Considering a move...advice wanted

[cah5525]

Saratoga has been mentioned - I love Saratoga. Saratoga is the nicest city outside of Albany. There is much to see, do, and experience. Summer is amazing in Saratoga! Winter is great as long as you get out and stay active, otherwise, depression can set in.
Saratoga has grown so quickly, that is why we have moved out to the beautiful hills of Washington County! I have kids so, smaller schools and lots of room for roaming was a no brainer. Hartford, Fort Ann, Salem, Granville. Town is so close yet, you feel like you are far away from the mayhem of city life. Getting to town is so easy, too. not a lot of traffic. check it out!

[cleo25]

I second looking @ Columbia Co. Lived here most of my life. Actually lived in Huntington,LI for a few months and couldn't stand it- the attitudes, traffic, and missed upstate scenery. Hudson is a bustling little NYC weekend spot. The "city" people actually revitalized- SAVED- Hudson with the antiques and restaurants. So you have some city culture, But then you can drive 3 minutes away and be in the country. Not sure what you mean by working in the animal biz, but the Chatham area is horse country- and there are a lot of horse and dairy farms in Columbia and Dutchess Counties. And there's lots of vets around- mostly individual practices. Definitely lots of farmhouses, though prices have risen, esp since 9/11. Check out the multiple listing service for Columbia County. Heck, come visit for a weekend- the train ride up the Hudson River is one of the most beautiful there is. Oh, and Columbia Memorial Hospital is right in Hudson.

[all-americanpropertieskb]

Hello! I had to respond and hopefully offer some insight on our area "upstate". I am originally not from this area but have lived in Glens Falls for nearly 20 years and I absolutely love it. It is the perfect size city with diverse people and opportunity but offers a small town feel of everyone knows everyone. It is wonderful! Taxes are about 1/2 of what you are paying on LI and you most certainly can find property with some acreage and a good size home for thousands less than you would where you are now. Job Opportunities....depending on what you do there are a few great companies in our area that are hiring. Not to mention the development we have seen in the last few years is contradicting the recession the rest of the county is in. I would strongly encourage you to give "upstate" a chance!

[adirondack12804]

As the person who wrote the post above me said, definitely check out Warren County. It's 20 minutes north of Saratoga Springs and an hour away from Albany. It's not what I'd call country, but there are a few spots that are. The county has about 65,000 people. Glens Falls Hospital is fantastic. They just renovated it and it's huge. There are extremely friendly people there, and most if not all of them have pets. Housing isn't expensive, and there are tons of jobs available right now. There aren't to many farmhouses, but I definitely wouldn't say you're living on top of each other. Since it's in the Southern Adirondacks, there is a lot of land. It's a truly wonderful place.

P.S. If you like the beaches in Long Island, we have some beaches too.