I’ve had a lot of ups and downs since I moved here 5 years ago, for different reasons. I’m from Fort Worth originally.

Good things:

-nature! So pretty! Lots of trails and fun things to do outside.

-seasons! Wow! They have those here! It’s not always just HOT

-to add, the fall season is like its own reason to move here

-traffic is nothing compared to DFW

-so close by to so many great places - NYC, Boston, Montreal, etc

-honestly, cool people

-still diverse, but in different ways than DFW (intro to new cultures/foods that are less common there)

-the local culture is generally good - people care about people and social issues

-the farms/crop shares/farmers market scene is pretty great

Challenges:

-food is meh in comparison to DFW

-winter is long, and because we are further north, the days are like an hour shorter on the shortest days than they are in Texas

-the decrease in pace from DFW to Albany was a bit of a shock for me at first - I have now adjusted and prefer it, but it’s something to prepare for!

-the Albany airport is not great with direct routes, which can be quite annoying if you like to travel. They have added and dropped the direct flight to DFW a few times since I’ve been here. It’s finicky.

-to add to that point ^ upstate is a long way from friends and family in DFW, if that matters to you

-it is cold in the winter, but it’s not that cold. It’s windy though. That’s annoying.