Fort Drum area

[NNYGIRL]

I absolutely agree with all the posts everyone has made. I keep looking back to this post because it makes me SO happy to "chat" about the North Country again! I too, am looking forward to moving home...after my husband finishes his medical training maybe?? It is an amazing place to be, and people don't even understand how great life can be when it is simple! No traffic (well...folks up there wouldn't say there isn't any traffic when they are "stuck on the Arsenal St. bridge at rush hour". He he And a bit more on the weather...depending on where you move, you may be very surprised to see that not ALL of the North Country gets lots of snow. TugHillTina is NOT underestimating that the snow where she lives is unbelievable. (Especially this year!!) But where I lived (Gouverneur) they really don't get much snow (comparatively speaking that is). As you go farther north of Watertown, you get less and less snow. HOWEVER, what you lose in snow, be advised that you get repaid in COLD. I don't mean brr...its 32 degrees or even 20 degrees. I mean COLD. It is not uncommon for temps to be a REAL (no wind chill taken into account) -10 to -20 degrees. Funny thing though, is that I recall as a kid not even having school close down for that. They would delay it maybe if the buses didn't start. The record cold for Gouverneur was -45 in 1981 (or 1989??). But don't be afraid, any temps from 0 or below feel equally as horrible. But I am sure your husband from MN will appreciate the cold temps.

[Soon2BNYer]

Thanks so much! We got to visit up there last month and were excited to see some snow on the ground. In fact both my husband exited the van on opposite sides, gathered up the snow and, without hesitation or warning, threw snowballs at each other! Ha-Ha! Although we didn't see much snowfall on the two full days we were there, we woke up to the beginnings of a Nor'easter. Our flight was leaving at 6am so we got out just before they cancelled all the flights.

I must say, I feel a bit more comfortable now that I have seen some of the area. Now we just have to sell our home here in AL so we can proceed with buying up in NY and move into our new life in the North Country.

[flu189]

If your arrival at Ft Drum involves a PCS move I advise to use your housing allowance to rent first in order to get a feel for the area, especially one full cycle of all four seasons. This will give you a chance to really get a feel for the area as well as the housing market. Also keep in mind commuting distances as well the ever increasing price of fuel. I ended up doing 21 years in Alaska, the first 9 years being active duty, and we actually bought our first house up there 6 years into our tour. Only you can know what feels right. Good luck.

[Flagon]

I grew up in Lowville, about 40 minutes south of Watertown. I also lived on Ft. Drum when dh was in the Army, lived in Watertown for college and lived in/attended college in Potsdam. If I had to move back to the region tomorrow (to a town besides Lowville or Croghan), and wanted a reasonable commute from Watertown, I would live in Clayton. Clayton is a small town on the Saint Lawrence River. It is walkable, cute and friendly. You can hop onto the river any day you like and still be close enough to work to not hate the drive home during a blizzard.

You can start expecting snow in Nov.-Dec. though we always seem to have stickable snow by Christmas. Just count on solid snow until April. Regular snowfalls are 1-6 inches. Larger snowfalls are 7-12 and big storms are measured in feet. It does get very, very cold. Wind chills will drop things down in the -30's on the very worst days. The best thing to do it to engage in winter activities such as skiing and snowmobiling. That way you look forward to winter.

As you've seen by now, Watertown has a central strip where you will find chain eatery's, the mall and box stores. If you want a larger mall, you can head to Syracuse.

I am a huge fan of the whole region. I am living in the Capital region of NY right now and I look forward to my eventual return to NNY.

[Njrover0216]

I think Brownville is a nice place to live. The schools are excellent now and it is close to both FT Drum and watertown. I lived in Watertown for 22 years, I go home about 4 times a year, if you have any questions feel free to PM me