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True, Manchester, NH kinda sucks too. It's just an old industrial mill city and a pretty mediocre one at that and not a desirable place for education. Perhaps a suburb on the outskirts of Manchester or somewhere like Concord would be nicer, Manchester does have a nice airport though. North Adams is also pretty isolated, it's a poor little city with dumpy housing not anywhere near an airport and quite a ways from the nearest city with 50K + population. North Adams is pretty redneck for Massachusetts.
Well Nassau County is on the edge of NYC on Long Island so I don't think its meeting the criteria of small/medium city considering it's on the edge of the largest and most crowded city in the country, it's expensive and no mountains nearby, I'd say fail on this one.
Just because it's near NYC doesn't mean there aren't small towns. Most of them have a population of under 50,000. My hometown in Nassau has a population of 25000 people.
What cities/towns would you guys say top the list for the Northeast given the following parameters...
1. Mountain town- and I don't mean it's a little craggy on the west side of town, full blown mountains in or near metro or the entire surrounding area is craggy.
2. Population- small to mid size city, let's say 50k-150k metro and let's include county to pick up some of the smaller towns
3. Low crime rates- particularly violent and sex crimes
4. Education- strong k-12, both public and private options, as well as options for higher education
5. Reasonable cost of living- home and land prices, healthcare, taxes, etc
6. Employment- stable, if not growing
7. Environment- clean, low pollution
8. Family oriented- places to go, things to do
9. Travel- airport within 30-45 min drive
Yes, the Lebanon/Hanover/White River Junciton, NH/VT area might work, although it has a smaller population than what you are looking for. Healthcare amenities are great with Dartmouth/Hitchcock hospital, educational funding is excellent, great outdoors culture and environment, Dartmouth, a bit over an hour to Manchester regional airport for national travel, and a slow steadily growing economy. The cost of living is higher than the national average, but housing prices have come down quite a bit in some of the smaller outlying towns. Expect high property taxes in most parts of the Northeast, unless you live in rural Maine. Most of the population in Maine lives in the coastal I-95 corridor and the mountainous western part of the state has a very low population density with a few small towns.
Yes, the Lebanon/Hanover/White River Junciton, NH/VT area might work, although it has a smaller population than what you are looking for. Healthcare amenities are great with Dartmouth/Hitchcock hospital, educational funding is excellent, great outdoors culture and environment, Dartmouth, a bit over an hour to Manchester regional airport for national travel, and a slow steadily growing economy. The cost of living is higher than the national average, but housing prices have come down quite a bit in some of the smaller outlying towns. Expect high property taxes in most parts of the Northeast, unless you live in rural Maine. Most of the population in Maine lives in the coastal I-95 corridor and the mountainous western part of the state has a very low population density with a few small towns.
Does this cost of living comparison look accurate?
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I used Pittsfield Mass as the other city because it is the closest I have found to the US average in that particular region.
Speaking of Pittsfield, I'm curious what you guys think about it?
Does this cost of living comparison look accurate?
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
I used Pittsfield Mass as the other city because it is the closest I have found to the US average in that particular region.
Speaking of Pittsfield, I'm curious what you guys think about it?
That seems right. Lebanon, NH itself has very high property taxes. Real estate costs in Pittsfield are likely much lower due to less demand. Pittsfield is what many would call in older manufacturing town that has seen decline, but has also rebounded slightly. Job growth there would be quite a bit less than the Lebanon/Hanover region.
If you want a lower cost area in NH that has good access to healthcare, good education, and a close proximity to jobs within 30 minutes to the south I would look at southern Carroll county that includes the towns of: Wakefield, Brookfield, Ossipee, and Wolfeboro. The cost of living in these places is a bit closer to the national average with property taxes being 1/2 as much as the Lebanon area. Good access to towns like Rochester, Dover, and Portsmouth (with a greater job selection) is very nice. The accessibility of the mountains in Carroll county is excellent. Google the Moose Mountains reservation in Brookfield/Middleton, the Mt. Shaw Ossipee Mountains/Castle in the Clouds in Moultonboro, Tuftonboro, Green Mountain in Effingham, and the WMNF by Conway.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flborn_halfback
Does this cost of living comparison look accurate?
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
I used Pittsfield Mass as the other city because it is the closest I have found to the US average in that particular region.
Speaking of Pittsfield, I'm curious what you guys think about it?
Pittsfield is OK. It has somewhat of a gritty and industrial feel but it's one of those place that may have "potential". It's in a good area, the Berkshires are beautiful and Albany airport is less than an hour from there.
Actually, Ithaca NY(city and town combined is around 50,000), would fit all of the criteria if you get technical in terms of what elevation is the minimum for a mountain. Hills can get in the 1000-2000 ft. range, give or take.
I have actually heard and read a lot of good things about Ithaca. I have spent time in Buffalo and Toronto in the summer, but never traveled out toward the east. How are the winters...really?
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,749 posts, read 23,822,981 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flborn_halfback
I have actually heard and read a lot of good things about Ithaca. I have spent time in Buffalo and Toronto in the summer, but never traveled out toward the east. How are the winters...really?
I went there for a short visit. It's very beautiful, with an impressive collection of so many waterfalls in a concentrated area. Great area in summer, lots of swimming holes and beautiful lakes. Cornell is very academic and high ranking so education is fulfilled. Ithaca is out in a rural setting but I remember Syracuse being fairly closeby.
I went there for a short visit. It's very beautiful, with an impressive collection of so many waterfalls in a concentrated area. Great area in summer, lots of swimming holes and beautiful lakes. Cornell is very academic and high ranking so education is fulfilled. Ithaca is out in a rural setting but I remember Syracuse being fairly closeby.
Correct, as Syracuse is only an hour away. Smaller metros like Binghamton and Elmira are about 30-40 minutes away. Plenty of buses to NYC from there.
Winters can be tough, but can vary too. For the most part, we've had a mild winter this season.
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Ithaca
