Info/Impressions of towns around Oneonta & Cooperstoown? (New York, Albany: to rent, vacation home)

[homeward bound]

In particular, Morris, Afton, Laurens, Conajoharie, Springfield, Sharon Springs, Cherry Valley, Roseboom, Middlefield, Gilbertsville, Earlville, Edmeston, and other quaint small towns like these.

These are the TYPE of towns we really like. Which ones of them would be good places for a young family to move to, and which not, and why?

We're also very interested in whether Cooperstown itself would be a good place for a young family (we DO love baseball, by the way!). It seems to be, if you can endure its yearly crush of tourists--is this correct or are we being too dreamy? What, if any, downside is there to Cooperstown itself?

And although we wouldn't want to settle in Oneonta, we'd certainly be willing to work there. How is its economy trending?

If anyone knows anything about hiring in the public schools (wife & I are both teachers), that would be very helpful. A 20- or 30-minute commute for both/either of us in any direction would be fine with us in order to live in this area.

Thanks in advance to all who chime in!

[DogLover72]

I live about 45 minutes from Oneonta. I think Oneonta is a pretty nice place to live, not too sure about the economy though. There are usually many openings for teachers in this area. And also with I-88 being right there you could drive to Cobleskill (toward Albany) or Southwest toward Binghamton, in order to broaden your horizons for schools. As far as the towns go- let's just say I grew up near most of them, and you know what they say about "Familiarity breeds contempt". Edmeston - kind of small and isolated, Gilbertsville - very nice town, but I don't even think it has a gas station, which has always scared me a little; Morris - pretty town, and reasonably close to Oneonta; Afton - good proximity to the highway; Cooperstown is VERY pretty, but they don't encourage a lot of change and development, which is okay, but you'd have to drive a little bit to get to various amenities; however, all would be great towns to raise a family as far as safety goes. You could feel free to go for a walk at any time. I think pretty much all schools in NY state are good. NY has, I think, one of the best education systems there are, and I don't even have kids! I live in a small town population around 3,000 - sometimes I feel it would be nice if would grow a little bit, but then I also like that it is quiet and safe. If you have any more questions about particular towns, I can try to be of help! Good Luck.

[oldguy1]

HI Homeward Bound.. I live in Coop..Awesome small town.. Tourists geta bit much, but peolpe and schools are great,,Getting pricey though.. I think the smaller towns on Rt 20 are kind of isolated and depressed. I think the growth is happening around Oneonta and Rt 88. I would look at Oneonta, Milford, Laurens,Morris Hartwick..All really nice, safe, good schools.. Oneonta is a nice town--I work there for 9 yrs,, It's the center up here, believe it or not!! The only drawbacks can be the weather, and NYS gov of course.. Best of luck,,,great area for kids! og

[Hartwick]

While the small villages you have indicated tend to be safe, as one of the other posters indicated, you will have to travel, probably to Oneonta, Norwich, or Binghamton, for amenities. Basically, these towns are very rural, small, isolated, and declining in population and public services. Most rely upon volunteer firefighters, and the county Sheriff or the New York State Police rather than their own municipal-funded fire and police protection. In addition, their schools are small, with aging buildings, very tight fiscal situations, and unable to attract more experienced teachers who will expect higher salaries and benefits packages. These schools struggle to maintain state- established student proficiency levels, again due to their smaller tax base which just translates into much smaller school budgets. Other than being small, there just isn't much to recommend as far as living in these very rural, isolated areas.

Cooperstown is small, quaint, picturesque, safe. Sure, it is a tourist destination, especially around the induction ceremony at the Baseball Hall of Fame. But, the tourist influx is nothing unmanageable, and certainly helps to support the town's economy. Cooperstown, unlike the surrounding small villages you mentioned, does have outstanding medical care provided by the Mary Imogene Bassett Healthcare Foundation, with outstanding inpatient care and a number of satellite clinics in the more rural areas. Schools are very good, again due to the larger tax base and the area's economy. But, beyond this, for amenities such as WalMarts, Lowe's, Home Depot, movie theaters, larger grocery stores, Sam's Club(or BJ's in Oneonta), on and on, you'll find yourself traveling to Oneonta.

One other huge factor about living in the small, rural towns you mentioned...for the past several years, the wealthy citizens of Manhattan, Connecticut, and New Jersey have been buying(usually sight unseen) rural properties and land in upstate New York. As the downstate counties have become more saturated with these people, the upstate counties of Delaware, Otsego, Chenango, and Sullivan have become prime territories for their investment. They are buying parcels of land and building mega-mansions; farms are being purchased for outrageous prices; homes in the very isolated areas are being torn down, or extensively renovated into mega-mansions. (It is not at all unusual to see the weekend caravan of Mercedes-Benz's, BMW's, Lexus', Rolls-Royces, etc., entering/leaving town!!) While all this is well and good, the local realtors are certainly aware of this and are pricing more desireable properties sky high knowing full well that they are likely, again, to be bought sight unseen by these wealthy investors. While all this is certainly driving up the tax base, this additional income into the towns/villages has yet to translate into increased public services and other infrastructure.

[looking4home]

Excellent post, Hartwick! You touched all the bases regarding living in Cooperstown (no pun intended!) and its environs. What you say about those coming to purchase land/property for weekend getaways has me worried. It has affected the Catskill area quite a bit over the past 10 years or so, and is now spreading out further.

Having said that, I have friends who have good farm land in Cobleskill they cannot sell, and are thinking of buidling a home to rent out to tourists visiting the area, namely Cooperstown. Hopefully, if I ever make the move to upstate NY, I will choose an area that is far enough away from NYC so as not to be as attractive to those wishing to build/purchase weekend vacation homes.

[NYgirl124]

I live in a city, and I like city life, (frankly I don't care if it is a small city like Utica,) as long as it's a city. And pretty much have a second life in NYC.
Afton is ok, it has a store like the Great America, but the town is isolated. (sarcasm), but really it is small, TOO quite but has some great views. There is also the Frog Pond which has a wide variety of fruits and veges, and there is the local amish store. Kinda weird seeing amish, since they don't wear your average modern stuff. And there is also Kellystone Park, a beautiful camping place that has quite a lot of people. the only thing I don't like is the race. I don't wanna seems racist, but that place has very few black, asian, etc. I feel kinda like an outcast there since I'm half-black, but I let my pride out.

Well what else can I say, don't move to a place like Whitney Point, the people there are seriously RUDE, and I practically know none of those people have been to a city. Afton people are ok, and horseback riding is an option since there are a lot of ranch's, and cattle farms.
If you move from a city and consider moving to the country I say see how it is, you might miss city life, or enjoy the mountains and scenes around you. ^^

[HomerBrink]

West Winfield and Middleburgh in Schoharie County (don't know which country West Winfield is in) are very nice. And Schoarie County is close to Albany and not too far from the Hudson Valley for train sevice into the City.