Last week's trip to Catskill/Greene County (New York, Warwick: real estate, apartments)

[Griffis]

Well, my family and I made a whirlwind 6-state tour up to Catskill last weekend. I have been all over the continent (and several points off-continent) but this was my first time ever in NY state.

While the drive was grueling, we were really taken with the town. Great community, lots of charm. Nice park right on the Hudson, and right down the hill from the Catskill Mountains. Breathtaking scenery up there, and I'm pretty well traveled. What I saw of it is as beautiful as any place I've been.

I was interviewing for a job and they definitely want to hire me. They are putting together a salary/benefits package for me and are going to make an offer this week.

I am not sure if they will offer enough for us to afford the move and cost of living, but I have my fingers crossed. I think my family would do well there and it seems a great community.

Wish me luck!

[Sgoldie]

Interesting! I'm glad I waited for your impression before I responded. I was there a year ago and thought the place was a little shabby looking. You'll have to do some traveling around the rest of NYS if you thought that was nice.

[Griffis]

No, I see what you are saying. And one of the big attractions to moving to NY state will be the ability to see more of it. I have lived in the West, Midwest and South most of my life. While some parts are beautiful and some people friendly, there just isn't as much culture, frequently the scenery is nothing to write home about, I don't care for the weather for the most part (I dislike heat and enjoy rain and snow), etc.

Perhaps some of it is the novelty factor, but what to you seems "shabby" to me comes off as rather charming. I mean, in many places I've lived, "shabby" means abandoned warehouses and apartments that have become squatters paradises, or a cruddy looking mobile home park.

I suppose by NY standards, the area I was in may seem a little "podunk" but I want to raise my daughters in a fairly small town with good school and nice things to do outdoors. That region seems to have all those things, yet we would still be able to make the City on a day trip and see some of the places I've wanted to visit my entire life: the MOMA, The Museum of Natural History, The NY Public Library... heck, even Central Park and the Statue of Liberty.

Also, we did get to drive through Newburgh and New Paltz (there's a SUNY campus there) and both places, as well as little Catskill Town seemed to have a heavy arts presence and lots of events and activities, cool little shops, etc.

My only worry is that they will not offer me a salary high enough to relocate. From my research, it does seem that all kinds of taxes will be higher up there, as well as some utilities, etc.

But I think the trade-off would be worth it in many ways.

[Honeycrisp]

I envy you the opportunity of living in different areas and can see why you're tempted by Catskill/Greene County. While I havent spent much time there (at all), I hope the company is realistic about the offer (taxes are higher but you may be shell shocked if you lived in NJ <G>) - wishing you the best - keep us posted.

[gold dust]

The Catskill / Upstate area of NY is beautiful. I hope you get the offer you want for that job. Good luck!

[D&T]

Best of luck to you! Hope everything works out well for you/your family. The area is beautiful around here!

[Griffis]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

The place I am hoping to work for called last night and made me an offer. They put together a very nice package for me. The benefits are really superb, but the salary is a little lower than I need.

I have offers coming in this week from a couple of other places, but the thing is, I really want to relocate to the Catskill area. Quality of life and location account for a lot. But at the same time, money is important as well. I have a family of four, one income. And I know the cost of living is a bit higher up there, not to mention property taxes if we find a house as quickly as we hope to, etc.

So, I'm worried that in some ways we might be taking a financial step downwards. I am going to see what other offers I get and then ask if Catskill can come a little closer to meeting my needs. I'm not trying to be some cutthroat negotiator; this is just business and life.

I very much hope it works out. I love it up there and think my family would be very happy there. Good place to raise kids, and the close proximity to NYC is very appealing.

Thanks for listening to me unburden myself. Got my fingers crossed.

[BovinaCowHateWindTurbines]

Catskill Town is ok there are some nice old homes and some nice waterfront. But you would be in easy commuting distance to live in the mountains in the Park a little west Hunter can be pricey but, even Phoenicia wouldn't be a bad commute and then your in the mountains well almost lol. That's the big town to me. Maybe Saugerties, NY and you can catch the midnight ramble with Levon Helm from the Band Woodstock is a little suburban for me though.

Taxes will be high because it's NYS, but you can do pretty well depending on the town. With a population of 650 my town had the highest taxes in Delaware County I believe, certainly feels that way. Homes can be reasonable as well just don't move to one of these "house farms" like in Greene County all over there are very nice homes and communities all through the Catskill region. Just don't move to Bovina it's getting too crowded and it's very expensive which doesn't bother me currently lol I might sell and move further north of the pasture too many yahoos.

Also be aggressive and smart with the RE people most homes sit for a year or two or more so don't think or let them think () or tell you some home is hot and may move just not the way things move up here...
Good luck !

[cassidy99]

My wife and I are thinking of relocating in upstate NY. We currently live in Warwick, NY and enjoy the small town feel, antigue shops, wineries, etc. Are there any towns you could recommend in Delaware or any other counties that share the same characteristics of Warwick? I've been researching and the one town that caught my eye was Bovina. I know you posted that it's too crowded and expensive. Is it really that bad? How about Andes/Margaretville? Thanks.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by cassidy99

My wife and I are thinking of relocating in upstate NY. We currently live in Warwick, NY and enjoy the small town feel, antigue shops, wineries, etc. Are there any towns you could recommend in Delaware or any other counties that share the same characteristics of Warwick? I've been researching and the one town that caught my eye was Bovina. I know you posted that it's too crowded and expensive. Is it really that bad? How about Andes/Margaretville? Thanks.

Where are you willing to go in Upstate NY? What's you budget? From the criteria, the Finger Lakes Region looks like a slam dunk. There are plenty of nice towns in that part of the state that you might like. You might like places like: Waterloo, Seneca Falls, Penn Yan, Hammondsport, Trumansburg, Watkins Glen, Corning and many more. Here's some info: NY Tourism & Travel- Finger Lakes wineries vacations packages events real estate and seasonal specials
Experience Corning, NY - Welcome to Corning, New York in the heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Country (experiencecorningny.com)
Village of Trumansburg
Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce | Home
Seneca Falls, NY - Historic Gateway to the Finger Lakes
Waterloo, New York- Birthplace of Memorial Day
Hammondsport Chamber of Commerce
Penn Yan Village - New York