What should be expected for the winter?? (New York, Rochester: travel, work)

[koren09]

Hi, I just moved to the Fort Drum area about a month ago. My husband is expected to deploy in October and from what i hear, the winters are pretty snowy. I have NO IDEA what it'll be like to like in snowy conditions and am pretty nervous about experiencing it alone. I'm 24 and have 2 boys, 2 and 3 years old. I'll be fine......right? lol

I tried to Google it, but all that came up were unbeleivable pictures of March's Lake Effect Snowstorm. 12ft of snow!?!?!? WOW!!! That was only 3 months before i got here!!!

What I was wondering is, does it get that bad EVERY winter? And when does the first snowfall usually come? As far as equiptment, what more is needed besides snow tires, boots, and very warm cothing? Like I said, I don't know what it's like to live in the snow. I lived in California all my life and our winters, at worst, are 30 degrees. Average 50.

THANKS!

[boomvang]

It does snow a ton up here, no doubt. The good news is that there are few areas in the country that are better prepared for it, with up to date equipment and the knowledge to use it. Your kids will love it! You may too. Attitude is everything. As far as your preparations are concerned, it depends on what your living arrangements are. If you are living in a complex the sidewalks and drives will probably be cleared by the management. If living in a private home, you will need either a good snowblower and/or a good plow guy for the driveway. You will need a shovel for the car, and one to clear your front door. Good snow tires are a must, on all four wheels. Four wheel drive is an option. Many folks up here drive regular cars with no problems. Just take it easy the first few times you drive in the white stuff, and you should be fine. Good luck with you move, and welcome to the area.

Gary

[koren09]

Originally Posted by boomvang

It does snow a ton up here, no doubt. The good news is that there are few areas in the country that are better prepared for it, with up to date equipment and the knowledge to use it. Your kids will love it! You may too. Attitude is everything. As far as your preparations are concerned, it depends on what your living arrangements are. If you are living in a complex the sidewalks and drives will probably be cleared by the management. If living in a private home, you will need either a good snowblower and/or a good plow guy for the driveway. You will need a shovel for the car, and one to clear your front door. Good snow tires are a must, on all four wheels. Four wheel drive is an option. Many folks up here drive regular cars with no problems. Just take it easy the first few times you drive in the white stuff, and you should be fine. Good luck with you move, and welcome to the area.

Gary

Hey, thanks Gary! I live on base and we're responsible for our own driveways and walkways. I laugh imagining myself shoveling out snow....lol I'm going to grow guns lol

When does it start snowing, and when does it end?

[Sgoldie]

The only thing predictable about it is that in fact it will snow. You can get a single snowfall as early as October then it might not come down on a regular basis until after Xmas. You never know.

Besides boots you'll want warm hats, gloves, and scarves. A shovel for your walkway and a bag of ice melt, an ice/snow scraper for your car and a blanket in case you get stuck, a cell phone and triple A membership are a good idea too. Get the car serviced before winter so fluids and antifreeze are checked. You don't want to break down at that time of year. Appropriate windshield washer fluid that won't freeze is sold that time of year and keep an extra bottle for spring when it gets slushy so you can refill it at home. If you own a house have the furnace serviced in the fall. Keep some extra food around the house for days when you don't want to go to the store in bad weather. Parmalat milk stores on the shelf.

The biggest thing is that it takes extra time to do things. You can't just run outside without the coat/boot regiment, coming and going. You have to drive more slowly and carefully and scrape the car off first. You may want to stick closer to home especially on bad days so have something to keep you entertained. The kids will love it. Get a couple of sleds so they have something to do outdoors.

[JFRRACING]

Originally Posted by koren09

Hi, I just moved to the Fort Drum area about a month ago. My husband is expected to deploy in October and from what i hear, the winters are pretty snowy. I have NO IDEA what it'll be like to like in snowy conditions and am pretty nervous about experiencing it alone. I'm 24 and have 2 boys, 2 and 3 years old. I'll be fine......right? lol

I tried to Google it, but all that came up were unbeleivable pictures of March's Lake Effect Snowstorm. 12ft of snow!?!?!? WOW!!! That was only 3 months before i got here!!!

What I was wondering is, does it get that bad EVERY winter? And when does the first snowfall usually come? As far as equiptment, what more is needed besides snow tires, boots, and very warm cothing? Like I said, I don't know what it's like to live in the snow. I lived in California all my life and our winters, at worst, are 30 degrees. Average 50.

THANKS!

well i'll tell you this is what we get here and we are about an 1 1/2 south of fort drum and this is what we get for snow here.

[Rosevillebaby]

I too am curious about Winters but also have so many questions about life in New York. My husband is from Rochester and we have talked about moving there for a decade. We live in CA. I am 4th generation. I have lived in both Los Angeles( Go Bruins), Bay Area,(go 9ers), the coast, and now in Placer County which for those of you out of state, is en route to Lake Tahoe but very mellow in winter, dry drought like in summer.

Husband is in technology and has work in Bay Area( too$$, crowded, dense packed), Seattle,(same) and Portland( they say too wet)..I am a writer, special needs advocate and mother of 2.

Most of my relatives are deceased or will be so ties are loosening. I absolutely love the people I have met over the years in Rochester. They are warm, fun, friendly and real. I am Italian Irish and fit in with my husbands friends and family. He used to say he would not return due to the weather, career limits, taxes, etc..but the cost of living, schools in CA and the disconnect and commute are tough.

I dream of more land around our home. Maybe 1-2 acres.
I actually would love to live closer to the Altantic and to NYC as I love coastal rural and access to city life which I know is not Rochester per se.

I garden, cook, write, paint, but my kids needs and husband's work are the first and foremost still. I am conservative but need to be around thinkers. The mall is not my idea of a day out. I am also not ultra crunchy..I am mezza. I love great restaurants..ate in Monticello once and it was heaven. We are traveling in October 2008 with the children from NYC to Rochester by car after flying cross country( with a 5 and 2 year old) so we are keeping an open mind and heart...looking at towns, villages, along the way..My husband would leave tech and work for himself from home when we move in a few years. I need truth about weather for a CA girl, about how warm communities are, Cost of housing (maybe renovate or build 2-3 square foot simple yet classic home..) or buy,about schools, cultural opps,social pressures, gangs( geeze) and anything to consider. We may need to be near state of the art hospitals and universities and special needs advocacy resources.

If anyone could tell me how to start a new thread, it is probably staring at me in the face, thank you so much!

[ckhthankgod]

I'll put it like this, as a former Ft. Drum soldier, I remember being in a field exercise, on old post, in -30 degree weather(with the windchill). Luckily, it was shift work in the Signal unit. So, it does get very cold at times and it does snow quite a bit. I'm from Syracuse and graduated from Oswego State. So, I'm used to snow and the cold weather. Get a shovel or snow blower for sure and don't forget the salt for the walkways as well.

Ft. Drum is a nice base for families in my opinion. Safe area and good schools. There isn't a bunch to do, but I went up that way recently and they are building quite a bit in the Watertown area along Arsenal Street by the Salmon Run Mall.

As for schools, about 2/3 of the base is in the Indian River SD and the other third is in the Carthage SD. Nearby communities like Evans Mills, Calcium, Philadelphia, Theresa and Antwerp go to Indian River, while Black River, Great Bend, West Carthage and Carthage go to, of course, Carthage schools.

Much of the off post housing in Watertown, some of it off of Coffeen Street on the NW side of town and some on the Eastern end of town, but the street escapes me right now. Watertown is a city of about 26,000 and the schools aren't bad. These also some other off post housing in:Gouverneur, which is actually in st. Lawrence County, Copenhagen(Lewis County), Clayton, Philadelphia, Calcium, Evans Mills, Carthage, West Carthage and Lowville(Lewis County). There also is a shuttle from the syracuse area, as there was a housing shortage in the Watertown area. Most of those people live in the Northern suburbs of Syracuse and take the shuttle from the Hancock Air Base north of Syracuse. I'm not sure if it is still going, but I haven't heard otherwise. Some others live in communities in the surrounding area around Watertown too.

You have the Adirondacks and Lake Ontario close by, along with the 1000 Island region and Canada within the time frame of 30 mins. to 1 1/2 hours, give or take. Syracuse is about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on weather and how you drive.

If there is anything else, don't be afraid to ask.

[Sgoldie]

Roseville,

I have also lived in San Jose and LA and am familiar with Placer County. The Placerville area is not wholly unlike what you will find around Northern and Central NY. The snow is heavier here in that it is a wet snow and it's a bit greener. We are never subject to forest fires and rarely droughts. Taxes are high but schools are good and home prices are a fraction of what they are in California. You won't find as many progressive people then again crime is very low and gangs are unheard of other than in the inner cities.

Both Rochester and Syracuse have top notch hospitals, medical schools, and large private universities, and both are near Lake Ontario which is about as close to being on the ocean as you're going to get. There is less transience here than in California so communities have a family feel. There is a great variety of places to choose from ranging from urban to suburban to small city to village to rural. Just don't expect great Mexican food as someone else was wont of.

[JFRRACING]

the pictures that i posted above is pretty much what it looks like in cny in the winter. i live in the foot hills of the aderondak moutains...

[geos]

If you want to be closer to NYC you might consider E. Stroudsburg, Milford or Matamoras, PA. Just barely commutable to NYC and very close to rural land plus milder winters and lower taxes.

Originally Posted by Rosevillebaby

I too am curious about Winters but also have so many questions about life in New York. My husband is from Rochester and we have talked about moving there for a decade. We live in CA. I am 4th generation. I have lived in both Los Angeles( Go Bruins), Bay Area,(go 9ers), the coast, and now in Placer County which for those of you out of state, is en route to Lake Tahoe but very mellow in winter, dry drought like in summer.

Husband is in technology and has work in Bay Area( too$$, crowded, dense packed), Seattle,(same) and Portland( they say too wet)..I am a writer, special needs advocate and mother of 2.

Most of my relatives are deceased or will be so ties are loosening. I absolutely love the people I have met over the years in Rochester. They are warm, fun, friendly and real. I am Italian Irish and fit in with my husbands friends and family. He used to say he would not return due to the weather, career limits, taxes, etc..but the cost of living, schools in CA and the disconnect and commute are tough.

I dream of more land around our home. Maybe 1-2 acres.
I actually would love to live closer to the Altantic and to NYC as I love coastal rural and access to city life which I know is not Rochester per se.

I garden, cook, write, paint, but my kids needs and husband's work are the first and foremost still. I am conservative but need to be around thinkers. The mall is not my idea of a day out. I am also not ultra crunchy..I am mezza. I love great restaurants..ate in Monticello once and it was heaven. We are traveling in October 2008 with the children from NYC to Rochester by car after flying cross country( with a 5 and 2 year old) so we are keeping an open mind and heart...looking at towns, villages, along the way..My husband would leave tech and work for himself from home when we move in a few years. I need truth about weather for a CA girl, about how warm communities are, Cost of housing (maybe renovate or build 2-3 square foot simple yet classic home..) or buy,about schools, cultural opps,social pressures, gangs( geeze) and anything to consider. We may need to be near state of the art hospitals and universities and special needs advocacy resources.

If anyone could tell me how to start a new thread, it is probably staring at me in the face, thank you so much!