My wife and I live in central NY and have had a small cabin in the Saranac Lake/Lake Placid area for sixteen years. We get season passes at Iceface and XC ski in the Winter. During the Summer it’s all fun and games with hiking and paddling. Until recently our plan after retirement was build a house on the property. Instead we’ve bought a home on the Maine coast to retire to. Part of the reason is that later in life when we’re not as physically active and not doing outdoor activities we thought we might be to isolated. The pluses to the SL/LP area are the outdoor activities, we have developed friendships there, and my view as a visitor is that SL has a strong sense of community. The negatives are the poor economy and the cold Winters. For retirees (there are many in the region) the economy isn’t an issue. It really is cold there in Winter. People are used to it and it doesn’t dominate conversation until it hits at least -25 or so.