Upstate relocation? Your opinions please? (New York, Buffalo: low crime, schools, college)

[plattsburgher]

Not to put down the Ticonderoga area, but it is pretty small for someone used to having conveniences associated with a city. Pburgh does have a fairly lengthy site with over 2000 posts according to this board. I would encourage you to at least check out Plattsburgh.......It is much easier to access the other site than retype everything again, but suffice it to say that Plattsburgh is huge compared to Ticonderoga..........very near (within commuting time of larger areas) major shopping, metro areas, scenic, clean, quality of life, great people, new industries coming in on new airport/industrial park/Canadian money next year, very affordable housing, lots of recreational activities, gorgeous Adirondacks and Lake Champlain, multiple opportunities for community involvement and people are welcoming to newcomers, since tons of SUNY college kids have come here from Long Island/city and never gone back for years and years......There are lots of "city" people here........Would probably surprise most people just how many NYorkers there are here from years back........Think Ithaca is also a very nice, gorgeous (gorges?), friendly place, but not sure if it is county seat and how much interaction there is day to day with the disabled population? It does seem to have more expensive real estate, and seems a more progressive/liberal/moneyed place than Pburgh IMO. Here you have both lakefront million dollar places but can live next door to a blue collar guy who is the salt of earth type and people here are pretty amazing. If they say they will be at your door at a certain time, by gosh, they more than likely will be. If they quote you a certain price, it is usually that exact price. If they take on a job for you, usually they are proud of their work and do a great job. What is it called.......New England work ethic? It is pretty refreshing to witness......Makes you believe there are still good, decent, solid people around who actually do take pride in their work and want to do right by their customers ........Anyway, you can access the city of Pburgh website and the county (Clinton).....Many links and the Chamber of Commerce listed as the North Country Chamber of Commerce can probably give you more specific job info..........There are several agencies here and a county seat that services this area of people with disabilities, a large hospital, a specialized school for older disabled kids who learn skills, the college has a special ed program, and Alzheimers Day Center and the school districts all have special ed people with therapists (OT, PT, speech) for all the kids to be mainstreamed as much as possible. I happen to have one of those children who has thrived because of her teachers and therapists here beginning with the county's early intervention program. There are two private agencies.....one is called Pyramids and I can't think of the other, but they employ special ed people also........Good luck.

[LFRet]

If you're looking rural, the Mohawk Valley is a good place to start. It's the very definition of small town living, with the biggest city being Utica (30 minutes away).

We live in a town named Little Falls. It's off of 90 (Exit 29A) and is right on the Erie (Barge) Canal. The Mohawk River combines with the Erie Canal in this area, and is wonderful for sitting by, fishing, boating, etc. In the summer we go down to the lock and watch the boats go through.

It's also a short driving distance into the Adirondacks where there are several lakes and rivers, and only about 30 minutes north of Cooperstown which is on Otsego Lake.

Housing prices in Little Falls are low comparatively speaking. You can find a beautiful old Victorian House on one of the parks in town for under $150k. Or if you're looking smaller, there are plenty of nice houses for under $90k, even some under $60k.

The health profession is VERY big in the Mohawk Valley with several major hospitals and even more smaller community homes that always seem to be looking for help with developmentally disabled people of all ages.

I don't know if this helps or not, but if you have more specific questions, feel free to e-mail me at Koshbashar@msn.com.

[igadget]

One thing that wasn't mentioned in the information above is that the current (just elected) mayor of the City of Rochester, used to be its Police Chief. He has made several changes, and there is a curfew to try and get kids off the street. The neighborhoods where most of the violent crime have seen increased patrols. They are talking about a loitering law to help remove people standing on corners.

If you are interested in the education side of your Masters, Rochester also has the National Institute of The Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology, as well Strong Hospital at the University of Rochester.

[Tinman313]

Originally Posted by i'minformed

well, no it's not the mafia. lol. There is some gang acitivity in Rochester's "eastern crescent" in the Norhteast area of the city. And the rest of it is just run of the mill lowlifes killing lowlifes. Crime in the city of Rochester is mostly in the Northeast and Southwest areas of the city. The southeastern quadrant is a very nice area of the city with well maintained turn of the century homes and mansions, parks, and a very nice neighborhood/city feel. The NW area of the city is a bit grittier, but still not too crime ridden. Property values aren't very high there mostly because of Kodak Park. In the far northwest of the city is the much nicer Charlotte (shar-lot) neighborhood right on Lake Ontario . There's a lot of development going on and planned in the future there; it's an all day hotspot from May to September. The city schools aren't very good but many of the suburbans ones are excellent. I was born and raised in the suburb of Greece and that is probably where I will move too next summer when we return to Rochester after over a decade in NC.

Lived on Latta Road almost 4 years.......off of Long Pond!........

[Atlantis]

Originally Posted by col

I would like people to tell me about where they live up state, I am looking for places with a lower cost of living than NYC, lower hosuing purchase cost and some culture and senic. My family and I are water people ( not sports - senic)
Priority is safety and cost of living with jobs for people in the field of developemental disabilites. Thank you.

Col, in Buffalo you can probably find a job at People Inc. They're a nonprofit agency that operates group homes and day programs for people with developmental disabilites.

However, since you and your family are water people....the waterfront up here is really pathetic. The media here talks about it all the time. In order to develop the waterfront they have to take down something called the Skyway, which a lot of people travel on.

There are some beaches here - Evangola Beach is popular. And there are things to do along the Niagara River or Lake Erie. Not a lot of things to do, though. Nothing impressive or noteworthy and nothing in the city of Buffalo.

[ermcconn]

about the crime-- it's bad in bad areas in syracuse, but in the good ones you don't have to worry.

[mikeny111]

Upstate NY is beautiful wherever you go. Just stay out city living and live in the smaller towns or suburbs. I have lived in several areas of the state and visited almost every city. Here are my opinions

Buffalo area-- sucks, stay away from buffalo
Rochester- Very nice, although economy is not very good. This city might just be the best place to live in NYS.

Finger Lakes- very nice, affordable living with beautiful lake living. I reccomend Geneva and Ithaca.

Southern Tier- SUCKS

Adirondacks -Very nice and peacefull only negative is it is remote.

Hudson Valley- Sorta beautiful. Lots of crime in the Hudson Valley cities and the cost of living is RISING FAST.

Central NY- Average with nice lakes and reasonable cost of living.

Capital District- Average. Becoming a snobby area with reasonable cost of living.

North of Capital District- Lake George may be the most beautiful place in Upstate NY. Cost of living is rising and crime is rising in Glens Falls area.


Overall i would recommend living in suburban Rochester or the Finger Lakes region. Nice cost of living with probably the most friendly people in NYS, plus i think its the very scenic.

Sorry for some of the spelling errors.

[homeward bound]

Hi, Mikeny111.

Three quick questions.

Why do you say Buffalo "sucks"--don't you see *any* merit in Buffalo?

Why do you say the Southern Tier "SUCKS"?

And why do you say that Central New York is just "Average"?

Thanks!

[pgvicar]

Mikeny, ..... I, for one, appreciate your frank assessment and will shift my focus accordingly !!!! No BS !!!!

[mikeny111]

To =Homeward bound

Three quick questions.

Why do you say Buffalo "sucks"--don't you see *any* merit in Buffalo?
Buffalo is not scenic at all, only Niagara Falls in pleasant. The economy in Buffalo is terrible, the population is dropping fast(I think its dropped the most of all NYS cities. The weather is also terrible. Lots of rain and snow(100inches or more per year)

Why do you say the Southern Tier "SUCKS"?
I do not have enough time to respond to such a silly question.

And why do you say that Central New York is just "Average"?
When i say average i mean average compared to other areas in NYS. If you are comparing it to other parts of the country I think its above average. The lakes are very nice. Skanneatles is BEAUTIFUL. Downside =LOTS OF SNOW