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South Colonie is the most diverse suburb in terms of having all races and socioeconomic levels on one block. It is still mostly white like most the suburbs seem to be but it seems to be one of the least racist parts because you have some of everyone. I have been to Raleigh but only about 5 days. I don't know enough to really say much about it. I think they have a bit in common but the culture there is more Southern and you aren't super close to a major city.
South Colonie is the most diverse suburb in terms of having all races and socioeconomic levels on one block. It is still mostly white like most the suburbs seem to be but it seems to be one of the least racist parts because you have some of everyone. I have been to Raleigh but only about 5 days. I don't know enough to really say much about it. I think they have a bit in common but the culture there is more Southern and you aren't super close to a major city.
Yeah, I was going to mention South Colonie and it is one of the more diverse suburban school districts in the area. North Colonie is up there as well. One has more Black students(South Colonie) and one has more Asians(southern and eastern Asian)(North Colonie), but both have a good amount of both groups. I believe that South Colonie has a few Hispanics too. Can't forget Niskayuna. Saratoga Springs has some as well.
You also have blue collar/more working class small cities like Cohoes, Rensselaer and Watervliet, as well as the village of Menands(I believe they end up at North Colonie's Shaker High for HS) also have a good volume of diversity. Suburban/small town areas like Guilderland, Rotterdam, East Greenbush, Clifton Park, Bethlehem, Green Island, Ballston Spa and Ravena have lower volumes of diversity in their schools. Then, the rest pretty much have below 2% of each minority group in their schools, give or take.
Many of the private schools have at least a decent volume of diversity too. Actually, Bishop Maginn HS in Albany is predominantly minority, if not predominantly Black. That school may be threatening to close in a couple of years though.
I thought of another question.. I've seen that the air and water quality are really great there, much better than Austin or Raleigh. I've checked various websites for this, including city-data, sperlings, and the american lung association. I've also read some articles about potential fracking issues. It's always good to know what concerns locals have about their environment.
Fracking isn't going to be an issue in the Albany area, from what I know and certain watersheds will not be tampered with. I know that this is the case in the Syracuse area.
Do you mean that fracking will be an issue in Syracuse? Or like Albany, it won't be an issue? I think I read something about the Marcellus (sp?) Shale being primarily west of Albany.. so maybe you mean that Syracuse would be affected..
Do you mean that fracking will be an issue in Syracuse? Or like Albany, it won't be an issue? I think I read something about the Marcellus (sp?) Shale being primarily west of Albany.. so maybe you mean that Syracuse would be affected..
Thanks again, this is such useful info.
No, Syracuse will not be affected due to the watershed. Many people get their water from the Finger Lakes or Lake Ontario, depending on the area of the metro. Ironically, the town and village of Marcellus is only 9 miles or so from Syracuse.
I grew up about 4 hours south in PA, where we had 4 distinct seasons. Is it like that in Albany, or is it more like 6 months of winter and the other 3 seasons are smooshed into the other 6 months? I really miss Fall.
We have an incredibly wonderful fall here. I grew up in eastern Massachusetts, and the fall is similar here except with more hills and mountains, the color is even better. We have great fall apples an cider donuts, which I had never heard of until I moved here.
In normal years (this year has been incredibly warm), I would say winter lasts from December-March. March is incredibly dreary. It can still be cold in April and sometimes even May, but there isn't usually snow. Flowers and buds start coming out in mid-April. The season we really don't have much of here is spring. It seems like we have a couple of weeks of spring and then it gets hot.
Here's a general question - if you could choose anywhere in the general area to live, where would that be? Live in Schenectady and work in Albany? Live in Saratoga Springs? You know, if you weren't tied down by any restrictions. We certainly have limitations in terms of money and schools and stuff, but I think it's interesting to see what people's "ideal" location would be and why.
I've also noticed on sperlings that the violent crime rate in Albany and Schenectady are both much higher than Austin's, but the property crime is lower. This surprised me. Does it feel safer or less safe in any particular cities or towns?
Thanks again for the responses. This has been great.
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