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I'm contemplating leaving Burlington, VT to move to Saratoga as I mostly work in NY with a day or two in Burlington. Saratoga seems to have more going on for a single person as its also close to Albany whereas Burlington is mostly a town of college kids and married people. Any recommendations for nice apartments as well?
Hopefully someone will chime in with more specific information, but Saratoga Springs is a relatively affluent small city with a reputation of good nightlife for its size and that attracts quite a few tourists during the warmer months.
Saratoga is a great small city, close to the Capital District. It is the center of nightlife in the area, and has more bars and restaurants per capita than almost anywhere. In the summer you have SPAC with concerts, dance, and the orchestra. You've got horse racing. Colleges. Close to the Adirondacks. Spa State Park. Great place to live for anybody, including singles. Tons of great apartments. At one point a lot of large older mansions were cut up into apartments in Saratoga when it went through hard times in the 50s-60s and into the 70s. Many of those mansions have been converted back to single family homes, but a lot still have apartments, so unlike many cities there is no particular apartment area--they are all over the place. Personally, I would recommend staying within the city proper so you can walk/bike/or quickly drive to almost everything. It is great to be able to go out with friends, have a few drinks, and then walk safely home, which many people do. Caroline Street is the center of the bar/restaurant district, and there are apartments right there and on nearby parallel streets if you want a busy, urban vibe. Walk a few blocks in any direction and things get a bit quieter. There are some nice apartments right on Broadway too.
Ironically, Saratoga County has been one of the fastest growing counties in the state outside of the NYC area and at times within the past 10 years, in the state in general. New York Population Growth Rate County Rank (2010-2014 information)
If you're single and trying to mingle, Saratoga is the spot. People come from Albany, Johnstown, Guilderland, Queensbury, and anywhere in between specifically for that reason lol. Nightlife is a major draw.
If I were to move back to the Capital Region I'd probably choose Saratoga Springs. Only thing I dislike is the snobbiness and uppity feel of it but anywhere where there's significant wealth you find that sort of thing. I personally like Burlington more but that's just me.
For comparison, Broadway in the center of the city is kind of like Church St. in Burlington. In the summer time it's full of single people having a good time. Lots of bars and restaurants with live music people enjoy. If you follow Lake Ave all the way out east to the lake, there's some decent spots to hang out at too.
With your housing budget you could rent pretty much anywhere in the city.
I have lived in both cities (currently in Saratoga Springs). Saratoga has more going on...rentals are similar (a bit higher in Saratoga...more NYC area folks have moved here recently..). Schools here are mediocre (the locals will tell you otherwise but compared to Pittsford/Fayetteville-Manlius/Niskayuna not even close...). A lot of wealthy alcoholics here who don't do much during the day... intellectualism here is far and few between as well. Politically it is very Democrat in the city which is nice..5 miles out of town is Trumpland. The snobby characters are usually Nouveau Riche locals or uppity downstaters I've found...and a lot of fake-it-til-you-make-it locals. The old money here doesn't give a hoot...
Last edited by JiminCT; 12-06-2021 at 07:41 AM..
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