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PeaG - where in the Boston metro do you live? I grew up in the Albany suburbs (Latham), but now live in Boston (Brookline). I'm trying to get a frame of reference to suggest a somewhat comparable town. The problem is that if you're looking for an area like Brookline, Newton in the Capital District - it may be hard.
The Capital District is set up a little differently - true urban areas with more true suburbs as opposed to the Boston metro where many of the "suburbs" are really independent towns that have been around since the 1600/1700s with their own town centers.
You do have some blue collar villages/cities that are smaller like Cohoes, Watervliet, Rensselaer and Waterford, but I don't think they are places the OP is looking for. Green Island is also similar.
I live in Saratoga and can confirm both the good schools and the walkability. Our 8 year old goes to Lake Avenue Elementary, a grand old building (it was formerly the high school) 2 blocks east of Broadway. There is quite a family community around this school and many of our best friends are parents of other "Lake Ave" kids.
I'm surprised that you are having trouble finding <$300K homes because I've observed lots of such sales in our local real estate listings. In general the East Side is more expensive than the West Side but there are big and small houses on both sides. I would advise you to rent when you first move here (there are lots of rentals since it's a college town) and get to know the neighborhoods before you buy.
I live in Saratoga and can confirm both the good schools and the walkability. Our 8 year old goes to Lake Avenue Elementary, a grand old building (it was formerly the high school) 2 blocks east of Broadway. There is quite a family community around this school and many of our best friends are parents of other "Lake Ave" kids.
I'm surprised that you are having trouble finding <$300K homes because I've observed lots of such sales in our local real estate listings. In general the East Side is more expensive than the West Side but there are big and small houses on both sides. I would advise you to rent when you first move here (there are lots of rentals since it's a college town) and get to know the neighborhoods before you buy.
I'm bumping this thread up because, while we didn't wind up doing the move in '10, we are once again considering it. The commute this time would be to Clifton Park, which I gather isn't terrible from Saratoga Springs. But it sounds like the husband's potential future firm may be moving to Albany in the near future, so I must ask: Is the daily commute from Saratoga to Albany really as bad as people on here make it out to be? Keep in mind I'm from Boston, so I'm used to going about 5 miles in an hour!
PeaG - where in the Boston metro do you live? I grew up in the Albany suburbs (Latham), but now live in Boston (Brookline). I'm trying to get a frame of reference to suggest a somewhat comparable town. The problem is that if you're looking for an area like Brookline, Newton in the Capital District - it may be hard.
The Capital District is set up a little differently - true urban areas with more true suburbs as opposed to the Boston metro where many of the "suburbs" are really independent towns that have been around since the 1600/1700s with their own town centers.
We've lived in Davis Square, Arlington, and now Brookline. I know, kinda hard to replicate!
PeaG - where in the Boston metro do you live? I grew up in the Albany suburbs (Latham), but now live in Boston (Brookline). I'm trying to get a frame of reference to suggest a somewhat comparable town. The problem is that if you're looking for an area like Brookline, Newton in the Capital District - it may be hard.
The Capital District is set up a little differently - true urban areas with more true suburbs as opposed to the Boston metro where many of the "suburbs" are really independent towns that have been around since the 1600/1700s with their own town centers.
I grew up in Boston, and I would agree with this 100%. I have come to love the Capital District, but the hardest transition for me was that there are extremely few truly walkable communities, for the very reason shiver says - the suburbs around here were BUILT as suburbs, and do not have the same town feel with a downtown, common, etc. like most Boston suburbs do. This is why we ended up buying in Albany after living in the suburbs for a few years. It has been great - my kids can walk to school, the library, convenience stores, Brueggers, pizza on their own. Now that my oldest is a teenager, she can take the bus wherever she wants to go, including the malls.
I don't expect you to consider Albany given the emphasis that you put on schools - although my kids are getting a very good education here, and in more than academics - but I would also ask you to define what you mean by good schools - good scores, lots of academic offerings, a diverse student population, many extracurriculars? Most of the districts here are very solid, and I wouldn't rule out any of the suburbs due to just schools, especially since the biggest factor in kids' academic success is their parents level of education. Some districts are small, so don't offer as much in terms of breadth of courses or varsity sports, but are very good at nurturing and one-on-one. Others have better Special Ed services. And others still are large and offer a lot, but can be cliquish and may expect a lot from SAHM, etc. Knowing a little more about what you are looking for in a school district could help with advice.
Saratoga downtown is definitely the most extensive walkable downtown like you would be used to in the Boston area. Ballston Spa is smaller but cute with some nice shops, close to Saratoga, but without the inundation of summer tourists and conference goers that Saratoga gets. Delmar is good (but not other parts of Bethlehem, which include Glenmont, Slingerlands. It can be hard to get used to the village/town structure here. All are in the Bethlehem School District, which has an excellent reputation, but only Delmar is walkable.) Glens Falls is a long drive from Albany - it is halfway between Saratoga and Lake George, but it has a revitalizing downtown. Lots of folks who would have lived in Saratoga in the past have moved up to Glens Falls, as Saratoga becomes more unaffordable. The part of Niskayuna that is called Old Niskayuna is somewhat walkable, but there are not sidewalks, which was a deal breaker for me when my kids were young.
You want to stay away from Clifton Park/Shen, despite some posters listing it here. It is one of the most unwalkable communities in the region.
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- but I would also ask you to define what you mean by good schools - good scores, lots of academic offerings, a diverse student population, many extracurriculars? Most of the districts here are very solid, and I wouldn't rule out any of the suburbs due to just schools, especially since the biggest factor in kids' academic success is their parents level of education. Some districts are small, so don't offer as much in terms of breadth of courses or varsity sports, but are very good at nurturing and one-on-one. Others have better Special Ed services. And others still are large and offer a lot, but can be cliquish and may expect a lot from SAHM, etc. Knowing a little more about what you are looking for in a school district could help with advice.
