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I haven't read through the 5 pages of replies that have been made to your original post, so please excuse me if I'm repeating anything that's already been said here.
I am really curious about why you would want to move to NY, especially as you don't seem to want to live in NYC itself, which is where most people your age would go if coming to this area? Middletown is a pretty depressing area, in my opinion. Yeah, there are a couple of newer shopping areas there now, but city just isn't a vibrant, exciting place to live, especially for someone your age. Your options for nightlife and social activities are going to be much, much more limited than in a place like Houston.
If you want to live in a relatively inexpensive part of the state, you'll have to go farther away from NYC. The economies of the big cities upstate - Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse - aren't what they used to be years ago. These are areas that people are leaving, not moving to. And, you'll really have to like cold and snowy weather if you're considering moving to any of those places.
If I were in my 30s and looking to relocate, I would look at places like Portland, OR (which I read is attracting a lot of younger, hipper people now), Charlotte and Raleigh, NC, and Denver. For job opportunities, they say that Austin is one of the best places, but apparently you don't want to live in TX anymore. The 10 Best Cities For Job Seekers - Forbes
To be clear, only Buffalo had a population loss as a metro between 2000-2010, while the other Upstate metros mentioned had modest population gains. Albany, Ithaca, Glens Falls and Watertown had gains as well during that period. With that said, they still have enough to offer for those willing to find out.
Also, if you don't mind a small city, but has things to do, Ithaca would be a good fit. Downtown Ithaca NY - YouTube
To be clear, only Buffalo had a population loss as a metro between 2000-2010, while the other Upstate metros mentioned had modest population gains. Albany, Ithaca, Glens Falls and Watertown had gains as well during that period. With that said, they still have enough to offer for those willing to find out.
Also, if you don't mind a small city, but has things to do, Ithaca would be a good fit. Downtown Ithaca NY - YouTube
There are parts of other cities up here that could work in that regard as well.
As I don't happen to have data regarding popularion increases or losses for upstate NY cities at hand right now (and don't have the time to look for it), I'll defer to your statement above. Nevertheless, in my opinion, upstate New York cities like Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse are old and dying cities. They were all centered around manufacturing and haven't kept up with the times. If someone were looking for a job in hi-tech, for example, he or she could go to the Research Triangle area of NC, or to Austin. If you want to work in finance or advertising, you go to NYC. What do cities like Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse have to offer in terms of jobs, unless you plan on working at one of the colleges or universities in those cities? I haven't seen one article or list of best cities for jobs that recommends ANY city in upstate New York.
There's something else that the OP should consider if he's thinking about moving to upstate New York: weather. Not only do places like Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse get a significant amount of snow during the winter, but they are also very gloomy and grey during the long winter months. All of these cities fall within the region labeled as Western New York in the Places Rated Almanac. According to the data compiled in that book, cities within this region get on average only 61 clear days (days with less than 30% cloud cover) per year, while getting a whopping 204 cloudy days (days with more than 70% cloud cover) each year. There are also 135 days of weather at or below 32 degrees. Houston, TX, on the other hand, gets 95 clear days each year, 155 cloudy days, and 18 days at or below 32 degrees. While the OP may be anxious to escape the hot, humid summers in Houston, does he really want to trade that for the long, cloudy, cold and snowy winters of upstate New York?
I would much rather move to Denver, which has a robust economy, great scenery, a sunny and dry climate, and a active, energetic population that takes advantage of all of the opportunities for outdoor recreation there, than any city in upstate New York, hands down.
As I don't happen to have data regarding popularion increases or losses for upstate NY cities at hand right now (and don't have the time to look for it), I'll defer to your statement above. Nevertheless, in my opinion, upstate New York cities like Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse are old and dying cities. They were all centered around manufacturing and haven't kept up with the times. If someone were looking for a job in hi-tech, for example, he or she could go to the Research Triangle area of NC, or to Austin. If you want to work in finance or advertising, you go to NYC. What do cities like Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse have to offer in terms of jobs, unless you plan on working at one of the colleges or universities in those cities? I haven't seen one article or list of best cities for jobs that recommends ANY city in upstate New York.
There's something else that the OP should consider if he's thinking about moving to upstate New York: weather. Not only do places like Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse get a significant amount of snow during the winter, but they are also very gloomy and grey during the long winter months. All of these cities fall within the region labeled as Western New York in the Places Rated Almanac. According to the data compiled in that book, cities within this region get on average only 61 clear days (days with less than 30% cloud cover) per year, while getting a whopping 204 cloudy days (days with more than 70% cloud cover) each year. There are also 135 days of weather at or below 32 degrees. Houston, TX, on the other hand, gets 95 clear days each year, 155 cloudy days, and 18 days at or below 32 degrees. While the OP may be anxious to escape the hot, humid summers in Houston, does he really want to trade that for the long, cloudy, cold and snowy winters of upstate New York?
I would much rather move to Denver, which has a robust economy, great scenery, a sunny and dry climate, and a active, energetic population that takes advantage of all of the opportunities for outdoor recreation there, than any city in upstate New York, hands down.
This isn't completely true. While manufacturing overshadowed other industries, they weren't completely manufacturing dependant. Each of these areas have plenty of smaller firms, many institutions of higher education, a good healthcare industry and even some technical jobs. Rochester's metro educational attainment is 22nd out of the top 100 metros and Syracuse's is higher than many areas that are growing. Getting a job will depend on an individual's skills/education and the availability within an area, rankings and best place for lists aside. There were lists of jobs that the OP was looking for in various areas in the state already mentioned earlier in the thread. There's this thread too: //www.city-data.com/forum/new-y...-openings.html
As for weather, it appears that the OP is sick of brutally hot weather and wants to be closer to family. Sunny and cloudy days are counted in different ways in terms of the length of sun and/or cloudiness. life goes on during the winter up here due to the proper infrastructure to remove snow as well. So, those are factors that have to be considered in the thread as well.
I want to move to NY because I have family and because of the nightlife. I don't want to live in NYC because of COL and I rather be in a quiet safe neighborhood. I don't want to have to worry about parking every time I come home. I rather commute back and forth to have that peace.
As I don't happen to have data regarding popularion increases or losses for upstate NY cities at hand right now (and don't have the time to look for it), I'll defer to your statement above. Nevertheless, in my opinion, upstate New York cities like Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse are old and dying cities. They were all centered around manufacturing and haven't kept up with the times. If someone were looking for a job in hi-tech, for example, he or she could go to the Research Triangle area of NC, or to Austin. If you want to work in finance or advertising, you go to NYC. What do cities like Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse have to offer in terms of jobs, unless you plan on working at one of the colleges or universities in those cities? I haven't seen one article or list of best cities for jobs that recommends ANY city in upstate New York.
There's something else that the OP should consider if he's thinking about moving to upstate New York: weather. Not only do places like Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse get a significant amount of snow during the winter, but they are also very gloomy and grey during the long winter months. All of these cities fall within the region labeled as Western New York in the Places Rated Almanac. According to the data compiled in that book, cities within this region get on average only 61 clear days (days with less than 30% cloud cover) per year, while getting a whopping 204 cloudy days (days with more than 70% cloud cover) each year. There are also 135 days of weather at or below 32 degrees. Houston, TX, on the other hand, gets 95 clear days each year, 155 cloudy days, and 18 days at or below 32 degrees. While the OP may be anxious to escape the hot, humid summers in Houston, does he really want to trade that for the long, cloudy, cold and snowy winters of upstate New York?
I would much rather move to Denver, which has a robust economy, great scenery, a sunny and dry climate, and a active, energetic population that takes advantage of all of the opportunities for outdoor recreation there, than any city in upstate New York, hands down.
I know weather will be a huge adjustment coming from Tx, but I might be able to adjust.
I know weather will be a huge adjustment coming from Tx, but I might be able to adjust.
It only becomes a big deal if you let it be. There are plenty of events and other things going on during the winter, let alone the other seasons during the year. What people don't know is that an area like Denver can expect snowfall earlier and that the Albany area average a similar amount of snow in a year. So, even the winter weather factor isn't even clear cut in comparison.
I would add that if sun and snow are a factor, there are other places to live in the Northeast that have considerable sun and less snow, in winter. Most coastal areas receive a lot less snow and more sun that inland areas, and could actually be closer to Middletown than Rochester or Buffalo would be. Look at the southern NJ coast, southern NH/ME, and Rhode Island.
The Northeast is definitely not monolithic, it varies in weather pretty significantly from place to place even over a small area as compared to Texas. As an aside to what "many roads" posted, you might find some of those areas to be more vibrant as well.
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