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Since you lived in Madison, WI, you basically know what winter will be like, so I won't talk about that.
IMHO, Saratoga is the best place to be in terms of night life. I consider Albany to be the younger people scene (e.g., undergrads from UAlbany) with Saratoga having more of a late 20s - early 30s feel, but I know people who disagree. However, I did not move to Saratoga because the commute to Niskayuna would not have been worth it for me.
Niskayuna is almost entirely residential. There are not even many stores, restaurants, etc. It's a great place for raising families, but you will have to drive elsewhere to find something to do.
I decided to live in Clifton Park, which is still very suburban. However, it is on the Northway, so getting to Saratoga Springs or Albany is quite easy. As others have mentioned, if you choose to live north of the river, then the Rexford bridge may be a problem. It is a parking lot from about 7:30am - 8:15am and 4pm - 5:30pm, but generally clear otherwise (unless there is an accident or snowy/icy conditions). You will probably have some flexibility in your hours, so arriving at 9am and leaving at 6-6:30pm would make the commute much more tolerable. My commute is generally a bit less than 20 minutes, but can be an hour if there are backups at the bridge.
My Grandma and Grandpa are actually retired from GE and both live in Albany NY. Albany, NY is a nice city being one of the oldest cities in the northeast and has alot of history. Like all cities, it has its bad areas but other than that it is very nice & their is alot to do. I have lived in Westmere my whole life (a hamlet of guilderland about 5 minutes from Albany near crossgates mall). If you like Albany but dont want to live right in the city, Westmere is the ideal move. We even get city bus service (CDTA) that comes to Westmere that goes into Albany (bus stops run about every 15 minutes). The average home price is about $250,000. My home is a well built 1950's ranch with around 1,900 square feet all on a large lot and in a great quiet development. Everyone is close in the town and everything is close (grocery store, gas stations, shops, everything. If you are looking for new construction I would move to the Slingerlands area (close to Altamont, about 20 minutes away from Albany) where a new home goes up every time you turn around. If you want more rural but close to Albany I would sugest Altamont (about 30 minutes away from Albany) where the homes are all charming 1800's victorians or farmhouses close to the once a year historic Altamont fair (rides and all kinds of things to do). People come from all over the capital region to go to this fair. If you prefer to be closer to Schnectady but still in the Guilderland area I would sugest Fort Hunter (around carman road). It is a suburb with new construction and older mid century neighborhoods. This would be the place I would chose to live if I wanted to be close to GE in Schnectady but not in the city. The school district is Guilderland if you were wondering for any reason. The schools in Guilderland are great with school bus at door (Albany Citys schools dont have school buses unless you pay for a mini school bus). Colonie is also a great suburban area about 15 minutes from albany but I just like Guilderland better personally. Hope this helps!
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