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Hello all and Happy Holidays, first time poster here and looking forward to becoming a fellow positive Contributing member to the group. Thanks to all who have contribute to this very helpful thread.
So I wanted to bump this thread to ask if it’s still pretty accurate or if there’s been any major demographic shifts? Also, ever since COVID, has there been anti-Asian racism in any of the areas? To give you some context, I’m coming from California born and raised in SF, one of the most diverse areas in the world with tons of Asians probably second only to Hawaii. I know upstate NY isn’t CA but I also don’t want to be moving to an area where my kid will grow up dealing with BS from close minded people. Also if there are any “hood” areas in the mentioned cities? I’ve got nothing against lower income areas but having grown up poor myself, I know that there’s sadly a certain energy that I just don’t want my kid to have to deal with when he’s young and wanting to explore the town.
Hello all and Happy Holidays, first time poster here and looking forward to becoming a fellow positive Contributing member to the group. Thanks to all who have contribute to this very helpful thread.
So I wanted to bump this thread to ask if it’s still pretty accurate or if there’s been any major demographic shifts? Also, ever since COVID, has there been anti-Asian racism in any of the areas? To give you some context, I’m coming from California born and raised in SF, one of the most diverse areas in the world with tons of Asians probably second only to Hawaii. I know upstate NY isn’t CA but I also don’t want to be moving to an area where my kid will grow up dealing with BS from close minded people. Also if there are any “hood” areas in the mentioned cities? I’ve got nothing against lower income areas but having grown up poor myself, I know that there’s sadly a certain energy that I just don’t want my kid to have to deal with when he’s young and wanting to explore the town.
Thanks in advance!
In the bigger cities, there have been some Asian refugees/immigrants that had been steadily coming for the past few decades. In particular, parts of Buffalo’s West Side, Syracuse’s North Side and Utica seem to get quite a few. Many come from South & SE Asia.
On the flip side, many of the more upper middle class suburbs have pretty high Asian populations. Places like Niskayuna just outside of Schenectady; parts of Colonie(inc. Menands) outside of Albany; Vestal outside of Binghamton; Brighton & Pittsford outside of Rochester; parts of Amherst outside of Buffalo; parts of Manlius & DeWitt in the Eastern suburbs of Syracuse; New Hartford outside of Utica, Lansing and parts of the town of Ithaca(not the city of) outside of the city of Ithaca and Gang Mills(CDP) in the town of Erwin outside of Corning area some that come to mind. Parts of other municipalities and school districts may also have at least substantial percentages, as illustrated early in the thread.
Also, the Ithaca metro area(aka Tompkins County) is 10% Asian. That is the highest percentage for an Upstate NY county by far and is 4th in the state only behind Queens, New York(Manhattan) and Kings(Brooklyn) counties. Meaning, that is the highest in the state outside of New York City(including Richmond(Staten Island) & Bronx counties in the city). So, that may be an area to start with, as Northeast Ithaca(CDP) and its elementary school in the town of Ithaca/Ithaca City SD has a high Asian residential and school population. Information: https://data.nysed.gov/enrollment.ph...d=800000036419
This doesn’t get into the aspect of colleges/universities with high Asian student populations and how that also helps to attract Asian residents. That is mentioned early in the thread, but institutions like Binghamton University, UAlbany, University at Buffalo, Syracuse University and Rochester Institute of Technology are some that regard.
As with the other culturally based threads, they were started to serve as a guide to show the variety of the culture/group within this part of the state. Usually when you think of different groups in NY, people usually think of NYC instead of other parts of the state and not too much in regards to Upstate NY in particular. As you can see, there are places where there is a relatively substantial to high Asian presence in Upstate NY and I’d say that it is steadily increasing.
As for COVID related racism, not that it hasn’t occurred, but I can’t recall anything blatant. I am curious if it is impacting businesses like restaurants passively. I only say that because I’ve seen a couple Asian restaurants with signs out front saying “We’re Open”, as if to say that it is alright to still patronize us. Besides maybe that, I wouldn’t say that there is some blatant increase of anti-Asian racism at least in the Syracuse area. I do want to be careful though, as that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t happened or I could be forgetting/overlooking times when it may have occurred.
Another thing with this thread, you can also see places/institutions where there are Asian professionals/those in leadership positions, etc. For instance, just thinking of your handle/name, this is an example of the Music Director at the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes based in Corning: https://www.osfl.org/our-conductors1.html
@ckhthankgod - THANK YOU SO MUCH! Similar to your name, I thank God I found you on this thread for the very detailed info and insights. I really appreciate your time. Are you a realtor by any chance? If so, I’d love to work with you haha. To provide more context, I’m Filipino-American and my wife is from China so my son is a hapa. My mother was born in the Philippines and my wife’s parents are coming from a small city in China so we’re gonna be a mix of a household. I’ve lived in Tokyo as well as short trips to Seoul and Hawaii so personally can be anywhere but would like some possible social circles or at least a grocery store that has the foods both my families cultures love. We have this huge grocery store chain called Ranch 99 everywhere and I believe they just opened their first NY location recently? Hold on. Ok here it goes:
So hopefully they’ll open more upstate soon. Also would you happen to know if there is a sizeable population on the other side of the border? If we decided Buffalo was an option, do many people often travel to the other side or is it more of a special trip?
Thanks again for your help. I will definitely check out Ithaca and now have a better idea of where to search on Redfin.
Much appreciated!
PS Great point about the universities. We previously lived in an LA suburb that did have a very diverse population precisely due to that reason so I had been looking at the zip code of Rochester Institute of Technology so will check out those other colleges as well.
^No, I’m not a realtor. It really is an unleashing of information I come across in various ways.
There isn’t a big Filipino community to my knowledge Upstate. However, in Syracuse, there is this food spot that is in various places around town: https://m.facebook.com/oompaloompyas/
There may be others or more information out there. So, hopeful others will post more information. I will say growing up, at the high school I attended, we did have some kids/families where the dad was white and the mon was a Filipina. Again, I don’t recall there being any serious issues in regards to those families.
I will say that the Chinese student population at Syracuse has grown quite a bit in recent years. Some may attribute that to the fact that the current Chancellor’s wife is Chinese and quite accomplished herself: https://www.thenewshouse.com/nharchi...-dr-ruth-chen/ In turn and along with a growing refugee population from Bhutan, Burma and parts of SE Asia, there have been quite a few Asian markets, stores and restaurants that have opened up on the city’s North and East Sides, as well as into the suburbs in both directions.
With Buffalo, once the things open up again, it’s proximity to Toronto(about an hour and half/45 minutes, give or take) would open up the possibility of interacting with communities of your family background in that city.
Just out of curiosity, it looks like while the percentages are real high, there are some places in Orange County with visible Filipino populations in Highland Falls, which is next to the US Military Academy at West Point, Balmville outside of Newburgh and Scotchtown near Middletown. Arlington just outside of Poughkeepsie appears to have some. Further Upstate, Gang Mills just outside of Corning(home to Fortune 500 Corning Incorporated) and the village of Colonie outside of Albany also have some. Same for Village Green, a CDP and planned community NW of Syracuse in the Baldwinsville SD. This list is a little bit old, but can give some ideas: New York Filipino Population Percentage City Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data
Here is a similar list, but by school district: New York Filipino Population Percentage School District Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data Highland Falls and further Upstate, Lyncourt(?) and Niskayuna(big General Electric & KAPL presence) are districts where the Filipino percentage is at least 1% of the district residents. For perspective, 1.1% of the United States is Filipino. So, these districts are at least around the national percentage. There are other Upstate SD’s just below that percentage as well(Fort Plain, Hamilton, Downsville, etc.).
As for Chinese by school district, Ithaca shows up as 5th highest in the state on a list from that same period: New York Chinese Population Percentage School District Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data It being home to Ivy League Cornell University and Ithaca College, plays a part in that. In terms of other Upstate school districts on the list, Sweet Home in Amherst(also near University at Buffalo) is 2nd, Menands outside of Albany(very diverse school/SD) is 3rd, Green Island also outside of Albany is 4th and Vestal outside of Binghamton(home to Binghamton University) is 5th. Ironically, Niskayuna is 6th in this regard and may be another town/school district to hone in on. Very good school district and reputation, by the way. Rush-Henrietta is 7th and is actually home to RIT.
On a city, village or CDP level, the top 2 places, #6, #7 and #11 are just outside of Ithaca: New York Chinese Population Percentage City Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data Ironically, the areas that cover Binghamton University and University at Buffalo are next in terms of Upstate communities on the list.
So, hopefully this extra information will help you and your family in your search.
Happy Friday ckhthankgod. Thank you again for the helpful details! Just when I thought I had enough filters for Redfin, you help bring up additional options so thanks again. By any chance would you happen to know if there is a startup scene/possibly tech related in the areas you mentioned?
After COVID passes, I’m planning on taking a trip out there to just drive around and get a feel for the places. I’m personally a city guy but knowing how much I used to explore SF, I want to know that my son would also be safe if he and his friends were wanting to explore whatever town we live in so am ok with a sleepy suburb. Not sure if I could live in a super rural area but I recently watched Kiss The Ground so am open to the idea of being a part time farmer to help the environment plus if another Covid like scenario ever came up again in the future, might be nice to live off the grid and be self sufficient.
One of my friends keeps reminding me that there’s always risk everywhere but my short time in Japan raised my standards as it’s so safe that even schoolkids would hang out late at night and I swear, it was the most shocking thing to ride the subway with 1st and 2nd graders riding it all by themselves. It’s that safe. While I obviously don’t expect anyplace in the US to be at that level, I also don’t want my son to have to deal with gang signs and street code which sadly is very much a part of the culture of many parts of California, especially SoCal.
Not sure if this is accurate but I’m also using Asian grocery stores as another filter for areas since I’m assuming that any business wouldn’t open up shop in an area that didn’t have sufficient demand for their products so some level of market research was already done.
Last edited by musicsaverdude; 12-11-2020 at 08:27 PM..
Happy Friday ckhthankgod. Thank you again for the hopeful details! Just when I thought I had enough filters for Redfin, you help bring up additional options so thanks again. By any chance would you happen to know if there is a startup scene/possibly tech related in the areas you mentioned?
After COVID passes, I’m planning on taking a trip out there to just drive around and get a feel for the places. I’m personally a city guy but knowing how much I used to explore SF, I want to know that my son would also be safe if he and his friends were wanting to explore whatever town we live in. One of my friends keeps reminding me that there’s always risk everywhere but my short time in Japan raised my standards as it’s so safe that even schoolkids would hang out late at night and I swear, it was the most shocking thing to ride the subway with 1st and 2nd graders riding it all by themselves. It’s that safe. While I obviously don’t expect anyplace in the US to be at that level, I also don’t want my son to have to deal with gang signs and street code which sadly is very much a part of the culture of many parts of California, especially SoCal.
Not sure if this is naive but I’m also using Asian grocery stores as another filter for areas since I’m assuming that any business wouldn’t open up shop in an area that didn’t have sufficient demand for their products so some level of market research was already done.
In terms of the bolded, if you check out the Albany forum, there is a thread there that shows some startups that are starting in that area. There is somewhat of a video game company concentration in Troy. Niskayuna is in that metro. So, that could be another reason to look into that community.
Markets in the Ithaca area, which also has a startup scene: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[42.483494199999996,-76.4752393],[42.4179154,-76.5206067]];tbs:lrf:!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1! 2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:10
Markets in Syracuse, which also has the Tech garden in Downtown Syracuse: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[43.107099849008456,-75.9729846282918],[43.003744017704506,-76.23047669372149],null,[43.05544370822881,-76.10173066100664],13]
Markets in the Buffalo area, which again has a startup scene: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[43.10192638256238,-78.39318121425782],[42.68742328483766,-79.42314947597657],null,[42.895023092093204,-78.9081653451172],11]
Markets in Rochester, which is known for its high rate of patents and tech scene due historical companies and programs in the area: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[43.24070054991778,-77.36429235001982],[43.03426594710012,-77.8792764808792],null,[43.13757036454233,-77.6217844154495],12]
Markets in the Binghamton area, which has an incubator in Downtown Binghamton: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[42.1700816361682,-75.82821068419229],[42.065159121638764,-76.08570274962197],null,[42.11764209365971,-75.95695671690713],13]
Markets in the Utica-Rome area, which has an incubator in Utica, SUNY Polytechnic Institute in North Utica, as well as the Cree semiconductor plant being built currently: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[43.14406494307177,-75.19252914473402],[43.11825791218534,-75.25690216109145],null,[43.13116278879822,-75.22471565291274],15]
Markets in the Hudson Valley outside of the NYC metro area(Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metro area), which still has an IBM presence in Fishkill/Hopewell Junction/Poughkeepsie and a startup scene: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[41.6240005,-73.8779462],[41.0860834,-74.4726269]];tbs:lrf:!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1! 2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:10
So, it looks like you have plenty of places/options to consider across Upstate NY.
I am a little surprised that there isn't one in the Corning area due to the presence of Corning Incorporated. There was one in nearby Horseheads just outside of nearby Elmira, but it looks like it is permanently closed.
Oh, is internet connection pretty reliable throughout upstate NY? I’m telecommuting so need a stable connection.
EDIT: oh wow? Just saw you posted another detailed reply. Thank you!!! I’ll review it now
EDIT #2: I can’t thank you enough! I hope someday to repay the karma for your kindness. Ok I’ve got a lot more reading and research to do. Xie xie, arigato, maraming salamat, gaam som homnida (if I didn’t list your correct country of origin, apologies in advance)
EDIT #3 Just came across this older 2016 article/report that surprisingly listed many of upstate NY cities as most dangerous in NY state per FBI? Is this accurate? Or overblown? Either that or Manhattan and Brooklyn must be EXTREMELY safe? https://www.valuepenguin.com/2016/sa...laces-new-york
Last edited by musicsaverdude; 12-11-2020 at 10:06 PM..
Hi @ckthankgod - Could I bother you for your opinion on this topic of safety? I’ve been very excited about the different areas in upstate NY but was saddened to see many of them listed as least safe areas on this more recent 2018 report vs the one I linked up above. Are there possibly some dangerous neighborhoods that are skewing the statistics negatively despite the overall area being relatively safe?
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