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My husband and I are thinking about moving further
north to the northern country of new york. Our
main concerns are dealing with the cold winters and
being homebound and bored for 6 months or more.
We currently live and grew up in the Albany, NY area where we seem to be hermits for 6 months of the year, but wer'e used to it. However, we don't want
to make it worse by going further north. Canton is about four hours north of Albany and we wer'e wondering if the winter's were extremely colder?
Also, during the warmer months, we like to go camping with our children (ages 5&10) and would
like to have a seasonal site near a beutiful body of water. Any suggestions? I noticed the Cranberry Lake area has camping areas. Any comments?
From what I read, the schools are excellent. We like
small schools that instill good morals and standards for the children. Do you think the Canton schools provide such benefits?[/quote]
I live in Glens Falls, lived in Albany for 2 years... it was horrid...another story!
Anyway...
I also have family up near Canton. Yes, it's cold in the Winter, however the people there are so used to it, it doesn't bother them. Life goes on. Everything does seem to 'stop' in Albany when it snows, or rains, etc. It's not like that up there. It's just like "Oh, okay, it's snowing... let's get going..." Everyone is extremely friendly, it's a nice little community, everyone helps each other.
There are TONS of camping areas around there. My uncle owns a camp on a nearby lake, he has for over 20 years. When we visited we were always at a beach, or on a boat in the lake, etc.
There is no perfect place, that's for sure, but in my experience, it's pretty close. They are hard working people up there, mostly farmers, so the kids learn about hard work at a very young age, morals and that you have to work together to survive.
I live in Glens Falls, lived in Albany for 2 years... it was horrid...another story!
Anyway...
I also have family up near Canton. Yes, it's cold in the Winter, however the people there are so used to it, it doesn't bother them. Life goes on. Everything does seem to 'stop' in Albany when it snows, or rains, etc. It's not like that up there. It's just like "Oh, okay, it's snowing... let's get going..." Everyone is extremely friendly, it's a nice little community, everyone helps each other.
There are TONS of camping areas around there. My uncle owns a camp on a nearby lake, he has for over 20 years. When we visited we were always at a beach, or on a boat in the lake, etc.
There is no perfect place, that's for sure, but in my experience, it's pretty close. They are hard working people up there, mostly farmers, so the kids learn about hard work at a very young age, morals and that you have to work together to survive.
Just my experience there!
Just out of curiosity, I am retiring in another year and am strongly thinking of moving to upstate NY for at least half of the year. Glens Falls was one of the areas I was thinking about. Any info good or bad to share? I thought I read on another thread that Glens Falls had a bit of crime. For me, if not Glens Falls, then maybe Plattsburgh area. Anything would be appreciated.
Well, I've been in the area my entire life, and the crime here is definitely on the rise. Very much so. You'll be retired, so you wont have to worry about a job (which there are very few). Let's just say, in the last 15 or so years, I went from never having to lock my doors, to not even being able to leave my car in my driveway without locking them. The entire demographic is changing. Drugs are getting to be a MAJOR problem here, and you know that where drugs are, crime is right there. I'm actually in the process of finishing my education so I can get OUT of here. It's not the quaint little town it used to be. I would suggest Saratoga. They are extremely community oriented. I'm not sure about the rate of crime there, but I believe it's considerably less.
Well, I've been in the area my entire life, and the crime here is definitely on the rise. Very much so. You'll be retired, so you wont have to worry about a job (which there are very few). Let's just say, in the last 15 or so years, I went from never having to lock my doors, to not even being able to leave my car in my driveway without locking them. The entire demographic is changing. Drugs are getting to be a MAJOR problem here, and you know that where drugs are, crime is right there. I'm actually in the process of finishing my education so I can get OUT of here. It's not the quaint little town it used to be. I would suggest Saratoga. They are extremely community oriented. I'm not sure about the rate of crime there, but I believe it's considerably less.
Thanks for the info. I was really surprised to hear that.
Well, I've been in the area my entire life, and the crime here is definitely on the rise. Very much so. You'll be retired, so you wont have to worry about a job (which there are very few). Let's just say, in the last 15 or so years, I went from never having to lock my doors, to not even being able to leave my car in my driveway without locking them. The entire demographic is changing. Drugs are getting to be a MAJOR problem here, and you know that where drugs are, crime is right there. I'm actually in the process of finishing my education so I can get OUT of here. It's not the quaint little town it used to be. I would suggest Saratoga. They are extremely community oriented. I'm not sure about the rate of crime there, but I believe it's considerably less.
Is the crime problem from the locals? Or is it being imported from someplace else like NYC? Would you say that there are areas that you wouldn't be in at night? You mentioned Saratoga as a better alternative. There seems to be a short distance between them. So Saratoga is a safer place? Thanks.
I am happy to hear you are thinking of moving to Canton, and the North Country in general. I was born and raised there (born in Watertown raised in Gouverneur-about 25 miles south of Canton). I love it SO much, but my husband is in medical school, so we won't be going back any time soon. Maybe when we retire.
It is very cold in the winter. Since it isn't near one of the lakes, it gets much colder than even Watertown. By cold I mean that when I was in school, we didn't get cancelled when it was 10-20 below zero. We would only have a 2 hour delay! And it STAYS cold for a long while. BUT I lived in Syracuse and currently live in Buffalo, and I don't think they get the amount of snow as Syracuse. (BTW...Buffalo doesn't either, contrary to popular belief!!!) So that might be some relief if you are worried about the winter.
Canton is probably one of the nicer towns to live in, in St. Lawrence Co. I wouldn't say it is a booming metropolis, but it is a cute little village with a couple of bars, and the last time I was there...about 1 "nice" restaurant not counting Pizza Hut (McCarthy's). But Potsdam, Ogdensburg and Massena are within an hour of Canton, so they have more to choose from. I grew up in Gouverneur, and you will probably hear that is not one of the better towns. It is very poor, and there is REALLY nothing to it economically.
BUT despite all of that, the people are AMAZING!! Because the whole county has only about 150,000 people (or less??) you are very much part of a community. People will treat you well because everyone knows each other and word gets around very quickly. And living in Canton, you will see lots of Amish folks, as there is a large Amish community right outside of Canton going towards Ogdensburg. They are great people, and make AMAZING pies, jellies, cheese curd and other great homemade goodies. Watch out for buggies on Sunday.
I hope this helps. Don't freak out about the cold. Get yourself a snow mobile and some ice fishing gear and ENJOY!!!
Well, the crime is definitely transplanted from downstate, much of it from Albany. Drugs have become a HUGE problem... HUGE, which is mainly coming from Albany and/or NYC. Albany really took a hit when NYC drug dealers started coming up to Albany. It's horribly dangerous now. It went down quickly too. Then, it just began migrating upstate.
The Washington County Jail moved to Hudson Falls (right next to Glens Falls), and it seems as though they get out of jail, and end up staying here! It used to be such a beautiful, quaint little town, now you see crack-heads wandering the streets, hear screaming constantly, the wonderful deafening car stereos all the time. Everyday now you read serious crimes in the paper, and they're all 'from Albany, the Bronx, etc.'
It's always been fairly safe, but I don't doubt the locals are now starting to get into the crime too. Again, the drugs are rampant here.
my family is in Lisbon, on a farm. As a kid it was so wonderful! I would love seeing the Amish go by on their buggy. Everyone knew everyone, and if they didn't know you, they made it clear that they 'wanted' to, and were extremely friendly! I really miss going up there.
Hi Key, it's nice to see you on this thread. You touched on a something that happened to my hometown, and change the demographics. I'm from Auburn, and as everyone knows, there is a max security prison, which has always been there. The difference being that the trend has changed in the past 20 years or so, and when the men get out, they don't always return to their old neighborhoods (and in all fairness, sometimes their probation requirements won't allow them to). Instead, they stay in Auburn or the general area. Maybe these guys have cleaned up their act - or maybe not. Th point is, you have a demographic you would not have had if it were not for the prison. Another aspect of this is that many of these convicts, who are in for a long time, will have their extended families move to Auburn, so their loved ones will be able to visit them, keep in close contact, etc. That is very heart-warming and all, but sometimes the family itself has issues and baggage, and they are not positively contributing to the community.
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Re: Moving from Albany...
