Considering moving the family from Westchester NY. Considering the cost of living. Any residents care to share experiences or opinions on living there?
have taught in Lake George. Both are beautiful places, Saratoga is a great place to live and raise a family, IMO. You have the Race Track in the summer, the Adirondacks, lots of good restaurants, the schools are great, lots of parks and recreational facilities. People are friendly.
I have lived in the capital district since 1985.It is a great place to live.Many things to do.It is easy to get around.It is an easy drive to NYC and you can get a mega bus for 20 dollars.Saratoga County has lower taxes than Albany County but the price of housing near the city of Saratoga is very high.Columbia and Dutchess Counties are filled with retired teachers, police and fire men from NYC.
on what you and family are interested in. and if you still working - commute up and down 87, while not nearly as bad as NYC traffic, can be pain in the ass and trains aren't an option.
The Lake George area is very nice. The town itself is a touristy spot, so you might not want to live right in town. Many people I know live in Queensbury, which is just south of Lake George. Lots of good school districts in the area.
If you have any specific questions feel free to contact me directly.
Glens Falls, South Glens Falls, and Queensbury are nice depending on your tastes. There are obviously older run down sections- mainly the older areas of town (which is pretty much about everything South of Sherman ave/Maple St. in Glens Falls and anything in 'downtown' S.Glens Falls- but very little is "ghetto"). Queensbury is the nicest area, but land/housing is the most expensive (for the area). Once you get to the outskirts of S. Glens Falls- South of Rt 9 where it crosses I87 there is some nice land and newer developments that are near/in the town of Moreau and the state park there. North of Glens Falls around the airport has some great housing and land as well. My uncle lives up there (retired fireman) in his house he's been fixing up for 40yrs- that was built in 1778. It's a nice area if you want more rural living.
Glens Falls/Queensbury region puts you a few minutes from skiing on West mountain, 20mins or so from Saratoga, and another 20mins the other direction from Lake George. You're about 45min from the border of Vermont.
There are also some really fantastic houses on the East side of Lake George (the Lake), but you're gonna be paying a shit ton. The West side of the lake is where all the hotels/motels/touristy crap is (although it is much nicer from Labor Day through Memorial day- turns into the small town that it really is). Once you're a few miles North of the Southern tip of the lake, you'll find lodges and whatnot but also plenty of 'rural' year round housing (mostly summer homes though) right in the Adirondack state park. Further North on the lake is Ticonderoga which is also a nice little small town.
Further East of Glens Falls is Hudson Falls (small town, a bit more run down), Fort Edward (even more run down than Hudson Falls), and North of there you end up in Fort Ann...very old rural town...nice enough, though. You can find really decent prices on land and houses out there- but you're a bit further away from everything and everyone (whether that's good or bad is personal preference).
West of Glens Falls/Queensbury on the other side of West Mountain is Corinth and Lake Lazerne, "The Gateway to the Adirondacks". Lazerne is right on the Hudson (it's clean up there, you can swim in it) and IMO a little nicer than Corinth, although smaller and more rural...plenty of touristy stuff around there, too- white water rafting/horse ranches and the like.
If you have any specific questions feel free to contact me directly.
Glens Falls/Queensbury region puts you a few minutes from skiing on West mountain, 20mins or so from Saratoga, and another 20mins the other direction from Lake George. You're about 45min from the border of Vermont.
There are also some really fantastic houses on the East side of Lake George (the Lake), but you're gonna be paying a shit ton. The West side of the lake is where all the hotels/motels/touristy crap is (although it is much nicer from Labor Day through Memorial day- turns into the small town that it really is). Once you're a few miles North of the Southern tip of the lake, you'll find lodges and whatnot but also plenty of 'rural' year round housing (mostly summer homes though) right in the Adirondack state park. Further North on the lake is Ticonderoga which is also a nice little small town.
Further East of Glens Falls is Hudson Falls (small town, a bit more run down), Fort Edward (even more run down than Hudson Falls), and North of there you end up in Fort Ann...very old rural town...nice enough, though. You can find really decent prices on land and houses out there- but you're a bit further away from everything and everyone (whether that's good or bad is personal preference).
West of Glens Falls/Queensbury on the other side of West Mountain is Corinth and Lake Lazerne, "The Gateway to the Adirondacks". Lazerne is right on the Hudson (it's clean up there, you can swim in it) and IMO a little nicer than Corinth, although smaller and more rural...plenty of touristy stuff around there, too- white water rafting/horse ranches and the like.