People who moved up to the Adirondacks, how was it?

[jego914]

OP, you say you teach "near" NYC, so where is that? Are you a NYC teacher? Where do you currently live and where are you originally from? Did you grow up in the city?

[grouse789]

I think we are either Rick Rolled or ghosted here !

[Anamandy]

It sure would have been nice if the OP had given some feedback or response to the other postings in this thread. It would have been nice to know what she decided to do.

[mingna]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

To be honest, if Northwood is where job is located, it is a good distance from Lake George and is really just outside of Lake Placid. So, it would make more sense to look at places like Lake Placid or Saranac Lake, if one wants to to live somewhere close and of some size.

If you don’t mind a 30 minute commute(in good weather), a place like AuSable Forks in the AuSable Valley SD could be another option. It would put you closer to Plattsburgh as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_Sable_Forks,_New_York
https://goo.gl/maps/bGg66EyNmXNoZSHm7

https://goo.gl/maps/7geiCB3MHjYkZ4xC8

Personally, I’d look at Saranac Lake first, then go from there...

Saranac Lake is a good choice. Has its own in-town lake, is large enough for year round living including amenities and services, yet it’s small enough for affordable housing (certainly compared to NYC metro). And easy day trip to the spectacular High Peaks region for great hiking, and long weekends to big city activities in Montreal.

Originally Posted by lifetimeliguy

Excellent advice here. Remember the Lowe's in Ticonderoga ? Didn't last too long.
I have been travelling to the Adirondacks for sixty years. The small towns in the central Adirondacks haven't changed that much since I was a small kid. If anything, they are more depressed than ever, since cell phone service is nonexistent in many places, stopping new business growth. Many of the smaller towns no longer have supermarkets (Tops, Grand Union). Looking for a gym? you may have to travel over an hour. Winters are beyond cold, come early and leave late. Oftentimes it's snowing by Columbus Day. Hospitals are distant from many towns, and - as you stated, I have found many long timers are wary of outsiders.
That said, the Adirondack Mountains ... one of the most beautiful places on earth. Add a star if you like to fish or hike.

I Have personally witnessed this happening to our tiny, regular lakeside small town deep in the Adirondacks . Very sad to see Tops and other long-time businesses close throughout the years. Now have to drive a lot farther just for groceries. Forget nearby medical services should you have medical emergency. But, I’ve also noticed a few new businesses open in the last few years by young families who relocated from elsewhere in the country. Hopefully it’s a start of a revitalization of sorts.

As with elsewhere in the US, it takes a certain personality to live in the Adirondacks as a year round resident. It’s easy for active nature lovers to see the pluses, but you must always consider first the negatives and move with realistic open eyes.

I’ve often daydreamed of living there and teaching fir a living...

[edneck12524]

I made the mistake of moving here and it has been nothing but
problems ever since! My homes tax assessment is much higher
than that of the nicer homes that are owned by lifetime locals
among other things,when it snows the snowplow driver plows
about 4 feet out from the curb in front of my house yet gets
nice and close to the curb everywhere else on the street.My
neighbor on one side uses the town officials to attempt to
harass me and the house on the other side was burned due
to a crack deal gone wrong back on 8/25/2018 the burned
out shell remains and the burned tree they had just destroyed
part of my house last week even though i have been complaining
to the town about it for almost 3 years funny how every time
I complain i get a letter from the towns building inspector in retaliation.

Honestly i could go on and on but I thinki you get the point....AVOID TICONDEROGA!!!!!!!

[Anamandy]

Originally Posted by lifetimeliguy

Excellent advice here. Remember the Lowe's in Ticonderoga ? Didn't last too long.
I have been travelling to the Adirondacks for sixty years. The small towns in the central Adirondacks haven't changed that much since I was a small kid. If anything, they are more depressed than ever, since cell phone service is nonexistent in many places, stopping new business growth. Many of the smaller towns no longer have supermarkets (Tops, Grand Union). Looking for a gym? you may have to travel over an hour. Winters are beyond cold, come early and leave late. Oftentimes it's snowing by Columbus Day. Hospitals are distant from many towns, and - as you stated, I have found many long timers are wary of outsiders.
That said, the Adirondack Mountains ... one of the most beautiful places on earth. Add a star if you like to fish or hike.

When I was living up there I wrote to Lowes corporate office in 2005 about opening up a store in the area. I didn't mention Ticonderoga, per se, but I did tell them that it was a fantastic opportunity and all the surrounding areas it would serve. I also wrote to other chain stores too. I doubt I was the only one who wrote to them as a lot of people I know were also frustrated with the lack of shopping that a store like that could provide. Prior to their coming to Ticonderoga, if you wanted to go to a big box store you had to go to Plattsburg, VT, or Glens Falls NY. I received a letter back from the corporate office thanking me for my suggestion and that they would look into it. Shortly thereafter people from Lowes were coming to that region of Upstate NY. scouting the area, and as soon as word got out that Lowes was interested in opening a store in the area, every activist group and their brother came out of the woodwork to fight them. They picked on everything. The location of the business; the size of the sign and placement; how many parking spots there would be; how many dedicated to the disabled (wound up being almost half the parking lot, which was totally ridiculous); how many disabled would work at the store; how many gay people would work at the store; etc. These groups literally fought Lowes every step of the way, many times in court (placement of the store sign; a native American group over a bone, later found to be an animal bone, etc.), to stop Lowes and hold them up. By the time Lowes was ready to open their doors two events happened that doomed them from the start. The economy tanked in 2008, and in particular, the housing market, putting an end to the building of new homes and renovations of old ones, which would have been a lot of business for Lowes, and the Champlain bridge was shut down in 2009, which also meant a massive loss of business for Lowes. Just two years after opening in 2009, Lowes shut its doors. Now I'm not saying that they wouldn't have shut down any way in light of those events happening, but had they been able to open in 2006-2007 which is the time frame they originally wanted to open, it might have given them time to get established and weather the upcoming storms. Instead they had to fight every step of the way just to get their doors open and I'm sure it left a bad taste in their mouth and bad opinion of the people there. And I couldn't fault them on that. Too many natives of the Adirondacks have a welfare mindset. They don't want to work and deliberately go out of their way to make sure the place stays in poverty by preventing businesses from opening. It is really sad that so many of these people have so much say and control over the area, but they do. I'm not just talking about the average Jill & Joe here, though they surely play a part in pressuring their representatives, but the elected officials too. People with a very anti-business mindset are in control and it is destroying the Adirondacks. With fuel prices on the rise it will be the final nail for that area. Those who can, will get out. The majority of others will be doomed to a life of poverty and misery.