Moving to Elmira Area - NEED INPUT! (Rochester, Syracuse: custom home, unemployment rate)

[ryanatorz]

Hello All -
I have accepted a position at Southside High School in Elmira. My wife, baby and I currently live in a suburb of Rochester. We are not opposed to living in a good part of the city. However, I want to be able to go to work every day without worrying about my family. I can look at a map and see towns in the area, but I need to now some specifics.

1) What are the good parts of the city that are worth looking into?
2) What are the bad parts to avoid?
3) Are there any towns worth looking into in the area around elmira?
4) Do you know anything about Southside HS? I can look up stats, but I am curious about the "natives" perspective. Are there any SAFE neighborhoods around the school? How are the students in the school?
5) I keep hearing about a drug problem. How rampant is it?
6) What other information would you tell someone who knows nothing about elmira.....

Thanks for your help.

[skaneatelesmom]

We have family that live in West Elmira. Their neighborhood is mostly new custom homes. There are a lot of historic homes near them as well.

Good luck with your new job and move.

Joanne

[ckhthankgod]

I think the Southside of Elmira is pretty nice too. Then you have the suburb of Southport just south of that area and they attend Southside High too. Another area is Horseheads, which is just north of Elmira and is nice, with the mall and plenty of things right there, in terms of shopping. Corning which is about 15 miles West isn't bad either and it is easy to get on the highway to get to work. I

[ckhthankgod]

Also, it seems like Southside has a better reputation than Elmira Free Academy. I think the College Ave. area on the Northside of town isn't too bad either. it seems like the Eastside of the city gets the bad reputation.

Also, try Elmira Heights in terms of a place to live too. It is in between Horseheads and the city of Elmira.

[cduke2008]

I am 39 yrs old and have lived in Elmira my entire life. The unemployment rate is high and the drugs are just as bad. We have 2 Prisons here and the prisoners trashy families fallow to be near them. We have a lot of our drugs coming from Rochester and Syracuse. Every time you see an arrest they are usually from one of these 2 cities. If you need to be close to Southside schools I suggest moving to Southport. It is just outside the city limits. As for the Westside, we also have the "Near Westside". You will want to go farther west than that. Usually the 14905 zip is safest, past Hoffman Street. Same goes for the Heights and Horseheads. Just stay out of the city limits. Don't even bother with The Eastside. Thats been bad ever since I was a kid. Big Flats is also a nice place to live. Corning's not all that great, but has some nice areas. It's also 20 miles from the Southside. Hope this gets to you in time.

[purplehaze]

Lowman is only about 12 minute drive from Southside High school and a very nice place to live. It is in a rural setting.

[kac74]

Elmira, in some areas is still a great city. I lived there for 20 years. You have to keep everything in perspective (I live in Northeast DC and it makes Elmira look like Beverly Hills). There are no 'great' jobs unless you consider education and minimum wage. I lived right off of college avenue by the college, a mear stone's throw from Hawthorne Court and never had any problems. My parents still live there and it's a quiet street where everyone knows you. Drugs are a problem everywhere. I was just in Elmira last weekend and it was nice. The new target and other structures near the arnot mall may help things.

[ckhthankgod]

Yeah, NE DC does make elmira look like a Leave It To Beaver town. What's funny is that some people that live just outside of Elmira think it is like NE DC and it's not even close.

[Ellie C.]

I drove through Big Flats today and saw some really nice houses on Harris Hill Road. I was really surprised at how pretty it was up there.

[gladtomeetyou]

I grew up in PA.just across the border. I have family still in the area . You might want to check out Southport as some have mentioned. Pine city is very nice as well. PA. would not be a far commute. It is rural in both states around there. Not much to do,but a great place to raise a family. Both my niece and nephew graduated from Southside. Really nice school. My brother in law is pretty talented and he always helped with backdrops and banners for drama/music events.
Watkins Glen, wineries at the lakes, Ithaca(college town) are not far to go for some fun. Also, if you have never been, it's fun to check out the Amish country in Lancaster and who doesn't like chocolate? Hershey,PA.