Favorite Upstate NY Smaller City

[Barefootedwoman]

There are however, several charming large towns

where to begin:

Cazenovia, Cazenovia, Cazenovia
Hammondsport
Ithaca
Skaneatles
Cooperstown, Cooperstown, Cooperstown
Sharon Springs
Clinton
Saratoga Springs
Blue Mountain
Old Forge
Hamilton


it could be argued that some of these are small towns - nevertheless, they each have their own brand of charm.

[mrcnkwcz]

Man, out of those listed...despite knowing nothing about Poughkeepsie, it's an easy none of the above. Maybe that's why only seven people have voted in this poll (haven't read the comments yet). Ithaca or Oneonta for me (and Ithaca would have to get the nod due to my brother currently attending Cornell)

[mrcnkwcz]

Originally Posted by 2nd trick op

The original list overlooked Oneonta, halfway between Binghamton and Albany, which would have been my choice.

Utica can present a pretty gritty image, and is well past its prime, but there is a lot of history in that community.

alright, the libertarian curmudgeon is also in on a rather well-kept secret. Nice picturesque little college town (two colleges there, SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick) and former site of the national soccer hall of fame, to boot (pun...maybe intended). Close to Ommegang/Cooperstown as well

[mrcnkwcz]

Alright, even though it could very well be my least favorite on the list, I'm going to give in and vote the Falls, because, well, better the devil that you know than the devil you don't

[Barefootedwoman]

I recently did a Google Earth tour of Oneonta in the residential neighborhood bounded by the colleges, Wilber park and the downtown commercial area....lots of older homes which is always nice to see, but many seem to be in disrepair and not kept up - painting, lawns, etc.

I suppose these could be student rentals, absentee landlords??

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Barefootedwoman

I recently did a Google Earth tour of Oneonta in the residential neighborhood bounded by the colleges, Wilber park and the downtown commercial area....lots of older homes which is always nice to see, but many seem to be in disrepair and not kept up - painting, lawns, etc.

I suppose these could be student rentals, absentee landlords??

They could be, but even a small city like Oneonta will have variance in terms of neighborhood upkeep. A good way to get an idea of where you would like to look in regards to living in a city may be median household income in relative terms, as just one aspect to consider. Here is a way to find that out: Oneonta, NY - USA.com™

If you look at the map, it allows you to look at the median household income, racial demographics, etc by census division. Something to keep in mind with college towns/areas of a city is that median household income can be effected by a high off campus student presence, as students don't have much money and those that live off campus are included in poverty percentages. Here are a couple of census tracts in Oneonta that may have this dynamic present: Census Tract 591000 in Otsego County, New York Income and Careers

Census Tract 591100 in Otsego County, New York Income and Careers

I say this because, you'll notice how high the overall poverty percentage is, but the family percentages in both census tracts are around the state and national percentages. To me, that seems to indicate that those areas may have quite a bit of student off campus housing, but those areas in regards to families is about average in terms of poverty percentage on the state and national level.

Then, given that the national median household income is just over $53,000, a census tract like this may be worth a look: Census Tract 591200 in Otsego County, New York

This median household income is high, but given the area of the census tract and that there are only 16 households in the area, it seems like it is safe to say that those households are likely to be high level college administrators: Census Tract 591300 in Otsego County, New York

Here is another census tract in Oneonta: Census Tract 590900 in Otsego County, New York

What is cool about this, is that you can even breakdown the census tracts and view information by census block groups within that tract. So, you can find variance within that census tract. For instance, here is a census block group within that last census tract: Census Block Group 590900-1 in Otsego County, New York

Here is a streetview of a street in that census block group, that appears to be solid: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4587...8i6656!6m1!1e1 It is also close to A.O. Fox Hospital.

It is just under the national average in household median income and the family poverty rate is low.

Oneonta also has a bus system and is home to the Catskill Symphony, as well as the Foothills Performing Arts Center. So, along with the 2 colleges that offer events, you also have some other cultural offerings within the city. Educational attainment for the city is around 43-44% for those 25 and older have at least a Bachelor's degree, which is most likely due to the 2 college presence. It is just under 29% for the national percentage and a little over 33% for the state.

Last but not least, I want to say that you can check much of this information by looking at American FactFinder, as this is just US Census information. look at QuickFacts, which is also from the US census as well.

Sorry for the tutorial, but I think knowing where to look for information can help people make sound choices in regards to relocation and finding a place that they want to live in.

[mgriffinv]

I have to cast my vote for my hometown, Poughkeepsie. I love that it's nestled up against the Hudson River, and the local government has been trying to help revitalize the area with mixed results for quite some time. There is definitely a crime problem, but the city isn't as bad as some other Hudson Valley cities (Newburgh and Peekskill come to mind). Additionally, the crime rate does seem to be coming down.

The biggest detractor to me moving back at this point is definitely the school district. I want to have kids and Poughkeepsie City Public schools are just awful. Hopefully recent reforms will help, but I won't be holding my breath.

It's a great place with fairly unique demographics for a small city, beautiful scenery, a lot of history, and is only 90 miles from NYC with highway and rail connections.
I always love going home.

[ascrodin]

Plattsburgh!

[bmd69]

Falls needs some help. Quite scenic however