Living in Andes, NY

[btknights]

hey anybody does andes have a town newspaper thanks mike

[jpicard]

Checking Realtor.com the value of land and homes is outrageous for a town that is so remote and far from cities with jobs.

[Catskill-Wholesaler]

I am back after almost 3 years since my first post, and I am amazed that things have in fact changed here in Andes NY so much. WOW LET'S take a look shall we?

1) The town sure did vote down the wind mills. Because they wanted to preserve there mountain views, lets forget about the employment and income it would have meant to the town. We may all be living under the national middle income levels but good god we got great views.

2) Cell phones still don't work 100% here so if during one of our winter nights your car breaks down you won't be able to call for help - But hey you can enjoy the wonderful mountain views while you wait.

3) As of right now the school who's taxes have risen every year doesn't even have a full time principal and next year will most likely not have a Full time principal or Superintendent

So I am very impressed with the changes that have been made aren't you all?

[ss58yy]

Originally Posted by Catskill-Wholesaler

So I am very impressed with the changes that have been made aren't you all?

Just wait until they start putting in gas wells, pipelines, and refineries all over the place around here.

[HeavenIsAndes]

There you go again Catskill-Wholesaler, still complaining after all these years!

1) You're upset the town didn't approve the windmills...want one in your backyard? Would you be OK looking at those towers if they were in your view and be so happy about the jobs it would create? Or is it OK only as long as they're not in your backyard?

2) No, cell phones don't work yet, but the towers are coming soon, so cheer up! Don't know exactly where yet, but hope it's in your backyard (I'm sure you wouldn't mind) so you get the best reception possible. Oh, by the way, there are lots of places in what you'd call the "civilized" world where cell reception is poor or non existant also.

3) Where aren't the taxes rising?

With all your complaints, I'm surprised you haven't moved away yet, what are you waiting for? What's keeping you in town? I hear Roxbury and Grand Gorge have a windmill project and cell reception is good there. Why not look for a home there?

[BovinaCowHateWindTurbines]

Originally Posted by btknights

hey anybody does andes have a town newspaper thanks mike

I don't follow here as much as I used to, but I came across this post and thought I'd share a recent find which I didn't even know existed online although the local news has been published for quite some time by the Andes Gazette...

Andes Gazette | Andes New York

[snowbird2]

Born in the middle of the Depression, I remember gas rationing during WWII, AM radio and later black and white TV, party line phones and lack of air conditioning. It is charming and nostaligic to return to Andes every summer for the past 40 years for brief or occasionally long visits. I miss Decker's lumber and hardware store, Liddle Bros. power equipment and Ollie's general store with it's wonderful butcher shop in the back, and the small wine shop accessable from the front porch of the Andes Hotel and the old post office on Main St., favorite gathering spots where locals and weekenders met and got to know one another. A 10 party line phone cost just $1.75/month, as I recall, and a local call from the pay phone on Main St. or the hotel cost a nickel long after the rest of the country had gone to a dime or a quarter.

Andes has changed very gradually over the years, now with sewers, a modern post office and phone service. The population of year round residents, weekenders and visitors has aged, however, with fewer young faces in the streets and shops. Will the local economy survive when us old timers are no longer around to support it? What needs to be done to attract more young people to the area, so addicted to social networking with their Blackberries, cell phones and Ipods? Who needs them anyway? Probably no more than private phone lines were needed 40 years ago. However changes were made to accomodate the changing world and we can't go back.

Lets face it, young people, with no ties to the quaint past, will shun areas where their Ipods, cell phones and Blackberries get "no signal". Andes will need to accomodate them or risk fading into obscurity when us old timers with no need for such modern gadgets are no longer around.

[bripper]

it been awhile since I read thread but sure miss Andes glad to see no wind turbines, how about the Gerrys estate . My familys property use to border it, wish I had land now .I think it might be good for a resort ,keeps it together

[locoyokel]

The locals see ancient technology as a badge of honor. If they were true American Patriots they would be using smoke signals to call the EMS when their kid lies bleeding in the icy ditch or carrier pigeons to summon the fire department. The 50's comment is accurate. Andes is possibly stuck in the 40's or even prior. Like many small rural areas, smoking is rampant, drunk driving is common, convenience foods serve as major diet source. At this point in Andes, there are no ugly cell towers but there are other ugly things. There is the ugly outdated use of overhead power and telephone transmission lines and poles. When one asks about burying the lines there are only mumbles about money. Another missed opportunity which could have taken place a couple years back when the main street was torn up.
In regards to cell phone usage, why should the local working population have to drive up to the summit of palmer hill or hess station or wherever? I see people pulled over on the side of the road all the time talking on cell phones in places where they can get a signal. I also do not want to hear people yakking on the phone on Main Street but we as a community need to see the positive side of state of the art communication. It is not a threat to our way of life. On the contrary, to remain mired with outdated technology can literally threaten our safety and way of life. Lets move forward.