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My wife,daughter and I would like to move,we currently live in NW NJ,in what for NJ is considered rural.Unfortunately its gotten crowded with people moving in from the city brining their ideas on how things should be done.We initially thought New England,ME,NH or VT would be ideal(we have some family there) but after going on vacation there the last few years and reading City Data, we might have to look elsewhere.While NE is beautiful the cost of living and job opportunities could be better.We'd like to find out about Upstate NY,schools,taxes,home prices,jobs,etc.?I work a few different jobs,landscaper,plow snow and work in a sporting goods/gun store,my wife drives a school bus.What are the different regions like?Any specific areas to look at?I read a book a few years ago about moving to a small town.In the book the author wrote about ME,NH,VT and Upstate NY,she thought NY was the best kept secret of them all,was she right?Thank you for any help you may offer.
You could check out a lot of the small towns surrounding Albany. There's a quite a few villages that are seemingly in the middle of nowhere but are within commute time to Albany. Albany is close to the catskills and the Adirondacks. Towns located within Adirondack State park have tougher zoning so you probably would never experience what you are now. Budget would probably determine what towns specifically I would suggest.
I used to work with folks who moved their small dairy farm from NW NJ to near Marathon, NY for similar reasons. Trouble is land prices nowadays are out of whack in the Southern Tier due to the Marcellus Shale gas rush.
Work as a landscaper requires that you nave a customer base with more money than time. Upstate NY is not exactly rolling in dough so a target market for that might be absentee property owners, perhaps in the Hudson Valley north of Poughkeepsie up through Lake George, or spots in the Finger Lakes such as Skaneateles or Ithaca.
Actually you might want to look at east-central PA, say near Scranton or Harrisburg. The sides of these cities away from the bigger Northeast cities are far from being overrun with sprawl. Maybe the best thing is to live outside of the spraling areas of the Poconos but do work for homeowners in sprawl central that have money and absolutely no time for yard work due to their long commutes into NJ.
in the Lake Placid/Saranac Lake area and also people who are there but cannot take care of the 'family vacation' property, plus snow blowing and there are bus driver ads in today's paper................Just saying you might want to check out Plattsburgh area.
Check out website online and there are previous posts re: schools and kids, etc.........You can get a really nice house for a ton less than where you are now and you will never miss the traffic or crowds..........I also came from one of those places. We also have Gander, Dick's, Tractor Supply Company, and a couple of Agway's left.........You can actually work and relax and not need as much moolah so more time left for quality of life..............
Lots of Canadians come down to shop, so we aren't hurting as much as some other areas.....Think you should come for visit, check out college area, stores, outlying areas and all the recreational activities for all ages, school districts, and people.......I could never go back now after living here..............
You really feel as though you belong here which is so very rare these days where most people don't even know their next door neighbor very well. It is quite refreshing. Good luck!
Thank you for all the help.The problem with NW NJ are from my perspective,I think its gotten to crowded,people have the tendency to be rude,property taxes are high,$6000 on 1 acre with septic and well,people are moving here from Bergen county and bring their attitude with them.
It seems that more and more people are coming here from exactly the type of place you describe. Right now might be a good time for a move also because of the lower market values of homes........second homes aren't as devalued as major cities, but still it is considered a buyer's market.......You have more to choose from and more time to consider what you would like. There are many, many places where people have no attitudes like you describe and I agree that no matter where you choose, life is too short to live your life that way.........and it isn't healthy for you or your family life.
Sorry if I am too pushy, but most people I know who wait until retirement to make a move wonder why the hell they didn't do it 10 to 20 years earlier when they could have really enjoyed the quality of their lives for a much longer period of time.........For many of us the reality is there will be no retirement or a much shorter retirement so live life and enjoy as much as you can while you can with the people you care about.....
There are a lot of great towns and cities in upstate NY. Some of these have already been mentioned, but I suggest checking out: Syracuse Area (Cazenovia, Skaneateles), Rochester Area (Pittsford), and Ithaca.
Some great areas you might check into:
Saratoga's outlying areas: Schuylerville, Moreau, Northunderland, Wilton
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There are a lot of second homes
Think you aren't alone.........
