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Hello,
I am a high school art teacher, for 8 years now, and my husband is finishing up his nursing degree. We have three young children and are looking to move to a place where we can get more house for the money, not be too hot in the summers, or so snowed in we can't go anywhere. We are also looking for cute downtowns with cultural influences like Indian restaurants and art galleries or museums. We are curious is Niskayuna would be a good move for us???
-Is is really difficult to find a teaching job in that area?
-What is the view of teachers? Do they have pension plans? Is NY a union state?
-Are nurses in demand?
-Does anyone know what salaries we could expect?
-We are hoping to be able to purchase a home for $245K and be really pleased with it...in NJ, especially near where I teach, we would be settling majorly and would have to cut corners to make it.
Is there anyone on here who did something similar and loved their decision or hated it?
Thank you to all who post, we have been looking at other states and areas for years now, just trying to see where we belong, and, that only tells us one thing- NOT NEW JERSEY.
Niskayuna would probably work in the areas near the Upper Union Area of Schenectady/"Old" Niskayuna. Saratoga Springs might be an even better fit due to being very walkable. Delmar might be another community to consider. All are in very good school districts too.
I'm not sure about teachers, but health care is an industry that is doing fine in any metro in Upstate NY.
NY is a union state and teachers generally are paid well here, from what I hear.
Hello,
I am a high school art teacher, for 8 years now, and my husband is finishing up his nursing degree. We have three young children and are looking to move to a place where we can get more house for the money, not be too hot in the summers, or so snowed in we can't go anywhere. We are also looking for cute downtowns with cultural influences like Indian restaurants and art galleries or museums. We are curious is Niskayuna would be a good move for us???
-Is is really difficult to find a teaching job in that area?
-What is the view of teachers? Do they have pension plans? Is NY a union state?
-Are nurses in demand?
-Does anyone know what salaries we could expect?
-We are hoping to be able to purchase a home for $245K and be really pleased with it...in NJ, especially near where I teach, we would be settling majorly and would have to cut corners to make it.
Is there anyone on here who did something similar and loved their decision or hated it?
Thank you to all who post, we have been looking at other states and areas for years now, just trying to see where we belong, and, that only tells us one thing- NOT NEW JERSEY.
Several things to consider if you move to NY.
I believe that Teachers are required to have a Master's degree (someone correct me if I am wrong).
NYS taxes are extremely high, which may affect how much home you can purchase.
The snow isn't that bad in that part of NY, but you will definitely want air conditioning to stay cool in the summer. It can be very hot/humid in the summers.
I don't live there now, but I grew up in Schenectady/Niskayuna. That whole upstate NY area is a great place to grow up!
I believe that Teachers are required to have a Master's degree (someone correct me if I am wrong).
NYS taxes are extremely high, which may affect how much home you can purchase.
The snow isn't that bad in that part of NY, but you will definitely want air conditioning to stay cool in the summer. It can be very hot/humid in the summers.
I don't live there now, but I grew up in Schenectady/Niskayuna. That whole upstate NY area is a great place to grow up!
With the taxes, the issue is the rate. You can still get a decent to nice home for about 150k in almost any school district in the area, if not every school district. You can't say that in many other states and Upstate NY is different than many areas in the Northeast in that regard.
Thank you all for your help. I do already have a Masters Degree in Teaching, so, thankfully that shouldn't be a hold up. It is interesting to hear that it gets very hot and humid up there...that was one of the things I was trying move away from (the hot sun and heat...) Has anyone heard of what kind of salaries teachers make in that area? I would need to make $59K to see the financial benefit of the move...that is what I make right now.
Thank you all for your help. I do already have a Masters Degree in Teaching, so, thankfully that shouldn't be a hold up. It is interesting to hear that it gets very hot and humid up there...that was one of the things I was trying move away from (the hot sun and heat...) Has anyone heard of what kind of salaries teachers make in that area? I would need to make $59K to see the financial benefit of the move...that is what I make right now.
Well, the cost of living is probably lower in a general sense. So, you probably can get away with making less, but you could probably get that salary.
As for being, hot and humid, what offsets that is that temps tend to be lower and you usually get a breeze. It can be a pain at times, but is is no where near as hot and humid like the South nor does the area get extreme temps like many places in the Southwest.
Also, is the Albany area the only area you are interested in when looking at Upstate NY? Keep in mind, even with the snowfall, it gets taken care of in a timely manner and life goes on as usual up here. So, don't let the snow deter you. Snowfall can vary within a metro area too. From what you are looking for, I can think of some other areas in Upstate NY you would probably like.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 11-16-2010 at 08:11 AM..
We are open to suggestions! We have also looked into Ballston Spa, Ephratah, Johnstown, Cohoes, West Sand Lake, Amsterdam, Argyle, and even Keene, NH...
We want a safe, yet cultural town/village, with a downtown, good restaurants, good schools, friendly, cooler weather, the beauty of NY, some space and nature, but not so far out that it takes a drive to get anywhere...
We are open to suggestions! We have also looked into Ballston Spa, Ephratah, Johnstown, Cohoes, West Sand Lake, Amsterdam, Argyle, and even Keene, NH...
We want a safe, yet cultural town/village, with a downtown, good restaurants, good schools, friendly, cooler weather, the beauty of NY, some space and nature, but not so far out that it takes a drive to get anywhere...
There are plenty of those in Upstate NY. Off the top of my head, Ithaca, Oneonta, Canandaigua, Lockport, Brockport, Plattsburgh, Clinton, Brighton, DeWitt(Orvilton area), Corning, Pittsford and Fayetteville, among some others. For instance, Plattsburgh is only an hour from Montreal and you can see plenty of French Canadians in town. There is a SUNY campus there too. Oneonta has 2 4 year colleges. Clinton has a college and is a suburb of Utica, which is a pretty diverse city. Canandaigua is in the Finger Lakes and is close to Rochester and Geneva, which is a diverse little city with Hobart College. Brockport has a college and is a suburb of Rochester. Brighton is another Rochester suburb that has diversity and is close to a few colleges. DeWitt is a Syracuse suburb that is close to 2 colleges, has a dense area around the Orvilton neighborhood and has some diversity as well. Corning has Corning Inc., which has a diverse workforce and the Gaffer District in it's Downtown. Lockport has been revamping it's Downtown and is close to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Fayetteville is a nice Syracuse suburb next to DeWitt and has a nice business district, as well as nearby Manlius(F-M schools are very good too).There are probably some others I'm forgetting, but there are options.
Wow! that was a lot! thanks so much! I guess now the question is will I be able to find a job?! lol
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