Might be relocating to Watertown (New York, Rochester: for sale, crime, hotel)

[powderpup]

My husband's job could relocate us to Watertown. We've always lived in or near the Rocky Mountains so this will be quite a change for us. We would really appreciate some feedback on living in the area. A commute to Watertown is ok too as long as it's reasonable. I've read many good things about Oswego, which sounds like the kind of community we'd like. We have kids, so good quality schools, activities and friendly neighborhoods are important. We would need a 4-5br house with enough room for the dogs (recently rescued a pup who's going to get big)- what can we expect to pay? We love water sports and many other outdoor activities too. Could you give some insight on purchasing in a neighborhood vs. what we can expect for a small parcel countryside? Thank you so much in advance for your replies.

[gocargo]

IMO, the commute from Oswego to Watertown is too much for daily driving, especially considering the winter months. If you could handle being an hour and a half from Syracuse and my seein what activities you prefer, then you may consider what I prevously wrote up about Clayton NY, 25-30 minutes west of Watertown in the heart of the Thousand Islands along the Saint Lawrence River, and a 10-minute drive from the international bridge over to Canada.

The Village of Clayton which is on the St.Lawrence River and about 30 minute drive from Watertown (rush hour) has all the boating amenities you will ever need, and the 2 Best Parts are: The international bridge (interstate 81) is few minutes away, go to Ontario Canada!! Also, Clayton is the BEST year round town for daily living, restaurants and shopping. There are ALWAYS homes for sale near the water.. not cottages (manufactured housing). It's centrally located between "Alex"ander Bay (the summertime party capital of the north country) and Cape Vincent (Best of the Best quiet little village, where the lake meets the river). There is a brand new hotel-year round resort being built as I type. A few of Clayton's year round stores are: White's Lumber (a small Lowes), a Big-M Supermarket Chain, and several large banks. For Medical, the River Hospital is 15 minutes away in Alex Bay or 30 minutes to Watertown Hospital. You have nice islands to look or boat over to, including Boldt or Singer Castle nearby. Elementary school, Baptist, Methodist and Catholic churches in the Village, while the Thousand Islands Middle & High School is 7-1/2 minutes towards Cape Vincent... and the schools are good too!

[Sgoldie]

There are people that commute that far. It's a bit more than an hour each way. The problem is that there's a weather band in the Tug Hill area that gets clobbered with any projected snow (Pulaski/Adams). You'd follow the lake roads around to pick up Rt 81 North.

Oswego is larger than Clayton and it has a college which makes it nice. Oswego is on the big lake which can be dangerous at times (much better for sailing than the river) whereas Clayton is on the river across from Canada. Both have international marine traffic. Few beaches in the area of the river but lots of marinas. Cape Vincent, which is even smaller than Clayton, has a small car ferry across to Kingston in the summer, a popular place to go. Clayton does have a small opera house where various entertainment perform. Any of the three towns listed by the poster would be good to consider although Clayton would be my choice among the three. Not a bad arts scene there and a walkable downtown with shoppes, however small. The river explodes with population in the summer.

I imagine Oswego has more opportunities for activities for both kids and adults, a tad more diverse due to the college. It's actually more of a city as compared to the river venues. As for mountains, the Adirondacks, you'll find are somewhat primitive, lost in time so to speak. Not as high as you're use to, extremely enjoyable just the same. Backcountry portage, wilderness hikes, and a scout camp too for the kids. Easily reachable from any of these spots. The best sandy beaches are along the lake's eastern shore, miles of them, and a couple of state parks not far from and just south of watertown.

You wouldn't have to worry about neighborhoods in any of the places mentioned, they're all good. If you were to move into Watertown proper, that's a different story. One plus for Oswego is that you are centrally located between the Finger Lakes, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown, the Adirondacks, and the 1000 Islands, all an hour more or less away.

I'm sure you'll find your time here interesting. There are so many places to see especially in the summer. Our culture here is a little different than the rest of the country because we are so close to Canada.

[TughillTina]

I moved here from Colorado three years ago-the differences are numerous. I can only say it really depends on how well you can adapt. My biggest complaint about New York in general is the tax system- property, sales, gas you name it, it is higher than most. I don't see that changing anytime soon so I put up with it and realize that in my later years I will not be laying my head down in New York. The neighborhoods as others have said are really nice and crime is not a big deal. Don't let anybody fool you about the weather here either. There are four distinct seasons and Winter here is disgusting. Again if you can adapt and enjoy winter sports then it is fun but if you do not like snow or cold or non stop grey skies ugh it will wear on you. Property values are increasing and it is nothing like California prices but on the other side of the foot you get the shaft when you see your property taxes. Hold on to your wallet!