Sorry, I didn't mean to give you the impression that Burnt Hills IS rural only that the "atmopsphere" is rural. Niskayuna, Schendehowa (Clifton Park) and Niskayuna school districts abut each other so they are all in the same area really. Schen is a HUGE district, Nisky is also large and BH is the smallest of the three although also fairly large.
Glenville will be the shortest commute of all the areas mentioned except Amsterdam. You will find suburban housing in BH as well as Nisky and Clifton Park. I think (although I'm prejudiced) that BH offers the best blend of suburban and rural qualities.

Niskayuna seems to be a little more upscale than BH or Clifton Park but the Clifton Park school system is SO large that it seems impersonal to me.

By all means you should visit the area and drive fronm the distribution center east and review these communities...any of them would be fine places to live.

Wow. This is weird. I was raised in Hagaman, which is a tiny town next to Amsterdam. I went to school in Amserdam... It's strange to see all these small towns that I thought no one ever heard of (Scotia, Galway, Ballston Spa) talked about!

Amsterdam is NOT a great place to live, that's for sure. As someone mentioned, the city has gone down hill tremendously. There are some nice areas, it's beautiful in the fall and spring.

Saratoga wouldn't be such a bad commute. RT 67 between Amsterdam and Saratoga is actually very scenic. I've driven it hundreds of times on my way to the races and to Lake George.

I'm curious what type of home you are wanting? One in a neighborhood or do you want acreage? That could also be a factor in where you live. Most of the towns/villages around Amsterdam are very small communities.

Oops. See you answered the question - suburbs is what you want. Okay. I looked at a map and I think Ballston Spa might be your answer... Close to Amsterdam and even closer to Saratoga. Saratoga might put a few minutes on the commute and a few dollars on the home and tax bill, but who knows...

I still think Ballston Spa or Saratoga Springs is the way to go - I've been on Route 67 many, many times at all times of day and have never had a problem.

Austin--Here is another small town for you to remember...Middle Grove. Thats where we lived for 2 years. Not much there at all, but we loved it.

mm - It's a beautiful area. I seem to appreciate it even more when I go back home to visit. I couldn't wait to leave that small town life - and now that I'm older, I can't wait to get back to it!

Denise - You may want to check out the Amserdam newspaper on line. You have to register, but it's free. I still read it everyday. I check to see which high school buddies have been arrested. ;-) That's where I learned about the distribution center - waaaay over here in Texas.

Here is the link:http://www.recordernews.com/index-lr.php

They occaisionally have some great fall pics as well.

Thanks again to everyone for your help. I will keep you posted. I think Ballston Spa or Saratoga is the way to go. Still looking for info on youth baseball in the area..can't find anything on the web except for Clifton Park Little League..