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I heard that pretty much all of the cities (or metro areas) in upstate and WNY are very provincial and have almost no transplants. At least that's what my friend said about Syracuse. She lived there for a year and said that pretty much everyone there is from there originally and grew up there. She said that pretty much the only transplants are college students.
How true is this? Is this the case also for Buffalo, Rochester, Utica, Albany and Poughkeepsie? Kingston, Elmira, Watertown, Batavia, Seneca Falls, Cortland, etc?
I heard that pretty much all of the cities (or metro areas) in upstate and WNY are very provincial and have almost no transplants. At least that's what my friend said about Syracuse. She lived there for a year and said that pretty much everyone there is from there originally and grew up there. She said that pretty much the only transplants are college students.
How true is this? Is this the case also for Buffalo, Rochester, Utica, Albany and Poughkeepsie? Kingston, Elmira, Watertown, Batavia, Seneca Falls, Cortland, etc?
Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany area all have large college population. Those kids can come from anywhere including downstate, and NJ. Okay you already mentioned that. But those college kids are very important to those towns. They provide the economy.
Kingston, Poughkeepsie, is close enough to Downstate NY and will have people who moved up there to get away from NYC. Watertown, Batavia, Elmira, Seneca Falls, and Cortland are enough off the beaten track to not have any transplants.
I heard that pretty much all of the cities (or metro areas) in upstate and WNY are very provincial and have almost no transplants. At least that's what my friend said about Syracuse. She lived there for a year and said that pretty much everyone there is from there originally and grew up there. She said that pretty much the only transplants are college students.
How true is this? Is this the case also for Buffalo, Rochester, Utica, Albany and Poughkeepsie? Kingston, Elmira, Watertown, Batavia, Seneca Falls, Cortland, etc?
Probably true for smaller communities, but the City of Buffalo and immediate suburbs are certainly a mix of people from all over. College students are only part of it, but it also includes a large number of faculty and staff among the several local schools and research institutes. We are always meeting people here from other places in the state, US, and other countries. There are 82 different languages spoken among Buffalo Public School students, according to the BPS website. Many of the larger immigrant communities (especially Bangladeshi) include thousands moving here from NYC boroughs. Some people (like us) were originally from Buffalo but moved back with new family members from elsewhere, but I have been very surprised to have met many people from elsewhere who moved here initially without family connections.
Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany area all have large college population. Those kids can come from anywhere including downstate, and NJ. Okay you already mentioned that. But those college kids are very important to those towns. They provide the economy.
Kingston, Poughkeepsie, is close enough to Downstate NY and will have people who moved up there to get away from NYC. Watertown, Batavia, Elmira, Seneca Falls, and Cortland are enough off the beaten track to not have any transplants.
Even with the Watertown area, you have a transient population due to Fort Drum being in the area. Cortland at least has a SUNY 4 year campus and in turn, gets some new people in and out of the city/area. It is to a lesser degree with the other places, but they all have a college presence.
Also, as RocketSci has mentioned, the bigger and some of the other cities Upstate get their share of refugees/immigrants. So, you actually have a substantial New American/international community in many areas Upstate.
As for the OP’s friend, who knows if it is even true, but there have also been people that have moved into the Syracuse area from other parts of the Northeast like NYC, Newark, the Philadelphia area, etc and even other parts of the country. I’m sure it is similar for the other Upstate areas, besides Buffalo and Syracuse. So, it could be a matter of who this person was hanging around.
Lastly, the economies of the Upstate areas, while having a strong college presence, still have other industries, with some even showing some growth.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 12-05-2021 at 09:16 AM..
..Since this health issue started in Mar 20'...Broome and Tioga counties have seen a small, but steady influx of "pilgrims" from NYC, LI, Philly, and NJ...both part time and full time.
Interesting. But what are the native attitudes toward transplants? How are they judged?
Rochester has always had a lot of trans plants, mostly because of some of the larger companies in past years, but still with 2 major research universities and the smaller specialized tech companies too. 60 years ago Rochester was half the size it is now. (metro area) Doubled in growth when other cities stagnated or lost population. It's still growing slowly.
Many transplants come from larger metro areas and seem to enjoy it here. I've never heard any complaints about new residents. Most people moving here tend to locate on the east side. It's the more affluent part of town, but often they can get a home for less than their previous one.
Interesting. But what are the native attitudes toward transplants? How are they judged?
You may get some questioning why, but by and large, people do not have an issue with transplants. Syracuse is similar in that it’s eastern suburbs and side of the city are more affluent(due to proximity to the colleges/hospitals and some private companies(Carrier(still has R&D in the area), Bristol-Myers Squibb, Excellus, etc.) and may be one of the more culturally diverse middle class areas Upstate(particularly zip codes 13224, 13214 and the southern portion of 13210).
I know you were on here years ago looking at moving Upstate. Are you considering it again?
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 12-05-2021 at 12:21 PM..
College towns get the college kids.
Most are off and on their merry way when they graduate.
However, there are a decent amount that fall in love with said college town and either stay, or come back when they can. Plattsburgh, New Paltz, and even Albany to name a few, are some of the more popular ones.
The covid refugees and city transplants are another story.
For me personally, I loathe them. They are a cancer. Many do not assimilate.
They move in and bring their city nonsense and attitudes with them and shove it in your face.
But that said, many stick to the downstate counties, especially anything along or easy access to 87. But in recent times they have been branching out. I think that may be more economically driven due to the housing price explosion. Low inventory and high prices are forcing many to look further out of the comfort zone.
It’s bittersweet. They do add to the local economies but also cause QOL issues in many communities. Whatever. Anyone who spends time on this forum knows how I feel about city people and elite skells.
So, I’ll say “it depends” on where you settle whether or not you’ll fit in and be accepted.
You may get some questioning why, but by and large, people do not have an issue with transplants. Syracuse is similar in that it’s eastern suburbs and side of the city are more affluent(due to proximity to the colleges/hospitals and some private companies(Carrier(still has R&D in the area), Bristol-Myers Squibb, Excellus, etc.) and may be one of the more culturally diverse middle class areas Upstate(particularly zip codes 13224, 13214 and the southern portion of 13210).
I know you were on here years ago looking at moving Upstate. Are you considering it again?
You are correct that back in 2013 I was very close to actually moving there while I was unemployed with limited savings. I remember discussing it with you in Jan 2013.
I am sort of considering it, but probably won't actually pursue it, since I'm now settled here in Jacksonville, FL and doing well with career and home ownership, etc. But after much thought, I really do think it would be my favorite region to live in the country. I daydream about it a LOT and have spent hours exploring places on Google maps. I may plan a visit/vacation there next summer.
Four years ago, I was applying to jobs all over the entire state of NY. I had a job offer in Albany, but declined it and instead accepted an offer for a job here in Jacksonville, FL since I believed it was the better opportunity. Occasionally, I regret my decision, but I feared that if I were to be laid off in Albany, it could be very challenging to find employment. I also remember having a phone interview with a recruiter in Rochester, and she giggled and said that people typically only look for jobs in Rochester if they have family in the area because of the long winters and tons of snow. She ended up ghosting me. So basically, it seems like upstate NY employers are averse to hiring outsiders.
Also, back in 2015, I had some phone interviews with employers in Buffalo, but was ultimately ghosted. I am under the impression that upstate NY employers are very averse to outsiders, unfortunately. Of course, this issue isn't exclusive to NY, but it seems extra prevalent there.
Regardless, jobs in my career field that are a good fit for me are still VERY scarce in upstate NY. As we speak, there are only a couple job postings in Buffalo, maybe one in Rochester, one in Syracuse and one in Albany, at any given moment. I think there was one in Binghamton, also. Typically only one or two job postings per metro area. Oh well, that's just how it is up there.
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