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Was just recently back in the region and my wife and I looked at these three cities as possible places to move to and to raise our baby daughter. How do they compare using the following criteria:
1. Schools
2. Job prospects
3. Nightlife for middle aged people - Long gone are my days of going to a club, getting plowed and hoping to get lucky. Just would like to find a few places with after work drinks.
4. Downtown vibrancy
5. Things for kids to do
6. Access to nature
7. Social safety net
8. Crime
9. Climate
And if you can think of anything I'm missing that would be helpful.
Keene is kind of a backwater. It’s New Hampshire so there is minimal social safety net by northeastern US standards. It’s far beyond the Boston MSA jobs market so it’s socioeconomically challenged.
I had a college roommate from Glenns Falls. I’ve driven through it many times from all the years I wintered at Killington and needed to drive down the northway. It’s also well beyond the Albany economic influence.
I used to live in Northampton for a brief time. It acts as a bedroom town for Springfield healthcare people. The immediate Springfield suburbs like Longmeadow are a real snooze so a lot of 5%er Springfield people opt for a 30 minute commute to live in a place with a pulse. A vibrant Main Street. Smith College. Amenities like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s across the river. Vermont skiing is ~ 90 minutes.
I dated someone at Skidmore years ago but I have no recent experience with Saratoga. Incomes are a bit higher than Northampton because Albany is a far stronger economy than Springfield. Education level is similar. Because of Albany, there are jobs beyond colleges and hospitals.
I could get to my boat from Northampton in 2 hours and a couple of minutes. Saratoga Springs doesn’t have that access. Other than that, I think Saratoga is the better option. Montreal and NYC are both 3 hours. Albany is a way better city than Springfield. Both have good schools.
Keene is kind of a backwater. It’s New Hampshire so there is minimal social safety net by northeastern US standards. It’s far beyond the Boston MSA jobs market so it’s socioeconomically challenged.
Keene is not socio-economically challenged by any stretch. Is it a boomtown of F500 HQs? No. But it is a solidly middle-class town with a solidly average job market. One of the largest privately held companies in America, C&S Wholesale, is based there, and several other companies have satellite offices there, plus Keene State College.
Keene is not socio-economically challenged by any stretch. Is it a boomtown of F500 HQs? No. But it is a solidly middle-class town with a solidly average job market. One of the largest privately held companies in America, C&S Wholesale, is based there, and several other companies have satellite offices there, plus Keene State College.
Saratoga County is one of the fastest growing counties in NY State and it has a Global Foundries facility in Malta. It does have Saratoga Lake just outside of Saratoga Springs and Lake George just to the north in the Glens Falls area(they are only like 25-30 minutes away). Since it is in the Albany metro area, it is also close to employers in other parts of the metro area.
It also has nightlife that goes to about 4 am and it is close to the Adirondacks. There is an amusement park in Queensbury outside of Glens Falls. Lake George is a nice resort town nearby as well.
Again, it's a solidly middle-class area that, while not bristling with abundant opportunity, is not a rusting away old factory town.
Companies/institutions with offices in the area include: C&S Wholesale Grocers, PC Connection, Markem-Imaje, G.S. Precision, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Smith Medicals, etc.
You also have Keene State College and the local school district providing a variety of middle class jobs as well.
Keene is not socio-economically challenged by any stretch. Is it a boomtown of F500 HQs? No. But it is a solidly middle-class town with a solidly average job market. One of the largest privately held companies in America, C&S Wholesale, is based there, and several other companies have satellite offices there, plus Keene State College.
That's what I was thinking. It seems to have some jobs, and it seems to be the center of its own region - That means it's the job and entertainment center for the region.
But I also agree with Geoff when talking about NH. The state has minimal social safety net compared to the rest of the Northeast, and with how expensive the property taxes are in that city, I'm not sure if it would be worth it to live there.
Still, it was my favorite of all four of those cities that I visited.
Saratoga County is one of the fastest growing counties in NY State and it has a Global Foundries facility in Malta. It does have Saratoga Lake just outside of Saratoga Springs and Lake George just to the north in the Glens Falls area(they are only like 25-30 minutes away). Since it is in the Albany metro area, it is also close to employers in other parts of the metro area.
It also has nightlife that goes to about 4 am and it is close to the Adirondacks. There is an amusement park in Queensbury outside of Glens Falls. Lake George is a nice resort town nearby as well.
My friend's family used to have a house right on Sacandaga Lake. This was back in the early-mid 90's. We used to go up there from North Jersey in August. We'd go over to Saratoga race track, put some bets down, cruise around town, and go out on his boat jet skiing and tubing. It's actually a really nice lake from what I remember.
My friend's family used to have a house right on Sacandaga Lake. This was back in the early-mid 90's. We used to go up there from North Jersey in August. We'd go over to Saratoga race track, put some bets down, cruise around town, and go out on his boat jet skiing and tubing. It's actually a really nice lake from what I remember.
Saratoga Springs has a lot of what we're looking for. A small city, but has good access to nature.
Is the rush hour traffic to Albany bad? Would Ballston Spa be a good, cheaper alternative?
Last edited by MrDee12345; 09-06-2022 at 07:24 PM..
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