HELP! Best towns in Upstate NY to move to? (New York: property taxes, housing)

[mn242]

Trumansburg is about 10 miles N of Ithaca. Good luck.

[gatitosmommy]

here ya go:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art..._place_to.html

Cooperstown!

[Wiffit51]

Try Amenia, NY

[ryangiggs]

the hudson valley



rhinebeck, new paltz, woodstock, red hook- all are favorites of mine.

[jet75]

I can vouch for Ithaca also as being a cool place to live. It's a very interesting town for its size, with diverse eating and shopping, and the aforementioned arts and culture. And the surrounding natural beauty is really, really spectacular. "Ithaca is Gorges" as the slogan goes.

It's a very left-leaning town, so you have your pink-haired townie kids, etc., but probably nothing you haven't seen in California.

Canandaigua NY is also a very nice small town, although I believe it's growing, and pricey(?). There is plenty of farmland in the area. It's smaller and maybe not as culturally vibrant as Ithaca, but it's on a lake and it's about an hour southeast of Rochester, which has more of your cultural stuff. It's also easier to get to major interstate highways from Canandaigua also.

Hope that helps...

[vadhopper]

While some may not consider Kingston the safest place - violent crime is actually very low. There are some drug issues, but the community is really improving tremendously, and the real estate prices are low because of the previous problems.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/re.../20havens.html

Uptown Kingston is a charming historical community with very safe neighborhoods. There are lots of people moving to the area to have more of a city feel while still being in a small town and near lots of services. If you want space (10-15 acres) - you will have to live out of town.

I would also concur on Woodstock or New Paltz or Rhinebeck. All great areas - but also more expensive...

[averagenyjoe]

A note to NYC & LI people

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The VERY REASON people are leaving Upstate NY is not so much any companies leaving the state. People are tougher than that. It is because these rich city people are willing to pay 100% asking price and more because they feel guilty they are getting such a steal and are running the common man right out of the state. Most of them dont need a job to pay for their entire livlihoods. Most of their kids are gone and they only need a soda fountain job or a hallmark store income to fill a few part time hours during the day. All the while their quaint little houses are paid up in cash.

By the way. The houses they describe as very reasonable are these 1500 sq. ft bungalows on 1/2 acre for around 300,000 and 6,000/yr taxes. Because after all a house like that in the city or L.I is about 500,000 and 12,000/yr taxes. I guess that would be a bargain. But they forget that no one has that earning power up here except a few philadelphia lawyers.

Then what happens is the people up here paid 50,000 for their houses 10-20 years ago and are now worth 300,000. They can no longer stay in the area because the taxes jump from under 1,000 to 6,000/yr. So what do these blue collar workers do who really cant afford to live here strictly because of the tax burden????? they move to NC and buy houses for 200,000 thinking they are getting a steal and have 100,000 left to put in the bank and live off the interest and then get fairly good jobs and the money they make is all play money because their 200,000 McMansion is all paid for. "And the beat goes on.... "


Now, 300,000 for anything 1500 sq. ft is UNREASONABLE by any measure, anywhere! I dont care how much money one has or makes. It just isnt a value for what you get. Of course I could afford to pay 10.00 for a hot dog. But would I? Absolutely not!! Instead I might pay 1.00 and that is with any trimming I could fit onto it. maybe I would pay 1.50 if I was starving to death and there was nothing else around. But even then, I would expect the most hearty "thank you" with a huge smile and a "y'all hurry back".

So then, if anyone wonders why upstate NY is so run down and thousands move away every year, wonder no more. Blame it on companies moving out but it can safely be true that the rich city people are as much or more to blame for it all.

[vicarian]

Originally Posted by Catie

How far is Trumansburg from Ithaca? Are the towns suggested to me close to a larger town or isolated?

Catie

Hmm...it's not so much 10 miles to the north as it is ten miles WNW of the city, bordering Seneca County.

[Packrat]

averageagenyjoe Has told it like it is-one of the most perceptive analyses I have seen !

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Packrat

averageagenyjoe Has told it like it is-one of the most perceptive analyses I have seen !

The same thing is happening to Litchfield County in Connecticut.