Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi all, my partner and I are thinking of buying a home in the area. I went to grad school in Albany and, after a bit of time out of state and then in Saratoga, I'm back and have been working in Troy. So I'm familiar generally with the area but now that we have stable jobs, we're thinking long term.
The thing is that the market is crazy of course right now. I'd prefer a suburb with good schools, safe, decent amenities etc (Niskayuna, Guilderland, Delmar/Bethlehem and so on) but the prices and competition are tough. A lot of the time there are more decently priced places in Albany (though good finds seem to go quickly enough), but I'm skeptical of living there long term. I lived on Elm during grad school and my car got broken into multiple times, and the only times I got harassed were downtown Albany and Troy, so I don't want repeats of that.
So the question is, when it comes down to it, what is it really like living in the city versus the suburbs? And not just in terms of taxes etc but in shaping people and access to resources that can make or break? For example I've met townies from around the area but the most annoying ones (take this with a grain of salt) were Bethlehem people. There are similar burbs that exist on Long Island (where I'm from) that often produce entitled, bored teens (not to mention bullying problems since they're smaller- my cousin had serious problems with this) and I don't want that but I also don't want to run into problems if say a kid has special needs or requires resources that are running low. A stronger school also means an environment more likely to stimulate kids who are unmotivated or lagging, and it seems like the smaller communities can be more collectively oriented. To be fair I went to a large HS ranked low-mid tier across certain platforms but I thought it was mostly decent, with diversity of students and programs the biggest pluses. Yeah we had occasional bomb threats, security guards worked the halls, that kind of thing doesn't scare me as much on paper because living through it wasn't as big a deal as you'd think. But I know kids who had learning disabilities who didn't always get the help they needed, and "guidance" from staff was a joke.
To summarize, I feel like the burbs are safer, have more resources but at a bigger cost financially and perhaps in other ways. This includes the fact that I feel guilty about avoiding and not building into areas that need help, but I also don't want to shortchange my family's needs or feel unsafe. We're also multiethnic but I doubt this will be much of a particular issue anywhere. If we did end up in Albany somewhere, where strikes the best balance? I'm thinking Pine Hills, New Scotland, Helderberg, Buckingham etc. Can anyone speak to moving to or from the suburbs/city? Or did anyone have regrets either way, or see upsides/downsides they didn't expect?
Hopefully someone else will chime in, but would you consider charter or private school options in regards to Albany? I ask because the city has good charter and private options within the city like Green Tech(Boys), Albany Leadership(Girls), Albany Academy(has separate single sex academies), Bishop Maginn and Holy Names(Girls), let alone a program like the International Baccalaureate program at Albany High. So, that may be something to consider if you went with the city of Albany.
In terms of suburbs, the Colonie SD’s(South Colonie and North Colonie) appear to strike a balance between good academically and has some substantial cultural diversity. Menands, which has multiple high school options does as well.
Again, hopefully other posters can post some more specific information.
Hi all, my partner and I are thinking of buying a home in the area. I went to grad school in Albany and, after a bit of time out of state and then in Saratoga, I'm back and have been working in Troy. So I'm familiar generally with the area but now that we have stable jobs, we're thinking long term.
The thing is that the market is crazy of course right now. I'd prefer a suburb with good schools, safe, decent amenities etc (Niskayuna, Guilderland, Delmar/Bethlehem and so on) but the prices and competition are tough. A lot of the time there are more decently priced places in Albany (though good finds seem to go quickly enough), but I'm skeptical of living there long term. I lived on Elm during grad school and my car got broken into multiple times, and the only times I got harassed were downtown Albany and Troy, so I don't want repeats of that.
So the question is, when it comes down to it, what is it really like living in the city versus the suburbs? And not just in terms of taxes etc but in shaping people and access to resources that can make or break? For example I've met townies from around the area but the most annoying ones (take this with a grain of salt) were Bethlehem people. There are similar burbs that exist on Long Island (where I'm from) that often produce entitled, bored teens (not to mention bullying problems since they're smaller- my cousin had serious problems with this) and I don't want that but I also don't want to run into problems if say a kid has special needs or requires resources that are running low. A stronger school also means an environment more likely to stimulate kids who are unmotivated or lagging, and it seems like the smaller communities can be more collectively oriented. To be fair I went to a large HS ranked low-mid tier across certain platforms but I thought it was mostly decent, with diversity of students and programs the biggest pluses. Yeah we had occasional bomb threats, security guards worked the halls, that kind of thing doesn't scare me as much on paper because living through it wasn't as big a deal as you'd think. But I know kids who had learning disabilities who didn't always get the help they needed, and "guidance" from staff was a joke.
To summarize, I feel like the burbs are safer, have more resources but at a bigger cost financially and perhaps in other ways. This includes the fact that I feel guilty about avoiding and not building into areas that need help, but I also don't want to shortchange my family's needs or feel unsafe. We're also multiethnic but I doubt this will be much of a particular issue anywhere. If we did end up in Albany somewhere, where strikes the best balance? I'm thinking Pine Hills, New Scotland, Helderberg, Buckingham etc. Can anyone speak to moving to or from the suburbs/city? Or did anyone have regrets either way, or see upsides/downsides they didn't expect?
I've heard this before. The suburbs are safer. I wonder why that is, and why can't the cities be safer?
I'm glad someone made a thread about this. There's always that difficult quest to strike the right balance between living around down to earth people and being in safe, desirable areas. In the Capital Region it certainly isn't easy but hopefully I can help.
Ckhthankgod gavea really good suggestion about Colonie. That's definitely a good one. Niskayuna, Guilderland, Bethlehem, Saratoga Springs, and even Shen to a degree are school districts where you definitely find the entitled annoying kids. I swear people from Saratoga think their city is the center of the universe.
I lived in the Helderberg/New Scotland area of Albany for a while and enjoyed it. People seemed a lot more down to earth than suburb white picket fence type people. Great walkability and bikeability. I know you mentioned you lived on Elm and had your car broken into but that's pretty unlikely in these neighborhoods. It definitely DOES happen, but not nearly as often as areas like where Elm St. is. I rented an apartment right off New Scotland and parked outside every single night, no garage. Never had any issues. If you're REALLY worried about safety, just look at the neighborhoods out by like Buckingham Lake and west of that. Many of the streets west of 85, south of Western are very safe and well kept.
I know you work in Troy, but if you're up for a bit more of a commute, check out Scotia. Small local vibe that's super close to Schenectady (if you consider that a plus) and a straight shot to Albany/Troy. Very safe, affordable housing (especially if you want to get a fixer upper), and mostly convenient. Glenville could be an option but is a bit more sparse, further out of the way, and has much more wealthier people nearby that can sometimes give that flashy vibe you might not like.
Waterford could be another option. Kinda reminds me of if they put Scotia closer to Troy/Cohoes lol.
Can't speak much for Menands as I only know one person who lived there and they flat out hated it.
Ballston Spa is pretty out of the way from Troy but could also be another option. Many people who can't afford Saratoga rent live there. School district isn't bad and the downtown is small but charming.
Not sure how you feel about Schenectady High School, but there are really nice streets surrounding Ellis Hospital that might work for you. Right on the border with Niskayuna. Unfortunately last time I was over there some riff raff from the other Schenectady neighborhoods still seem to spill over every now and then. All in what you're willing to tolerate I suppose.
Could always check out the Albia area of Troy too. Would be convenient to work and is a much nicer area than the average Troy neighborhood.
Hi all, my partner and I are thinking of buying a home in the area. I went to grad school in Albany and, after a bit of time out of state and then in Saratoga, I'm back and have been working in Troy. So I'm familiar generally with the area but now that we have stable jobs, we're thinking long term.
The thing is that the market is crazy of course right now. I'd prefer a suburb with good schools, safe, decent amenities etc (Niskayuna, Guilderland, Delmar/Bethlehem and so on) but the prices and competition are tough. A lot of the time there are more decently priced places in Albany (though good finds seem to go quickly enough), but I'm skeptical of living there long term. I lived on Elm during grad school and my car got broken into multiple times, and the only times I got harassed were downtown Albany and Troy, so I don't want repeats of that.
So the question is, when it comes down to it, what is it really like living in the city versus the suburbs? And not just in terms of taxes etc but in shaping people and access to resources that can make or break? For example I've met townies from around the area but the most annoying ones (take this with a grain of salt) were Bethlehem people. There are similar burbs that exist on Long Island (where I'm from) that often produce entitled, bored teens (not to mention bullying problems since they're smaller- my cousin had serious problems with this) and I don't want that but I also don't want to run into problems if say a kid has special needs or requires resources that are running low. A stronger school also means an environment more likely to stimulate kids who are unmotivated or lagging, and it seems like the smaller communities can be more collectively oriented. To be fair I went to a large HS ranked low-mid tier across certain platforms but I thought it was mostly decent, with diversity of students and programs the biggest pluses. Yeah we had occasional bomb threats, security guards worked the halls, that kind of thing doesn't scare me as much on paper because living through it wasn't as big a deal as you'd think. But I know kids who had learning disabilities who didn't always get the help they needed, and "guidance" from staff was a joke.
To summarize, I feel like the burbs are safer, have more resources but at a bigger cost financially and perhaps in other ways. This includes the fact that I feel guilty about avoiding and not building into areas that need help, but I also don't want to shortchange my family's needs or feel unsafe. We're also multiethnic but I doubt this will be much of a particular issue anywhere. If we did end up in Albany somewhere, where strikes the best balance? I'm thinking Pine Hills, New Scotland, Helderberg, Buckingham etc. Can anyone speak to moving to or from the suburbs/city? Or did anyone have regrets either way, or see upsides/downsides they didn't expect?
East Greenbush is always posted here as a kind of a happy medium. It's a cheaper suburb but just across the river from downtown Albany. Glenmont and Menands also fit that criteria.
If you do choose Albany, and potentially private schools as ckhthankgod suggested, the New Scotland and Buckingham areas probably strike the best balance. They're both very "suburb-like" in that they are safer and have more space. Buckingham is great because it has the park/pond and New Scotland can be great as, depending where you are, you can walk to things like restaurants/bars/the library.
We are comparing crime, and why the suburbs are safer than cities. Seems to be pretty widespread. I'm amazed that someone can't figure out why that is
I think it isn’t as simple as people want to make it out to be or pick select aspects, as it isn’t the same across the city and some suburbs may not be as safe as others.
Cities overwhelmingly have the bulk of concentrated poverty in metro areas across the country, though there are some suburbs/rural areas with it as well.
With that said, there are parts of Albany that are nicer and more middle class than some area suburban neighborhoods/areas and some areas aren’t. It isn’t an all or nothing thing.
In terms of Albany, essentially the chunk of the city along/west of Delaware Avenue & south of Madison Avenue(maybe even Western/Washington Aves.) is largely middle class out to the city line. So, there is a large portion of the city that the OP can focus on.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 02-04-2021 at 07:49 AM..
OP, I was just thinking, but what about staying in Troy? What is a bit different about Troy is that the city is covered by 2 school districts(Troy City & Lansingburgh), with both covering areas outside of city limits. Troy High also has an above average graduation rate and is a very diverse SD: https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000039478
It is also a city with multiple private and charter options within city limits as well(LaSalle(boys), Catholic Central, Emma Willard(girls), etc.).
So, perhaps that could be something else to consider.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
