Question About Moving To The Hudson Valley (Rockland/Orange/Dutchess/Putnam) (Ramapo: home, live in)

[Stifled]

I am entering my final year of a masters program in the northeast and will be afterwards looking to relocate and find work.

I would very much like to stay in the northeast, but I also want to be closer to my family in northern VA.
Right now, I live in northern CT.

There are several things I have questions on.

1) My field of study is geography and I am into planning....is the planning field a big deal in Hudson Valley? Do they have ample jobs in the state compared to most other places?

2) Which place, if any, in the lower Hudson suits me. Specifically I would like an area which:
1) Is in the NY-tri state sphere of influence
2) Managable for me to go home to NOVA on the weekends
3) Is not an expensive/stressed-out/over-crowded/hectic area....semi-rural or more mellow would be better
4) Has a decent mid 20s/young adult population that an out-of-stater could assimilate to


3) Obviously, getting all of these perfect will be difficult, so reasonably I am looking for an area which balances these out.
I am considering the Hudson Valley because I guess I felt planning might be a profitable field in NY, along with how it is close to NY but also closer to NOVA.
I also have seen the Hudson Valley on I-87 and I-287 and it looks pretty nice, it does not appear over-developed and congested like New Jersey does.

One of my concerns though is this area, since it does appear pretty, would be too costly.

I was wondering if you have any suggestions.
I was thinking perhaps
1) Rockland County (Nyack/Spring Valley/Nanuet/Ramapo)
2) Orange County
3) Putnam and Dutchess (though less likely since they are further away)



4) I do have Asperger's....so it also is important any place I move to has good resources in this area...does the Hudson Valley have such resources?


Thanks!

[havoc315]

I just did the drive Westchester (really with a stop in Rockland first), to/from Virginia. Specifically, Charlottesville, so a bit further than you would be driving. It is not an impossible drive, but it is long. I can't imagine doing it too often. Might be fine for the occasional long week, but I wouldn't want to do it several times per month.

"Resources" are decent in the area, better than you will find in many other parts of the country. But you may sometimes find yourself going to Westchester or NYC from those areas.

I don't know much about a career in "planning," but I would not think there would be many jobs in those fields. These areas are pretty well developed and established. Going a bit further north, the state is always considering new plans for the Catskills region. You may really want to do more research.

None of those locations are especially ideal for young and single. They are more family-type. Within Rockland, Nyack is a town with a bit of trendiness, some youth. Can be a fun town. I have heard similar things about Cold Spring, though I have no experience with the town.

Good luck to you.

[Stifled]

Sorry to hear...are these areas at least less crowded or are they pretty sprawled out?