Any Gays in Little Falls Area?? (Rochester, Albany: real estate, to rent, houses)

[Jungle George]

My partner & I are moving north & one of the areas we like is Little Falls. Wanted to know what the climate is like there? (and no, I don't mean the cold & snow Some of the towns we've looked into, we joked we should call the town hall & see if they supplied the white sheets or should we bring our own We are not "stereotypical", just average joes.
Thanks for any help & have a great weekend!!

[kitty71]

I don't know if you've considered Rochester, but I was talking to a gay friend recently (from the area) who said it is very open-minded and accepting there compared to many places in upstate NY. That is one of the reasons I want to move there! I don't want my kids growing up and hearing all sorts of bigoted nonsense. Good luck!

[Jungle George]

Hi Kitty & thanks for the info!! The houses in Rochester are very reasonable, but I noticed the taxes are astronomical for what you get for the money!!

I'll be looking some more though!
Thanks again & you sound like a wonderful person!! I'm sure your kids will grow up to be well educated & well rounded!! God bless!!

[kitty71]

Yes, I agree, the taxes are definitely out of this world. For us, though, the real estate is very good for the price compared to what we have.

I hope you find somewhere that suits you and your partner. A little encouragement I do have is that another gay friend of mine lives here, in the heart of a very conservative area, and he told me that they have had overall a very positive experience. Believe it or not, they went square dancing and they weren't treated badly.

Good luck! (I'm actually Canadian, so I would suggest that too - you could get married there if you wanted , but it's getting harder and harder to cross borders lately, so unless you have some highly marketable career (which you may, in that case, think Montreal or Toronto!!!!)

I'd love to hear what you finally decide on!

best - kitty

[Jungle George]

Hi Kitty!! Thanks for the encouragement. My partner & I live in the bible belt among the stereotypical "bubbas" and have had no problem. Their credo is "as long as you don't want to date me"

As for Canada, I'd love to visit someday, but it's a mite TOO cold for me!! The "marriage" issue is ongoing here in the States. We actually don't care if it's called "marriage", "civil union" or whatever, what we want is the same legal rights afforded to straight people who are "coupled". Unfortunately it's gotten to be such a big issue due to lack of separation of church & state.

I'll keep you posted on where we end up & thanks again for all of your help!!

[kitty71]

good luck

I agree with your marriage comment... as long as you can both enjoy the health benefits etc. given to "traditional" couples - doesn't matter what it is called.

Just got back from visiting my parents up in Ontario, and although they had a milder winter than usual, of course when we got there at nights it dropped down to -20 - and that's CELSIUS, LOL.

We're probably moving to Rochester for sure now... up to this point it had been sort of a possibility... I'm very excited to get someplace a little less conservative.

so, hey, if you end up near there, give me a shout... we don't know anyone in the area yet.

best - kitty

[nomoresnow]

How cool! My boss is from Little Falls. She used to rent a house from a gay couple - Dick and Dave on Garden Street years ago. She said there's not a large community of gays there, but she's not aware of any problems. She did say that she hopes you're not looking for work, because there isn't much there. Best of luck, wherever you go.

[mead]

Why not check out Ithaca? If you're going to move to upstate NY and you're gay, I think Ithaca would probably be the ideal choice. It is probably the most progressive city in NY state (as a result of Cornell University and Ithaca College) and has a nice downtown section.

[Jungle George]

Thanks for the info bellafinzi!! we're not so much concerned about there being a large gay community as much as hostility. There's still a few folks out there who're out to bash & "not in my backyard" type mentality & we're just looking for somewhere quiet to retire & do outdoor stuff while being close to NYC (our hometown). We are definitely not your stereotype and have no problems with even the "good ole boys" here in Florida, but I like to do my homework.

We're looking at upstate NY & NE Pa and so far Pa is winning on affordability. Taxes are 1/3 of NY (I heard that the only folks who pay school taxes in Pa are the ones with kids in school...haven't substantiated that yet) so we're still up in the air.

Thanks again for the info & enjoy the rest of the weekend!!!

[April24]

I have family and friends in Little Falls. Hope you decide to check it out some more - I think you will find it a very hospitable place to live. Like many Upstate cities it is suffering from loss of jobs - however, it does have a flourishing arts community and a wonderful Antique center. Housing is very affordable - more so if you can handle a "fixer upper" and rescue an older home. It is also close to Utica or Albany if you need a big city "fix". I do think you will like Little Falls and be welcomed there.