Sackets Harbor vs Plattsburgh (Syracuse, Ithaca: real estate, hotel, houses)

[swiedom]

Hi everyone,
I am looking to relocate to Upstate NY from Texas. I was hoping that some of you would have some insight on the cities Sackets harbor and Plattsburgh. They both seem like beautiful cities, and we can't decide which one to move to. We are looking for something waterfront. We are very active and have a 3 year old daughter. We are looking for somewhere with a low cost of living. Any ideas? Thanks!

[jblake78728]

I don't really know much about Sackets Harbor other than it is really, really small (but it's not far from Watertown which is similar to Plattsburgh). I recently moved from the Plattsburgh area to WNY because of employment related reasons. The town of Plattsburgh (and even some of the closer surrounding towns) isn't too bad. You get too far away from Plattsburgh & some of the towns can be not so great (to put it nicely). Nova Bus recently opened a manufacturing facility, unfortunately it pretty much takes the place of Georgia Pacific who has laid off the majority of its employees in the last few years. Personally, I would try to obtain employment before committing to relocate to either area. The area itself is very scenic, just on the edge of the Adirondack Mountains & on the shores of Lake Champlain. Burlington, VT is about an 45 minutes away (via ferry & drive) & Montreal is about an hour to the north. The area is very affordable provided you can find suitable employment.

[Sgoldie]

Ditto on the finding employment advice.

Sackets Harbor is a little village much smaller than Plattsburg which is closer to being a small city. It's on Lake Ontario a much bigger lake than Champlain and further from the mountains. There is a short 1 block downtown with a couple of eating places from pizza to hamburgers to a fine dining restaurant, a shop or two, and a hotel. Busy in summer, dead in winter. Everyplace is within a five minute walk from one end of town to the other. There's one main road, a history museum, a marine museum, a church, a school, a gas station, a marina, and a town gazebo at the waterfront and boat launch.

There is an old army complex and polo grounds which has been turned into apts that are hard to get into as Ft Drum, a 15-20 minute ride into Watertown, has quite a regional spill over in terms of housing. I believe Watertown is larger than Plattsburgh with a zoo, several national stores, and a couple of malls. Watertown falls into the category of a military town with lots of young people from all over the country who you see around in uniform. The base is the largest area employer. There is also a community college in Watertown. The area around Sackets is rural with seasonal cottages along the lakefront. Anything directly waterfront is going to cost you in taxes in NYS.

[plattsburgher]

what your line of work is and if there is a certain budget.............

Of course having my children grow up here makes me favor Pburgh just because of the options for a wonderful almost idyliic childhood. My kids knew their neighbors, had a ski hill in the winter, picked strawberries, apples and pumpkins on whatever farm was open to the public, went to the sugarhouses and saw maple syrup being made and loved all the old-fashioned pancake breakfasts, got involved in community activities, learned to water ski and go camping with both family and friends, had their parents very involved in all school activities, went trick or treating and actually knew everyone in the subdivision.......There are historical events and every community and school is always looking for people to help with the annual spring plays each year, and there are a few ballet and dance schools around as well.

The waterfront and Canadian and Vermont influence and mountain hiking and Adirondacks are just finishing touches......Montreal is always a nice change of pace and something else to easily explore on a weekend......

Waterfront taxes are worse but I would recommend going a bit north.....either Chazy or Beekmantown.....Cumberland Head is affordable and very close to all city amenities. From what I can tell, the Peru school district is being hit the hardest, but there are many, many doctors and a couple of huge properties there......The lakefront there is supposedly more scenic because you have views of Valcour Island and lighthouse which was used in the Revolutionary War when Benedict Arnold was still on our side.....There are many islands and some views of the Burlington lights there also. It just seems to have the most expensive houses just south of the Burgh.......Try the other two areas online and see if you can't find a reasonable priced home with at least lake access or waterfront.

I've been to Watertown and Sackett's Harbor and it just didn't seem to have the personal and sense of place and history that this area does. To each their own though.......Good luck and come up for some of this area's festivals, etc........We are celebrating the 400th year of the discovery of Lake Champlain this year and all around this area are free concerts and open houses and museums and celebrations..........

[Sgoldie]

Much of what you describe as a way of life is true of all of upstate NY including the pervasive sense of history. Sacket's Harbor was a major battlefield in the war of 1812 of which the are very proud, surprised you missed that.

There are a lot of appealing places upstate and there are a lot of waterfront venues which makes it a great place to live not to mention the feeling of safety one gets here. It is a wonderful place to bring up kids.

[jblake78728]

What part of Texas are you currently in? I moved to NY from Austin.

[plattsburgher]

I have heard people rave about lots of other places........Ithaca and Finger Lakes and towns in counties north of NYC and was not meaning to degrade any other place at all..........Sackets Harbor is a great place and I don't think anyone would be unhappy there unless you aren't good with lake effect snow......They get more than their fair share in that location.

I know that I am biased about Plattsburgh. Every time I think I have learned all there is to know about this area and history, I discover additional information. Know about the underground railroad through this area and the line of soldiers marching into town just north of the city and how the soldiers (Brits and Patriots) fought toe to toe.......To me it's all very exciting. I am sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes..........I just can't help but think a family would do well in and love this area (won't go into the reasons again, just see above post)........probably Sackets Harbor and Watertown are just the same, but I can't vouch for that. I am simply stating my opinions......

[apriltwin]

Having lived in Sackets Harbor for several years, I can tell you it is very very small. There really is no comparison between Plattsburgh and Sackets. Sackets certainly is very pretty and a great place to raise children but the real estate is rather high and taxes are high as well. In the winter it is pretty isolating. Watertown is 8 miles away for shopping, Syracuse is an hour south if you can even get there in the winter. Having said all this, I would not recommend moving to Sackets Harbor.