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I am a graphic designer/adjunct professor at SUNY. I am also a bike enthusiast. I have been in the Plattsburgh area since 2001. With the lack of culture, and year round events, things to do in Plattsburgh; I have become bored, depressed and want to get out of here! I am an outdoor person, but I also want cultural events and activities. Thinking of wanting to move into a more cultural, more happening, more things to do area. Also, an area that is better for my line of work--BIG ART CULTURE. Thinking of moving to GLens Falls area--does this area have these things that I am looking for? I have also checked out Troy, Saratoga Springs--seems a little too yuppy, materialistic and expensive. I also would like to establish my free lance business down there~ wondering if Glens Falls has a bike culture, art culture, events, community gatherings? I have been noticing the big changes in the downtown area, hearing from some big top people about the future, but wondering if it will actually happen---locals should know. I recently turned 30 and am looking to be in an area with a younger crowd.
What would be a better place for art culture, night life, and growing business, Glens Falls or Troy? It seems that there is more things happening in Troy than in Glens Falls, is this true?
Glens Falls, within its confines, is quite similar to Plattsburgh demographically. In fact, they are sister "cities" in that P is the northern gateway to the Champlain/ADK region while GF is its southern counterpart. Interestingly, they share the uncertainties of the tenuous North Country economy, unfortunately. Having said this, though, P and GF appear to be on the verge of an economic upturn; e.g. P getting a huge aerospace company to set up shop on the former AF base and GF getting a large hi-tech computer chip maker in near-by Malta. Let us all be optimistic that these job-producing concerns will create the estimated multi-thousands of good-paying jobs they claim they will. GF's Finch/Pruyn Paper Mill employs nearly 900 people and appears to be going steady, according to a recent North Country Public Radio segment highlighting the area.
Both places can be quite provincial and sleepy. There is no nightlife as such in GF. You need to go into Albany for that. Period.
Both places have friendly locals for the most part. It, IMO, is one of its strenghts, and makes up for the lack of "sophistication." Also, GF, like P, has a tolerance--in general--for differing lifestyles, even if ones lifestyle does not have anything in common with theirs. A plus in my book, considering the norm, in general, for small-town America is one of closed-mindedness, religious pushiness and obsession, and phony friendliness. Like New England, GF is still in that part of the Northeast that lives---and lets others live the way they see fit.
Here is an outline that I hope will prove useful to you:
Bike culture? While I don't quite know what you mean by a bike culture, I will guess and say that there are numerous scenic byway trails in the ADK region which you'll find quite close to the city limits of GF. IMO, the Lake Placid/ High Peaks Region is unbeatable, but if its GF that you decide to move to, of particular interest is:
Lake George/Bolton Landing
Washington County--an under-rated gem
Nearby Vermont
Saratoga/Saratoga Lake
Art culture? There is a world-class art museum in GF City known as the Hyde Collection. (I do not know much about art, I am afraid to admit; I'm such
a Phillistine, artwise) Also, there is a thriving arts community in Saratoga, which is only 15 minutes away down the NorthWay, fortunately. A "must-check-out" for you! In addition, Albany, about 45 minutes away on the interstate, has a flourishing "Bohemain" scene in a revitalized urban setting.
On Troy being "yuppie, materialistic and too expensive." I do not agree. In fact, Troy is still reeling from a huge decline of its former glory-days of industrial might and influence. The Collar City neither has the pedigree nor economic comeback (yet, hopefully) to warrant its landlords and home-sellers to charge top-dollar rents or realize huge house-sale income, thus it will not be beaconing every yuppie within a day's drive to gentrify it with the speed of a tornado. Now would be a great time to get in while the pickings are plentiful at a reasonable price before the imminent 21st Century revival occurs. If you like "rust belt, red-brick funkiness" with liveable possibilities, Troy may be the ticket. Its other advantages include proximity to Albany, established urban infrastructure, the sunniest climate and lowest snowfall in upstate NY and nearby is the beautiful countryside of Columbia/Rensselaer Counties, Vermont and the Berkshires.
GF has a much larger population than P, not within its city limits, but when one takes into consideration the GF/Hudson Falls/Fort Edward/Lake George/Malta/Moreau area, not to even mention Saratoga Springs. With this larger population comes more activities, particularly with younger people such as yourself.
GF gets slightly more snow than P. GF is sunnier, generally, and gets slightly more rain than P. GF, to its credit, has milder and shorter winters. Keep in mind that the closer one gets to Albany/Troy, the sunnier, warmer and drier it gets. Conversely, as soon as you get into Lake George (and north and west of GF city) it rapidly gets colder, snowier and wetter.
I hope this has been of some help to you, ADKBiker!
thats really all that needs to be said, but i will elaborate, lol. i went to SUNY albany and my friends were running a restaurant in lake george so i decided to live in nearby glens falls for "just a year" and live cheap, make some money, enjoy the mountains etc. well safe to say that did NOT happen. ive lived all over, i grew up in yonkers, then the suburbs of rockland then lived in albany, guilderland, then glens falls. and i have to say that glens falls is by far the worst of the bunch. the town is very small, which is not always a bad thing, but if you are looking for nightlife and culture it is not the place to be. There are a total of maybe 3 or 4 decent bars in glens falls, and decent is stretching it a little. they get old fast, lemme tell you. in the summer tho, its great because you basically get to spend all of your time OUT of glens falls. lake george is fun, the beach is close and the bars are nice, but everything just completly shuts down in the winter. you have 3 months of fun and 9months of snow. i know another posting talked about glens falls' mild winters, but i must say that in the 3 years i have lived there (and finally saved up enough to move back down to civilization!!) i have seen more than enough snow to last me for a long time, even living in albany i did not see this much snow. or rednecks. maaaaan are there a lot of rednecks. i mean rodeos and country music and lots of budweiser. (and bud is a gourmet beer, when it can be afforded!) coming from the city i must say that i did not have much in common with a lot of the people that lived there. i dont want to make a broad generalization about people, because that is unfair. i have met some really good friends in that area, but i have to say that i have not encountered that much racism in my life. there is NO cultural diversity to speak of, i think maybe i encountered a handful of people that weren't white the entire time i lived there. and that includes the restaurants i worked at and the customers. also there is absolutly nothing to do in the town. the majority of the area just completly shuts down at 9pm. besides the meager bars offered, the mall is small and lacks most of the stores anyone would like to shop at. even the movie theater has its last show by 10/10:30 and rarely carries anything that is rated R.
besides this, jobs in the area are few and far between. i waited tables one summer and made decent money, but after the season was over and i buckled down to find a "real" job, everything took a turn for the worse. i was a Business major at albany, i did information systems and management. i graduated with honors...and i could not get a job. anywhere. there are completly reliant on tourism and all of their business is focused around that. i have never met so many unemployed people living in such a small area in my life. most people have to try and make their money from the summer last at least part of the winter as there are no business to speak of.
i have friends in Plattsburg and visit a few times a year, and if you think plattsburg has a lack of culture and nothing to do...then glens falls will be torture for you. plattsburg is a thriving cultural metropolis compared to GF!
it is true that the area is expanding and with its proximity to albany and lake george may one day be a decent place to live,but that day is not today. or next year. try again in about 10 years. if you are looking for nightlife and culture, as well as open minded people and lots of parks and bike trails and close to albany i would go for Saratoga Springs. most definitly.
You guys might be right about the better culture in Plattsburgh due to the State University (where I teach), but during the summer months this play is quiet. I thought of Glens Falls because it is so close to Saratoga but not nearly as expensive. There is talk that AMD is going to bring lots to the area and Glens Falls is one of the major focuses. I am just wondering if Glens Falls is going to be a gem once all this building starts to happen. I know that Glens Falls today is lacking tons but it has so much potential, old building, victorian/colonial homes, close to the Summer capital (Lake George). close to the SPAC, Saratoga Spring, Horse Racing, West Mtn, and Gore Mtn. Saratoga Spring is exit 13, 14, and 15 and Glens Falls is exit 17, 18, and 19, a 15 mile travel. There is so much money in Lake George and Saratoga which Glens Falls falls right smack in the middle. I am just wondering if it would be smart to get into Glens Falls before the big change over.
As for Troy, I didn't mean that Troy is yuppy, materialistic. I know that things there are getting a little more expensive. I visited Troy and it's another place with plenty of potential. Definitely more of an art culture. I just might give Troy a try. I hope I can find a decent size studio with low rent. This is so tough trying to decide what is a better area.
In conclusion to my advice given in my last post above, I would say that Glens Falls would be just fine for your needs, if:
The need for being very close to Saratoga Springs and all of its laudable amenities is key, if unaffordable, then GF makes sense due to its up-and-coming potential, and cheaper housing costs.
You do not mind a "quiet, small-town" environment. This can be a big plus for many people, but it may be a big negative if you really do want nightlife, which GF lacks.
You want a (very, very!) safe, read: almost no violent crime, small city of 15,000 (generally) friendly people, all within 45 minutes of downtown Albany/Troy.
Would enjoy living in a place that prides itself on history.
Enjoy nature, wildlife and ourdoor sports--which, btw, makes up for the somewhat "redneckiness" of the area. Also, this area is less rednecky than most rural areas of the USA, by far. Trust me on this. I am living in West Virginia presently--but not for long--and this area is REALLY rednecky, with none of the good things that real rednecks sometimes impart to rural living!
So...I've been going to Glens Falls to do some PR work and also found a studio. I started paying rent for the studio, but I will tell you this place is scetchy at nice. I am wondering if I made a mistake. There is hardly anything going on around here. People have told me that there is the "Blues/Jazz festival" and "Taste the north country" events, but I don't see many people out and about on any given day. I am worried that I won't do well with my business if the traffic is low in Glens Falls. There is talk about all this great stuff happening. I also attended a Champber of Commerce meeting and everyone there was your typical black suite business man hungry for money. Business cards were flying like leaves of a tree! Everyone is also comparing it to Saratoga Spring, but Saratoga is about 20 minutes away and nothing connecting these two city in between. Not sure what to do. I have been in Albany and Troy and I definitely see more people out and about. It looks like there is more culture there. I am wondering if I should keeping heading south to either New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, Kingston or Hudson. Maybe I should look into New England. Not sure which New England state has a better school system. This is tough! Not sure what to do.
Have you looked into the Syracuse-Rochester area? Lots of college towns there, which means that there should be nightlife.
Also, the cities are pretty cheap. I've seen 600/m for a 2 bedroom apartment.
Anything north of the Capital district is pretty boring because the towns really aren't congregated together like they are on long island or along the southern shore of lake ontario.
Look into towns like Oswego, Fulton, and Clay.
Affordable college towns which are close to the nightlife provided in Syracuse, and fairly close to the rolling hills of the southern Adirondacks.
Hope this helps.
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I am a graphic designer/adjunct professor at SUNY. I am also a bike enthusiast. I have been in the Plattsburgh area since 2001. With the lack of culture, and year round events, things to do in Plattsburgh; I have become bored, depressed and want to get out of here! 
I am an outdoor person, but I also want cultural events and activities. Thinking of wanting to move into a more cultural, more happening, more things to do area. 
Also, an area that is better for my line of work--BIG ART CULTURE. Thinking of moving to GLens Falls area--does this area have these things that I am looking for? 
I have also checked out Troy, Saratoga Springs--seems a little too yuppy, materialistic and expensive. I also would like to establish my free lance business down there~ wondering if Glens Falls has a bike culture, art culture, events, community gatherings? I have been noticing the big changes in the downtown area, hearing from some big top people about the future, but wondering if it will actually happen---locals should know. I recently turned 30 and am looking to be in an area with a younger crowd.
) Also, there is a thriving arts community in Saratoga, which is only 15 minutes away down the NorthWay, fortunately. A "must-check-out" for you! In addition, Albany, about 45 minutes away on the interstate, has a flourishing "Bohemain" scene in a revitalized urban setting.
