RELOCATING ADVICE anywhere from Saraotga to Poughkeepsie (Albany, Schenectady: fit in, apartments)

[contrerry]

I'm looking to relocate to NY and am looking anywhere from Saratoga to the Poughkeepsie area. I'm looking for a place that has a Burlington, VT type of feel....small city feel, a good music scene (local & touring), good food & brew pubs, good vibe, shops, outdoor activities, waterfront hopefully, diversity....hippies to professionals. I'm a 40 yr old teacher, so I need some place I can afford to live on a teacher's salary. Also a place that's cool not just for the college age kids, but also the "young at heart." Am I asking for too much? Does such a place exist in NY? Also, any web links that would help me explore the cities your recommend would be great. Thanks!!

[piperspal]

You can find everything you asked for ( well, almost!) in dozens of towns between Saratoga & Po'town. I have lived in many of them, those two included. Your difficulty will be a teacher's salary in NYS. Our taxes are consistently in the top 3 for the country and waterfront in the Hudson Valley has always been expensive.

That said, you can still find deals sprinkeled here & there. Saratoga is a playground for the wealthy, and Po'town is now a bedroom community for NYC. Kingston, about 90 minutes south of Saratoga, used to be this depressed city that no one would admit to living in. Now, it has undergone tremendous change & property values have skyrocketed.

The music scene is very much alive & well in the Hudson Valley...no matter where you hang your hat you'll find a wealth of talent. The Woodstock/Catskills area has been home to famous musicians for decades. But probably your best bang for the teacher's buck will be Albany County or Rensselaer County. In Albany Co., look into towns that are just starting to rebound from a local depressed economy; like Ravena - Coeymans - Selkirk, or further south in Greene County, (which will soon be as expensive as Columbia County). In Rens. Co., Troy has had a bad rep for as long as I can remember - and I've lived in the Capital District for 25 years. But trust me, Troy WILL be a strong, vibrant town no matter who tells you otherwise. It's on the river, the music & arts scene is doing well & continues to shine brighter every year. The buildings look like they stepped right out of a Norman Rockwell painting, and there is still very affordable housing. Troy does have it's share of crime, but the mayor (Tutunjian) and his crew have worked harder than any other civic/public outfit in the Capital District to combat that. And I've been paying attention to all of them as I have to decide where best to locate my business. IF I stay in NY, it will be Troy that gets my investment $.

Another town that was shunned for years but may be on the brink of a comeback is Cohoes. It's right on the border of Saratoga & Albany counties and a lot of young newcomers are looking there. Other towns in Rens. Co. that have affordable pockets are Castleton, Schodak, & the Greenbushes.

If you haven't explored the area, come out in May when the country roads are free of ice and just GET LOST. Take Routes 81 & 23 down thru the Catskills, check out the cool downtown in Kingston, and wander thru the shops in Saratoga. Albany has some new nightspots worth a visit, too. If you go to the Times Union's website, (www.tu.com (broken link)), you will see a lot of links for stuff in the upper Hudson Valley. For info on the lower half of the valley, go to WDST.com - it's a local radio station out of Woodstock and is up to date with all sorts of happenings.

Best of luck to you!

[contrerry]

Thanks for the reply. I am originally from the Plattsburgh area and don't want to move that far upstate again....don't know much about living anywhere south of Glens Falls. I've been in Tucson, AZ for 5 years and it sux here! Like another poster said...NY doen't seem so bad after you leave it! Really miss the seasons, trees, mountains, and WATER!!! Waterfront isn't a must for my search, but should be close enough to get to if I need a dose of it every now & again! Thanks again. Am willing to live on the outer fringes of a city that may be too expensive for a teacher to live in. Also....not looking to buy a house, so this may help my search...what are rents like?

[piperspal]

You will do great, then, just about anywhere in the geographic spread you are looking. Clifton Park & Saratoga are moderate to expensive; and Albany & Renss. counties have a really wide range of rents from dirt cheap to loft-condo prices. As you get closer to Poughkeepsie, the rents increase.

I should have mentioned this before, just as an aside, but teachers should be paid a lot more, a WHOLE LOT MORE, than they are. Bless you for choosing the profession. Now, back to the matter at hand!

The Albany/Schenectady/Troy/Saratoga area ( the Capital District) is home to something like 9 -12 colleges & universities; thus a lot of older homes near colleges have been converted into apartments. The age range with the universities is also pretty diverse - you will find a lot of older students as well as other teachers (College of St. Rose grads). There are also lots of complexes if that's more to your liking. The brownstones around downtown Albany house a lot of singles in their 30's & 40"s (not exclusively tho!) and there is a funky eclectic vibe to parts of Albany that you would probably love.

But you should also think about your down time. If you live in or near Po'town, you can take the Metro into NYC for wicked cheap. (Sadly, Albany only has Amtrak for now). And there are just storybook towns down that way - too many to list, but Fishkill, Brewster, Carmel, Mahopac....ok, ok - like I said - too many, and we didn't even cross the river yet! Besides, it's all pretty relative: higher rents usually mean area salaries are a bit higher too. You should definitely check out both sides of the river and look at some of the rental complexes close to the bridges - many have river docks and access rights. There are also a few party cruise companies that run events thru there. Sailing past West Point and Bear Mountain is a lot of fun and attracts a lot of the "young at heart" you spoke of.

[piperspal]

sorry - one more tip & then I really have to get some work done...

If you haven't been thru the Hudson Valley yet, here are some neat things to check out:
-The Taconic State Parkway, esp. in the fall. Lots of deer so be alert.
-The Vanderbilt and Roosevelt estates in Hyde Park (others here and there too - but these two are the most opulent)
-Katterskill Falls near Hunter (Route 213? can't remember)
-Thatcher Park & the Helderbergs
-The tulip fest every Mother's Day weekend in Albany's Washington Park
-Cool towns like Rhinebeck & Goshen ( further south & west)
- The pedestrian "rail-to-trail" bridge over the Hudson. In Highland, adjacent to the Mid-Hudson bridge.

[contrerry]

Thank you, Piperspal! Yes...I want to be close to a lot of things to do on my down time...be able to go into NYC...up to Saratoga for race season...etc. I'm 42 and newly divorced....starting over...want to be able to get out and do a variety of things without feeling like the oldest one in the group! Thank you for the teaching comment...most people don't "get it." If you think teachers aren't paid well in NY...AZ is about $15,000 a year less!! Thanks again!

[HomerBrink]

Some suggestions: New Paltz, Kingston, Woodstock, Hudson, Saratoga, Troy...

[inpd]

Originally Posted by HomerBrink

Some suggestions: New Paltz, Kingston, Woodstock, Hudson, Saratoga, Troy...

I second troy. It's coming back and has a great housing stock.

Albany downtown is great, but getting expensive (for up-state that
is). That $300K 2500sq ft Brownstone in Center Square Albany will
cost you $150-$200K in Troy. But Troy is just gentrifying so its a bit
sketchy at night. I had no problem walking at midnight in Center square
Albany.

Saratoga springs in my opinion is over-priced and not that good
to *LIVE* in. As a tourist its great to go to the races etc. But many of
the Saratoga spring locals come down to Albany for the free and
plentiful entertainment provided by the state.

[contrerry]

Thanks, everyone! You have really been helpful. Feel free to add more if you think of anything else.....

[i87123]

Hi there. I can't find specific information in city-data about Preston Hollow and was wondering if you might know anything about this area or anything that may be near it. Thanks for your help!

Originally Posted by piperspal

You can find everything you asked for ( well, almost!) in dozens of towns between Saratoga & Po'town. I have lived in many of them, those two included. Your difficulty will be a teacher's salary in NYS. Our taxes are consistently in the top 3 for the country and waterfront in the Hudson Valley has always been expensive.

That said, you can still find deals sprinkeled here & there. Saratoga is a playground for the wealthy, and Po'town is now a bedroom community for NYC. Kingston, about 90 minutes south of Saratoga, used to be this depressed city that no one would admit to living in. Now, it has undergone tremendous change & property values have skyrocketed.

The music scene is very much alive & well in the Hudson Valley...no matter where you hang your hat you'll find a wealth of talent. The Woodstock/Catskills area has been home to famous musicians for decades. But probably your best bang for the teacher's buck will be Albany County or Rensselaer County. In Albany Co., look into towns that are just starting to rebound from a local depressed economy; like Ravena - Coeymans - Selkirk, or further south in Greene County, (which will soon be as expensive as Columbia County). In Rens. Co., Troy has had a bad rep for as long as I can remember - and I've lived in the Capital District for 25 years. But trust me, Troy WILL be a strong, vibrant town no matter who tells you otherwise. It's on the river, the music & arts scene is doing well & continues to shine brighter every year. The buildings look like they stepped right out of a Norman Rockwell painting, and there is still very affordable housing. Troy does have it's share of crime, but the mayor (Tutunjian) and his crew have worked harder than any other civic/public outfit in the Capital District to combat that. And I've been paying attention to all of them as I have to decide where best to locate my business. IF I stay in NY, it will be Troy that gets my investment $.

Another town that was shunned for years but may be on the brink of a comeback is Cohoes. It's right on the border of Saratoga & Albany counties and a lot of young newcomers are looking there. Other towns in Rens. Co. that have affordable pockets are Castleton, Schodak, & the Greenbushes.

If you haven't explored the area, come out in May when the country roads are free of ice and just GET LOST. Take Routes 81 & 23 down thru the Catskills, check out the cool downtown in Kingston, and wander thru the shops in Saratoga. Albany has some new nightspots worth a visit, too. If you go to the Times Union's website, (www.tu.com), you will see a lot of links for stuff in the upper Hudson Valley. For info on the lower half of the valley, go to WDST.com - it's a local radio station out of Woodstock and is up to date with all sorts of happenings.

Best of luck to you!