Considering a move upstate (New York, Buffalo: apartment complex, rental homes, how much)

[EugeneBKLYN]

I'm thinking about moving upstate. I currently live in southwest Brooklyn, have most of my life, and a few aggravating factors have led me to consider a move.

First of all, the rents here are going through the roof. They keep rising every year and pretty soon my family will have to move because it's getting pretty out of control. We're currently paying 1800/m for a mediocre 2-bedroom apartment. I know for that kind of money you'd be able to rent a nice 4-bedroom in many areas upstate. And you'd be hard pressed to find a studio apt. under 900 anywhere in the city.

Another factor I hate here is the weather. Namely, summer heat.
From early June through early September the temperatures go no lower than 80 degrees in the afternoons, and no lower than 85 on any given day in July. In recent years we've been hitting upper 90's and even 100 in Aug. 2006.
And it's not just the heat, the humidity is also very high through the summer. You walk outside and you look up to see a hazy blue sky, you feel the mugginess hit you and you start sweating buckets.. it's just not pleasant.
Last year was especially hell over here. The night time temperature cooled down to a mere 83F and the power went out in my neighborhood. Can you imagine sleeping in 83 degree heat/humidity with no power? I am NOT looking forward to the upcoming summer.

I'm still in school (18 in a few months) and I wouldn't be able to move independently just yet, but after I go through college (SUNY Buffalo) I'm definitely gonna look for a job anywhere around Syracuse-Rochester-Buffalo area. I do realize that the pay up there sucks, but the rents are very cheap so it will balance itself out I'm sure.

I'd also like to add that I love snow. This year in NYC we've had a measly 10 inches, 5 of which came from sleet pellets from an ice storm.

So what do you guys think? Go for it ? Or stay in NYC?

[Sgoldie]

I say go for it. Life will be somewhat different: less crowded, more opportunity for outside nature based activities upstate. From wht you describe, you'll like it.

[honeychrome]

Upstate NY is pretty vast and somewhat varied in terms of culture, weather, etc. Attending SUNY Buffalo will give you a little taste of upstate, but if you can do some travelling around the state to get a feel for the other regions. Certainly your love of snow will do you well in much of upstate NY (though familiarity breeds contempt, as they say, and your feelings about snow may change after a couple years in Buffalo!). As you haven't yet started college you are actually in a great position- do some research on the jobs and the economy in upstate NY and you can tailor your studies strategically for a job/career upstate.

Be aware that upstate NY can get quite hot and humid too, though nowhere near the misery that is NYC in August. Living without A/C running non-stop from June through September is so nice!

[EugeneBKLYN]

Originally Posted by honeychrome

Upstate NY is pretty vast and somewhat varied in terms of culture, weather, etc. Attending SUNY Buffalo will give you a little taste of upstate, but if you can do some travelling around the state to get a feel for the other regions. Certainly your love of snow will do you well in much of upstate NY (though familiarity breeds contempt, as they say, and your feelings about snow may change after a couple years in Buffalo!). As you haven't yet started college you are actually in a great position- do some research on the jobs and the economy in upstate NY and you can tailor your studies strategically for a job/career upstate.

Be aware that upstate NY can get quite hot and humid too, though nowhere near the misery that is NYC in August. Living without A/C running non-stop from June through September is so nice!

Yes I can imagine the summers there are fantastic. I hear the region has one of the best summers in the country

and I have been upstate. Just twice.
The first time we drove from here to Niagara Falls. We took i390, if I remember correctly.
The second time we drove to Montreal, I forgot the interstate but we drove near Poughkeepsie, Albany, Glens Falls, Lake George, and up near Champlain to the Canadian border.
From what I saw, I loved it.
I might plan a trip this summer to the Tug Hill Plateau, Syracuse, and down around the finger lakes region. Should be fun.

[splintercell]

Well, if you want milder weather and A LOT of snow, move to my hometown...or near there, Massena. Massena is located about 15 minutes from Cornwall, Ontario.
That will surely Yankeeify you.
In fact, I live in TN right now, and plan on moving to Vermont. Miss the snow, the attitudes, and home!

Try out SUNY Potsdam, Clarkson University, or St. Lawrence University.

[smalltownusa]

For 1800 a month you can rent anything that trips your fancy in upstate and it will be much larger than 2 bedrooms! As for UB, 2 of my children and son in law graduated from there and loved it......all doing very well. UB has become quite a strong SUNY school academically so be prepared. As for Rochester, it's a beautiful city except if you don't care for snow and you're pysche for it so it shoudl be perfect. Plus, the city is a meer 5-6 hours down the highway for the weekend visits home.

Good luck and welcome to upstate: the OTHER NY........ LOL

[PhilG]

I moved from Long Island to Albany in 1997 for college. I met my current wife there during junior year, and because she is from this area, we stayed and bought a house. Here's the thing, you're about to turn 18, so you have a while to discover what you like, where you want to be, and what you want to do. Frankly, the pay is less upstate, but not that much. Housing costs are much lower than downstate, but it's increasing very quickly. Taxes in Albany are almost twice what they are in most Nassau County towns (per thousand dollars of value). Gas in more expensive, chicken is more expensive, and even my Dunkin Donuts coffee costs almost 70 cents more. Also, though upstate New York has many beautiful areas, the economy has been in a slow freefall since the 60s or 70s. Albany has some growing suburbs, but the bad thing is that new home prices are beginnignto rival those downstate. Buffalo is losing residents in droves, and Syracuse is just depressing. Rochester is also losing people, but when I go there to visit my wife's aunt and uncle every Thanksgiving I always notice how pretty the city is and how much there is to do. Also, Rochester has some really great suburban towns to raise a family (a few years away for you, I know). Rochester is a much better bet than Albany or Buffalo. Personally, though, I would move to Long Island in a heartbeat if I could afford a house. I miss the ocean, the city, my family, the food, and the culture. Yes, I said I miss the culture. LI is unique, and many people hate it. But it is what it is and I love it. I have family in Brooklyn, Staten Island and on Long Island, and I LOVE visiting them...

P.S. Snow sucks

[PhilG]

I also own rental homes in Albany...You can get a beautiful three bedroom flat with a yard, deck and laundry in downtown Albany in one of the nicest parts of the city for $1200 to $1300 per month. A fancy rental complex might charge you about $1400 for the same.

[EugeneBKLYN]

Thanks for the replies...

PhilG -
I'm not TOO crazy about Albany.
It's not near any large bodies of water, and the city in itself is way too small compared to what I'm used to. What is it now? About 90,000 and losing population? Eh.

I would, tho, like to find out why Syracuse is 'depressing'? In what way?
A few months ago somebody posted pictures of downtown Syracuse on a warm, sunny, summer day and it looked clean and fantastic.
Unless you meant the economy, because in that case, all of upstate is pretty depressing.

And as for houses, I'm not even remotely interested in buying a house any time soon. All I'm thinking about is renting in an inner-city apartment complex.

I see Rochester is a popular pick around here... though it was the last place on my list to rent (Post-college), I might just look into it.

[PhilG]

In my opinion Rochester is your best bet. Albany is about 90k, but the burbs like Clifton Park, Guilderland and such are booming. The entire Capital District is closer to 1.5 million. Albany is full of potholes and increasing taxes with nothing to show for it. No reason to settle here. Syracuse is pretty, but there's no reason to pick living there unless you have family or HAVE to live there for some other reason. You're rigth, though; pretty much all of upstate is struggling economically with small pockets of growth here and there. If you look into Rochester AFTER college, you have your pick of some very beautiful towns near the lake and only 20 minutes from a city with 200k people and, from what I understand, some actual nightlife. Lake effect snow pounds them out there, though. What do yo uplan to do for work??