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I received a job offer to work in Troy, NY for $82-84k. Right now I am making $60k in Central IL. Just wanted to get the inside scoop of the area. I did visit the area for a weekend and the area seemed old, depressed and property taxes seemed high, even for someone who lives in Illinois. East Greenbush, Averill Park and Clifton Park seemed nice. However, I also can't shake the feeling that I should look for work in North Carolina Research Triangle Area although I do not work in tech the area seems to be booming right now.
If I can find a decent home, 1800 sqft minimum in a relatively safe area with decent schools, for 200k or less that would be great. I am willing to drive within a 30 minute radius of Troy. I am even willing to live in modular/manufactured community if the people are nice and friendly. I actually prefer rural to urban living myself
Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks for your help.
I received a job offer to work in Troy, NY for $82-84k. Right now I am making $60k in Central IL. Just wanted to get the inside scoop of the area. I did visit the area for a weekend and the area seemed old, depressed and property taxes seemed high, even for someone who lives in Illinois. East Greenbush, Averill Park and Clifton Park seemed nice. However, I also can't shake the feeling that I should look for work in North Carolina Research Triangle Area although I do not work in tech the area seems to be booming right now.
If I can find a decent home, 1800 sqft minimum in a relatively safe area with decent schools, for 200k or less that would be great. I am willing to drive within a 30 minute radius of Troy. I am even willing to live in modular/manufactured community if the people are nice and friendly. I actually prefer rural to urban living myself
Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks for your help.
Given that income, I would consider the area. Where exactly did you go within the area?
It is an older area in terms of development and there are other suburban options in the area that are nice.
Property taxes will be higher, but overall housing prices in relation to pay can actually be an overall housing bargain, as illustrated in the 4th section of this site: https://www.nahb.org/research/housin...ity-index.aspx
RTP all the way. I have lived in both areas and am from Albany originally. Your initial impressions of the area are correct. Which is sad because there's actually been a lot of renovation and investment in the area, Troy specifically.
The good thing is that if you do like rural living like you say you do, rural living in those surrounding areas of the Capital Region are a bit nicer than the rural areas outside of Raleigh in my opinion. Southern rural areas tend to be a bit more poor and it shows. However, if you like small town/somewhat ruralish living, Apex, Holly Springs, and Fuquay-Varina could all work well for you. Lots of cheaper brand new housing and very friendly neighbors.
If you care about the value of your property (appreciation) you'll want to be in the RTP area. Hit me with any specific questions you have!
I spent 1 day driving to several places to get a quick general vibe. Brunswick, Averill Park, Wyantskill, Clifton Park. I drove through Albany and my hotel and job was in Troy. I hear Menands might be ok along with Niskayuna.
I do not have any offers in NC but my former boss who I have great respect for wants me to come and work in Troy.
RTP all the way. I have lived in both areas and am from Albany originally. Your initial impressions of the area are correct. Which is sad because there's actually been a lot of renovation and investment in the area, Troy specifically.
The good thing is that if you do like rural living like you say you do, rural living in those surrounding areas of the Capital Region are a bit nicer than the rural areas outside of Raleigh in my opinion. Southern rural areas tend to be a bit more poor and it shows. However, if you like small town/somewhat ruralish living, Apex, Holly Springs, and Fuquay-Varina could all work well for you. Lots of cheaper brand new housing and very friendly neighbors.
If you care about the value of your property (appreciation) you'll want to be in the RTP area. Hit me with any specific questions you have!
Do you think the area will bounce back?
Went toa bar in Wyantskill and was surprised at how friendly people seemed. I am also a big hockey fan and want my son to play lol
^ Just to add, the area is actually seeing steady population growth and Saratoga County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state.
I’d say that there are many areas like Bethlehem, Colonie and Guilderland outside of Albany that are nice that you didn’t get a chance to check out.
I spent 1 day driving to several places to get a quick general vibe. Brunswick, Averill Park, Wyantskill, Clifton Park. I drove through Albany and my hotel and job was in Troy. I hear Menands might be ok along with Niskayuna.
I do not have any offers in NC but my former boss who I have great respect for wants me to come and work in Troy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TightNinja
Do you think the area will bounce back?
Went toa bar in Wyantskill and was surprised at how friendly people seemed. I am also a big hockey fan and want my son to play lol
It all really depends on what you're looking for.
The further away you go from the larger cities (Albany, Troy, etc) the friendlier the people are (usually), just like any area.
The thing is, unless you have a solid housing budget, you're either going to pay really high rent for a newer apartment in a newer development, or you're going to be buying an older home that needs upgrades and stuff like that. Couple that with the high property taxes and the maintenance costs of owning an older home, it's not a fun lifestyle. Homeownership is more of a headache up there than it is down south (yes, I own property in both areas).
As far as do I think the area will bounce back, yes and no. Yes in the sense that some progress has been made already. No because literally the growth is so much lower compared to basically any area down south that's near a New South city (Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte, Nashville, etc). Saratoga County and Rensselaer County are the only areas that see any notable growth. By notable I mean not really that impressive but "growth" nonetheless. And the ONLY reason why is because of the one tech plant in Saratoga County and the Regeneron plant in Rensselaer County.
The benefit of living in the Albany/Troy area is there's been lots of gentrification in those areas and that salary can make for a great place to rent something spectacular in a trendy neighborhood. Another benefit is that when the economy tanks, Albany is the capital of the state and is somewhat more insulated from the effects of a recession than other upstate cities are.
Life is just a lot easier down in Raleigh. Even if you only made $70K down there, you could comfortably rent or own a nice, newer house with all the updated amenities most people want. You could live downtown, near the college area, or near any of the other in town more walkable neighborhoods. Plenty of more rural areas to choose from like I mentioned in my previous post. But the fact that you'll likely make more than that just adds to the fact that you'll be able to have a much nicer quality of life down there compared to Troy. Overall, people are friendlier down there (more approachable than people in Albany are). The RTP area has so many tech, healthcare, and education institutions that you never really need to worry about a disastrous local economic collapse. If you like the beach you can hop on 40 and be in Wilmington in 2 hours (super easy drive, 70 most of the way with virtually no traffic). If traveling via plane is important to you, you have wayyyyyy more options flying out of RTP than you do from Albany.
Ckhthankgod is right to point out the positives of the Albany area, I can't fault him on that. But even if I absolutely LOVED the Albany area myself, there's just no way around the fact that RTP is better. I'm not saying I absolutely HATE the area, but I would feel wrong telling you that moving to Troy instead of RTP is a good idea.
The further away you go from the larger cities (Albany, Troy, etc) the friendlier the people are (usually), just like any area.
The thing is, unless you have a solid housing budget, you're either going to pay really high rent for a newer apartment in a newer development, or you're going to be buying an older home that needs upgrades and stuff like that. Couple that with the high property taxes and the maintenance costs of owning an older home, it's not a fun lifestyle. Homeownership is more of a headache up there than it is down south (yes, I own property in both areas).
As far as do I think the area will bounce back, yes and no. Yes in the sense that some progress has been made already. No because literally the growth is so much lower compared to basically any area down south that's near a New South city (Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte, Nashville, etc). Saratoga County and Rensselaer County are the only areas that see any notable growth. By notable I mean not really that impressive but "growth" nonetheless. And the ONLY reason why is because of the one tech plant in Saratoga County and the Regeneron plant in Rensselaer County.
The benefit of living in the Albany/Troy area is there's been lots of gentrification in those areas and that salary can make for a great place to rent something spectacular in a trendy neighborhood. Another benefit is that when the economy tanks, Albany is the capital of the state and is somewhat more insulated from the effects of a recession than other upstate cities are.
Life is just a lot easier down in Raleigh. Even if you only made $70K down there, you could comfortably rent or own a nice, newer house with all the updated amenities most people want. You could live downtown, near the college area, or near any of the other in town more walkable neighborhoods. Plenty of more rural areas to choose from like I mentioned in my previous post. But the fact that you'll likely make more than that just adds to the fact that you'll be able to have a much nicer quality of life down there compared to Troy. Overall, people are friendlier down there (more approachable than people in Albany are). The RTP area has so many tech, healthcare, and education institutions that you never really need to worry about a disastrous local economic collapse. If you like the beach you can hop on 40 and be in Wilmington in 2 hours (super easy drive, 70 most of the way with virtually no traffic). If traveling via plane is important to you, you have wayyyyyy more options flying out of RTP than you do from Albany.
Ckhthankgod is right to point out the positives of the Albany area, I can't fault him on that. But even if I absolutely LOVED the Albany area myself, there's just no way around the fact that RTP is better. I'm not saying I absolutely HATE the area, but I would feel wrong telling you that moving to Troy instead of RTP is a good idea.
I think the thing is that there are other places in the area besides Troy that the OP could consider. That is why I asked them where did they go within the area, as that could have played a part in their observations. From what they stated, it looks like they missed a lot of places within the area that are nice, within a reasonable commute and are quite popular. For instance, the town of Colonie has about 83,000 people and is a town that the OP didn't even visit. So, while I'm not saying where to go either way, it is tough to make a judgment about the area, when they only went to a few select viable options and most of those options aren't even that well populated. Albany and Schenectady counties have also had some population growth recently as well.
I also say this, because where they are likely coming from(a region with places like Peoria, Springfield, Bloomington(State Farm HQ's)-Normal(where Illinois State is located), Decatur, etc.), a move to the Albany area, dare I say, may be an upgrade in terms of multiple factors. For instance, you can be in NYC and Boston within 2/2 and a half hours. In regards to NYC, you can actually take a train and not have to worry about parking. You have multiple small mountain ranges within a short drive(Adirondacks, Catskills, Berkshires, Taconics, Green Mountains, etc.). You have a nice resort town like Lake George, which also has a lakeside beach. There are some nice, quaint communities that one could visit as well. There are other things, but all of this will depend on what one prefers.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 11-21-2019 at 10:22 AM..
I think the thing is that there are other places in the area besides Troy that the OP could consider. That is why I asked them where did they go within the area, as that could have played a part in their observations. From what they stated, it looks like they missed a lot of places within the area that are nice, within a reasonable commute and are quite popular. For instance, the town of Colonie has about 83,000 people and is a town that the OP didn't even visit. So, while I'm not saying where to go either way, it is tough to make a judgment about the area, when they only went to a few select viable options and most of those options aren't even that well populated. Albany and Schenectady counties have also had some population growth recently as well.
I also say this, because where they are likely coming from(a region with places like Peoria, Springfield, Bloomington(State Farm HQ's)-Normal(where Illinois State is located), Decatur, etc.), a move to the Albany area, dare I say, may be an upgrade in terms of multiple factors. For instance, you can be in NYC and Boston within 2/2 and a half hours. In regards to NYC, you can actually take a train and not have to worry about parking. You have multiple small mountain ranges within a short drive(Adirondacks, Catskills, Berkshires, Taconics, Green Mountains, etc.). You have a nice resort town like Lake George, which also has a lakeside beach. There are some nice, quaint communities that one could visit as well. There are other things, but all of this will depend on what one prefers.
Yeah perhaps we should find out if OP likes the climate/scenery of Albany versus that of Raleigh. Like if they want something similar to their hometown out in IL.
This area is loaded with a variety of communities, city, suburban, and rural. Take your pick. For everything it offers sometimes I wonder if it is about the climate. Long winters here. Like hockey? There are venues here for hockey. Heck, there will likely be numerous ponds for you to skate on from November through April (maybe just a tad exaggeration). Summers are gorgeous.
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