HELP! Best towns in Upstate NY to move to? (New York: mortgage, buying a house)

[Catie]

I agree with you Joe. My uncle and aunt bought a mobile home in Hamden New York near Delhi about 10 years ago. They are from Brooklyn, but they are not rich and the 18 acre property was not expensive...however over the years the property tax got to be too much and they sold the land and mobile home..and in their case they lived 3 hours away, so they found it difficult to keep up property.

I love the rural atmosphere of Delaware County, but it was so sad that Hamden had no town---only a post office and a bunch of falling down buildings along the main street. Delhi does have a small town….

I love New York State and I have been researching different areas where I would be interested in living. I almost fell off my chair when I found that home prices and property taxes in some New York State neighborhoods were comparable to northeastern NJ.

I don't think that pay scales in some areas of New York State are comparable to northern NJ for example. This would be fine, if the property tax and home prices were low. However, if they are not, living in New York State becomes unaffordable or nearly unaffordable. It is very upsetting because upstate New York is so beautiful and has so much to offer. ! The potential is great.


Instead....people from NYC have their second homes upstate and those average Joe’s who would like to live there as permanent residents don't know if they can afford it. I wish more job opportunities and affordable housing would be available in NYS. The situation is very frustrating and unfair.

Catie

[averagenyjoe]

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.

[I'minformed2]

I can testify that the pricing out factor is only a reality in eastern ny state, once you get north and west of Albany, the only problem facing upstate is the high taxes and low number of new high paying jobs. Rochester, my hometown and where I am right now looking for a home to buy after being in NC for 12 years, is still very affordable in terms of housing costs and overall cost of living...yes the property taxes are high, but it evens out with everything else. Up until the late 90's/early 2000's, the economy here was still very strong and Rochester was seen as the "gem" of upstate NY because it wasn't facing the steep decline that Syracuse and especially Buffalo were facing. Kodak has made some huge cutbacks in the past several years and that has effected the economy pretty heavily as many higher-paying manufactuing jobs were lost...right now the area is seeing a turnaround as high-tech companies as well as the ever-more prestigous University of Rochester are creating well paying jobs. I don't really fear Rochester, or anywhere west of Syracuse really being "priced out" by rich NYC area natives, I just hope the recent trend of economic revival continues enough to bring Rochester back to where it was a decade ago.

[averagenyjoe]

I have read many of your post's in different places. I sure hope you get back home soon. Maybe those of us who finally made it can throw a big welcome home party for you. I spent 23 years in and around Charlotte. I have spent some time back & forth to the Triangle area. You folks do have some interesting nich market stores and eateries that Charlotte doesnt have but jeeezum wonkers, that shouldnt be enough to keep or lure someone to the area. I really dont know what it is that is so irresistible about the RTP area. and I am very aware of the ridiculous sprawl you speak of. I had an offer by a company in Monroe to move for a time to Raleigh and I refused. I looked into it and decided that it was perhaps more insane than even the Queen city if that was possible. Indeed we all need money to live on but I, for one, am not motivated by money alone. Quality of life is so much more important. Especially if you have children and know what life for a child can be like in Upstate NY.

What places in Western NY do you know of that would fit my inquiry above? Closer to Rochester than maybe Buffalo. Dont really want to be out quite that far. Eastern NY has really gotten way too expensive but leave NY now is not on my agenda. Eastern or Central would still be preferable but Rochester from what I am reading seems quite nice.

[Tioga]

Are you looking for a 40hr/wk job in your quest in NYS?..What is your job/skill base?

[averagenyjoe]

If you are asking me, I would need a 40/hr. per wk job. Most of my skills are in the financial account administration area and the insurance field. I am worn out in that so when I moved back North, I immediately found a half way decent job in senior home administration. I have some moderate skills in home restoration but more on the side as a supplement opposed to using it as a full course living.

[bellafinzi]

Originally Posted by averagenyjoe

I have read many of your post's in different places. I sure hope you get back home soon. Maybe those of us who finally made it can throw a big welcome home party for you. I spent 23 years in and around Charlotte. I have spent some time back & forth to the Triangle area. You folks do have some interesting nich market stores and eateries that Charlotte doesnt have but jeeezum wonkers, that shouldnt be enough to keep or lure someone to the area. I really dont know what it is that is so irresistible about the RTP area. and I am very aware of the ridiculous sprawl you speak of. I had an offer by a company in Monroe to move for a time to Raleigh and I refused. I looked into it and decided that it was perhaps more insane than even the Queen city if that was possible. Indeed we all need money to live on but I, for one, am not motivated by money alone. Quality of life is so much more important. Especially if you have children and know what life for a child can be like in Upstate NY.

What places in Western NY do you know of that would fit my inquiry above? Closer to Rochester than maybe Buffalo. Dont really want to be out quite that far. Eastern NY has really gotten way too expensive but leave NY now is not on my agenda. Eastern or Central would still be preferable but Rochester from what I am reading seems quite nice.

If you are looking to get away from sprawl, I'd suggest looking into the Southern Tier instead of the Thruway corridor. Rochester, is undoubtedly the most sprawled out city in Upstate NY. Over 85,000 new homes were built in the suburbs of Rochester just in the last 27 years. The Albany area has lots of sprawl too, gaining fast on Rochester. To a lesser extent Buffalo and Syracuse because these metro didn't grow much in population...Metro Buffalo is actually losing population. All large metros sprawl. Even urban mecca NYC has lots of sprawl. Just look at Orange County, NY.

The fact is the best school districts are located outside these major cities in Upstate and these are the places that families flock to. This is not changing any time soon. So my suggestion is to stay outside the metro areas of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany and you'll be fine. Lots of rural farmland in the North Country and the Southern Tier.

[Matthew64]

Both are beautiful. Lima is less pricey than H.F., but both are worth it. I lived in Lima for a time, and graduated from HF High School.
The rest of it: Born and Raised in Rochester, Had to get out after 36 years. Moved to Ithaca. BIG MISTAKE. I have never hated a place so much in my life. And I am a liberal! Those folks were too wacky for me... no fluoride in the water, as it is considered "mass drugging". My dentist friend there loved practicing in the area, as he got lots of work. Lots of poor persons in the area, but the human service agencies in town did little to help them ( I know, I worked for one.) To put a twist on an old slogan, Ithaca likes to "think locally, and act globally". More interested in stopping the war in Iraq than tending to its own.
I did find a little gem of town outside of Ithaca that I made my home for almost three years: Freeville. Very quiet, very sweet town with lovely neighbors and atmosphere. Freeville is about 12 miles outside of Ithaca. Great place, and not too expensive.
I moved from Freeville to New Orleans. Talk about culture shock! But that, as they say, is another story.
Just my two cents.

[I'minformed2]

Bell...i'll agree with you that the best school districts in Upstate NY are not in the major CITIES....but the suburbs of Rochester, Buffalo, Sryacuse and Albany do have excellent schools, probably the best in the region. Brighton and Pittsford, 2 Rochester suburbs, rank in the top 100 schools nationally. The schools in rural NY and the smaller cities may be better than those in the city limits of the major metro areas, but for the most part, the suburbs of the metros will have the best schools.

[xamsx]

The city of Buffalo does have a High School that ranks in the Top 10 nationally, Number 1 in NYS.

City Honors in Buffalo, NY