Longisland "vs" Upstate Ny -can Anybody Relate To This??? (New York: appointed, rent)

[I'minformed2]

Originally Posted by puffle

Oops! I meant Pittsford,N.Y. or Brighton compared to like Newton area of Ma. Sharon,Ma. is a possibility but seems a little to sedate. How is the weather in the Pittsfield area other than lots of snow? Are the summers similar to Boston in humidity and mosquitos? Is it grey for months on end starting in the fall like my brother who went to Cornell says? It just seems that even though taxes are much high than in Newton,Ma. the homes in Pittsford are half the price for much more property and the dollars spend per student is about $2,000 more as well. Thoughts?

Pittsford, and most of WNY, is indeed under clouds for the better part of the months of January February and March. It's not "never ending", but it isn't unheard of to go a full week without the sun coming out. People get used to it and I've heard from neighbors in Rochester who had lived in other areas of the Northeast that it really wasn't too bad or much worse than places like Long Island or Massachusetts. Summers in Upstate NY however, are arguably the best you will find anywhere. The moderating effects of Lake Ontario keep it very comfortable. Even on the days when it will be 90+ degrees downtowntown and on the non-shorline subrubs (like Pittsford, with is southeast of the City and not on Lake Ontario) take a 10 minute drive and it will be much more comfortable, probably 80 degrees with a nice breeze, at Ontario Beach Park.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by i'minformed

Pittsford, and most of WNY, is indeed under clouds for the better part of the months of January February and March. It's not "never ending", but it isn't unheard of to go a full week without the sun coming out. People get used to it and I've heard from neighbors in Rochester who had lived in other areas of the Northeast that it really wasn't too bad or much worse than places like Long Island or Massachusetts. Summers in Upstate NY however, are arguably the best you will find anywhere. The moderating effects of Lake Ontario keep it very comfortable. Even on the days when it will be 90+ degrees downtowntown and on the non-shorline subrubs (like Pittsford, with is southeast of the City and not on Lake Ontario) take a 10 minute drive and it will be much more comfortable, probably 80 degrees with a nice breeze, at Ontario Beach Park.

Thanks for the info. How bad do the winters get compared to Boston? Oh, and what can anyone tell me about the Irondequoit area near Irondequoit High? Seeing how it is cooler in the summer near the lake, I wondered what this area was like compared to Pittsford and Brighton? Can't believe how much less homes are there which makes it very attractive but Rochester is not Boston, which makes it difficult to choose between the two areas.

[I'minformed2]

Irondequoit isn't exactly my favoirte town in the Rochester area; I would suggest jumping the bay to check out Webster.... Webster has better schools and is less (to be frank), hard-line Italian, than Irondequoit.

[sassychk30]

Thank you soo much for the info = )

[Phish Head]

i'minformed, what is a "hard-line Italian"?

[I'minformed2]

Someone who identifies more with being an "Italian-American" than an acutal Italian. I was drivng through Irondequoit a few minutes after the Italians won the world cup this summer, and a "parade" of no less than 30 cars just pulled out of a neighborhood with horns blaring, people screaming, italian flags waving. It was all in good fun of course. I don't know, I have just always though of Irondequoit as the "italian area", where most people who are from someplace else (even if that means just another area of Rochester) they are really seen as "an outsider". The area has some beautiful neighborhoods though, many nestled in the hills of Durand-Eastman Park, and Summerville, a turn of the century beach neighborhood in the NW area of town.

[plattsburgher]

I mean if it was 3 am and went on for awhile then, maybe not so good, but was in Montreal when the (help me out.........Fins, Swedes, Norwegians????) won a big game in June, and they were also on the streets in an impromptu parade celebrating and most of the crowd on the sidewalks played along and cheered with them.....No shots were fired into the crowd, no fires were set, and everyone was happy........Thought it was cool. However, what happens when the BoSox, Yankees, Eagles, win a huge title here in the states..........????????? Occasionally, someone gets hurt or cars get burned......I even think a Boston girl got killed when the Sox won the pennant. Hmmmmmm. IMO, I will take the mini-parade of cars from the Italian Americans anytime!

[I'minformed2]

Oh I know, it was no big deal at all and in fact I honked my horn to celebrate right along with them (I had no idea what was going on at first I just thought it was funny). My point wasn't to say that it was a problem, just that it was something I noticed. I'm 1/4 Italian myself. I don't dislike Irondequoit; I just don't think it would be the best choice for a person from outside of the area to relocate too.

[Check123]

There is plenty to do on L.I. that does not include malls and asphalt; most of which requires the ability and maturity to appreciate, thereby leaving some out of the loop.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by winnie

Puffle- if you are talking about Pittsfield MA- it is a very nice town with affordable property and taxes. It is very scenic and somewhat secluded. The Berks are beautiful and the area is the more conservative area of MA.

Towns surrounding the Pittsfield area are incredibly safe, family oriented with safe schools. You have roughly 45-60 minutes to Albany depending on where in the Pittsfield area you settle. There are outlet stores off exit 1 or 2.. You can get an EZ pass for the MA Pike, which last I knew was free from exits 1-6 (springfield).

I have never actually lived in Pittsfield but I did live a little east of there in the Pioneer Valley and went through the area frequently and we did househunting up that way. Many of my coworkers lived in the area and until we moved to NY we were thinking of getting a home out in the Becket/Middlefield area so we did quite a bit of research into that.

If I had a choice between living in Fairport NY and living in western MA I would most likely steer towards western MA. Lenox, Adams, Stockbridge, Washington, Middlefield are nice towns to start with for the Pittsfield area.

MA, while having the nickname "Taxachusettes" actually had lower overall taxes than NY - who leads the nation in overall average tax percentage at 13% of total income! MA has lower sales tax, it was cheaper to register and license my vehicles in MA, even with the dreaded excise tax.., it was also less painful at tax time. NY really can suck the blood out of you at tax time LOL! And the dreaded DMV...well the "RMV" in MA was sooo friendly and helpful compared to the 3 trip massacre I encountered at the DMV in Goshen, NY. Never have I had a more NASTY experience getting a simple driver license in my entire life..

I am sure the rochester area is quite nice, but do check out the MA towns I mentioned as well. I would even mention the Pioneer Valley as a possible place to relocate, but it seems the Berks fit your criteria better.

winnie, Let me ask you a comparitve question regarding Massachusetts income and property tax vs. Upstate New York. It seems for a lovely 3-4 bedroom home with land in Pittsford you can pay less than $300k and for the same house in Westford,Ma. it would cost over $450k. Does become a wash with the difference in prices and taxes?