Relocate: Upstate NY, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Or Northeastern PA (New York: best city, real estate)
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I am in the process of doing research on relocating to the northeast. Wanting to stay fairly close to Long Island NY (Family), I am curious what state or cities you guys would recommend. I live in Oklahoma, and visit the wifes family in Long Island at least once a year, however, not really familiar with that country. I work as an Instrument/ Controls Technician (oil and gas), "open to jobs other than oil and gas", so does anyone have any suggestions where I might choose to concentrate on? Example; Cost of living, potential jobs, nice place to raise a family, fairly close to Long Island, etc... Thanks,
Really the main objective is to be closer to family, however, our main priority is to make sure where ever we live is good for our girls to grow. I for one love the outdoors, ex. golfing, camping, fishing, etc... I also love the mom and pop type of the northeast, compared to the super Walmart feel.
My Wife and girls are also Jewish, so finding an active Jewish community would also be a must.]
For the most part, we would probably move to Long Island if not for the insane cost of living. Here in Oklahoma, you can live quite nice for not alot of money. If not for wanting the girls closer to family, we would probably stay here in Oklahoma.
I for one am really excited about relocating, I enjoy experiencing new food and cultures. I would however, love to be close to a major city, but live in a smaller community.
Now we are getting somewhere. In Upstate NY, look into communities or areas like Brighton, western Irondequoit, Henrietta, DeWitt(Jamesville-DeWitt SD), the Fayetteville-Manlius area, New Hartford, Vestal, Williamsville, Amherst(Amherst SD), Ithaca, Niskayuna, Oswego, Delmar/Bethlehem(Bethlehem SD) and some other communities with a relatively strong Jewish presence and/or history. All have good schools and most of those areas have some walkable areas. You can find some decent homes in the 100-150,000 range in many of these communities too.
I am from Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, NY. I liked it there. I have also spent a significant amount of time in NEPA. It's alright there. The people seem a little weird and too close to one another, but I'm from Roch for real, so who knows. Both areas that I have experience with have a lot of nice places to to go outside and "play"
Rochester is WAY more jewish friendly. I learned awful words in NEPA that I didn't know existed while living in Rochester. The people that I know in NEPA, mostly from the Clarks Summit area, are actually, not nice to the jewish kids at all, I hate to say, or outsiders in general. I've heard more ethnic jokes there than anywhere, come to think of it. I mean, up hear there might be some general teasing, but not in the harsh way that I experienced in NEPA. If that helps, though the cost of living is cheaper there. My guess is that you would be happy in Irondequoit, as far as jewish communities go, there is a fairly solid jewish neighborhood in Irondequoit, not as big as Brighton, but the houses are less expensive and the schools in West Irondequoit are great.
Avoid anywhere in the Marcellus Shale- a good portion of central and NEPA and SW NY state. And if you don't know what I'm referring to, do some googling.
If you are from Oklahoma, and like open space and camping, fishing, etc- do NOT even consider Long Island. I do not think you will be happy there. LI has very little open space left, and the only way to leave the island to get to open space (upstate, or west to PA) you must drive through the city or take a $50 ferry. Bottom line, I don't recommend it.
I also do not recommend where I currently live- Northeastern PA. Suburbs and small mom and pop type towns do not exist here. Basically, once you go west of Scranton, Pennsylvania has no cities until you get to Erie. Lots of open space and wilderness, but keep in mind that Marcellus Shale drilling is having a significant impact on the scenery, aesthetics, and natural resources of the area. Don't get me wrong- there are a few (few) quaint towns here- Hawley, Honesdale, Milford, come to mind and are probably decent places to live, if a bit isolated. Lastly, NEPA is not very accepting of outsiders. I don't really recommend it.
Maine and VT are beautiful and both have great small towns, educated people, extremely accepting of different faiths, and tons to do outdoors. Jobs here will be hardest to come by. In VT and ME, you get paid in scenery, not so much $$. If you can swing it, you can't go wrong here.
That leaves NH and Upstate. Based on where your family is in LI, both can be equidistant from LI (you can take a ferry from New England, drastically reducing time to get from NH to LI). I am currently deciding between upstate and NH. Both seem to be really good places to live. You do have to watch where you settle down upstate- some places are much better and more vibrant than others. In NH, you can live pretty much anywhere except certain sections of Nashua or Manchester. Pretty much every other town is pretty nice. Upstate, so far I really like the Greater Syracuse area, as well as the burbs of Rochester. High taxes, cheap homes, green hills and lakes, open spaces, and basically a slower pace of life, at least compared to downstate areas like Long Island.
Last edited by Phish Head; 10-18-2011 at 10:12 PM..
Reason: additional info added
If you are from Oklahoma, and like open space and camping, fishing, etc- do NOT even consider Long Island. I do not think you will be happy there. LI has very little open space left, and the only way to leave the island to get to open space (upstate, or west to PA) you must drive through the city or take a $50 ferry. Bottom line, I don't recommend it.
I also do not recommend where I currently live- Northeastern PA. Suburbs and small mom and pop type towns do not exist here. Basically, once you go west of Scranton, Pennsylvania has no cities until you get to Erie. Lots of open space and wilderness, but keep in mind that Marcellus Shale drilling is having a significant impact on the scenery, aesthetics, and natural resources of the area. Don't get me wrong- there are a few (few) quaint towns here- Hawley, Honesdale, Milford, come to mind and are probably decent places to live, if a bit isolated. Lastly, NEPA is not very accepting of outsiders. I don't really recommend it.
Maine and VT are beautiful and both have great small towns, educated people, extremely accepting of different faiths, and tons to do outdoors. Jobs here will be hardest to come by. In VT and ME, you get paid in scenery, not so much $$. If you can swing it, you can't go wrong here.
That leaves NH and Upstate. Based on where your family is in LI, both can be equidistant from LI (you can take a ferry from New England, drastically reducing time to get from NH to LI). I am currently deciding between upstate and NH. Both seem to be really good places to live. You do have to watch where you settle down upstate- some places are much better and more vibrant than others. In NH, you can live pretty much anywhere except certain sections of Nashua or Manchester. Pretty much every other town is pretty nice. Upstate, so far I really like the Greater Syracuse area, as well as the burbs of Rochester. High taxes, cheap homes, green hills and lakes, open spaces, and basically a
slower pace of life, at least compared to downstate areas like Long Island.
Phish, you might like many of the Buffalo suburbs(along Main Street and the Southtowns), perhaps smaller areas like Ithaca, Corning, Plattsburgh, Watertown/1000 Islands and maybe select suburbs of Binghamton and Utica.
Phish, you might like many of the Buffalo suburbs(along Main Street and the Southtowns), perhaps smaller areas like Ithaca, Corning, Plattsburgh, Watertown/1000 Islands and maybe select suburbs of Binghamton and Utica.
Right now I'm leaning strongly toward Syracuse, but Rochester is a close second. Those are the only two areas that have university programs that I'm seeking to take. Plus, I'm not a fan of Binghamton, or Utica. I think Rochester is a better overall city than Buffalo, plus its not as far away for me.
I liked Syracuse a lot when I visited. I will be visiting more in the near future as I get closer to making a move, including visiting Rochester more too. I like Rochester because its bigger, has better access to Lake Ontario, has a better variety of stores (LL Bean, PF Changs, soon Trader Joes) and I like the Midwestern vibe of the area. I really liked the people there. I believe that Rochester will bounce back from this recession better than anywhere else in Upstate NY, and might be poised to be more attractive to business and people than anywhere else. That's just my prediction.
I like SYR because its hillier, close to Ithaca and other funky towns, closer to New England and downstate, and closer to the Adirondacks. My family came to Syracuse in the late 1800's and many remain there today. For some reason, that has a intangible pull for me.
I like NH too, but its a distant third right now for the simple fact that I cannot afford a home there, and despise the prevalence of expensive oil heat. I've paid for oil heat in the past, and paying $1500 to fill a oil tank for two months heat is not something I will ever do again. Trying to find a natural gas heated home in NH is nearly impossible.
You want to find a good relocation place in the Northeast for your family with job opportunities for yourself, so your family can visit relatives on Long Island, a reasonable cost of living, a place with a Jewish community, a nice place to raise your children, you yourself like the outdoors-golfing-fishing-camping (? bicycling ? walking-hiking ? boating ? swimming ? snow-skiing ? snowmobiling ?), other cultures & types of food. Okay, here's my comments.
Long Island. > No. < Not a good choice for your situation. Too expensive, not as nice to raise your children=faster paced & maybe not as low-key/innocent/easy going an atmosphere/area in which to raise your children.
Northeast Pennsylvania. > No. < Cross this off your list too. Nothing wrong with this region but I think you can find an area that will better suit your situation/desires/wishlist.
Connecticut. > No. < You did not mention this State. It does have Jewish communities around the State. Connecticut is more expensive than many other regions/states in the Northeast so I do not think it is the best fit for your family.
Rhode Island. > No. < I don't think so. This State is about the size of St. Lawrence County of New York State. I don't think its what you are looking for. Currently high unemployment rate.
Massachusetts. > ? Yes - No - Maybe ? < Is an expensive State; moreso than Upstate New York. There are Jewish communities in some of the Boston suburbs and some other farther away cities. Boston is one of my favorite 4 cities (Boston, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco). A good high-tech industry area in the LARGER inner-outer huge Metro region. This probably is not your ideal location; cost of living and urban congestion.
Vermont. > Probably No. < Very beautiful picturesque State. Good liberal accepting attitudes. One major city=Burlington. Not a lot of job opportunities. Jobs can be somewhat lower paying. Probably not as active a community as your wife & daughters are looking for. You can do more research for yourself.
New Hampshire. > Probably No. < Another beautiful State especially the western half and far northern regions. Manchester and Portsmouth-Rochester are the main urban city areas. Low pay. A lot of people who live in southern New Hampshire commute to the Boston area for employment. You can do more research for yourself.
Maine. > Probaby No. < The biggest State in New England. Portland is the most vibrant city to my thinking; other cities: Lewiston/Auburn, Augusta, Bangor. Low pay jobs. Beautiful Acadia National Park is on the Maine ocean coast. Lots of rural and wilderness. Maine is pretty far away from all the other States; long drive to Long Island.
That leaves Upstate New York areas.
The Hudson Valley & Catskill Mountains south of the Capital District Cities. > No. < Still not your ideal area. More expensive than farther westward in New York State.
Southern Tier New York=Binghamton - Elmira - Corning. > No. < Not as good employment possibilities for you.
Saratoga Springs. > Possibly Yes. < A nice well-kept small city with lovely downtown business area. Entire population about 29,000. Has a Jewish community; not sure if its large enough for your likes. You will have to check to see if there are adequate nearby job opportunities for you. I'll send more info later.
Capital District Cities (Albany-Schenectady-Troy-Cohoes) > Possibly Yes. < Entire MSA District population about 900,000+. Tech industry developing around the District. Good amount of Jewish community. Capital District is a little more expensive than Syracuse - Utica/Rome - Rochester. .. The cities of Albany-Schenectady-Troy have an older "feeling/look" for me than Syr. & Roch. .. Go to Capital District suburbs for a newer "feel" or out to the countryside. I'll send more info later.
Utica/Rome. > Only maybe. < Your best chance for employment would be at Griffiss Business & Technology Park & International Airport. The Utica/Rome area does not have a lot of employment opportunities nor good paying jobs. The Jewish community has shrunk in recent years but is still represented. Many Jewish people live in New Hartford; some in the Harts Hill area of Whitesboro. U/R is probably not your best choice. I'll send more info later.
Syracuse. > Possibly Yes. < Entire MSA population about 700,000+. One of my 2 favorite Upstate NY cities. There has always been a good Jewish community in Dewitt. In recent years more Jewish have been moving to somewhat upscale Manlius & Fayetteville. If you select Syracuse, I think you might like living in the Fayetteville area best, or maybe Manlius would be your choice. Employment leads: NanoTech Center, Lockheed-Martin, Syracuse Research Corporation, Air Innovations, The Tech Garden. Excellent School Districts for children: Fayetteville-Manlius, Jamesville-Dewitt, Skaneatles, West Genesee (Camillus), Baldwinsville. Colleges in Syracuse: Syracuse University, LeMoyne College, Cazenovia College, Onondaga Community College. .. Syr. has 5 main hospitals & 1 childrens hospital. Metro Syracuse has a great Expressway/highway system for travelling around the area easily and quickly. Lots of good safe suburbs. Syracuse is relatively close to the Adirondack Mountains/Lakes - northeast, the picturesque Thousand Islands are located north in the St. Lawrence River/Canadian border near Alexandria Bay, and the beautiful Finger Lakes Region is south and west of Syr. .. North in Canada is French-Canadian Montreal and Capital City Ottawa/Hull. Toronto farther away. RATINGS: Metro Syracuse rated a Best City to Raise Children/a Family, a Reasonable Cost of Living City, Metro Syr. is in the Top 5 Most Affordable Home Buying Cities of the 100 largest Metro Cities of the Whole U.S. .. I'll send more info later.
Rochester. > Possibly Yes. < Entire MSA population about 1,000,000+. One of my 2 Favorite Upstate NY cities. There is a good Jewish community in the Metro Rochester area; Brighton & western Irondequoit & Henrietta ? Webster? Sorry, I'm not familar with the job market in Rochester but I would think you would find employment opportunities; of course Kodak and Xerox were major employers until they started to decline. Metro Rochester has a good Expressway system but driving times can take more time than in Syracuse, because the Roch. Metro is more spread-out with suburbs farther apart. Rochester is 80 miles and 90 minutes drive, west of Syracuse. Colleges: Roch. Inst. Tech., Nazareth College, St. John Fisher College, Brockport SUNY. .. Rochester is rated as a Best City to Raise Children and a Reasonable Cost of Living City. Rochester is near the beautiful Finger Lakes Region. Westward in Canada is Toronto. I'll send you more info later.
I guess that is it for today.
grdnrman
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Relocation Information - Part 1.
