... andhow about "Upstate New York"

[CNY rider]

Do you want to have a bunch of land for activities, or just a house on a small property?
In Otsego County you can get lots of land, with a decent house on it for a few hundred thousand dollars. Live like a king, but it will be out in the middle of nowhere.
Lots of great riding, both paved and dirt.
And even in the most rural locations, at worst it's 20 minutes to a grocery store.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by verticaldoug

Think farther a field- Spain... just make sure the locals know you are not English and you are cool.

(the food is waaaaay better and cheaper too. )

except Portugal is cheaper, people are nicer, food is better, ect...

I am Portuguese so I may be biased but I heard the same from everyone that finally goes there after years of going to other places in Europe.

[GregL]

I’m a native upstater who has spent most of my life here. A few thoughts:

- Homes are very affordable in most areas. You’ll pay more in the popular suburbs, but otherwise housing prices are surprisingly low.

- Taxes are ridiculously high. But coming from Westchester, they will seem reasonable.

- As you move north and west from the lower Hudson valley, snowfall amounts go up a lot. Here in Siberacuse, it’s 10 feet (on average) every winter. We have the infrastructure to handle the snow, but it makes for a long, grey winter. The nordic skiing, fat biking, and snowshoeing are great.

- As others have said, the riding is great. Road, MTB, and gravel are all available to suit your tastes. The aforementioned ridiculous taxes mean the paved roads are in generally great shape. Away from the cities, the roads are quiet and the drivers tend to be courteous. Many more friendly waves than angry middle fingers.

I’m happy to answer any specific questions. I grew up near Cooperstown and have lived in the Albany, Syracuse, and Rochester (Canandaigua) areas. Best combination of all riding was Canandaigua. Current home base is North Syracuse with a summer camp on Great Sacandaga Lake.

Greg

[peanutgallery]

I'd be worried about annual, local property tax. There's cheaper places to live

NY State, pretty as it is....can be expensive

If I was no longer generating income....

[rpettet]

I live in Watkins Glen and road riding around here is good. Numerous gravel roads which I prefer especially during tourist season. Rumble strips have been placed on many state road shoulders making them useless since the strips were placed in the middle.
Cost of living here is crazy. Taxes on a 250000 house could approach 12,000 and this is not lake property. Retiring next year and can’t/won’t stay here. Thousands leaving yearly, not sure what the future holds. Beautiful place and will always visit.

[mdeth1313]

Wow - OP says Columbia County or neighboring counties - now he's moving to Syracuse, the Finger Lakes, hey, why not Buffalo? I hear it's nice in the winter and they have a winning football team these days.

[soulspinner]

The riding in the fingerlakes is great. Lived in and around Rochester for 40 years before that the Utica area...the winters can suck though.

[Hilltopperny]

I am ice fishing as we speak on Caroga lake. One of the many lakes within a very short drive. The cost of living is pretty cheap and the taxes are still significantly less than further down state


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[paulh]

Originally Posted by SlowPokePete

Early retirement in the near future due to CTINM Syndrome glad I have the option despite the penalty.
That's Can't Take It No More Syndrome :

SPP

Ha! I had not heard of CTINM before but I think I've got it.
I also have eye trouble... just can't see working much longer; complicated by ocular rectumitis. S#%$y outlook at work.

[SlowPokePete]

Thanks for all the responses.

Probably looking to stay within 2 hours of where I am now...family still in Westchester. Also, ok with continued winter type existence, especially if I don't have to go to work, but not interested in the level of severity that the weather doles out in places like Buffalo, etc.

I'm not too worried about the riding, as I'm a gravel ride type guy and I expect there to be plenty of that around, although climbing is not my strong suit...

SPP

[efixler]

I’m in Northern Dutchess, I ride Columbia County a lot, DM me if you want to meet to ride.

Columbia County is very pretty, I especially love the area around Ancram and Ancramdale. It’s not very densely populated which is great for riding, but you also may want to think about access to people and food




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[merlinmurph]

Originally Posted by rpettet

Cost of living here is crazy. Taxes on a 250000 house could approach 12,000 and this is not lake property.

Seriously? I knew it was high, but wow. I'm in MA where property taxes are kinda high, but ~5% is up there, like 2.5 to 3 times higher.

[parris]

Merlin those numbers are pretty accurate. My wife and I will be leaving NYS when we retire due to the taxes, fees, etc. It's unfortunate but the state has made it punishing for retirees to stay.

If not for the very high taxes we wouldn't be so inclined to leave. I have several coworkers that as they were getting ready to retire researched other areas that were less punitive when it comes to costs of living and such.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Check your PM's!

BBD

[thwart]

Originally Posted by merlinmurph

Seriously? I knew it was high, but wow. I'm in MA where property taxes are kinda high, but ~5% is up there, like 2.5 to 3 times higher.

I'm surprised. Here in a notoriously high tax state (and high tax county) total property taxes for that home would be somewhere around $5-$6K.

Be sure to pick an area with decent average snowfall (OK, maybe not Buffalo) if you like to cross country ski, fat tire bike, snowshoe, etc. Our southern WI area gets the cold temps but just not enough recreational snow.

And a few weeks someplace warm in the latter part of winter will preserve your sanity.

If you can afford the cost of living, I'm sure you'll love it.