Mountains in NY

[VA Yankee]

Originally Posted by BarbBr

My husband and I want to move to the mountains for retirement in about a year. We were looking into NC but do not like the hot, humid summers. We would like to check out the NY mts. Can anyone give me an idea of what areas we should look at that would be a great place to retire? We want to buy land with mountain and valley views?

Also, any tax information would also be greatly appreciated.

Barb
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I also am considering the area but a few more years down the road. One area that I am considering is Queensbury NY which is right before Lake George. It seems to be the right mix of small town feel with big box stores that we like. Home prices are do able but I do have concerns about taxes, property isn't to bad but the school tax is a hard pill to swallow.

The borscht belt (catskills) is pretty but I find home prices to high. It also appears that most of the towns are in a somewhat depressed state. Many of the former resorts/bungalow colony's have been taken over by Hassidic groups which I prefer to avoid. I had enough of them growing up.

I have read alot of praise for Gloversville NY but have not seen it yet, Saratoga also gets favorable reviews on these site.

Good luck with the hunt...

[jblake78728]

If you can handle the snow/cold of the winter & don't mind the seclusion of being truly in the middle of nowhere look at the Northern Adirondack area. Homes are mostly cheaper than the areas in the southern part of the mountains & taxes are very competitive by NY standards. Look into Franklin, Essex & Clinton Co's, towns like Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, Brighton, Merrill, Chazy Lake & Saranac.

[plattsburgher]

How did the poster looking for a home in the mountains turn into a Jewish/non-Jewish discussion...........never mind. Back to topic:

My personal opinion (and more and more others, it seems) is that the quality of life is great up here and with internet, trains, more direct flights, availability of services and population growing, this area is thriving. If you do NOT like summer heat/humidity at all, then you may not even want the Catskills..........to prove my point, check out their temps and humidity levels, then either Saranac Lake or Lake Placid for this weekend.

It does get sticky even those few hours south of here, so if you want mountains and views and less heat (we are going to be near 90 for Monday which is considered hot here), you can check into some real estate deals and I looked online and have nothing to do with this person except my friend lives in Saranac Lake and I drive by this person's office quite a bit. Think she is helping with a flower planting drive for the town also.......anyway, there are some Sotheby listings if you are very well off and want a ton of mountain and a ton of home in Lake Placid, but if you want some deals and views and maybe even some lakefront (?), there are tons of listings on the CherieSayles.com webpage.....Most of the ones I saw were between 2000 and some 3000 sq feet with views and between 200 and 300 thousand. Some were more, but prices are more reasonable here and yes, tax rates are lower.

Saranac Lake has a brand new mayor with vision, history, views, lakes, canoeing, fishing, hiking, winter carnival, small college, new restaurants, and spectacular outdoorsy feel like Lake Placid with NO crime......tons of state police.....barracks is located right between the two towns so people actually leave houses, camps open and unlocked.........windows open at night with cool fresh air. Not bad at all. There is a link on her website that tells about Saranac Lake also......Also a cool town where Adirondack Life magazine is located named Jay, NY with tons of views, etc, but much smaller........I think it might be too small. Saranac Lake has a ton of potential and tons of great people, library, good hospital, docs, some good sized businesses and actually some great little coffee shops and bookstores and sporting goods stores. More people from downstate, other areas are coming up this way. The Canadian economy is helping us as well.........

This weekend in Saranac Lake is the annual Hammer guideboat races which have been going on for years and years.......named for the man who invented this particular type of guideboat. Lots of canoe races for every category, and Ironman races, and bike races and this weekend is also the huge I love ny horse show in Lake Placid and another huge BBQ festival near the Olympic oval........you might want to at least check it out. Montreal is a great weekend getaway for a dose of city and museums, arts, plays, expensive restaurants and hotels, and clubs/music......Will try to find out more about Lake Placid real estate if you are wanting to spend more money...............Lake Placid real estate is NOT going to be cheap at all and taxes are higher there.......I have a feeling you should check out Saranac Lake area

[BarbBr]

Thank you all so much for your input. After reading all your posts and discussing things with my husband, we have decided to stick with our original plans of moving to the mountains of NC since we've already done a lot of visiting and research there. Also, they will have a longer hiking season since their winters aren't as severe as NY.

Thanks again.

Barb

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by plattsburgher

How did the poster looking for a home in the mountains turn into a Jewish/non-Jewish discussion ...

Because there are places that are more welcoming, and other places that are less welcoming, to Jews.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by plattsburgher

I have a feeling you should check out Saranac Lake area :ok:

Saranac Lake is the most unique village (municipal corporation) in New York State:

Some 75 or so villages are located in two or more towns. There are 7 villages which are in two counties. Only one village, the Village of Saranac Lake (incorporated in 1892), is in 3 towns and 2 counties:

Parts of the Village of Saranac Lake are in the Town of North Elba and the Town of St. Armand in Essex County and parts of the Village of Saranac Lake are in the Town of Harrietstown in Franklin County.

A map of the Village of Saranac Lake in the Town of North Elba and the Town of St. Armand, Essex County and in the Town of Harrietstown, Franklin County:

The village is named after the Upper, Middle and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby, but not in the village (Lower Saranac Lake is a half mile west of the village). The northern reaches of Lake Flower, which is part of the Saranac River, lie within the village.

The Town of Saranac is an entirely separate entity, 33 miles to the northeast.

[ss58yy]

Originally Posted by BarbBr

Where would be a good area to check out in the Catskills? I want mountain views but I don't want to be around a lot of tourism.

I suppose small towns that are not on main roads. Examples:

- Turnwood
- Hardenburgh
- Seager
- Patria
- West Fulton
- New Kingston
- dozens more