South Asian family considering Upstate NY (from IL) (New York, Buffalo: fit in, 2014)

[ej257]

Not sure if this has been specifically asked, so I thought I would make a thread. We are a young couple of South Asian (Indian subcontinent) descent. Recently, we have been looking into moving to one of the larger upstate NY cities - Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Schenectady, and their associated suburbs (probably will move to a suburb). We like nature (have heard that upstate NY is beautiful) and actually like the snow, so no issues in that area.

I was wondering, for lack of better words, how we would "fit in". I grew up on the northside of Chicago, IL which was very diverse, but have lived in rural Illinois towns without any real issues, though it is a bit different of course.

Are there any areas with decent south asian populations/communities?

I know statistics can sometimes be misleading, but should the crime levels of these cities worry me?

Are these cities, overall, a good place to raise a family? Any other insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

[ckhthankgod]

You can find areas where you would fit in and the crime rates shouldn't be something to worry about given what you are looking for. I also feel that these areas are fine for a family.

I would say to look for suburbs that have or are near a college, as many South Asians tend to be found in such areas. Towns like Amherst outside of Buffalo and Vestal outside of Binghamton are a couple that come to mind. Same for Brighton and Henrietta outside of Rochester, DeWitt outside of Syracuse; as well as Colonie(including Menands) and Niskayuna in the Albany area.

This list could help: New York Indian Population Percentage School District Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data

As you can see, Menands, a suburban village north of Albany is first on that list.

[cjoseph]

Amherst NY has many South Asain families. It is a suburb of Buffalo, often rated one of the safest towns in the country. The schools are top-tier, and it is a great place to raise a family. The only problem might be finding a decent home with the shortage we have been having...

[ckhthankgod]

Here is some information by census tract: New York Indian Population Percentage Census Tract Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data

By city, village and CDP: New York Indian Population Percentage City Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data (Menands, Forest Home, Gang Mills, Webster, Sandy Creek(?), Westmere and Lansing are some in Upstate NY)