In Indiana, the Beef Cattle Association has begun a listing of beef producers, large and small, and this might be a possibility in New York as well. The local cooperative extension office should be able to give you the number, and the ag educator might also know of possibilities. Since we are exactly what you're after (only a very long way away), I suggest you drive through the country and stop if you see a small herd and ask. We sell ours for market price plus a nickel on the hoof. Last ones went for $.95 per pound. The idea is just to have enough left over for us, (for free) and we run between four and twenty head at a time.

I am wondering if the original poster moved up here or no? I've lived in Canton and Potsdam. If you can't work for the colleges, it will be rough to get a decent job. Negative 40 in the winter at times but not cooler in the summer unless you get into higher elevation in the 'Dacks. Very inexpensive housing, good apartments are hard to find since all the college kids get them. Flat flat flat, unless you go up to Russell and all the little tiny towns at the foot of the mountains where it starts getting hillier. The Adirondacks have a nice feel to them but yes, there are very poor "North Country" people there. I don't know how "colonial" or "New Englandy" the towns are up there. Ogdensburg, Watertown and Massena are larger cities that have more things going on. I agree with previous posters that Corning/Painted Post is a nice area with culture and Big Flats has the mall and lots of shopping. There are smaller towns in between all the larger cities, everything is rural. Bath, Hammondsport, Penn Yan are great areas too. Hammondsport was awarded Coolest Small Town. The Finger Lakes Area is one of the most beautiful areas; the lakes, wineries, small town feel are wonderful. Houses on the lakes are very pricey but out in the country they are very reasonable. They HAVE to be because there are barely any jobs or opportunities here. Most people who own the lake houses have these as summer homes and travel from the big cities. Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca, Syracuse are larger and have more things available and you don't have to drive far to get back to the country with hills and farms. Actually between Buffalo and Rochester is a nice stretch of farms, farmer's markets, nice countryside. I grew up near Jamestown which is all the way west. Nice town but poor, again not many good jobs but there is a mall there, stores. Chatauqua Lake is also there and it's beautiful, as well as Chatauqua Institution which is well known for its summer cultural events. It's less than an hour to Erie, PA: lots of shopping, jobs and Lake Erie with beaches. A little east outside Jamestown are the Allegany Mountains which are neat. Anytime you are in rural areas, you will have hunting. Some people are so poor that they have to hunt to have food on the table. I hate hunting but it's something you just have to deal with here. Steuben County is extremely poor and there are trailers around, especially if you go way out into the countryside, but there are lots of nice houses too. Teens are always around, carrying on, but it's not a problem. Angelica is a sweet little town but you will have to drive a ways to get to a big store. Sometimes you just have to drive, visit and see how it makes you feel. You could always rent a house and then really travel all over to find the perfect spot. I haven't been to all of the towns that have been mentioned, but I never have felt the "New England" feeling in any of them. I have been to Lake Champlain but only once and just passing through so maybe it has more of that feeling.

My company was moving there about 4 years ago. I chose not to move with them and found another job. What I heard from co-workers was sad. The house prices were higher than here (rochester, NY, so really everything is more expensive than here!) however the houses in all the counties you named were very badly maintained. Many co-workers opted for new-builds because at least you were getting more for you money. Some co-workers talked about walking through houses that had rugs that were worn away to the rug padding and these were houses in an expensive price range (about 300grand) The pricier counties do have better schools but of course, the distance to the city and transportation also impacts the cost. One thing you should check for when you buy a house is Radon. There is a lot of Radon in that area because of the rock. Not a big deal, but you need to be aware of it. Also, my experience was from a couple of years ago. The housing prices were pretty much at their highest. The market is a lot different now and I bet you can get a lot more for the money! -rj

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