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Just to be clear...TX is not a southern state. It is a southwestern state. Philosophically, TX identified with the "South" In the Civil War, but do not take this to mean that Texans are Southerners. They are Texans.
Texas may have it's own ideas, but that doesn't mean the government agrees. It's considered part of the Southern United States. More specifically it's in the South Central region.
What does this have to do with a boom? It is arguably a bad thing for Albany as the number of people buying groceries has stayed the same, while the number of places to buy them has increased to the detriment of locally-owned, 49% employee-owned Price Chopper.
Also Albany is not booming. 5 years ago you could make the argument that a boom was around the corner, and maybe it will be around the corner again in 5 more, but cuts to SUNY and attrition of the state work force have hurt the economy.
What does this have to do with a boom? It is arguably a bad thing for Albany as the number of people buying groceries has stayed the same, while the number of places to buy them has increased to the detriment of locally-owned, 49% employee-owned Price Chopper.
Also Albany is not booming. 5 years ago you could make the argument that a boom was around the corner, and maybe it will be around the corner again in 5 more, but cuts to SUNY and attrition of the state work force have hurt the economy.
It is more like steady growth, as the metro area has added people and some private sector jobs have been created.
Interesting data from the Department of Labor showing that unemployment rate in Capital Region is lower than national rate..this would point to steady growth which may be better than a boom.. ever heard of boom and bust?
Booming? Propaganda. That and the fact that your dad misses you...
Unless you count all the restaurants and grocery stores that have opened or are slated to be opened. But I wouldn't consider these to be places that offer a large quantity of high-paying jobs. I suppose there is some activity up in Malta with AMD and GlobalFoundries, but we are certainly no San Jose, California...
The state is trying to cut anywhere it can. School districts everywhere are under pressure to cut staff and freeze wages while they squeeze every last ounce of energy (and dime) out of their teachers and staff.
The wife and I moved back here from Florida in 2008 - we were very happy there. But only because the office where I worked in Florida was decentralized. I had seniority in another deparment with the same company in upstate NY. Also, her experience, education, and background enable her to secure employment virtually anyplace. But besides having a stable job waiting for me, the most important factor in moving back was our children, and our desire for them to grow up near their grandparents and extended family.
Other than that, if you enjoy paying state income taxes to the sinking ship that is NYS, or paying high proterty/school taxes (like $4K to $9K yearly depending on where you live and how big your house is), and living an an overly regulated (too many laws where we don't need them and not enough where we do) thanks to an incompetent state government, highly taxed, overcast and gloomy (we have more cloudy days here per capita than anywhere else than probably North Dakota), coupled with roads that have not been planned out and upgraded to handle the population growth and amount of people with cars on the road in 2012 (the roads were last functional to handle traffic capacity in this area, in...maybe 1982), well, then have at it, and c'mon back!
Me? Other than family, and the fact that I did not want to have to look for a new job in a down economy with small kids in the equation (due to the fact that the company I work for is both fiscally irresponsible and inconsistent in its planning - i.e. they spent tens of millions breaking up families and relocating people and centralizing to Florida in the late '80's, stating that the new center was state-of-the-art, and then doing an about-face and saying that they were wriong about centralization and spending hundreds of millions to decentralize to several cities in the Eastern U.S. in 2008), there is not a single thing I missed enough to move back here. For the kids' sake, I feel we did the right thing. However, I would leave again in a heartbeat for the right opportunity without a twang of guilt.
That's just my two cents. If you want a nice (generally safe) place to raise a family (if a bit vapid), and can part with the cash that you would otherwise have at your disposal had you stayed in a more affordable state, that fact that you have family here is priceless. That'd the tradeoff.
Know what? Don't take my advice. Seriously. Upon some more introspective reflection (and re-reading my old posts about Florida), I'm never happy. There are far worse places to live than updtste NY. You take the good with the bad...
Look, the Albany area, like other places has its good and bad points.
In my opinion there is a lack of jobs here for the regular person unless you work in construction, IT/Tech/Finance or for the state.
Regular jobs paying more than 12 bucks an hour are hard to find ANYWHERE, not just Albany. However, here there seems to be a real lack of jobs (clerical, administrative) that are not tied up with the state.
The customer service you get from people in administration (doctors receptionists/people working for agencies) is TERRIBLE. The people have a **** you attitude at these places.
You have some real snobs working as property managers in complexes in certain towns around Albany. One woman tried arguing with me when I was just asking for information about renting.
There are also some snobby people in general.
But there are also nice, nice friendly people. I've said it over and over that the people in my local Price Chopper are very friendly and helpful. The same for the people I have met via my son's special ed. issues over at St. Rose's College.
The only reason we'd stay here would be if my son gets special ed. services. This area is good for kids with special ed. concerns.
The customer service you get from people in administration (doctors receptionists/people working for agencies) is TERRIBLE. The people have a **** you attitude at these places.
You have some real snobs working as property managers in complexes in certain towns around Albany. One woman tried arguing with me when I was just asking for information about renting.
There are also some snobby people in general.
I was really surprised to read this since one of the things I like about the Capital Region is the down-to-earth attitudes and friendliness. I guess it depends what you're used to - perhaps you shouldn't take my opinion into account since I'm a Boston native, not exactly a place known for good service and lack of snobbery! If you are coming from the, let's say, Deep South, then this region might very well seem to have an attitude.
Interesting link to article that the Capital Region was ranked very high (18th nationally) by a business magazine regarding the qualilty of life here..
It is more like steady growth, as the metro area has added people and some private sector jobs have been created.
Again this was true at the beginning of the recession -- never had a boom, never had a bust. With state jobs on the decline in the past few years I feel it is no longer true for Albany though it continues to be for other upstate metro areas.
Interesting that nobody is willing to talk about the impending decline of Price Chopper. That will really hurt the local economy.
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If you are coming from the, let's say, Deep South, then this region might very well seem to have an attitude.
