Jamestown, New York (Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany: crime rates, motel, houses)

[prius109]

Originally Posted by zx10guy1

Jamestown is a hole to say the least, run down dump nothing here, unless your a lucy fan, or want to park cause we have tons of parking areas, yet nothing to do or see. Im 29 and stuck here again at the moment, was in pigeon forge tn area, thats worth a move too growing high pay lots for the kids. There are no jobs and people say you just arent looking hard enough or gota start at the bottom, well im sorry but 7.50 8.00 an hr dosnt pay the bills nowdays, tn pays 10 bucks an hr if you even work fast food come on! The kids here have nothing too do nothing, so you see 90 percent of them drinking or into drugs so young its scary, never seen an area so infested with drug addicts. The taxes kill ya, on everything, gas prices higher than just about everywhere! And check it out wellfare pays for most the people to live here, its crazy this is a poor excuse for a town!!! I grew up here and dont see how anyone in their right mind would want to stay after moving away and seeing the opportunity out there and the pay the only reason i could see being here is like me stuck at the moment. If you have kids especially stay away from here, dont put them through what this area has to offer !!!! The people who like this area were blessed with money or extreme luck or are blind to reality, cause i live here im 29 i see the reality i see the drugs, the older people either ignore or just dont see. For us this area is torture a hell on earth, or as my uncle say the sh@#hole of the earth!!

You hit it dead on. The kids around there really do get extremely bored, so they turn to drugs drugs drugs - and this is seriously no joke! Gorgeous county though, man i miss that aspect of it - plus all my memories are there, but even still, i could never go back, 95% negative outweighs the 5% positive.

[averagenyjoe]

I was considering the Jamestown area because Eastern NY is becoming wildly expensive, but the reading here is discouraging. Even if only half of it is true.
I used to work in Charlotte, NC with a huge amount of people that came from Jamestown when one of the area phone companies shut down. They all chose to come to Charlotte which is a no-brainer for a rural New Yorker who's company is offering them work in an up in coming New South city. They all had wonderful memories they admit to hanging onto but NOT ONE SINGLE ONE OF THEM had a good thing to say about the way the city has become.
I had only hoped that the city had rebounded in the last 8 years since I heard all their stories. It would still be nice to hear at least a few people say differently. c'mon J'town lovers, try to talk me into it.

[That's Life]

Unless you know or are related to someone in the Jamestown, NY area there will be no decent paying job for you! Nepotism is rampant here. The best person for the job here is somebody's cousin...trust me. Taxes are high...after all this is New York State. Health care here is poor. Groceries and gasoline cost just as much here as they do in Long Island. Love Lucy...well good o' Lucy never came back here to LIVE or had a home here after she escaped Celeron! I have a MA Degree and I was just offered a job which paid $10.65 an hour to start. The area is not pretty! Run down abandoned factories and vacant downtown stores are the scenery norm. The only nice place is Chautauqua Institution and the people who have homes there do not live there year round. It is hard to own a $750,000 plus home on a $20,000. a year job. You can live here comfortably if you are a nurse, doctor, or teacher....and your only other interest are where Lucy was born and the new ice arena. Go where there are opportunities!

[prius109]

Originally Posted by That's Life

Unless you know or are related to someone in the Jamestown, NY area there will be no decent paying job for you! Nepotism is rampant here. The best person for the job here is somebody's cousin...trust me. Taxes are high...after all this is New York State. Health care here is poor. Groceries and gasoline cost just as much here as they do in Long Island. Love Lucy...well good o' Lucy never came back here to LIVE or had a home here after she escaped Celeron! I have a MA Degree and I was just offered a job which paid $10.65 an hour to start. The area is not pretty! Run down abandoned factories and vacant downtown stores are the scenery norm. The only nice place is Chautauqua Institution and the people who have homes there do not live there year round. It is hard to own a $750,000 plus home on a $20,000. a year job. You can live here comfortably if you are a nurse, doctor, or teacher....and your only other interest are where Lucy was born and the new ice arena. Go where there are opportunities!

Yet again, DEAD ON.. except imo the country is very pretty, not jamestown iteself...

[Ex-Ithacan]

Hope no one minds, but I thought I'd throw in some pics of Jamestown.


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Hope you enjoyed

[aka_mouse]

That was really interesting seeing pictures of what Jamestown looks like on the ground level, the buildings and all that. Even though Im not that far away in the Buffalo area, Ive never actually been through Jamestown.

I haven't heard great things about it, but seeing the pics, it doesn't look that bad at all. I don't see why people in upstate NY get all bent about board-ups. Thats how things are all over upstate. Thats just how it is. Unless you are living in some wealthy tourist town like Saratoga Springs or some suburb (and you get board ups even in the nicer burb in NY) this is what Upstate NY cities look like.

[averagenyjoe]

Thanks so much for the pictures. Yep, I agree it looks like your average city in Upstate. However, it is much bigger than I expected. So much so, that I know its not what I want.

I know what you mean when you say, the best person for the job is someones cousine. Forget Jamestown then. That town is out of the running for me. I've been through that mess before

[WILWRadio]

Averagenyjoe. I am in the same boat as you right now at least as far as searching for a liveable yet affordable small city in NY and PA. I've got a few years head start on you and I can offer some insight that may help you to find what you are looking for. I am from Connecticut and the housing prices are just too high for my liking. Eastern NY is also getting out of hand.

Jamestown. It is not in the same shape as it was in the early 1980's. But, having traveled there to look at homes within the last couple of years I noted the city is not exactly falling apart as badly as the local residents seem to suggest. Often times local residents criticize their communities more harshly than outsiders. This is especially true of New England and NY. Lake properties move fast but even a lot of the fixer uppers in the city don't stay on the market very long either. Until the last few months the housing market was brisk.

The job market in Chautauqua County has been pretty consistent over the last ten years. Having researched the unemployment picture there for the last decade I've noted it has been pretty consistent at staying below 6%. Over the last couple of years it has been consistent at staying under 5%. Sadly, most of the jobs in the county are in service industries and some manufacturing or health care. Not much else really. But...this is true about most rural counties in the Northeastern region. You have to go to a metro area to have any chance at finding a higher paying job in a white collar industry. I doubt you will need to be somebody's brother to obtain an entry level job in one of the afformentioned industries in Jamestown. But if you want a better paying job then you will probably have to know someone. But this is true in MOST areas of the country especially the Northeast. Even in the metro areas you stand a much better chance of landing that great job through a contact or friend than by cold calling.

You may want to look at the Dunkirk-Fredonia area. Fredonia is growing and the SUNY campus is rated as the best in the state, at least according to what I've read in recent years. Dunkirk is a bit dumpy but has potential. They are slowly rebuilding their lake front and I am seeing indications that new companies are moving into the area and new small business startups are on the horizon. People are friendly at best and cordial at worst. I felt pretty welcome here during all of my visits to the area.

Auburn in CNY. A city of 28,000 people. It's downtown has less empty store fronts than most cities of its size and scope in NY. The Finger Lakes Mall is healthy and they have a new Bass Pro Shop in the city. New box stores are also being proposed in the area. Housing prices are on the rise but it is still a good buy. Not too long ago it had the briskest housing sales market in the state outside of the NY City area. Auburn is close enough to commute to Syracuse for employment opportunities. Be prepared for long commutes during snowy periods. City Hall and the County are screwed up though. Be prepared for constant tax hikes and government spending.

Oswego in CNY. The most likely place I'll be going as long as I can find a property that can accommodate my home based business and won't conflict with zoning rules. Oswego, like Fredonia is a college town. The economy is in the roughest shape of these four cities that I've mentioned but I see some signs that significant investment in the region is about to take place and will result in several hundred new jobs in Oswego county. It is 40 miles north of Syracuse which will make it a challenge to commute there for work. But I suspect it can be done. Oswego has a history of corrupt government but the new administration at City Hall seems to be sweeping out some of the bad elements it inherited. If the current Mayor is re-elected that will be a plus for me since they've indicated they would like my small business in their city.

DestiNY USA in Syracuse is going to have a positive impact on the entire CNY region and places like Oswego, Auburn and Rome will likely see some benefit. For this reason I'd recommend these communities over those in Chautauqua County though I'd hardly not give an endorsement to Jamestown or Dunkirk-Fredonia either.

Rome. Housing is still affordable but prices are on the rise. The job market is the same as any other city of 35,000 (Jamestown has about 32,000 people) but nearby Utica has a few more opportunities available. Lots of decent neighborhoods away from the city center though I would not say there are a lot of bad neighborhoods either. Downtown was razed some 30 years ago and now it is mostly just a few offices and government buildings. Very little retail down there.

Those are my thoughts.

[averagenyjoe]

[quote=WILWRadio;1077551]Averagenyjoe. I am in the same boat as you right now at least as far as searching for a liveable yet affordable small city in NY and PA. I've got a few years head start on you and I can offer some insight that may help you to find what you are looking for.

Good info here. Thanks. I too agree that Jamestown doesnt look quite as bad as some have made it out. Maybe it was a once perfect place and anything less is tragic to most who grew up there. It's just quite a bit larger than I expected.

The following is a request I posted on another thread. Maybe in your travels you have seen a place at least mostly like this?
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Seeking a small city or large village with that "small town feel" in Eastern or Central NY about 10-15,000 pop. +/-. Mostly flat town but located in area of gently rolling hills. Not wet or swampy. Must be very walking and bicycling friendly. Historically preserved with a clean-cut ambiance. Neighborhoods inter-mingled with woods and/or small fields. Practical and usable downtown area NOT loaded with botiques, nail/tanning salons or impractical cutesy gift stores. A nice cafe or two would be nice. At least one good equipped park necessary. A couple would be nice. A good little library would be wonderful. Do not want a touristy or transient area. Stable middle-class citizens. Not yuppie or college preppies nor rich snobs but certainly no rednecks or closed minded people either. Would like other equal size or smaller villages in nearby areas. Would like to be within 10-20 miles of not a huge city but at least a sizable city of at least 50-75,000 +/-. Would love to be on or near the Erie Canal but not dogmatically necessary. By the way, I'm not a rich man. What a dream come true if this or most of it could exist. Thank you for any honest suggestions.

[WILWRadio]

I hate to say it but such a place does not exist. I've visited many a community in CNY and WNY that exceeds 10,000 in population and I've never seen anything like this. The same can be said for eastern NY.

You'll have to give in a few areas in order to find something that meets perhaps half the criteria you've based your search. If you are more flexible on the size of the community then you might find something that at least resembles the community you have in mind. But as far as meeting each goal listed, I don't think it is possible because I don't think such a community exists in this day and age.

I suspect you should look to Pennsylvania. Preferably central and western PA. You stand a better chance at finding something close to what you are looking for in those areas. If it has to be NY then you will likely have to be more flexible on the population, type of downtown area, stable middle class and probably tourism.

At least are not looking for such a community in the Kansas City area. These people are pretentious, shallow idiots and exactly the kind of people that you describe that you don't want to be around.