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Appreciate the feedback from CT looking to make a move either to Maine or NY. Have had friends up in Utica, Ithaca, and Syracuse NY. Believe all but one friend moved other is involved in outdoor leadership.
However, have some family on Maine on the coast who love it.
Like to be near the water ocean, lake, or river. Always wanted to check out Lake Champlain know parts of NY are on the lake. As well as many huge lakes and near the Great Lakes. Also familiar with the Catskills and Berkshires, but never had a chance to explore the Adirondacks.
Also, if you don't mind smaller towns, you may want to look into the Tri Lakes area(Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid), as well as Ticonderoga, Keeseville and Port Henry/Moriah. Glens Falls is a small city that may fit what you are looking for too. All of them are in/near the Adirondacks, with Ticonderoga, Port Henry/Moriah and Keeseville being on or very close to Lake Champlain. I believe Elizabethtown is another small town on Lake Champlain and in the Adirondacks.
Chautauqua County might be an area that you would be interested in.
It has Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake plus it's near the Allegheny Reservoir. Being on/near Erie or Ontario is like being on the ocean without the salt or sharks. There's also white water rafting opportunities on the Cattaraugus Creek in near by Cattaraugus County as well as canoeing and kayaking on the Conewango Creek just over the state line around Warren, PA. There is free public boat/kayak access to Chautauqua Lake at Lakewood, Bemus Point, and, I think, Mayville. There's public boat/kayak access to Lake Erie at Barcelona and Dunkirk.
Chautauqua County has lots of parks, ranging from the state parks (Lake Erie Long Point, Midway) to county parks like Luensman Overlook to local city/village parks, including Point Gratiot in Dunkirk, Bergman in Jamestown, and College Park in Jamestown. There's also thousands of acres of state forest lands, with decent gravel roads and rough logging roads for access, that are open to the public. Allegany State Park, which is NYS' largest state park and offers camping, cabins, and all kinds of outdoor activities, is about 30 miles from Jamestown in Cattauraugus County. The Allegheny National Forest sprawls over much of Warren County in nearby PA, and beautiful Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA offers beach, swimming, and picnicking.
There are hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails that are maintained by local snowmobile clubs in Chautauqua County. There are also two county hiking trails as well as public access to the Chautauqua Gorge.
Chautauqua County has a milder climate than the Plattsburgh area. The western part of the county especially tends to get a lot of snow because of Lake Erie, but the lake also moderates the temperatures, keeping winter temps a somewhat higher and summer temps a little lower than you find away from the lakes.
Chautauqua County also has good connections, with I-90 offering easy access to Buffalo, Toronto, Rochester and other points north and east as well as Erie, Cleveland and points west and south. I-86 connects the southern part of the county to Erie, PA and I-90 as well as eastward to Corning, Binghamton, etc.
The "major" cities/towns in Chautauqua County: Dunkirk, Forestville, Fredonia, Frewsburg, Jamestown, Mayville, Silver Creek, and Westfield. Chautauqua County is predominantly rural but you can find most amenities in Dunkirk and Jamestown, and you're only an hour from Erie, PA, and less than two from Buffalo.
Hudson River Valley or anywhere with water. Be aware that living next to water is expensive as well. The NY are has changed dramatically as the water levels has risen along with climate change and obvious change is weather.
Don't think there's an area in upstate NY without excellent outdoors features, really depends on your specific preferences. But I think it's safe to say that the Adirondack region has the most to offer... besides the great size, wilderness, and mountains, it contains a ton of wild lakes as well. I'd go there frequently but the SW NY area (described by Linda) keeps my outdoors bug happy.
Don't think there's an area in upstate NY without excellent outdoors features, really depends on your specific preferences. But I think it's safe to say that the Adirondack region has the most to offer... besides the great size, wilderness, and mountains, it contains a ton of wild lakes as well. I'd go there frequently but the SW NY area (described by Linda) keeps my outdoors bug happy.
Your first sentence sums it up, Krisps. It really will come down to what appeals to the OP, as you really don't have to go too far from any city to get to any type of outdoor amenities. Some cities may even have something within or just outside of city limits(i.e.- Ithaca).
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