Plattsburgh & Essex? (Champlain, Saranac, Westport: rentals, how much, houses)

[homeward bound]

About Plattsburgh:

Though we haven't yet gotten to Plattsburgh to scope it out as a possible re-location place, we've heard and read a lot of fine things about it. Certainly it's nicely located, and a good size. We have three questions:

1) How much of a problem is the college-student population--by which I mean their drinking, late-night howling, vandalism, battering rental properties, etc.? We REALLY need to escape/not be near that in any move we make. Is the college presence a clear plus or a potential minus to the city?

2) Even with the state's budget woes probably going to worsen, what are the prospects of hiring in local school districts? Any chance that local districts, under pressure/with help from the state, will nudge older teachers into retirement, opening up some more entry-level teaching jobs?

3) Is Lake Champlain clean around Plattsburgh? Do you have to go a good ways from the city to enjoy it, or are there good, clean beaches and fishing places right nearby?

About Essex:

1) Is this place as beautiful as it looks in pictures, and by its count of historic buildings?

2) Is it lifelessly isolated or charmingly quaint?

3) Would kids feel smothered growing up there, or savor its location on the lake, safety, etc.?

4) Any prospect of teaching jobs opening there, even within, say, a half-hour's commute?

Thanks for any and all feedback.

[vter]

I can answer a couple Essex questions as it's just across the lake from where I live and we take the ferry over there fairly often....
1) yes, it is as beautiful as it looks in the pictures
2) It is very "quaint". Isolated? I guess it depends on what you are used to. If you are from an urban/suburban area and have no experience in rural living, you'll find it isolated. BUT, you can hop on the ferry and be in Burlington (VT) in an hour (or less if you time it right). Plattsburg is a 1/2 hour or so north.

Essex, from what I can tell is much busier in the summer - I know some of the businesses are seasonal (the ice cream parlor for one and I think the Old Dock Restaurant is only open in summer, though I could be wrong about that). Some people do commute to the greater Burlington area for work and I'm assuming that a lot of folks travel up toward Plattsburg for work. Westport, the next town south of Essex is also very cute and quaint.

Hopefully some folks who know the area in much more detail will see this and chime in - I know there are a couple folks who live in Plattsburg that chime in frequently.

[plattsburgher]

Your first question concerned the college student presence and they are not a problem unless you live in a specific area between the college dorms and the downtown bars. The problems are also lessening. There were some problems in the past with Greek houses, but a couple of the bad ones were shut down by past mayors. There are a couple of blocks that the realtors know as college center which are these HUGE (6/7) bedroom 3-4 story homes that have now become college rentals. You will know the area when you see it and if you have questions, just ask a realtor. They will answer you honestly because they do want you to be happy. There are many great neighborhoods in and around Pburgh. And I actually think most people in this area would say that the college student population are much more of a bonus than minus. I really think that they are much better behaved than when I first got here in the 80's. They also do a ton of volunteer work for the community, do theatre presentations, music concerts (there is a free guitar soloists performing various classical works over this weekend........) and the college hockey games have a huge following (more older area residents attend than the kids) each and every weekend up here. They also do a ton of volunteer work and have a Down's teenager as an honorary player who sits on there bench with them and attends all practices. Nice group of kids.

[plattsburgher]

The teaching situation is changing and many teachers are retiring. Of course there are no guarantees about anything, but I do notice that there are younger and younger teachers in every district..........Think if you have experience and go in and talk to the principal and supervisor in each district, you have better luck than just mailing in a resume...........

There is an ad in today's paper for a sub teacher in an adjacent district that if offering 94 a day as a sub. You may have to drive an hour to get to that school, but I think you can get a job if you promote yourself..........You can also ask these questions to a prof at Plattsburgh SUNY. You will get much more accurate info. I do know that to teach in NY state, you have to have a masters. A batchelor's is only good for 3 to 5 years since by the end of that time, you must have acquired your masters degree or you are gone. However, Vermont only requires teachers to have bachelor degrees.

No worries about either convenient beaches or fishing spots. Lots everywhere nearby.............Ausable River has trout, Saranac River has trout and lots of ADK lakes have bass as does the big lake (Champlain). We have had a ton of those national fishing tournaments in the past couple of years and at the mouth of the Ausable there are salmon and some other spots as well. Lots of places for beaches, city beach and many really nice state park beaches........Point au Roche (10 min north of Pburgh) and Ausable Point State Park (10 mins south of Pburgh). Lots of smaller streams and some gorgeous canoe routes and hiking trails as well. There is a lot to do if you enjoy being involved in nature. Have some local outdoor clubs and mountain climbing organizations and also just ADK preservation people. People up here are very proud of the pristine quality of the ADK park.

[kamikazejoshua]

Good luck in trying to find a teaching position in that area. There are only a couple areas of need in that area, and even then I don't think they struggle too badly to fill the position. It makes it more difficult since there are so few of schools in such a large area. Nice area though