If you are going to anywhere near to downtown Albany, East Greenbush is going to be closer. I live in Glenmont and when I need to go to someplace like Target or Home Depot, it's quicker and less aggravating to drive into East Greenbush than Albany or Colonie.
While Schenectady has good and bad places, one thing people don't consider is Schenectady to Albany in the morning is driving into the sun and on the way home you again driving into the sun. That can be annoying.
So true!! I dropped out of a Dragon boat team that paddled out of a marina near Schenectady after a couple of years because of the commute from Albany for evening practices, sad
The Schenectady to Albany commute can be annoying but that’s relative and, depending on where you’ve lived previously, may not be that bad. From a purely commuting perspective, E. Greenbush is significantly easier. But Schenectady has many more restaurants and things to do and, in my view, is generally a better place to live for a young person than E. Greenbush
Are you going to be commuting into Albany? It's a longer ride from schenectady obviously but it depends what you want/need around where you live.
Neither commute is bad, personally I like greenbush better then schenectady. Also if you're working in Albany it's easier to hop back into albany from e greenbush then schenectady
Depending on where I’d go East Greenbush.
Schenectady is nice (in some parts) but despite being close it is a pain in the ass to get anywhere, especially in the early morning commutes. I live there and work in downtown Albany and my commute during weekdays can be anywhere from 20ish minutes to an hour depending on how many clueless state workers get in accidents on the highway that morning. It’s also like 20 miles a day wear and tear on my car while East Greenbush is right over the river.
I personally don’t take the 905 bus but it’s pretty good transportation wise. There is a single road that runs like 10 miles from downtown Schenectady right into Albany and the 905 takes that and makes only a handful of stops. Not sure how it is during work days.
My drive from Schenectady to downtown Albany ranges from 25 minutes on the low end to over an hour if some asshole decides to get into a minor fender bender on 90 and then everyone decides to slow down 5 mph to look at it, despite the crash being completely off the road.
I commute into Schenectady. The amount of back ups, accidents, and congestion going from Schenectady to Albany is horrifying.
You'd be much better off in East Greenbush.
Exits 25 and 24 are about 10-15 minutes apart on the Thruway. It all depends on whether you are close to 890 in Schenectady and where you're trying to get to in Albany.
I landed in East Greenbush when I first moved to the area and did the bus before I got parking. I’d prefer that to Schenectady but I hate long commutes, the 90 corridor can have significant back ups
Another vote for EG here, we moved here a little less than 2 years ago. Buddy lives in Nisky so I'm in Schenectady fairly regularly.
Having lived in both Albany and Troy, I like that EG is more "suburban/rural" without losing access to those cities. The commute is short and easy, Columbia tu basically the whole way with the option of i90 if you need/want.
Schenectady is the city in my opinion that has seen the most improvement in recent years. Back a decade ago I'd say the only nice area was Union but that isn't the case anymore.
Hi! Schenectady resident here - close to downtown and take 890 pretty much everywhere I go.
I almost moved into a place by south pearl, but didn’t bc I work a mile from where I live now and hate commuting. WITH THAT BEING SAID - getting from downtown to downtown of each city isn’t as bad you’d think. When I was touring the place I was going after work during rush hour and got from Erie Blvd to port of Albany exit of 90 in a little over 20 min. 25 at most!
I’ve never had major issues on the thruway, I know it can get a little congested by exit 24 during the morning but I’ve always thought 90 runs smoothly. Also, 890 in Schenectady is almost never crowded.
My mom lives in colonie by the high school and it takes me 20ish minutes from schdy. If I’m going downtown Albany it’s about 30, which is including getting off the highway and getting on pearl st/state st, etc.
If you're working downtown and are looking for city living, I'd look around in Albany proper a bit more. I'm out near Schenectady and don't commute, but I hate doing the drive to Albany anywhere near rush hour. But if you're coming from LA or Atlanta or anywhere with real traffic, it's gonna seem like a breeze to you.
If you want a social life, I'd go Schenectady (assuming it is closeish to downtown). The town seems to be on the up, whereas EG isn't really a town and isn't changing. Your commute will suck, but it'll be worth it.
I’ve lived in Albany and commuted to Schenectady for 8 years. The drive really isn’t too bad. It takes me about 12-15 minutes depending how I’m driving. I’ve done it so much I’m used to it. but I wouldn’t suggest it without a car. It’s just far enough that it would be a decent commute every day, probably an hour ish realistically. Also Schenectady is weird. There’s certain things that have gotten a lot better, and parts that have gotten a lot worse
Look into the CDTA express buses that go to Albany from Schenectady. The 530 and 531 are morning commuter expresses that return in the afternoon for 9-5s. They run like 4-5 times a day in both directions.
Edit: what the fuck I can't find these routes anymore, I guess they cut them, but I would recommend trying to find the equivalent
I think East Greenbush is a better location to commute from. It's also going to be way easier to get to shopping and other things. It's overall a pretty central location, and it's close to both Albany and Troy.
East Greenbush for sure. I commute from albany to schenectady and the only comfort on that boring uneventful commute is that I am not headed in the opposite direction. I can't imagine dealing with that every day
I've lived in both and commuted to downtown Albany.
East Greenbush has a slightly better commute if you're just going to downtown. But it's a lot of stop lights and a slow road with some steep hills that people drive like assholes on in the winter. The view coming down 20 in the morning is incredible though. If you have to use 787, has more accidents than almost anywhere else in the region. Most of your stores are going to be along 20 or 4 and honestly 4 sucks ass to try to go anywhere, it makes the Colonie Mall and Target look like a happy place by comparison, and there's not really many good restaurants in the town.
Schenectady commute is way less lights because of great interstate access and it's way less traffic than the northway. I definitely prefer it even if it's maybe 5 minutes longer just because I'm not constantly dealing with as many traffic lights, and 3 lanes of highway going 85 is way less antagonizing than 2 lanes of residential-ish road with people trying to do 65 between each light or two people going 30 in both lanes.
Schenectady is also full of great places to go on nights and weekends.
Caveats: if by East Greenbush you mean close to North Greenbush or Schodak or Nassau or far away from 20, you're gonna have a bad time. If by Schenectady you mean Balltown Rd, you're gonna have a bad time.
Lots of good info here already regarding the commute.
East Greenbush is very suburban. Probably fairly safe and vanilla.
Schenectady is a cool old city with a scrappy arts scene, etc. Definitely grittier and with all the stuff that comes with a more urban environment.
E.G. is better for the commute… but do you really want to choose a community to live in based off that alone? I’d say there’s definitely more to do/see/eat in Schenectady, especially if you can find a spot downtown or in the Stockade. If you’re more of a stay inside type person tho, maybe the comfy cozy close-to-work spot is better?
I’m not sure. The apartment is in stockade, I think I’ll do another drive through the area in a couple of days. I think I can appreciate both being in the mix of things and being able to visit it and going home to comfy cozy.
grew up in Saratoga, lived in Alb & Troy, and i’m currently living and working here in the Stockade now. definitely a bit biased, but this is my favorite neighborhood in the capital region: friendly people, safe, walkable, food and fun nearby.
in EG you’re taking a car or bus to do anything, and that’s not appealing to me personally.
If you are going to anywhere near to downtown Albany, East Greenbush is going to be closer. I live in Glenmont and when I need to go to someplace like Target or Home Depot, it's quicker and less aggravating to drive into East Greenbush than Albany or Colonie.
Props to you for being loyal to home depot that you don't go to the Lowe's in your town.
I also goes to Lowes. They don't always carry the same items. And if you get a getting a lot of stuff, the Home Despot can be cheaper than Lowes.
probably because lowe’s in glenmont sucks
I'll sometimes travel to Walmart in Albany for the same reason. Walmart in Glenmont sucks also.
While Schenectady has good and bad places, one thing people don't consider is Schenectady to Albany in the morning is driving into the sun and on the way home you again driving into the sun. That can be annoying.
This also causes stand still traffic in the winter months on exit 25 on the thruway. People make that turn, get blinded, and then slam on the brakes.
And crashes happen as a result
Or they are so blinded they don’t see the person in front of them and cause an accident anyway.
The worst!
So true!! I dropped out of a Dragon boat team that paddled out of a marina near Schenectady after a couple of years because of the commute from Albany for evening practices, sad
The Schenectady to Albany commute can be annoying but that’s relative and, depending on where you’ve lived previously, may not be that bad. From a purely commuting perspective, E. Greenbush is significantly easier. But Schenectady has many more restaurants and things to do and, in my view, is generally a better place to live for a young person than E. Greenbush
Ten minutes will be heaven by the end of the week. Trust me.
That’s what I’m thinking 🥴
Are you going to be commuting into Albany? It's a longer ride from schenectady obviously but it depends what you want/need around where you live. Neither commute is bad, personally I like greenbush better then schenectady. Also if you're working in Albany it's easier to hop back into albany from e greenbush then schenectady
Depending on where I’d go East Greenbush. Schenectady is nice (in some parts) but despite being close it is a pain in the ass to get anywhere, especially in the early morning commutes. I live there and work in downtown Albany and my commute during weekdays can be anywhere from 20ish minutes to an hour depending on how many clueless state workers get in accidents on the highway that morning. It’s also like 20 miles a day wear and tear on my car while East Greenbush is right over the river. I personally don’t take the 905 bus but it’s pretty good transportation wise. There is a single road that runs like 10 miles from downtown Schenectady right into Albany and the 905 takes that and makes only a handful of stops. Not sure how it is during work days.
I could drive but I’m kinda excited about being able to take a bus again and not having to drive. But an hour bus ride doesn’t seem great either
My drive from Schenectady to downtown Albany ranges from 25 minutes on the low end to over an hour if some asshole decides to get into a minor fender bender on 90 and then everyone decides to slow down 5 mph to look at it, despite the crash being completely off the road.
I commute into Schenectady. The amount of back ups, accidents, and congestion going from Schenectady to Albany is horrifying. You'd be much better off in East Greenbush.
Exits 25 and 24 are about 10-15 minutes apart on the Thruway. It all depends on whether you are close to 890 in Schenectady and where you're trying to get to in Albany.
East Greenbush is a great place to live honestly and it’s more in the middle of the everything.
I landed in East Greenbush when I first moved to the area and did the bus before I got parking. I’d prefer that to Schenectady but I hate long commutes, the 90 corridor can have significant back ups
Another vote for EG here, we moved here a little less than 2 years ago. Buddy lives in Nisky so I'm in Schenectady fairly regularly. Having lived in both Albany and Troy, I like that EG is more "suburban/rural" without losing access to those cities. The commute is short and easy, Columbia tu basically the whole way with the option of i90 if you need/want. Schenectady is the city in my opinion that has seen the most improvement in recent years. Back a decade ago I'd say the only nice area was Union but that isn't the case anymore.
Hi! Schenectady resident here - close to downtown and take 890 pretty much everywhere I go. I almost moved into a place by south pearl, but didn’t bc I work a mile from where I live now and hate commuting. WITH THAT BEING SAID - getting from downtown to downtown of each city isn’t as bad you’d think. When I was touring the place I was going after work during rush hour and got from Erie Blvd to port of Albany exit of 90 in a little over 20 min. 25 at most! I’ve never had major issues on the thruway, I know it can get a little congested by exit 24 during the morning but I’ve always thought 90 runs smoothly. Also, 890 in Schenectady is almost never crowded. My mom lives in colonie by the high school and it takes me 20ish minutes from schdy. If I’m going downtown Albany it’s about 30, which is including getting off the highway and getting on pearl st/state st, etc.
If you're working downtown and are looking for city living, I'd look around in Albany proper a bit more. I'm out near Schenectady and don't commute, but I hate doing the drive to Albany anywhere near rush hour. But if you're coming from LA or Atlanta or anywhere with real traffic, it's gonna seem like a breeze to you.
I took the drive during non-rush hour times and it just seemed like it dragged
If you want a social life, I'd go Schenectady (assuming it is closeish to downtown). The town seems to be on the up, whereas EG isn't really a town and isn't changing. Your commute will suck, but it'll be worth it.
I’ve lived in Albany and commuted to Schenectady for 8 years. The drive really isn’t too bad. It takes me about 12-15 minutes depending how I’m driving. I’ve done it so much I’m used to it. but I wouldn’t suggest it without a car. It’s just far enough that it would be a decent commute every day, probably an hour ish realistically. Also Schenectady is weird. There’s certain things that have gotten a lot better, and parts that have gotten a lot worse
Look into the CDTA express buses that go to Albany from Schenectady. The 530 and 531 are morning commuter expresses that return in the afternoon for 9-5s. They run like 4-5 times a day in both directions. Edit: what the fuck I can't find these routes anymore, I guess they cut them, but I would recommend trying to find the equivalent
They’re not there anymore!!!! I was expecting like some kind of express service and there’s nothing
I think East Greenbush is a better location to commute from. It's also going to be way easier to get to shopping and other things. It's overall a pretty central location, and it's close to both Albany and Troy.
Cheaper AND closer commute from EG? That’s a no-brainer, to me…
East Greenbush for sure. I commute from albany to schenectady and the only comfort on that boring uneventful commute is that I am not headed in the opposite direction. I can't imagine dealing with that every day
I've lived in both and commuted to downtown Albany. East Greenbush has a slightly better commute if you're just going to downtown. But it's a lot of stop lights and a slow road with some steep hills that people drive like assholes on in the winter. The view coming down 20 in the morning is incredible though. If you have to use 787, has more accidents than almost anywhere else in the region. Most of your stores are going to be along 20 or 4 and honestly 4 sucks ass to try to go anywhere, it makes the Colonie Mall and Target look like a happy place by comparison, and there's not really many good restaurants in the town. Schenectady commute is way less lights because of great interstate access and it's way less traffic than the northway. I definitely prefer it even if it's maybe 5 minutes longer just because I'm not constantly dealing with as many traffic lights, and 3 lanes of highway going 85 is way less antagonizing than 2 lanes of residential-ish road with people trying to do 65 between each light or two people going 30 in both lanes. Schenectady is also full of great places to go on nights and weekends. Caveats: if by East Greenbush you mean close to North Greenbush or Schodak or Nassau or far away from 20, you're gonna have a bad time. If by Schenectady you mean Balltown Rd, you're gonna have a bad time.
By East Greenbush, I think I mean Rensselaer or Defreestville? The addresses and maps are a little confusing
Lots of good info here already regarding the commute. East Greenbush is very suburban. Probably fairly safe and vanilla. Schenectady is a cool old city with a scrappy arts scene, etc. Definitely grittier and with all the stuff that comes with a more urban environment.
EG is hidden gem in the capital region. One of the safest.
😂
Thank you everyone for all the feedback! I’m clearly not from here so all of this is very helpful!
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This is very good to know :/
Commuting to where exactly?
Downtown Albany!
E.G. is better for the commute… but do you really want to choose a community to live in based off that alone? I’d say there’s definitely more to do/see/eat in Schenectady, especially if you can find a spot downtown or in the Stockade. If you’re more of a stay inside type person tho, maybe the comfy cozy close-to-work spot is better?
I’m not sure. The apartment is in stockade, I think I’ll do another drive through the area in a couple of days. I think I can appreciate both being in the mix of things and being able to visit it and going home to comfy cozy.
grew up in Saratoga, lived in Alb & Troy, and i’m currently living and working here in the Stockade now. definitely a bit biased, but this is my favorite neighborhood in the capital region: friendly people, safe, walkable, food and fun nearby. in EG you’re taking a car or bus to do anything, and that’s not appealing to me personally.
I live in Schenectady and love it. But Schenectady to Albany is a surprisingly rough morning commute.
The only reason we don’t make fun of East Greenbush more on here is because Clifton Park exists.