walking a few blocks to a 2 story walk up. Same story in the Stockade section of Schenectady (also considered). Both goreous but difficult with little kids. Enjoy city life for a bit, look around for a home, then settle down. Best of luck!

[rug city]

Many of the areas mentioned are nice & family friendly, but you're going to have a tough time finding anything in altamont, voorheesville, guilderland, bethlehem, loudonville, etc..in that price range. Columbia county is out of the question at that price range.