When I moved back to the Albany, New York, area from Boston in 2014, I wasn't sure where to live.
In Boston, there was a coffee shop, an organic bakery, a great Thai restaurant and an subway stop less than five minutes outside my door.
Young people want walkable downtowns with lots of coffee shops, restaurants and bars. They also want choices, and what the Albany region lacks in big city living, it makes up for in a wealth of options for where you want to live, eat and play.
Whether it's a brownstone in Albany's Center Square or Troy's Washington Park neighborhoods, a home in Schenectady's Stockade district or an apartment in Saratoga, there's something for everyone.
We outlined some of the best neighborhoods for people moving to the area, or moving back. Check out the slideshow above for more – think of this as a guide for new hires coming to the region.
For my first year back, I went to what I knew, Schenectady and Rotterdam, frequenting the same places I was familiar with growing up. Eventually I moved to Troy, falling in love with the farmer's market, and the new businesses, coffee shops and bars opening every day.
In August, I moved to Albany, and have been spending more weekends at Washington Park and Café Madison. Saratoga is next on my list of places I want to live. They all have a little bit of big city charm making it hard to miss my old neighborhood.