Albany, I love it to death- But I want to hear the cons. (Schenectady: apartments)

[BPerone201]

Hey guys, I'm a regular on CD so I know how vague these kinds of threads can be, so I will give you some background so I can receive the best of help.

I'm living in a northern most neighborhood in Newark, NJ or college (for now) and I've been looking at upstate NY for the longest time (It's my favorite region of the US ). The neighborhood I live in is nice, but characteristically suburban, though the PT is great. The only reason I live here is because one of the nicer areas where $800/mo for a 1bd is doable.

Anyway, here's the issues I'm having.
-I work 40 hours a week, but more than half of the hours are squeezed into the weekend- So with college and all, my social life is shot.
-I have little money left over for myself after I pay rent.
-I recently went through a 3 year relationship break up, That crushed me.
-I could move back home, but my mother is moving to Delaware (I feel like my whole family is slowly moving there)... Nothing against Delaware, but no thanks.
-My friends all live with their parents still.

I'm becoming very stressed. My Home town is about 15 miles away from where I live/work, so it's rare when friends are willing to go out of their way to see me in Newark- I'm the one that has to make the trip, and I really don't always have the time or desire to go there. Basically, all I have is my Doberman .
I've regretted my decision to move out so quick (at 18) so please don't remind me, there's nothing I can do about that decision anymore.

I've taken frequent trips to Albany, and I loved the vibe, architecture, and location- It's COL is a lot more doable as well. The salary I make now isn't any different to what I can find in Albany, I just want a 1 bdrm apartment for at most $650/mo (I have good credit). I also lived in Troy during middle school, so I know a few people in the area, and I will transfer to Hudson County CC.
Basically, I want to have some extra money for myself- $650/Mo in NNJ that will allow my Doberman to live with me is impossible.


Can anyone give me a list of cons about the city?
I saw the rundown neighborhoods in Albany, but that doesn't really bother me all that much, as long as I'm not living there. I just want to hear some advice from the locals.
I've heard about the "student ghetto" and how the student population are heavy drinkers. How true is this? Is Center Square pet friendly? Is the city racially tolerant? Does being NY's state capital cause a lot of corruption?
Any other cons? I want to come there knowing what I'm getting myself into.

I move there in January.
Thanks in advance!!

[jaykibs]

The "student ghetto" in Pine Hills, near the College of Saint Rose and the UAlbany Alumni Quad, is a heavy drinking area and can be very loud on weekends. Additionally, Madison Ave sees quite a bit of ambulance traffic with the hospital being on New Scotland just down the street, and the garage being on Quail St (I used to live at Madison and Quail and called sirens the 'music of Albany'). It's a nice area to walk around, drunk students or no drunk students, but it can be loud and quite obnoxious.

I'm not sure how pet-friendly Center Square is. The two apartments I've had there have allowed pets, though, with a little more per month or upfront.

I don't think there is any more 'corruption' in Albany than most places. It has a bad reputation just for being the capital of a state with an incompetent government, but it doesn't have much affect on the city itself unless you are a politician or otherwise connected to them.

The region itself has a huge problem with suburban sprawl and neglect of the cities, but of the three (Alb, Troy and Schenectady), Albany is certainly the nicest and most functioning. It has had some affect on quality of life issues, but really no more than any other American city. It's a step up from Newark to be sure. (I'll be in Newark this afternoon actually, getting picked up by a close friend with whom my partner and I will stay a few days in Kearny. She's in a similar situation: that was all she and her bf could afford, her father wouldn't allow her to live in Newark and they'll both be moving to Upstate NY, north of Glens Falls, soon.)

I've lived here for two years, and I would like to move to a larger city with better transit, but I've decided to stay in the city through grad school. Even with the desire to move, and my own gripes about the city, I still have no problem committing to anther 1.5-2 years in Center Square. It does provide a really nice life for us, lots of local restaurants and bars for us to haunt, parks, museums, beautiful neighborhoods. Overall, I think you'd really enjoy it. Good luck with everything!

[BPerone201]

Originally Posted by jaykibs

The "student ghetto" in Pine Hills, near the College of Saint Rose and the UAlbany Alumni Quad, is a heavy drinking area and can be very loud on weekends. Additionally, Madison Ave sees quite a bit of ambulance traffic with the hospital being on New Scotland just down the street, and the garage being on Quail St (I used to live at Madison and Quail and called sirens the 'music of Albany'). It's a nice area to walk around, drunk students or no drunk students, but it can be loud and quite obnoxious.

I'm not sure how pet-friendly Center Square is. The two apartments I've had there have allowed pets, though, with a little more per month or upfront.

I don't think there is any more 'corruption' in Albany than most places. It has a bad reputation just for being the capital of a state with an incompetent government, but it doesn't have much affect on the city itself unless you are a politician or otherwise connected to them.

The region itself has a huge problem with suburban sprawl and neglect of the cities, but of the three (Alb, Troy and Schenectady), Albany is certainly the nicest and most functioning. It has had some affect on quality of life issues, but really no more than any other American city. It's a step up from Newark to be sure. (I'll be in Newark this afternoon actually, getting picked up by a close friend with whom my partner and I will stay a few days in Kearny. She's in a similar situation: that was all she and her bf could afford, her father wouldn't allow her to live in Newark and they'll both be moving to Upstate NY, north of Glens Falls, soon.)

I've lived here for two years, and I would like to move to a larger city with better transit, but I've decided to stay in the city through grad school. Even with the desire to move, and my own gripes about the city, I still have no problem committing to anther 1.5-2 years in Center Square. It does provide a really nice life for us, lots of local restaurants and bars for us to haunt, parks, museums, beautiful neighborhoods. Overall, I think you'd really enjoy it. Good luck with everything!

Thanks for taking the time to respond.
+1

Center Square is generally where I'm looking, so this is good to hear.