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I'm looking for a safe, small to medium sized town in an area that has a significant winter (really tired of heat and humidity in Northern VA). The ideal would be a place that has some kind of lake or river view, and doesn't cost a fortune. There has to be a gym or fitness center in reasonable proximity, and a fair amount of other amenities. Places with most of this include Sturgeon Bay, WI; Traverse City, MI; Saranac Lake, NY; Burlington, VT. Feel free to tell me (gently) that I'm being unrealistic, but in this huge country it doesn't seem like all that impossible a list of 'druthers.'
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Hi Neighbor (Richmond here) we are planning on doing the same thing, looks at Queensbury NY right below Lake George. Small town feel with all the box stores you are familiar with, both Lowes and Home Depot are there and an enclosed mall. If you want BJ's and more significant shopping Saratoga Springs is only 15-20 minutes away. Glens Falls is also nice but taxes run high and there are a lot of small towns all around to also pick from. Recreation includes sking, lakes rivers, hiking you name it they have it. Feel free to DM me if you want.
Burlington is great but COL and taxes make it harder to live and going through a Door County winter in Sturgeon Bay, i'll pass.
Hi Neighbor (Richmond here) we are planning on doing the same thing, looks at Queensbury NY right below Lake George. Small town feel with all the box stores you are familiar with, both Lowes and Home Depot are there and an enclosed mall. If you want BJ's and more significant shopping Saratoga Springs is only 15-20 minutes away. Glens Falls is also nice but taxes run high and there are a lot of small towns all around to also pick from. Recreation includes sking, lakes rivers, hiking you name it they have it. Feel free to DM me if you want.
Burlington is great but COL and taxes make it harder to live and going through a Door County winter in Sturgeon Bay, i'll pass.
I think you're making a good decision. Its a really nice area to live in with everything at your disposal. Homes have come down in price quite a bit too. Winters are cold but I didn't find it all that different than northwest NJ. Perhaps we'll be neighbors one day soon.
Another good suggestion could be Plattsburgh. It is on Lake Champlain, has the Saranac River running through the city, it has its own city beach, it is about an hour south of Montreal, overall COL is a little bit under the national average and it is a ferry ride across Lake Champlain from Vermont. It also has it's own electric conpany by way of NYPA, which tends to have lower rates than private companies.
Here is a shot of the city with the Adirondacks in the background:
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 08-17-2016 at 01:51 PM..
Status:
"Let this year be over..."
(set 17 days ago)
Location: Where my bills arrive
19,219 posts, read 17,078,565 times
Reputation: 15537
Quote:
Originally Posted by VintageSunlight
I think you're making a good decision. Its a really nice area to live in with everything at your disposal. Homes have come down in price quite a bit too. Winters are cold but I didn't find it all that different than northwest NJ. Perhaps we'll be neighbors one day soon.
Are you moving year round or only in summer?
At this point we are looking to be reverse snowbirds, head north April - October (give or take a month either way) and then head back to Virginia for the winter. Depending where our kids settle we may relocate our winter base.
Another good suggestion could be Plattsburgh. It is on Lake Champlain, has the Saranac River running through the city, it has its own city beach, it is about an hour south of Montreal, overall COL is a little bit under the national average and it is a ferry ride across Lake Champlain from Vermont.
How clean is lake champ given Burlington is in its banks? According to the steamboat host, lake george is one of the cleanest lakes in the world.
I'd throw in Rochester & Syracuse, both on or near Lake Ontario & the finger lakes. And there's a few small cities on the finger lakes like Geneva, Canandaigua, Penn Yann, Ithaca. I'd also look into Jamestown & the Chautauqua Lake area. The area from Jamestown east to Olean is I think the next coldest part of NYS (after the ADKs) and gets good lake effect snow from Lake Erie.
I'd throw in Rochester & Syracuse, both on or near Lake Ontario & the finger lakes. And there's a few small cities on the finger lakes like Geneva, Canandaigua, Penn Yann, Ithaca. I'd also look into Jamestown & the Chautauqua Lake area. The area from Jamestown east to Olean is I think the next coldest part of NYS (after the ADKs) and gets good lake effect snow from Lake Erie.
Good points and a sleeper area that may be a happy medium is the Watertown area. It can get some lake effect snow from Lake Ontario and it isn't that far from the Adirondacks. In regards to small towns in that area that may work besides the city of Watertown(about 27,000 and I'd suggest the southern half of the city), places like Sackets Harbor, Clayton, Alexandria Bay, Carthage/West Carthage, the Glen Park/Dexter/Brownville(General Brown) area and Adams/Adams Center are some that may work for the OP.
In terms of Watertown, that southern half has a zoo in the very nice Thompson Park and Dry Hill ski area is just south of the city. It is historically and currently the most affluent part of the city that is solidly middle class with a median household income above the national and state figures in many cases. There is big box shopping on the western end of the city along Arsenal Street. Fort Drum Army Base is NE of the city.
Ticonderoga is actually on both Lake Champlain and Lake George. So, that may be another option, if the OP doesn't mind a small town.
There's also a small town farther south of Ticonderoga called Bolton's Landing that is along george's banks but a closer drive to saratoga springs.
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