Need advice on moving from Denver to Albany
 

I've been thinking really hard on this and I decided that relocation would be for the best. I'm originally from Denver, but wanna relocate to Albany New York. At this point however, I don't have anything waiting for me out there (housing, job, etc.) This is a very big step for my girl and I, but we feel like if we don't just get up and go, we will always remain stuck. We desire a fresh start in a new place, but obviously I've never done anything this big. I just need help & advice on how to make this move as smooth as possible. I am prepared for some struggle, but I don't want her to worry. Please help

I don't have anything to offer as far as advice. I just have to know:

You want to relocate from beautiful Denver to Albany NY?!

The obvious question is: Why?!?

The answer to that question might give the Forum more concrete information with which to offer advice.

Well we want some new scenery. We have been in Denver our whole life and have grown tired of it and we would like to be on our own away from our lives here so we may build something new for ourselves.

The economy in Albany is terrible.

Before you pick a location, you need to do research as to job opportunities. What kind of work do you do now? What ever you do, don't move anywhere without a job.

I would even appreciate suggestions on other cities out East that may have better opportunities for us. Our minds are set on leaving Denver though

I'm happy to tell you what I can about the Albany, NY area. Do you have specific questions?

A move to a new area is difficult under the best of circumstances, and tougher still when there is no job or housing lined up. I've relocated several times over the last 20 years and it's never been easy, but each time it was with the same company so I knew what the job was ahead of time.

My advice would be to line up a job first, preferably for the the both of you but at least one of you. That will determine where in the area you'd prefer to live, and give you some anchor when you arrive.

If you have enough $ set aside where you can do ok for a while without a job then it gives you more time to find a job once you move, and takes some pressure off.

I do not recommend Albany. What type of work do you do?
There are many better places to relocate in the Northeast if that is where you want to live.
You need to be aware that you will be giving up Denver's plentiful sunshine and dry climate. Are you both prepared for that? Many from the west are unprepared for humidity and grey skies so it can be a real factor.

We know we wanna move East. That is for certain.

You've asked for recommendations of cities that 'have better opportunities for us" but you don't say what types of "opportunities" you actually need. What type of work do you and your girlfriend do? Knowing that will be a big factor in determining if those "opportunities" even exists and, if so, where they might be.

Do you need employment to support yourself? If so, relocating will be much easier if you can secure employment in your chosen field BEFORE you make the move. If you can't find employment before you move make sure you have a large enough nest egg to support yourself while you seek employment. This could take anywhere from a few days to several years. The economy is still very slow and the "real" unemployed rate is still quite high. I know several able bodied people who haven't been able to find work for well over 2 years. The bigger your nest egg the easier your relocation will be.

It's an uphill battle to move to an area "sight unseen", if possible you should make a brief visit to the area(s) you are considering to see if you actually like it there.

Ask yourself why do you really want to move? Are you "running away" from something like a dead end job, high debt, trouble with the law, a bad marriage, etc.??? If so, make sure those problems don't follow you.

Make sure you thoroughly investigate the area where you want to relocate. Learn what the housing market is like to determine how much your "rent/housing" budget will get for you.

Do as much first hand research as you can BEFORE you make the move.

Good luck to you.

Sorry I keep forgetting to put what type of work we do. We work in the DPS school system

Are you teachers? If so, you need to check with the Education Department for the states you are interested in to see what is required for that state's certification.

In the greater Albany area there are many different school districts. Twelve or so in each of the counties of Albany Rensselaer, Saratoga, and half that number in Schenectady County. So all totaled 40 different districts that together constitute the greater Albany/Capital District region.

http://www.newyorkschools.com/public-schools/

The demographics of the different school districts varies widely depending on the town, or sometimes even the different schools within a given town, ranging from lower income inner city, to rural, to ESL heavy, to middle class suburbia to higher cost suburbia.

One thing that many people don't like about the Albany area is age of housing, rental housing in particular. Outside just a few of the growth suburbs much of the apartment rental market is in properties that were built 20, 30, 40, 50 yrs ago. Nothing necessarily wrong with older properties, but for those that move from high growth areas it's a change.

If you are looking to buy you should also expect many older properties, not an abundance of newer homes. Except, again, in some of the growth suburbs where you will also pay a premium.

I do not find the weather in Albany area to be particularly onerous at all. I am active outdoors all but a handful of weekends all year, whether it's biking, walking, hiking, or skiing. Winters are long - roughly speaking you get about 1 week shorter winter for every hour south you drive. But then again Albany does escape the long periods of hazy, humid, heat you get further south, eg DC.

Good luck to you.

Have you looked into the educational requirements for teachers in NY state. My understanding is that a bachelors in your subject (for middle/high school) os substantial educational credits are required to be hired for elementary schools. But you then have only 5 years to complete your masters - you can;t work for more than 5 years without having a masters.

Also - NY does not have a shortage of teachers. In fact, there are a lot of teachers looking for work While there are usually open slots for beginners in the enormous NYC school system (but living expenses are high) and to get a job in the better suburban school districts you MUST have a masters even to be considered. (In those schools many teachers even have PhDs).

Strongly suggest you:

1) you meet the requirements to teach in NY state
2) you are picking an area that has opening for teachers
3) you understand cost of living versus salaries (in many areas outside the better suburbs of NYC teachers salaries are very low)
4) you have explored the area and it's what you want

Albany is an old city with many people involved in state government - not a lot of other opportunities there -

There aer thousands of places that are "not Denver" - what positive things are you looking for in terms of activities, atmosphere, weather, housing, etc.

We don't know that they are teachers, only that they work in the school system. Could be any number of jobs...

No offense, but your choice of Albany seems rather random. I understand wanting a change of scenery, but what are your priorities in choosing a new home? The issue of jobs aside (although that's a big issue, obviously), what do you want in a community? How important is weather and recreation? Politics? Crime? Cost of living? Family oriented? Public transportation? Population density? Type of community, e.g., big city versus small town and everything in between?

Perhaps you've already thought through these issues, but your questions and comments thus far suggest perhaps not. I would spend some time--a lot of time--discussing what you want in a new home. From there, you'll have to do some homework to find places that meet your criteria. From there, narrow it down to, say, three to five places. Then visit each of the communities and, ideally, line up a job(s) and housing before making the leap. If you are, indeed, teachers, I would find out as much as possible about the state of the schools, their budget situations and their policies and politics.

You also might want to know demographics--people your age? Taxes? Especially the requirements for employment if you are teachers.
Have you considered a road trip to visit places after doing a bit of research on them as possibilities.

My advice is - don't. Just kidding, sort of. I lived in Albany for five years in the late 90s - early 2000s. It wasn't bad but I wouldnt choose it if I was simply moving across the country for new scenery.