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I am in my 30s, engaged, with no children, and employment isn't a factor in our decision. I lived all my life in eastern Suffolk Long Island, then I moved to Florida for a few years for my dad, and I'm ready to go back to New York now but Long Island isn't an option due to the cost so I've been looking upstate.
I've done some research and New Hartford and Vestal seem to offer some newer or recently renovated apartments buildings in our range (up to $900 for a one bedroom), many chain stores and resteraunts, is safe, doesn't look run down, and are suburbs which I prefer to bigger cities. We don't have the opportunity to visit either town so I would like any opinions anyone can offer on choosing between the two. There is only so much you can get from google, YouTube, and google maps street view. I am not looking to move anymore west than Elmira and not anymore north than new Hartford. If anyone knows of a place that is like Vestal or New Hartford that I can look into as well that would be helpful too. Thank you and please let me know what information I left out that would be helpful.
I am in my 30s, engaged, with no children, and employment isn't a factor in our decision. I lived all my life in eastern Suffolk Long Island, then I moved to Florida for a few years for my dad, and I'm ready to go back to New York now but Long Island isn't an option due to the cost so I've been looking upstate.
I've done some research and New Hartford and Vestal seem to offer some newer or recently renovated apartments buildings in our range (up to $900 for a one bedroom), many chain stores and resteraunts, is safe, doesn't look run down, and are suburbs which I prefer to bigger cities. We don't have the opportunity to visit either town so I would like any opinions anyone can offer on choosing between the two. There is only so much you can get from google, YouTube, and google maps street view. I am not looking to move anymore west than Elmira and not anymore north than new Hartford. If anyone knows of a place that is like Vestal or New Hartford that I can look into as well that would be helpful too. Thank you and please let me know what information I left out that would be helpful.
Both are nice and underrated suburbs in Upstate NY. Both have very good school districts as well. Parts of Vestal have been prone to the occasional flood next to the Susquehanna River, but it also has hilly portions that aren't. Plenty of shopping on Vestal Parkway/Route 434. It is pretty much car centric. Binghamton University is also in the town and may be a option in terms of events or higher education opportunities(schooling or employment).
New Hartford also has a village next to South Utica(generally nice part of that city) that is walkable and has a shopping plaza with quite a bit of shopping as well. Commercial Drive has more big box shopping.
Given your criteria, Horseheads, which is north of Elmira and may also be underrated in terms of an Upstate NY suburb may be another one to look into. It also has a walkable village and most of the big box shopping in that area is in adjacent Big Flats.
Your criteria also means that Syracuse and Albany suburbs could be in play. So, say DeWitt, Manlius, Cicero, Clay and Camillus in the Syracuse area; as well as Colonie, Niskayuna, Rotterdam, Guilderland, Bethlehem, Brunswick and Clifton Park in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area could be other suburban towns to research.
Perhaps even Lansing, an Ithaca area suburb could be an option as well due to having some big box/mall shopping and the type of housing you appear to be looking for.
Hope this helps and that others may chime in with more.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 06-09-2017 at 03:14 AM..
You're going to pick and move to 1 of these areas w/o checking them out in person first?
Yeah, that would be important.....
Pamela5, as far as culture shock, I don't think it would be as big of a deal as you think. Eastern Suffolk isn't as densely populated as parts of Long Island further west. So, these places may be more in line with what you are use to in that part of the island. What may give Vestal the edge in similarities may be the presence of Downstate college students in the town most of the year in comparison to New Hartford. Besides that and maybe a more rural surrounding presence, I don't think it will be that big of a deal.
Just to add to this, in the Utica area, the Whitesboro SD area may also fit, as parts of it(the villages of Whitesboro and Yorkville(northern portion, as well as the Hart's Hill area) isn't too far from Commercial Drive and parts of the district(Deerfield/Marcy) are close to shopping in North Utica around Riverside Drive. Whitesboro is the biggest suburban school district in the Utica-Rome area.
In the Binghamton area, the town of Union may be another option. I'd say that the Endwell(CDP) portion of the town would be good in terms of a good school district(primarily Maine-Endwell, with parts near Endicott in the Union-Endicott SD), near shopping in the northern part of the village of Johnson City(Oakdale Mall/Wegmans, etc.) and you can still get across the Susquehanna to Vestal.
Just like the initial suburbs mentioned, both of these suburbs are also close enough to their cities for more events/things to do as well.
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