Two of the most sought-after addresses in the Adirondacks. Here is how to figure out which one fits your life.
If you are searching for a second home in the Adirondacks and you have come across both Keene and Lake Placid, you are not the first person to stop and wonder which one makes more sense. They are close to each other on a map; they both deliver mountain scenery that most buyers have never seen outside of a screen, and they both attract buyers who are done with crowded, overpriced resort towns. But the two markets are genuinely different, and choosing the wrong one can mean owning a property that never quite feels right.
Chase Jermano is a licensed real estate agent and broker at Tina Leonard Real Estate, one of the most active firms in the Adirondacks. He works with second-home buyers across the region and has watched this particular decision play out more times than he can count.
The Core Question: What Does Your Ideal Weekend Actually Look Like?
The first thing Jermano asks buyers who are torn between the two markets is deceptively simple: what does your ideal Saturday look like?
If the answer involves skiing in the morning, dinner at a proper restaurant, walking to shops, and being around other people, Lake Placid is almost certainly the right call. It has a resort identity built around two Olympic Games, a town center with real walkability, and the kind of social energy that makes the transition from city life feel manageable rather than jarring.
Keene is a different proposition entirely. If a buyer wants a long hike with no one else around, complete quiet, and does not mind driving to dinner at one of the four or so places in town, Keene is the spot. It sits at the base of the 46 High Peaks, and that geography is not incidental. You are not looking at mountains from a distance in Keene. You are watching the sun get cut off by them in the evening.
The Buyers Who Start in One Place and End Up in the Other
Jermano sees this happen regularly. A buyer comes in convinced they want the privacy and terrain of Keene. Then they start asking where the closest grocery store is, where the hardware store is, and where they can ski at Whiteface.
Those questions tend to point people back toward Lake Placid, which is significantly closer to the mountain. It also offers more of the infrastructure that buyers coming from New York City or Boston are used to, even if a scaled-down version of it.
The reverse also happens. Buyers who think they want the action and walkability of Lake Placid sometimes get there and realize the tourism volume is heavier than they expected. Lake Placid runs events all summer, and the town center belongs as much to visitors as it does to residents. For buyers who want to feel like they actually live somewhere rather than vacation there, that can be enough to tip them toward Keene.
What Nobody Tells You About Keene Before You Fall in Love With It
Keene has real quirks that buyers need to understand before they make an offer. Road noise is one of them. The main road through Keene is the only practical route between the town and Lake Placid, which means tractor-trailers with engine brakes are part of the daily soundtrack for properties near it. Jermano flags this with every Keene buyer because it can meaningfully affect how much someone enjoys a property they paid well for.
Then there is the terrain itself. The town sits low, surrounded by mountains, and the sun sets earlier than buyers expect. Some properties lose direct sunlight by mid-afternoon. Driveways and roads that look fine in summer can become genuinely inaccessible during mud season or after a heavy winter. Cellular and internet service can vary by a couple of miles in ways that no listing description will mention.
None of this disqualifies Keene. For buyers who understand what they are getting, those conditions become part of the appeal. The privacy is real, the views are real, and the lack of development is permanent by design. There are no franchise hotels and no franchise restaurants. That is not an accident.
What Comes Next
Both markets are competitive for properties with the right combination of views, privacy, and access. Keene has roughly 19 active listings at the moment, with a median days on market of around 69. Buyers who have found the right property there have been known to overlook issues at inspection because the alternative is losing it.
If you are starting the process of narrowing down your options in the Adirondacks, browsing active listings is a useful first step. You can see what is currently available through Tina Leonard Real Estate.
The right answer between these two markets almost always comes down to one thing: how much you actually want to be around other people when you get there. Answer that honestly, and the decision tends to make itself.
Chase Jermano is a licensed real estate agent and broker at Tina Leonard Real Estate, specializing in waterfront, second-home, and investment properties across the Adirondacks, including Lake Placid, Keene, and the surrounding region.
This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.
Disclosure: Individuals or companies mentioned may have a commercial relationship with KeyCrew.
