Jaci Kelleher, photo courtesy of Mark Hobson

Name: Jaci Kelleher

Age: 46

Residence: Au Sable Forks

Hometown: New Jersey

How long in the area: Moved up summer 2000.

What brought you here? Kelleher’s husband, photographer Mark Hobson, is from Syracuse and Rochester and grew up vacationing in the Adirondacks. The couple had always planned on retiring up north, and that dream became a reality sooner than they thought, when they landed jobs and happily relocated, she said. Kelleher, a lawyer, is a partner with the Stafford, Piller, Murnane, Plimpton, Kelleher & Trombley Law Firm in Plattsburgh.

Family: Two kids in college. In addition, son, Aaron Hobson, and daughter-in-law Brandy live in Saranac Lake, where grandson Hugo is rising a star in the Saranac Lake Youth Hockey Program.

What do you love about living in the Adirondack region? “The snowy winters, cool-ish summers, and their long days.” An outdoors enthusiast, she also enjoys canoe camping into the wilderness a few times a year and attending World Cup competitions at ORDA. “We also love the fact that there’s not much traffic,” she said.

Absolute favorite? “Living in a place where I can have good friends, good work, and walk out my door at night and see a million stars in the sky.”

Favorite place: Lows Lake and Bog River Flow camp area.

If you could change anything about living here, what would it be? “We need to create increased economic activities for young people, so they don’t have to leave to find jobs.”