Just wanted to touch on a couple points made by previous posters who unfortunately seem to have had negative experiences in Albany/the capital region (esp. notayankee fan, since he/she made a list so it's easy to hit topics).
Re: Very Republican Area - I think this may be true for some of the suburban areas, but not the city of Albany proper. We haven't had a republican mayor in my lifetime (none since the 20's, I believe) and Albany was home to one of the last great democratic "machines" in the country. To this day, the true "election" for many offices is the Democratic primary, because whoever wins it rarely loses the election. Since the 50's, we've had only one Republican representative and for the past 20 years the Dem. has won easily getting ~70%+ of the vote.
According to the CPVI, which measures how strongly an area leans towards one party or the other, the 21st district (which includes Albany) is a D+6 (so Dems in the district rec'd 6 percentage points more votes than the Nat'l average); NY was a D+12, with both Senators Dem. By comparison, NC is a R+4, with split senators and Raleigh is in the 2nd congressional district (R+2). If you thought Albany was "very republican" good luck in N.C.
Re: No cutting edge hospitals. First, I'm sorry to hear about your son, I hope his treatment at Duke goes well. I don't have any experience with Leukemia and it may very well be that Albany has no top-flight hospitals in that regard. I do know, however, that St. Peter's is consistently recognized as one of the top heart treatment facilities in the country.
Re: culture. Not entirely sure what you consider "culture" honestly. There's no doubt major metropolitan areas have more options than Albany, but Albany has a number of more "highbrow" options, which I suspect is what you consider "culture" - far more than most cities its size. In your year here, how many times have you gone to see the Albany Symphony Orchestra or a Capital Rep performance, or visited the Albany Institute of History & Art or the New York State Museum?
Re: the high tech industry. Can't really comment on how well it is going - I know there has been some major $$ invested and some jobs created, but whether that will have a long-term impact or not I don't know.
Re: 6-month winters. An exaggeration, but only a slight one. Unless you are coming from the upper midwest somewhere, you won't be accustomed to the cold and some people never handle it.
Re: SUNY Albany. There are a number of other schools in the area, but I've always heard that SUNY Albany had a number of good graduate programs - business, criminal justice, and the new nanotech are fairly highly regarded, I think. Probably not at the level of Duke or ivy league schools, but good public schools and I know Albany has a strong alumni base (esp. in NY state, obviously).
Re: Public schools. "Terrible" is overstating it, I think. I don't have children and it's been about 15 years since high school for me, so take this with a grain of salt. During my childhood, the closest elementary school was rated one of the best in the state; no idea what it is now. With respect to Albany High, it was very much a tale of two schools. Those taking accelerated classes (AP, honors, etc.) had small class sizes and generally went to very well-regarded colleges; those that weren't in such classes did not fare well. I don't know for certain that it's still the same, but I suspect it is, since overall Albany High doesn't have a great reputation. Some of the outlying suburbs, however, have very good reputations for public school and there are a number of private school options available as well.
Re: Property taxes (& taxes in general). WAY too high. Not everyone in the area realizes just how absurd taxes are, because if you grew up with them it's just "the way things are" and so you don't think about it. For a non-NY resident moving in, however, there will likely be some sticker-shock if you are a homeowner. Make sure you know going in how much to expect to pay or you may be blindsided by it.
Re: Dying area. I'd disagree, but only somewhat. Currently, people I know graduating from graduate/professional programs are looking just about anywhere, but it's often not to "get out of Albany" but rather that they'll take a good job wherever it may be. I suspect it's the same for people completing their undergraduate studies. There are a number of colleges/universities in and around Albany - more than expected for the relatively modest population - so not everyone is going to find work here, particularly if you have no interest in the public sector (the state is a major employer here).
Re: Not progressive at all. Ties into the "very republican" comment somewhat and it's tough to address without knowing what you mean by "progressive". For example, there's a very active LGBT community in Albany - is that "progressive"?
Re: "too" blue collar. Albany is, at its core, a blue-collar city. Being the capital (so home of the Court of Appeals, gov't offices, etc.) brings a large white-collar element into the area, but make no mistake, Albany was built as a trading post and it does maintain quite a bit of its "blue collar" identity. Whether or not that is a good thing depends on your own preferences.
Re: Whole Foods? Honest Weight is really the only game in town. If you like it, great. If you don't, and diet is that important to you, then it'll be a tough adjustment.
OP: Good luck if you end up making the move to Albany. Give it a chance - there's a lot this area has going for it, especially if you are willing to make an effort yourself.
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
)
Linear Mode
