Crime and Schools in Oswego? (Syracuse, Clay: 2014, low crime, house)
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My wife and I just had our first child, and are looking for a new city to move to. We currently live in an area of Colorado with very low crime, and excellent schools, but we'd like to move into an actual house we can afford. "Affordable housing" in our current location generally starts around $400-$500K, and that's assuming there is any housing inventory on the market (there isn't).
My wife actually came across a great job opening in her field in Oswego, and her chances for getting the position look promising. One of the most attractive things we found in our research was how cheap housing seems to be (although once you factor in the outrageously high property and school / library taxes, it's not quite as cheap as it looks). We are going to be visiting in a bit to get a feel for the place, but after checking out some of the city data online, we're kind of concerned about the crime rate (about 16% higher than the national average), and the poor school ratings.
Seeing as how we would mainly be moving for the purpose of raising a family, these statistics might be deal breakers for us. Is it really as bad as it sounds?
No, its crime isn't that bad and is likely due to property crime, as it is sort of a shopping hub for much of Oswego County.
Schools aren't bad, but are OK. There are some private options within the city of Oswego as well, but only up to 8th grade, I believe. Overall cost of living is a little under the national average for the city and about average for the area.
Keep in mind that Oswego is in the Syracuse metro area. So, a suburban area such as Baldwinsville would be a good happy medium between Oswego and Syracuse(about 20-25 minutes to each) and is a growing area with good schools. You could also look into the northern end of the Liverpool SD/town of Clay around Route 31/I-481(thinking the Soule Road portion of the district). So, you actually have other options nearby.
Fulton and Phoenix are in between Baldwinsville/Clay(L'pool SD) and Oswego, but I would go with Baldwinsville or Clay. With Clay, you can take I-481 to Oswego. Around Route 57/just south of Route 31, the Kimbrook area to the west is in the Baldwinsville SD primarily and the area to the east is in the Liverpool SD to about Gaskin Road. Further south of the road, it is Liverpool SD on both sides of Route 57. So, that may be something to consider when looking for housing.
Baldwinsville is a little more highly regarded/ranked, but both are generally good districts. Liverpool has a more culturally diverse student population, if that matters. Route 31 at I-481 has plenty of big box shopping, with some on Route 57 as well(all of it is in the Liverpool SD). Liverpool is a bigger district in terms of enrollment.
That's what I got for now, but if you have any other questions, just ask. Hope that this helps though.
Thanks a lot - we were thinking about looking for a place somewhere in between Oswego and Syracuse to help broaden my job prospects. We'll have to check out Baldwinsville for sure. The only thing that would really give us pause now would be those taxes - I've lived in four different states and never seen taxes that high!
Here is a listing of all the counties in NY State ranked by individual income in 2014.
Oswego county had an individual income of about $ 22,000 , and about $ 44,000 for a family.
It ranked 53 rd in the state in term of it's annual income figures.
Believe it or not there is a town in NY that has an individual income of $ 4300 a year. It is a Hebrew village called Kiryas Joel. About 70 percent of the adults are on welfare. I kid you not.
Thanks a lot - we were thinking about looking for a place somewhere in between Oswego and Syracuse to help broaden my job prospects. We'll have to check out Baldwinsville for sure. The only thing that would really give us pause now would be those taxes - I've lived in four different states and never seen taxes that high!
Just keep this the NYS property tax exemption information in mind, as the listing information isn't what you necessarily pay.
Went to college at SUNY and loved it. A quirky little city with lots of personality. I loved being near Lake Ontario too. Granted, I graduated over 20 years ago but I don't think much has changed. Most likely the west side of the bridge is still largely student off-campus residences so I'd probably look on the east side if you wanted to be in the city. One of my roommates grew up in Bville and it seemed like a great place to grow up. There are several nice suburbs around Syracuse.
For NY, those taxes are nothing compared to LI and the NYC suburbs. Housing is way cheaper too. You will definitely be able to find something nice for your budget.
Went to college at SUNY and loved it. A quirky little city with lots of personality. I loved being near Lake Ontario too. Granted, I graduated over 20 years ago but I don't think much has changed. Most likely the west side of the bridge is still largely student off-campus residences so I'd probably look on the east side if you wanted to be in the city. One of my roommates grew up in Bville and it seemed like a great place to grow up. There are several nice suburbs around Syracuse.
For NY, those taxes are nothing compared to LI and the NYC suburbs. Housing is way cheaper too. You will definitely be able to find something nice for your budget.
There are actually some very nice neighborhoods in the outer SW portion of the city and is where the most relatively affluent parts of the city are located.
Also, keep in mind OP that the Oswego City SD covers parts of the town of Oswego, which have some nice neighborhoods just outside of the previously mentioned part of the city/going past SUNY Oswego and the parts of the towns of Scriba and Minetto.
I will also remind you that be mindful of the snowfall in that area, as it is in a snow belt that gets lake effect snow from lake Ontario. Besides that, it is a generally easy going place/area that is only about 40 minutes or so from Syracuse.
Another thing I forgot to add is that if you want more big box shopping options besides what is available on the eastern edge of the city, the Route 31 corridor in the town of Clay will be the closest option.
Here is some information for the city of Oswego and for the Oswego City SD: Oswego, NY - USA.comâ„¢
You can view information by census division on the map and the school rankings are based upon select test scores within the district, but may show different rankings by individual school.
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