Artsy, LGBT friendly small cities? (New York, Troy: real estate, 2015, foreclosures)
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I am considering relocating to New York, and want to explore some cities / towns to see which ones might suit me. I'm going to visit in September and looking for recommendations that would meet my criteria.
1) Within 2 hours drive of NYC -- closer is better. Train service is a plus (I'd drive to the station, then take the train in.) I work from home; I do have coworkers in the city but everyone works remotely so I don't need to commute or anything. My goal is to visit NYC every weekend for cultural events.
2) I'm disabled -- if you have info on wheelchair accessibility, that's great. But mostly this is relevant because I need to hire people to assist me. So I need a place with a sizable enough population nearby that I can find assistants. I often hire college students, so college town = perfect.
3) I can buy acreage or a house with a large yard for under 300K. I'd prefer to have 1+ acres but would consider the tradeoff of just a big yard for closer to NYC. I have big dogs and don't want to bother neighbors. I do NOT want a fancy house. Cabin, cottage, old farmhouse etc. would be ideal, or I'd buy property and build something under 2000 sq. ft.
4) Good arts scene -- I love theatre, hence my desire to be closer to NYC, but I'd also like to live near a city with its own good art, music, etc.
5) LGBT friendly, liberal and/or live and let live kind of place.
6) Must be NY or Connecticut. Prefer NY. Jersey does not have good disability services of the type I need.
A friend told me about Kingston, but I don't know much about it and haven't visited yet. I love Nyack but I think it would be too expensive?
Look at New Paltz I believe it would have the eclectic vibe that you seek.
^This or if you don't/didn't mind flying to NYC, Ithaca. Other Hudson Valley cities like Beacon and Hudson have an artsy vibe, but lack the college presence.
Oh yes a friend mentioned Hudson to me. I do want to check it out... I can try to research the job market to see if I can find people to hire. And depending on real estate options, I could get/build a place with a granny flat and hire a live-in assistant.
Kingston, Stone Ridge, Red Hook/Tivoli/Milan, or Rhinebeck. Rhinebeck has the best access to the train of the bunch but is also the most expensive. Red Hook and Tivoli will have the best access to college student helpers and aren't that much farther from the train.
You won't have access to the train in CT at that housing budget, but you could also look at Torrington and some of its neighboring communities - Litchfield, Goshen, Harwinton.
Most all of your requirements are met in Brattleboro, Vermont except that it's not in NYS or CT and is 200 miles from NYC but you can take a train. New Paltz is not an artsy town but it is a college town less than 2 hours from NYC.
Most all of your requirements are met in Brattleboro, Vermont except that it's not in NYS or CT and is 200 miles from NYC but you can take a train. New Paltz is not an artsy town but it is a college town less than 2 hours from NYC.
The whole point of a potential move is to live close enough to NYC that I can visit easily. So places like Vermont would be lovely -- and I'll visit for sure -- but are a bit too far away.
I am checking out lots of these links. Hudson sounds great but is a bit far. New Paltz seems promising. Is Tarrytown expensive? It's much closer than the other options. I see it's near Sleepy Hollow... as a Halloween aficionado I do like the idea of having that as an address.
The whole point of a potential move is to live close enough to NYC that I can visit easily. So places like Vermont would be lovely -- and I'll visit for sure -- but are a bit too far away.
I am checking out lots of these links. Hudson sounds great but is a bit far. New Paltz seems promising. Is Tarrytown expensive? It's much closer than the other options. I see it's near Sleepy Hollow... as a Halloween aficionado I do like the idea of having that as an address.
Does anyone know anything about Poughkeepsie?
Tarrytown is very expensive. Poughkeepsie is a city that has a lot of problems. I might suggest East Stroudsburg, PA. It is a college town just 85 miles to NYC with frequent bus service. There are many foreclosures in the nearby developments and $300,000 will buy a nice house on a large lot. No arts scene though.
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