seeking liberal, veggie/eco/outdoorsy friendly small town. help? (Albany: real estate, buy)

[mikesuicide]

Ithica. it was the first one that popped in my head.

[Sgoldie]

I would think Seattle is worse as in the winter in upstate NY reflected light off the snow creates a certain brightness that you wouldn't get with pure rain. The worst time is Dec when daylight hours are short and before it snows. But, then you're consumed with holiday planning so it's not so bad.

[devinjo]

Hi! I am living in Dutchess County, NY ,have spent lots of time in the Catskills and by Syracuse(etc) and have lived in Wa/OR for 9 years. We are planning to go back to the NW! The cold can be very ,very hard upstate. It is not as grey as Seattle but when it is bitter, damp,hard cold I find it even harder to deal than the NW grey. I don't even want to go outside! We could always easily get out of the grey in the NW by going up to Mt hood or by doing a weekender over the mountains. Another huge issue for our family about this region is the deer ticks and Lyme disease. We are a very outdoorsy family. We work with horses, mountain bike, hike, have a small farm with chickens and turkeys and I,dh, son, dogs and horses have all had Lyme disease several times. It is nasty and can be very debilitating and often goes misdiagonsed. That is one of the main reasons we are going back to the NW. Just giving you a heads up in that department! Best of luck in your decision!

[oktaren]

Originally Posted by devinjo

Hi! I am living in Dutchess County, NY ,have spent lots of time in the Catskills and by Syracuse(etc) and have lived in Wa/OR for 9 years. We are planning to go back to the NW! The cold can be very ,very hard upstate. It is not as grey as Seattle but when it is bitter, damp,hard cold I find it even harder to deal than the NW grey. I don't even want to go outside! We could always easily get out of the grey in the NW by going up to Mt hood or by doing a weekender over the mountains. Another huge issue for our family about this region is the deer ticks and Lyme disease. We are a very outdoorsy family. We work with horses, mountain bike, hike, have a small farm with chickens and turkeys and I,dh, son, dogs and horses have all had Lyme disease several times. It is nasty and can be very debilitating and often goes misdiagonsed. That is one of the main reasons we are going back to the NW. Just giving you a heads up in that department! Best of luck in your decision!

Well don't come to PA or WV, ticks are crazy here. Just this summer I have been bit over 50 times while working outside. I was never bit once in NY.

[RosaGneco]

That's easy! New Paltz NY. Small hippie, veggie loving, alternative lifesytle, natural/ organic healing & tree hugging town. They have a social scene while still in close proxmity to beautiful mountains/ rivers & sights. Lots of art, hiking and farms. If that's your sort of thing New Paltz should be your sort of town.

I went to SUNY New Paltz, that's how I discovered little place.

I hope this is helpful

[nutopian]

Someone posted about two eco-villages in the area.. can you give more info?

[honeychrome]

here's one:

Ecovillage at Ithaca

and this site might lead to the other(s)

Ecovillage at Ithaca

[vicarian]

honeychrome's on the right track. The other one is called White Hawk, and has started construction just south of Ithaca, in the town of Danby.

White Hawk Ecovillage

[kyly57]

If you still want to live in the Northwest, you must consider Eugene Oregon. It fits the description you want, but jobs are a little hard to find. However, if you are a vegetarian chef there is a multitude of restaraunts for you to work in. It's gorgeous there, with wonderful people, and the opportunity for many outdoor sports. There's also local natural food stores in each neighborhood. It's also a great place for families, and there's an international connection with the University of Oregon. Please check it out, it sounds like it is just what you want!

[BuffaloTransplant]

Originally Posted by Diacon33

I have been trying to figure out this cloudiness factors as well. I've been living in Seattle for about 17 years and my wife and I are looking to move to NY as well. I think the thing that stats dont say is the depth/type of cloudiness. From my review of this NY forum, the dreariness of Ithaca doesn't compare with Seattle. 1st we are further north and that loss of extra sun behind the clouds along with the added cloud thinkness in Seattle makes winter days much more oppressive. Add in the convergence zone in Seattle and it keeps clouds in place day after day between storm systems.

One other observation about cold. 20 degree cold with lower humidy is much better than a damp 30-40 which can chill a person much faster. I hope I am not wrong with my take on the information shared by so many people here in drawing my conclusion.

Contact NOAA (weather bureau) for the area you are looking at. Look at their website -- you can spend hours on different stats -- and find out what you want. If need be, you can call them; locations and #'s are there.

Good site for finding info on comfort in a site called Sperlings. Check their site and navigate to the part where you can plug in what you want and it will spit back a list of places at you. (It is consistent; I always get the same places. Fun to do)