Living On The "Edge" (Richmond, Cana: high crime, houses, college)

[Bass Daddy]

Hi there. My wife and I are in our early 40's. I make signs part time and do some property maintenance. My wife recently graduated college for Human Services and is looking for a job working with young kids. We're looking for a place with less harsh winters than that of upstate NY. We have read information from a lot of states here on the site and we got information overload. So I figured I'd make a thread to see if anybody knows of areas like we are looking for.

Let me first start by telling you about where we live and have lived...

Current (1995-Present): We currently live outside of Plattsburgh, NY. It's in the north eastern corner of NY state just south of Canada and right across the "pond" (Lake Champlain) from Vermont. It seems most houses around here go from 80k to 150k. We live in the country but are just 5 minutes from town. We have most of the chain stores and restaurants there. We have one hospital (which I am not crazy about). Lake Champlain has some great fishing which I love. It's nice here but the economy is not the greatest. The winters here are long and cold. We don't even see green grass til the end of April usually. Our summers can get humid but I can deal with some of it. Our evenings are usually cool.

Summer of 2009: We spent a couple months just outside (we tend to the outskirts) of San Antonio in Canyon Lake, TX. We loved how we could go into San Antonio and always find something different to do and see. We met some nice people. I didn't mind the heat there that summer. It was dry heat. Not too humid like NY. The land and rivers were mostly dried up. Being an avid outdoor guy who enjoys fishing and ATVs, I hated that. We decided that the area wasn't for us.

Pre-1995: We grew up and lived in the outskirts of Waterford, NY (she grew up in Troy, NY) more towards Halfmoon. This is on the outskirts of the Capital District (Albany, Troy, and Schenectady). We go there often and will use this place as a stepping stone towards moving south while she finishes up some of her Early Childhood certifications. We love how we can be anywhere in the Capital District within 30 minutes. There is lots to do. Great shopping. Many great places to eat. Good fishing. The weather there is much like that of Plattsburgh but a little warmer. The green grass comes around a month sooner and the winters are warmer. They get more snow than us typically. The summers can be very humid at times like here in Plattsburgh. The economy is great and everything is busy. But again...we want a shorter winter. I like longer springs and falls myself. My wife likes the heat as she is small and always cold...lol.


Not To Distant Future: We'd like to find a nice place (not Northern VA) where can live just outside a nice booming area with lots to do and much to offer. We don't mind a diverse population. However, we don't want to be minorities either. We're a middle class white family. We are by no means racist, it's just what we prefer. Our daughter is 19 and "undecided" right now. We want good opportunity and friendly people around. We don't want to live way out in the country. We like the edges of fun and booming places. Having great places within 1-3 hours to vacation or go to once in a while is great too. You can get burnt out on one area. Good fishing is a must. We don't want to live near any high crime areas. We don't care about clubbing, partying, and nightlife. We like country music, fishing, and cookouts!


So then, if you've taken the time to read this and know of some places that might fit our bill...then please let us know. All of your help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Jamey & Dena

[Bass Daddy]

Please remove this thread. I posted it in the wrong forum and have since reposted it in the Richmond Forum. I will now report it with the same request as not to spam.

Thanks,

Jamey