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Hi, everyone. I've come across threads that are 5 or 10 years old addressing this topic, but I felt that I should probably make a new one rather than posting a comment in a discussion that old. I'm a single, twenty-something guy who's strongly considering moving to the Albany area, mainly because housing seems relatively affordable and Albany is in a 2-5 hour drive or bus ride from so many larger cities (I'm actually just as excited by the proximity to Montreal and Boston as to NYC) and lots of nature. I'm hoping to get a day job (bank, customer service, civil service or whatever) and use my free time I have to write a book and maybe get ocassional work as an extra in NYC. However, am I being far too optimistic about Albany? Syracuse seems like another decent option, but it's also farther from the other cities (although it's closer to Toronto, where I have relatives). In past years, I was thinking about getting out of the Northern US entirely and moving to New Mexico, but I don't think that would be a good fit for my current goals.
Yeah, Syracuse doesn't even seem to be that close to Toronto, plus I'd imagine the lake effect there to be almost as bad as Buffalo's.
Syracuse is 4 hours from Toronto by car and there are flights directly to Toronto from Hancock International Airport via Air Canada. Most of the lake effect snow in the Syracuse area hits Oswego County, north of the city the hardest. You literally can have no snowfall in the immediate Syracuse area, but (parts of) Oswego County can have whiteout conditions.
As for Albany, it is a bigger metro area, even though the city itself is smaller/has less people than Syracuse. It is just a multimodal metro area with other sizable cities in Schenectady and Troy, with Saratoga Springs also having its own scene. So, I wouldn’t count it out.
Syracuse is a bit more affordable in terms of cost of living, but as you mentioned Albany is closer to to bigger cities except for Toronto and maybe Philadelphia and DC. Albany as a metro area has a higher median household income and does have other employment sectors outside of state government.
Syracuse does allow for closer proximity to lakes(Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes are actually in the Syracuse metro area, as is Oneida Lake, which is the biggest entirely within NY State). It is also within an hour and a half from the 1000 Islands Region. So, those are some things that you may consider.
Anyway, what are you looking for in regards to a neighborhood?
Albany is pretty boring by itself but there's definitely fun things going on in Troy and Saratoga Springs. Lark Fest in Albany is a big local attraction. I have yet to find a good Chinese takeout place in Albany, although the buffet off Wolf Road isn't bad. If you like older architecture that has some character to it, you'll enjoy the Center Square neighborhood and some of the more gentrified sections of the eastern side of the city. Schenectady has been trying to pull itself out of its situation for years now and they're making some progress here and there. I love the Stockade neighborhood. It doesn't look like it belongs in Schenectady lol.
I'd rather be in Albany than Syracuse, that's for sure. Syracuse seems more run down to me than Albany.
Use the MegaBus to get cheap tickets to and from NYC. It's super convenient. Getting to Boston or Providence from Albany is a breeze too.
To answer your question, yes, Albany is really that boring. Other than after-work happy hours, the place is pretty much a ghost town after 7 pm. I moved up here about 15 years ago and am currently planning to move back to NJ. The winters are long and harsh and the social scene for singles is mostly non-existent.
The pros I guess are the job market (state jobs, colleges, hospitals) and plenty of outdoor activities if you're into skiing, hiking, camping etc. If you're looking for a place with an active social scene though I would stay closer to New Paltz, which is only an hour or so north of the city, affordable, has an active social scene and close to outdoorsy stuff.
To answer your question, yes, Albany is really that boring. Other than after-work happy hours, the place is pretty much a ghost town after 7 pm. I moved up here about 15 years ago and am currently planning to move back to NJ. The winters are long and harsh and the social scene for singles is mostly non-existent.
The pros I guess are the job market (state jobs, colleges, hospitals) and plenty of outdoor activities if you're into skiing, hiking, camping etc. If you're looking for a place with an active social scene though I would stay closer to New Paltz, which is only an hour or so north of the city, affordable, has an active social scene and close to outdoorsy stuff.
New Paltz is much smaller. Do think the social scene is that much better than that of Albany or nearby cities?
Albany is pretty boring by itself but there's definitely fun things going on in Troy and Saratoga Springs. Lark Fest in Albany is a big local attraction. I have yet to find a good Chinese takeout place in Albany, although the buffet off Wolf Road isn't bad. If you like older architecture that has some character to it, you'll enjoy the Center Square neighborhood and some of the more gentrified sections of the eastern side of the city. Schenectady has been trying to pull itself out of its situation for years now and they're making some progress here and there. I love the Stockade neighborhood. It doesn't look like it belongs in Schenectady lol.
I'd rather be in Albany than Syracuse, that's for sure. Syracuse seems more run down to me than Albany.
Use the MegaBus to get cheap tickets to and from NYC. It's super convenient. Getting to Boston or Providence from Albany is a breeze too.
Parts of Syracuse can be run down, but there are parts of the city that are very nice, that people may not realize that are a part of the city. So, it is pretty much like most American cities.
I will say that if the OP did consider Syracuse, besides the typical Armory Square(a Downtown district) response, Hanover Square(also Downtown), Franklin Square(just NW of Downtown), Westcott(an East Side neighborhood), Tipperary Hill(a West Side neighborhood with an Irish influence still) and perhaps a couple of others(North Salina Corridor/Little Italy on the North Side and the East Genesee Street Corridor in Northern University Hill/Midtown on the East Side) would be areas of the city to look into, as all of them have some degree of nightlife.
This isn’t counting other outer city areas like South Valley(south of Seneca Turnpike), Court-Woodlawn(along/north of Grant Boulevard & east of LeMoyne Ave.)(has a few bars, a pharmacy, a pizza shop, etc.), Meadowbrook(inc. Scottholm & Bradford Hills) and most of the Salt Springs neighborhoods on the East Side, Sedgwick and northern part of Lincoln Hill on the North Side, most of Eastwood(outside of a few rental buildings/complexes) (has a few bars, a theater with events, some restaurants, etc.) and most of Strathmore/Elmwood(up the hill) and Winkworth in the outer SW portion of the city. Perhaps even the Park Avenue area(east of Geddes Street) and much of the West End(aka Far West Side) on the West Side as well.
There’s always the option of walkable villages like Liverpool, Manlius, Fayetteville, North Syracuse and Baldwinsville, among others, as well.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 05-19-2018 at 08:03 PM..
Anyway, what are you looking for in regards to a neighborhood?
An area that's close to restaurants and stores and with a fair amount of young people, so probably somewhere between SUNY Albany and downtown Albany. Essentially, I don't like suburbs that much.
An area that's close to restaurants and stores and with a fair amount of young people, so probably somewhere between SUNY Albany and downtown Albany. Essentially, I don't like suburbs that much.
Center Square & Hudson/Park(inc. Lark Street) and Pine Hills are a couple that come to mind in that area.
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