Need input on towns in Upstate NY (New York, Buffalo: upper-class, rentals)
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I am originally from NY (Queens and Nassau Counties) and had to move because it was too expensive. My husband and I are considering moving to Upstate NY, but I don't know too much about the towns. We need somewhere that is affordable that we can actually survive. I am an operator at a hospital right now and my husband has experience in retail, food service, and landscaping. I really want to go back to NY I miss it. Can anyone recommend any areas? I have been looking at this site and have found a couple of towns that sound good, but dont know how good they really are. I was liking Fenton, but again, on paper it sounds good. Any help anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.
There are a lot of towns in Upstate, some good, some bad, all cheaper than NYC metro. It would be impossible to narrow down what may or may not work for you without knowing a little more regarding what you are looking for, what interests you have, do you want to be closer to one of the metro areas in Upstate or would you prefer something rural?
Syracuse metro area... SUNY Upstate Medical Center, Crouse Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, Community General, and a plethura of other medical-related centers. Syracuse University and many other colleges and restaurants and retail industries that cater to them and the other ~1M people who live in this area. And plenty of landscaping opportunities for those many communities who are employed in the healthcare, academic, and other high-paying professional and technical fields. Housing is inexpensive and the cost of living is fairly low.
A few zip codes to get you started-
13210, 13224, 13214, 13078 - with a 5-15 minute commute of the above hospitals and Syracuse University. A mix of students near the university, professors, green/organic-living types, middle and upper-class families.
13066, 13104 13138, 13035 - southeastern suburbs of Syracuse and generally upscale villages and towns that become more rural as you fan out.
13090, 13088, 13054 - northern suburbs, where there is a generally crowded feeling (imo) and a mix of blue-collar and upper-class communities.
13057 - East Syracuse. Blue collar/middle class but generally safe, affordable and close to the major highways.
and 13207 - the Eastwood area of the city of Syracuse. Many good rentals, close to the highways (East Syracuse is just to the east of it) and generally occupied by young people getting their lives together, young families, blue-collar workers and older couples who have lived there for decades.
Pay close attention to taxes. In this area, they vary wildly... the older home (let's say 1920) tends to have their tax assessment at a lower base of around 50% of its actual value while newer construction homes have their taxes based on close to their full value.
Last edited by proulxfamily; 02-03-2010 at 07:46 AM..
There are a lot of towns in Upstate, some good, some bad, all cheaper than NYC metro. It would be impossible to narrow down what may or may not work for you without knowing a little more regarding what you are looking for, what interests you have, do you want to be closer to one of the metro areas in Upstate or would you prefer something rural?
We are quiet people and dont do much...home bodies I guess is a better way of putting it. We are looking for peace, especially after living down here. I dont want to have to drive 30 miles to get to the nearest store, but I dont want a 7-11 and starbucks on every corner either......My husband has talked about us living somewhere and commuting to NYC but I think those areas are more expensive.......I saw this town called Fenton and for some reason it stood out, dont know why lol just was drawn to it. We are still doing research and definitely still want input
Syracuse metro area... SUNY Upstate Medical Center, Crouse Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, Community General, and a plethura of other medical-related centers. Syracuse University and many other colleges and restaurants and retail industries that cater to them and the other ~1M people who live in this area. And plenty of landscaping opportunities for those many communities who are employed in the healthcare, academic, and other high-paying professional and technical fields. Housing is inexpensive and the cost of living is fairly low.
A few zip codes to get you started-
13210, 13224, 13214, 13078 - with a 5-15 minute commute of the above hospitals and Syracuse University. A mix of students near the university, professors, green/organic-living types, middle and upper-class families.
13066, 13104 13138, 13035 - southeastern suburbs of Syracuse and generally upscale villages and towns that become more rural as you fan out.
13090, 13088, 13054 - northern suburbs, where there is a generally crowded feeling (imo) and a mix of blue-collar and upper-class communities.
13057 - East Syracuse. Blue collar/middle class but generally safe, affordable and close to the major highways.
and 13207 - the Eastwood area of the city of Syracuse. Many good rentals, close to the highways (East Syracuse is just to the east of it) and generally occupied by young people getting their lives together, young families, blue-collar workers and older couples who have lived there for decades.
Pay close attention to taxes. In this area, they vary wildly... the older home (let's say 1920) tends to have their tax assessment at a lower base of around 50% of its actual value while newer construction homes have their taxes based on close to their full value.
Thank you for the info! We are going to do some research on the area for sure.....I appreciate it
I am originally from NY (Queens and Nassau Counties) and had to move because it was too expensive. My husband and I are considering moving to Upstate NY, but I don't know too much about the towns. We need somewhere that is affordable that we can actually survive. I am an operator at a hospital right now and my husband has experience in retail, food service, and landscaping. I really want to go back to NY I miss it. Can anyone recommend any areas? I have been looking at this site and have found a couple of towns that sound good, but dont know how good they really are. I was liking Fenton, but again, on paper it sounds good. Any help anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Fenton, by the way, is just outside of Binghamton. It is a smaller area than the major cities in Upstate, but has a decent amount of things going on. Binghamton is one of the safest metros in the US too. I believe that most kids attend Chenango Valley schools and some might attend Chenango Forks schools as well.
If you're not stuck on being close to NYC I would look west, specifically anything within the Chautauqua Lake school district - mainly Chautauqua & Mayville. You are close enough to Jamestown & the Fredonia/Dunkirk areas that its not a big deal to go to either. Westfield is under 10 miles away & it will have what you need as far as grocery shopping. Erie, Pa is under an hour away & Buffalo metro is about 1.5 hrs. Its a charming rural area with beautiful views though parts of it can become a bit touristy in the summer because of the lake. There is some nice housing available for under $175K & the property tax within the Chauauqua Lake school district is among the lowest in NY State.
If you are looking to stay more to the east then Columbia County may be to your liking. Its is in between Dutchess County & Albany. The northern towns (Chatham, Kinderhook & Valatie) are definitely close enough to Albany for working or shopping but far enough out that your in a rural area. This area also has some very good property tax rates (at least by NY standards).
a small town on the outskirts of Buffalo, Rochester, or Syracuse would probably suit you best. Depending on your definition of "affordable" there are many towns that would work for you. Even the most expensive towns in Upstate NY are WAY more affordable than anything in the NYC metro. Canandaigua, about 40 minutes outside of Rochester would probably suit you well. It's somewhat more suburban than "country"; but definitely an area were you can keep to yourself yet still enjoy the amenities of living in-town. It is in Ontario County which a few years ago was rated the best rural county to live in in the nation. Other more country towns in Ontario County would be Phelps, Naples (NOT at all similar to Naples Florida where it appears you are trying to get away from. lol) and Farmington. All of these towns are within a reasonable commute to Rochester for work/hospitals/ airport/ city-stuff; yet definitely maintain a close knit small town/country lifestyle as well.
Pooka218, in case you are unfamiliar with the local geography:
What people refer to colloquially as "towns" are actually villages and hamlets, which are within actual towns; and, because villages and hamlets are referred to as "towns", then, many times, the error is compounded when actual towns are referred to as "townships".
Also, many colloquially refer to a "downtown business district" in a hamlet as a "village".
NYS Geographic Glossary may be of some help to you in understanding the geography of "Noo Yawk".
You can get a fact sheet for any city, village or hamlet in New York by going here American FactFinder and input the name of the city, village or hamlet for "city/town" (leave out the ZIP Code) and New York for "State", and then click "GO".
You'll get a lot of demographic, and some economic, statistics for the city, village or hamlet you selected, and if you click on "Reference map" (it's on the right hand side), you'll get a map.
When you do find a house that you like, you can find out in which community (city, village or CDP) that house is actually located, which is oftentimes different from the community named in that house's mailing address, by using the Census Bureau's online address search function. (CDP or Census Designated Place is the Census Bureau equivalent for a hamlet in "Noo Yawk".)
And, very importantly, among other things, the Census Bureau's online address search function also indicates in which school district an address is located.
You might like these communities too: Village of Owego, New York, Official Website
Owego Historical Preservation Commission, Owego, New York (http://www.villageofowego.com/ohpc/index.htm - broken link)
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Understanding the geography of "Noo Yawk"
