looking to relocate pros/cons of upstate ny

[Dutch445]

wow!
aren't us NYers just a happy bunch!

and this summer the economy is even worse, farmers are
going to suffer terribly with the weather and milk issues...
many southerntier businesses have had disruptions from
flooding, the canal system has been shut down more
this year already than I have ever remembered. (like never
heard of it before) all those vacationers are going to have
a hard time navigating thru the state this month.

things just seem to be getting worse, add that to the
oil situation, and things looks pretty bleak.

but, we have a thriving casino business here!

 

[EddieWalker]

I thought California was bad, but you guys sure make New York sound very similar. I'm sure it's fine for most people, but California was declining in population when I moved. It might have changed, but Uhaul, Budget and Hertz all said they can't keep trucks in the state because of all the people moving out!!!

I chose Texas because of all the oportunities and land is fairly cheap. Depending on how far you want to comute and what level of improvements you want, you can still find land in the thousand dollar an acre range. I paid less three years ago!!

Lot's of jobs, low crime and beautiful scenery. Of course, it's warm and humid three months of the year and in does get into the teens a few times every year in winter.

Before I moved here, I spent years traveling all over the country looking for a place I wanted to be, not a place I was born at or had to be. My goal was to find a place to live at that I'd enjoy myself, have minimal stress and have multiple oprotunities if I wanted to pursue them. I also wanted to be able to live off Walmart pay if I had to and not go bankrupt.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[citytransplant]

In December of last year I picked up 6.6 acres and a 1,300 sq. ft. old farm house for under $100K in Central New York. I project combined school and property taxes next year to be $2,300. Lived here pretty near my entire life, got a good gubmint job and I wouldn't trade my life for that of a king.

Do we get snow? **** yeah. And we can move it faster than a jackrabbit on crack cocaine. Major thoroughfares will be clear for the morning drive after most overnight snowstorms. Our highway guys can move in the wee hours the kind of snow that shuts down major cities (e.g., NYC or DC) for days.

We have good roads and some of the best schools in the country. Although we do get plenty of snow, have you ever heard of hurricanes or devastating wildfires ripping through Upstate New York? We have bucks the size of moose and trout the size of footballs and world class salmon fishing. Beautiful mountains (Catskills and Adirondacks) and sandy beaches (Long Island) just a few hours away.

Best of all, research shows that we have the prettiest women in country right here in Central New York.

Come west. We would love to have you as our neighbor.

http://www.cs.state.ny.us/jobseeker/gettingajob/empnys.cfm

http://www.nationalgridus.com/aboutus/a2-3_careers.asp

http://www.ongov.net/Employment/jobs/

 

[scott_vt]

In December of last year I picked up 6.6 acres and a 1,300 sq. ft. old farm house for under $100K in Central New York. I project combined school and property taxes next year to be $2,300. Lived here pretty near my entire life, got a good gubmint job and I wouldn't trade my life for that of a king.

Do we get snow? **** yeah. And we can move it faster than a jackrabbit on crack cocaine. Major thoroughfares will be clear for the morning drive after most overnight snowstorms. Our highway guys can move in the wee hours the kind of snow that shuts down major cities (e.g., NYC or DC) for days.

We have good roads and some of the best schools in the country. Although we do get plenty of snow, have you ever heard of hurricanes or devastating wildfires ripping through Upstate New York? We have bucks the size of moose and trout the size of footballs and world class salmon fishing. Beautiful mountains (Catskills and Adirondacks) and sandy beaches (Long Island) just a few hours away.

Best of all, research shows that we have the prettiest women in country right here in Central New York.

Come west. We would love to have you as our neighbor.

http://www.cs.state.ny.us/jobseeker/gettingajob/empnys.cfm

http://www.nationalgridus.com/aboutus/a2-3_careers.asp

http://www.ongov.net/Employment/jobs/

Mornin Citytransplant,
Finally a good post on Ny upstate !!! My grandpop had a small dairy farm in the catskills when I was growing up and thats where my parents brought me on vacation ! I loved every minute of it ! Unfortunately the farm sold when I was a teenager and I never got a crack at it, because if I had I probablly would have bought it myself.

I have memories of walking out in the fields in the morning toting my Granpops 12 guage shotgun and wearin his big rubber boots about 3 sizes too big Of course he never gave me any shells

Going down to his stream and catchin little brook trout and havin my grandma fry them up for me along with the blueberries I had picked and we had our own rubarb patch uumm good ! I will never forget all that, Ny catskills hold a special place in my heart High taxes or not !

I say dump the legislators and get someone in offive that can help Ny !!!

 

[Sigarms]

We have good roads and some of the best schools in the country. Although we do get plenty of snow, have you ever heard of hurricanes or devastating wildfires ripping through Upstate New York? We have bucks the size of moose and trout the size of footballs and world class salmon fishing.

First year as a civilian living in Syracuse had a buddy come up to kayak the Black river in Watertown. On the way down, had to stop at Pulaski to get some salmon (world class salmon river on the Salmon river). EVERY restaurant we stopped at in Pulaski didn't server salmon, couldn't figure it out. Went to a truck stop off 81, last stop, they did serve salmon. I asked the waitress (sp?) if this was salmon from the salmon river. She told me no. She informed me it was ILLEGAL for any restaurant to serve local salmon due to the iodine (sp?) levels in the fish. Went salmon fishing with my supervisor at the time in Syracuse. Litterally 200 guys no more than 5 yards apart on BOTH sides of the river fishing!

N.Y was great, that being said, in central N.C had one tree blow down due to high winds last year. Maybe two snows the whole year, no accumilation. End of Feb. you're in shorts and a t-shirt for running. Any snow you get one day is usually gone the next due to temps.

Heck, I was up around Tugg (sp?) Hill in N.Y when it got 96" of snow in ONE DAY.

All things considered, no complaints in N.C. That being said, don't snowboard near as much as I used to. You can also forget the ice fishing, and racing on a lake in the winter doing 100mph on a snowmobile.

Had a friend live around Tannersville (Catskills). To me, different area. Although they do get snow, nothing like from north of Syracuse (which gets the lake effect). I'd be afraid to look at the prices in the Catskills due to all those lovely people from N.Y.C.

Brings up a funny point. Tell people you're from "upstate N.Y" could be one of two places. The first is the Catskill area, the second north of Syracuse, Lake Placid and if you want to have some REAL fun, Messena (keep in mind, the Catskills are south of Albany, and Albany is south of Syracuse). A little fact that most people don't realize, if you scuba dive, the shipwreck diving on the St. Lawrence is GREAT, better than off the coast of N.C.

I'm not "knocking" N.Y, great place to live, and it does build character. That being said, my wife is from Vermont, I was born in Maine. No way will we ever leave N.C (yes, **** yankees). Funny, because most of the people I know who live "up north" and say they will never leave have never "lived" in the south. I also don't know many "southerners" who move "north" for good as well.

That being said, there are some interesting things about the south (that old saying, "the grass is always greener on the other side"), well, for a fact, it stays greener in the south.

 

[HappyCPE]

Having grown up on Lawn Gyland and with lots of relatives in LI, NYC, NJ, PA and "upstate" NY, I'm going to offer my two cents.

I like New York! I spent a few summers as a kid in Dover Plains [Dutchess cty] and have taken a few vacations, in the Adirondacks, Catskills [the resorts are an acquired taste], Corning for the museum, Niagara Falls, and the fabulous Mohonk Mountain House. I get to "the city" for work meetings and as long as someone drives me it's great; Guiliani and Bloomberg have it cleaned up nicely. The area around Cooperstown is some of the most beautiful land on the planet. Orchards west of Niagara Falls have the biggest, reddest, tastiest apples I've ever had. And snow is fun!

Yes, the public schools are excellent. Great colleges, too. Yes, the roads are well maintained. The people are generally great, as long as you're north of I-84. Oh, yes, the politicians are either boneheads, crooks or carpetbaggers. Being in NJ though, I'm not qualified to wag my finger about that.

Now every place has downsides. The taxes are crushing. There are few good paying jobs. Winters are long.

There are a lot of nice places in the world. It seems few of them can provide a prosperous living; or, the good money can only be found in the foulest places. Life is full of compromises, and as my mother says, "Only heaven is perfect."

I worked in Milford, CT for 9 months, and didn't like it much. I think I can understand wanting to get out of the Constitution State but you might want to be certain. No place is perfect.

http://www.mohonk.com/ =Mohonk Mountain House
http://www.cmog.org/ =Corning Museum of Glass
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/introreg.html =one reason why NY education is better

 

[rickmacheske]

Try Northern VA outside of DC. Prices for real estate is high but the economy is doing extremely well.

 

[CDsdad]

Sounds like you might need to "come on down". 3 miles past my house is the Alabama state line. You can't tell where MS stops and Alabama starts.
Warm year round with only a cool snap or two for winter, taxes reasonable, minimal crime, even less traffic.
Got a few bugs, can get a little windy during hurricane season, eye of Katrina passed about 40 miles west of us, but overall a great place for kids and family. Utility companies stay busy.
Northern MS has delta if you like farmland, northern AL has foothills of mountains. Where I'm at is mostly pine plantations with scattered farms and poultry houses. If an occasional hurricane doesn't bother you, the AL gulf coast is gorgeous, MS gulf coast used to be nice and will be again.
All the rumors of backward, dumb, and poor are untrue. We have some of the finest, nicest, honest, hardest-working, God-fearing people you will ever meet.
I know there are other places just as good up North, out West, and south into FL, but this is home to us and I'll die on my hill in MS I hope, but not soon I hope.

 

[bugstruck]

Try Northern VA outside of DC. Prices for real estate is high but the economy is doing extremely well.

You have to move the first sentence to the last and drop it in as the punchline to a joke. If you are serious...... I think it would be good to get around some more. Good jobs, yes, excellent, they have to be. Good life environment??? NIMO. Other areas of Virginia are excellent though, so I like the State.

Regarding central to west NY, I've considered property there. I acutally like it. Definitely overtaxed, but less than the same home in my area. Of course, here it's worth much more.

 

[citytransplant]

Went salmon fishing with my supervisor at the time in Syracuse. Litterally 200 guys no more than 5 yards apart on BOTH sides of the river fishing!

Must have been back in the days when "snagging" (using a weighted 3 point a/k/a treble hook) was legal. I haven't been up Pulaski way in a few years but I believe during salmon and steelhead seasons they still get their fair share of anglers. Not elbow to elbow, but close. At least that is my impression.

The fishing that I really miss is surf casting for bluefish and striped bass. I lived in Manhattan for 10 years and caught, well lets say fished for, stripers and blues from the Hudson River at the GW Bridge all the way out to the Montauk Point lighthouse at the tip of Long Island and back again on the north shore.

GW Bridge, 125th St under W. Side Highway, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Rockaway, Far Rockaway, Long Beach, Fire Island, Center Moriches, Montauk, Greenpoint, Wildwood State Park, City Island, and probably numerous spots that I can't remember. Anyplace public transportation could take me. I remember once riding home on the subway during the evening rush hour with a bluefish in my 5 gallon bucket, tail hanging out of the top. A packed subway car and people gave me plenty of elbow room.

I love NY.