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For the last 2 years, I have been contemplating a long awaited move out of NJ, ever since I was divorced and had to move to a cheap area of NJ that I do not enjoy at all. I was deciding between Pittsburgh, Manchester NH and Syracuse, NY. In the end, I have decide to choose none of these. All three had great aspects and I finally visited cities #3 and #4 (Syracuse and Glens Falls) in depth these past few weeks.
I eliminated Pittsburgh due to the distance from my family in NJ/NY. It took a solid 7 hours to get there. Although I would put the Pittsburgh area as a top, excellent place to live (low housing cost, lots of trees and hills, amazing downtown, friendly people) in the end I had to eliminate it due to distance as the only (major) negative factor.
I expected to be excited about Manchester, but in the end, I wasn't too impressed. First, it was a hellish ride up there from NJ. In and around southern NH, I've never been flipped off more in my car or tailgated or just all around bullied by other cars as much as I was in Southern NH. Homes that I saw were quite expensive everywhere, but you had to go quite far west and north before they drop off. Getting a home for under $150k is not really possible there. Then I came to a realization: NH is what you would get if you mixed VT and NJ. North of Concord, absolutely beautiful. Southern NH, honestly, is not too different from NJ. In the end, it wasn't for me.
Syracuse was a huge contrast. It topped the list after my visit. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed with the city itself. But Syracuse has great suburban areas. Some of the suburban areas were newer than I imagined them being in my mind- Cicero and Fayetteville in particular. The area was flatter than I thought it would be, except west and south of the city, alas, I didn't like the western suburbs as much as the eastern suburbs. Loved Cazenovia and Skaneatlas (sp?). If I had not chose on a whim to take I-90 east and check out Queensbury and Glens Falls, I was convinced that Cazenovia was going to be the area that I settled down in.
I went to Glens Falls about 12 years ago when I attended college in VT. At that time, GF was run down, decrepit and old. Wow. Not anymore. The whole downtown was revitalized. The downtown is active, but I actually like the suburb of Queensbury even more. It was enough to seal the deal for me. My deciding factors (for me, not necessarily anyone else):
- closest to NJ/NYC, but doesn't feel like either
- close to VT, my favorite state
- surrounded by hills/mountains, lakes, tall trees
- close to Saratoga, Lake George, and Lake Luzerne, very close to skiing and other outdoor activities
- NOT on the map of potential fracking areas (big one)
- 3 hours to NYC, Montreal, Boston, 4 hours to Maine beaches and Cape Cod for a 3 day weekend
- different overall feel from Albany-Schenectady-Troy, more laid back and relaxed, more "hometown" feeling
- more sun, less snow than Syracuse
- educated population and all the shopping one needs without being overwhelmed by it like here in NJ. doesn't feel "in the sticks" but the sticks are 15 minutes away
- home prices are decent and taxes are lower than Central NY.
I think I am making the right decision. Anyone with any commentary on the Queensbury area, please chime in. I am excited about making this move, but I'd love to hear from some residents of the area. Thanks.
For the last 2 years, I have been contemplating a long awaited move out of NJ, ever since I was divorced and had to move to a cheap area of NJ that I do not enjoy at all. I was deciding between Pittsburgh, Manchester NH and Syracuse, NY. In the end, I have decide to choose none of these. All three had great aspects and I finally visited cities #3 and #4 (Syracuse and Glens Falls) in depth these past few weeks.
I eliminated Pittsburgh due to the distance from my family in NJ/NY. It took a solid 7 hours to get there. Although I would put the Pittsburgh area as a top, excellent place to live (low housing cost, lots of trees and hills, amazing downtown, friendly people) in the end I had to eliminate it due to distance as the only (major) negative factor.
I expected to be excited about Manchester, but in the end, I wasn't too impressed. First, it was a hellish ride up there from NJ. In and around southern NH, I've never been flipped off more in my car or tailgated or just all around bullied by other cars as much as I was in Southern NH. Homes that I saw were quite expensive everywhere, but you had to go quite far west and north before they drop off. Getting a home for under $150k is not really possible there. Then I came to a realization: NH is what you would get if you mixed VT and NJ. North of Concord, absolutely beautiful. Southern NH, honestly, is not too different from NJ. In the end, it wasn't for me.
Syracuse was a huge contrast. It topped the list after my visit. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed with the city itself. But Syracuse has great suburban areas. Some of the suburban areas were newer than I imagined them being in my mind- Cicero and Fayetteville in particular. The area was flatter than I thought it would be, except west and south of the city, alas, I didn't like the western suburbs as much as the eastern suburbs. Loved Cazenovia and Skaneatlas (sp?). If I had not chose on a whim to take I-90 east and check out Queensbury and Glens Falls, I was convinced that Cazenovia was going to be the area that I settled down in.
I went to Glens Falls about 12 years ago when I attended college in VT. At that time, GF was run down, decrepit and old. Wow. Not anymore. The whole downtown was revitalized. The downtown is active, but I actually like the suburb of Queensbury even more. It was enough to seal the deal for me. My deciding factors (for me, not necessarily anyone else):
- closest to NJ/NYC, but doesn't feel like either
- close to VT, my favorite state
- surrounded by hills/mountains, lakes, tall trees
- close to Saratoga, Lake George, and Lake Luzerne, very close to skiing and other outdoor activities
- NOT on the map of potential fracking areas (big one)
- 3 hours to NYC, Montreal, Boston, 4 hours to Maine beaches and Cape Cod for a 3 day weekend
- different overall feel from Albany-Schenectady-Troy, more laid back and relaxed, more "hometown" feeling
- more sun, less snow than Syracuse
- educated population and all the shopping one needs without being overwhelmed by it like here in NJ. doesn't feel "in the sticks" but the sticks are 15 minutes away
- home prices are decent and taxes are lower than Central NY.
I think I am making the right decision. Anyone with any commentary on the Queensbury area, please chime in. I am excited about making this move, but I'd love to hear from some residents of the area. Thanks.
Agree with your reasons for picking GF/Queensbury. I'm going through the same thought process in picking a place to retire from Florida (Yes Florida). My wife, even though she's from the south, absolutely loves Lake George. It's a big selling point for me. I can put up with the cold weather over the miserable hot, sticky weather down here. It's not paradise down here at all.
For the last 2 years, I have been contemplating a long awaited move out of NJ, ever since I was divorced and had to move to a cheap area of NJ that I do not enjoy at all. I was deciding between Pittsburgh, Manchester NH and Syracuse, NY. In the end, I have decide to choose none of these. All three had great aspects and I finally visited cities #3 and #4 (Syracuse and Glens Falls) in depth these past few weeks.
I eliminated Pittsburgh due to the distance from my family in NJ/NY. It took a solid 7 hours to get there. Although I would put the Pittsburgh area as a top, excellent place to live (low housing cost, lots of trees and hills, amazing downtown, friendly people) in the end I had to eliminate it due to distance as the only (major) negative factor.
I expected to be excited about Manchester, but in the end, I wasn't too impressed. First, it was a hellish ride up there from NJ. In and around southern NH, I've never been flipped off more in my car or tailgated or just all around bullied by other cars as much as I was in Southern NH. Homes that I saw were quite expensive everywhere, but you had to go quite far west and north before they drop off. Getting a home for under $150k is not really possible there. Then I came to a realization: NH is what you would get if you mixed VT and NJ. North of Concord, absolutely beautiful. Southern NH, honestly, is not too different from NJ. In the end, it wasn't for me.
Syracuse was a huge contrast. It topped the list after my visit. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed with the city itself. But Syracuse has great suburban areas. Some of the suburban areas were newer than I imagined them being in my mind- Cicero and Fayetteville in particular. The area was flatter than I thought it would be, except west and south of the city, alas, I didn't like the western suburbs as much as the eastern suburbs. Loved Cazenovia and Skaneatlas (sp?). If I had not chose on a whim to take I-90 east and check out Queensbury and Glens Falls, I was convinced that Cazenovia was going to be the area that I settled down in.
I went to Glens Falls about 12 years ago when I attended college in VT. At that time, GF was run down, decrepit and old. Wow. Not anymore. The whole downtown was revitalized. The downtown is active, but I actually like the suburb of Queensbury even more. It was enough to seal the deal for me. My deciding factors (for me, not necessarily anyone else):
- closest to NJ/NYC, but doesn't feel like either
- close to VT, my favorite state
- surrounded by hills/mountains, lakes, tall trees
- close to Saratoga, Lake George, and Lake Luzerne, very close to skiing and other outdoor activities
- NOT on the map of potential fracking areas (big one)
- 3 hours to NYC, Montreal, Boston, 4 hours to Maine beaches and Cape Cod for a 3 day weekend
- different overall feel from Albany-Schenectady-Troy, more laid back and relaxed, more "hometown" feeling
- more sun, less snow than Syracuse
- educated population and all the shopping one needs without being overwhelmed by it like here in NJ. doesn't feel "in the sticks" but the sticks are 15 minutes away
- home prices are decent and taxes are lower than Central NY.
I think I am making the right decision. Anyone with any commentary on the Queensbury area, please chime in. I am excited about making this move, but I'd love to hear from some residents of the area. Thanks.
You are not going to find homes in Glens Falls for under 150K without spending money to renovate them, and sadly, it often goes beyond that to restoration. I think you have a better chance of finding what you want in Queensbury though I'm still not sure at your price range. But, then again, you haven't told us what you are looking for - 2,3, 4 beds? How many baths? I think Queensbury is more suburban than Glens Falls. And, you'll probably have a better chance of finding a home built towards the end of last century as opposed to the beginning of it, as so many of the houses in Glens Falls are. Whatever you do, make sure you do your homework, and look beyond aesthetics, so you don't wind up buying something that looks livable but is really a money pit. Knowning the negatives can substantially lower the asking price of a house. I know since I'm in the process of looking for a place in Glens Falls right now.
My story is I'm getting older and want to limit my car usage because my eyesight's not what it used to be. But my eyesight is still good enough to tell me whether a building is structurally sound or not, and way too many homes in Glens Falls are not. The problem is many are old and were never properly maintained. Plus, building codes don't seem to be strictly enforced - anyone can add anything onto a building without bothering to get a permit; not that it isn't required. But a lot of home owners never bothered to get permits and the required inspections for the work done afterwards to see if the job was done correctly. So, what you'll see at the very least is a lot of botched work, or at the worse, hazardous construction that's downright dangerous. Be careful. Don't take the realtors' word for it (or even an inspectors for that matter) since they have an incentive to sell you a property. Check the foundation. Because so many of the homes were built in the last century they have stone foundations. Check them from the inside and outside. Make sure that they are being maintained (pointed) with masonry cement on a regular basis. Cracks and gaps are a red flag that they are not. Check the interior walls of the basement. If they look like they are coated with a water sealant chances are there are water issues. The fact that there is a sealant isn't necessarily a bad thing, though it's really not addressing the issue of where the water is coming from, which is around the perimeter of the property - improper drainage could be an issue or something as simple as improper grading around the house. These can be easy fixes, but you have to know what is is in order to fix it. Ask the owner if these issues have been addressed. Make sure there is a sump pump in the basement if there were water issues in the past. From what I understand, this is especially important for Queensbury. While in the basement look up at the floor joists to make sure they are straight with no mold, wet or dry rot. Make sure that there are enough beams supporting them. If the beams are metal make sure they are not rusted. I went into one basement and couldn't believe how the upstair floor was being supported since the metal beams were ready to collapse from rust. Check the heating system - is it up to date and efficient, or an energy hog. And, while your down there check the electric - what are the amps - 200 is best; and the wiring (it should be in conduits or securly attached to the floor joist. Check the plumbing- it shouldn't look like an insane maze of pipes).
The second most important area to check is the roof. A lot of the houses up here have slate roofs. Now I know a lot of people prefer them, but personally, I think they're a royal pain in the butt. Every year or so you are going to lose some slate which means you'll have to pay someone up to 2 grand to replace them. I say up to 2 grand because roofers prices are all over the place. I had one guy tell me about 400 bucks and another tell me 1,900 for the same job. That kind of discrepancy is a failure of our elected officials to protect consumers. Check the roof from the outside for loose or missing slate, and in the attic. Look up from inside and see if there are leak marks on the wood supporting the roof. And check the floor of the attic for same. If you can see slate through the wood of the roof that's a sign that the roof was never properly put on to begin with. There should be a sub roof before the slate is added on top. Of course, knowing if the windows have been replace, or at the least, that the old ones are in good condition with all their screens and storms, and that the wood isn't rotted around the frame is important too. Also, if the siding is wood, check it for rot and water damage. Personally, I like a wood frame because a new coat of paint always freshens a building up. But, if you can't spare this expense every few years look for a home with siding. Sorry for going on and on. I don't mean to be presumptious. For all I know you could be a master carpenter. LOL. But I'm a woman alone who has to be careful with her shekels and it pays to know what's wrong to negotiate a fair price or determine whether your even up for that challenge.
BTW - I have a very good friend who is in the real estate industry in NYC and he says that the market is going to decline further for sellers and that a lot more home foreclosures are in the works. A sorry circumstance for this country and the poor souls who are going to lose their homes, but one that you can benefit by. Personally, I don't want to purchase someone else's heart ache, but as he told me, if the economy is going to survive, someone has to. He suggested I don't jump the gun but take my time because he's postive I'll get a better house for the money I'm willing to spend in a short while. Sorry for the long reply. Good luck!
I'm so glad you found *your* place, Union! You did exactly what should always be done, before people move to a new area... visit and wander extensively, to find which area most appeals to your needs and lifestyle. There's a place for just about everyone but the feel of the landscape needs to match... financial needs aren't the only qualifier. (And now you can see why I VASTLY prefer this southeastern quadrant of Syracuse's suburbs. lol - the hills are a great deal more comforting, overall, than many expect. There are rarely complainers for CNY/Syracuse, if they reside in this area specifically... it's calm and lovely and everything that isn't, if you're feeling the need for a rush and something more urban, is just 15 minutes away... by bus, if you'd like. )
Pretty sound decision, we moved to Saratoga in 04, love it here, still for retirement the sea is calling ( as well as cool weather) we are checking out Maine (Portland) this summer.
I know this post is old but just wondering how your move went We are considering the same area.
I did make the move, and it lasted 6 months. Now I'm back in NJ. The move didn't work out because the woman I was dating from that area, she and I did not work out. But I will offer some advice about the area.
I'm not super qualify to speak about the area, having only lived there for 6 months and none in the true winter. I lived in a rental in Queen Victoria's Grant in Queensbury with my ex-gf. It is a solid, middle class neighborhood, and the people were friendly. Its rural, and the Adirondacks and deep, deep woods are immediately to the west. The Aviation mall, frankly, a crappy mall, is immediately east. Shopping for almost everything you need is pretty nearby.
The community is set amongst tall, tall white pine trees and mountainous landscape. That was my favorite part of it. Downtown Lake George is nice but does get old after a while and there isn't much to do. Glens Falls is nearby and has a few good restaurants, but again, is small and you can run out of things to do. Saratoga Springs is truly a gem of a city, and quite close.
Other areas are run down and depressing- Kingsbury, South Glens Falls, parts of GF's, Fort Ann, Corinth. Several paper manufacturing plants scattered through the area make it a very blue collar area. Be prepared to see lots of poor, rural people. Some are really cool and just looking for a good time, clean fun. Some are heavily into drugs and just look for fights or drama. This may be everywhere now in the US, but it seems quite prevalent in this area. Overall, though, people are nice and if you're coming from NJ, its definitely a more laid back, less pretentious, and more wholesome area.
I will say, that as a single guy, the dating scene is horrendous. You have a mixture of pasty fat women with 2 kids from two dads, some really cute girls that hold out until Tom Brady comes along (good luck), and the rest are average women who think New England Patriots sweatshirts and baggy jeans are nice attire. NJ does suck, but there are definitely sexier women there. Not sure if this is an issue for you or not. Whereas down south, there are beautiful, fit ladies all over (and therefore they are not a huge commodity) here, women like that are extremely rare, and therefore, more difficult to attain. Again, this may be a moot point for you anyway.
I wish I had more time to explore the area. I lived there for less than 6 months and worked 60+ hours a week. When the time came to break up w/ gf, I looked at apartments and none in the area were really that appealing. Nice apartments are VERY few and far between- you're looking at $700+ a month for a 1 bedroom crappy garden apartment in a questionable area. One of the better ones I saw was Regency North apartments, decently priced, but in the end I couldn't see myself living there. If the area had nicer apartments, I might have stayed, but you CAN own a nice house, including in Queen Victoria's Grant for around $150k. They're pretty nice townhomes too, not very new or updated, but nice.
Overall, if you can't afford NJ and don't want to live in the Poconos, its a good place to live and still be close enough to NYC, Boston, and Montreal for a weekend trip. I wouldn't hesitate to buy something there, if the price was right and job was solid, but I wish rentals were a little better.
This is an old thread, but did you ever wind up moving to Lake George area? We are in Florida and we miss New England. The area we are living in is partitioned into many guard gated communities with primarily snowbirds who are here 6 months a year. The weather from May to October is so hot and humid, you need to go for a walk before the sun comes up. I would love to hear how things worked out for you
I believe that he left Queensbury after living there several months to a year.
What areas are you looking into?
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There's a place for just about everyone but the feel of the landscape needs to match... financial needs aren't the only qualifier. (And now you can see why I VASTLY prefer this southeastern quadrant of Syracuse's suburbs. lol - the hills are a great deal more comforting, overall, than many expect. There are rarely complainers for CNY/Syracuse, if they reside in this area specifically... it's calm and lovely and everything that isn't, if you're feeling the need for a rush and something more urban, is just 15 minutes away... by bus, if you'd like. 
)
