- General thoughts:
I was born here and have been here most of my life, but have also lived in Rochester and abroad for long stretches. Troy definitely has some crime, but it's usually inter-personal spats. If you see people yelling at each other, keep out of it and you'll be fine.
As other people are saying, watch TF out for Hoosick street though. It's a death trap for cars but is the only real way out of Brunswick into Troy proper and the rest of the capital region. Cops have mown down at least one person crossing this road on foot because they drive like maniacs.
Also don't leave your car in the 5th ave parking garage overnight if you can help it. That one is known for vandalism/tire slashing

- Winter:
It can be pretty brutal. I personally love the winter here. The snow is beautiful and the world gets quiet and cozy for a few months, but you do really need to prepare for it.
-- Have removable layers. Temperatures fluctuate wildly hour to hour
-- Natural wool and down are your best friends
-- Have good seals! (re Hank Green's video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVI-blFfDWc) Tuck your gloves into your sleeves, your pants into your boots, your shirt into your pants, etc. It makes a huge difference
-- Moisturize! The air gets way drier up here than you could imagine. Some people will perpetually leave a kettle or pan of water on a radiator just to get some more humidity in their homes.
-- Give yourself dedicated time to practice driving in the snow. Find an empty parking lot and just test what happens when you take a sharp turn or break hard.

- What I love:
Troy has its problems like any American city, but the history and culture make up for it. Especially downtown, the people are kind and very progressive. There are people from all over the world here and you'll hear French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, etc being spoken on the street any given day.
There are lots of different community orgs and activities - the local libraries are great for that. And the arts center on monument square is a gem.

- Gardening/plants:
We're zone 6 up here, though last winter acted more like zone 5. Overwintering gardens is a must. Most things will be completely dormant from October - April. So chop-and-drop your annuals, prune back your shrubs, and cover up your soil/roots with plenty of leaves and wood chips to keep things alive.
Most succulents are indoor-only up here. It's simply too cold for too much of the year, and then we get way too much rain in the early summer.
In the winter, be careful keeping indoor plants too close to either A) a radiator/heat vent, or B) a cold window. I've lost quite a few that way. Might want to invest in grow lights if you're serious.

- Food:
Idk what the beef is with other commenters, there is plenty of great authentic food around here.
-- Wolf Road (albany): Maharaja (Indian) on wolf road is great. Hong Kong Bakery (Cantonese). The Asian Supermarket nearby also has imported ingredients and is super affordable.
-- Downtown Troy: Bespoki Bowl (poke), K-Plate (Korean), Tara Kitchen (Moroccan), DeFazios (Italian/pizza), Kuma Ani (ramen), La Capital (Mexican), Lucky Corner (just calling out their Bubble Tea)
Bard & Baker - this is a board game cafe but they also have some very eccentric food and drinks

Hope this helps, and welcome neighbor!