Washington, DC or Albany/Saratoga Springs, NY?? Why or why not??

Question

I'm looking to relocate my family to somewhere family friendly with a lower cost of living. I'm looking at the Washington, DC area or the Albany/Saratoga Springs, NY capital region. Which one and why or why not??

Answer 1

It's hard to compare the two. There's a lot to do in DC, but it's expensive and the traffic is terrible, though the public transit system is good. I've never heard it described as having a low cost of living- tends to be a very polarized city: either upper middle to upper class, or poverty (there are some very rough sections)

I like Albany, but it isn't a terribly exciting place. Very reasonable cost of living, affordable housing, and it's well located if you ever want to visit other places- about 3 hours to Boston, bit less to New York, and the NYC service is the only thing Amtrak does well. Saratoga Springs is a nice place, but very expensive to find housing (you'd want to live in a nearby community like Burnt Hills) and downtown Saratoga is mostly tourist centered. The town is crammed with tourists during the season (parking is impossible) and goes dead in the winter. Excellent college though.

Answer 2

The Washington D.C. area is definitely more expensive. There are some really nice suburbs though in Virginia. Plus, there is so much to do ....vacations along the coast, day trips into D.C., as well as all the culture and history of Washington D.C. The Virginia/D.C. area would be my choice out of the two.

The actual city of Albany is nothing special in my opinion. There are a couple of museums and parks but not the type of downtown you can walk around in like other large cities. I actually went to college one town away from Albany. It was fun to go out sometimes in Albany....but it wasn't the type of place I really drove around in or would ever want to live. There are some nice suburbs of Albany though with reasonably priced housing. However, living in North Jersey all of my life.....in my opinion many parts of upstate NY can be a little hick and make you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, if you decide on NY, Sarataga is a nice town to live in. Cute little downtown with some fun restaurants, safe neighborhood....its about a 35 minute drive from Albany. There is plenty of things to do...if you like outdoors....skiing, snowboarding, attending horses races at the track, etc. Overall, both areas you are talking about are nice....it's just that I got bored living in upstate NY.

Answer 3

Lower cost of living compared to where?

I wouldn't think the Washington DC area would be all that inexpensive?

Although Saratoga Springs is a beautiful area, you would have to really like winter and snow if your going to live there. They get serious snow and cold there.

Answer 4

Washington DC is way too congested and the cost of living is high. I have visited Albany and it is a more calmer atmosphere as far as traffic. I wish you luck in your move.