Rochester vs. Albany (New York, Syracuse, Niagara Falls: house, job market, safe neighborhoods)

[Phish Head]

I had my heart set on Albany, but a number of people in this forum have piqued my interest in Rochester, and after looking at some websites, it seems like a pretty nice place. I'll have to go there to visit. So I'm wondering- is Rochester a better place to live than Albany. I am talking suburbs here, I am not a city person, no matter what the city. But I'll probably need access to a city for work. Keep in mind that snow does not bother me. I noticed that the homes in the Rochester area were nicely priced, but the property taxes are SO HIGH! A $145k house with $7,000 a year in property tax! Much higher than Albany and even higher than many places here in NJ!

Anyway, any info would be helpful!

[honeychrome]

If you don't have school-aged kids you'll probably qualify for the STAR exemption which will cut your property taxes somewhat. Though I think that it's available state wide, so the relative differences in taxes will remain.

[I'minformed2]

I'm biased of course, But I really do feel that Rochester is the better choice. Rochester's suburbs have some of the top rated schools in the country. Brighton and Pittsford each have a school in the top 20 I believe. Rochester's nicer suburbs tend to be the eastern ones. They are the ones with the most new developments now and are growing much faster than those in the west. Rochester also has a very strong sense of community that isn't quite as pressent in Albany. The job market is probably better in Albany right now, but that is mostly because of Kodak's problems. In all reality, if you are looking for a job that isn't in the manufacturing field you will be fine. Medical research and development companies are really gaining momentum in the area and there are several high-tech business clusturs in the ares, expecially in the southern suburb of Henrietta. Great Rochester also has many more out door activities accessable year round. The Finger lakes are only about an hour away, Niagara Falls is about an hour and a half, and Lake Ontario is RIGHT THERE. Taxes are going to be high in most Rochester suburbs, but if you look hard enough, you can find some with low(er) taxes. You mentioned a 145k house with 7k taxes and that is probably rare. You could probably find a smilarly priced house with taxes around 4000 in most suburbs. And although you said you weren't intersted in the city, the property taxes there are significantly lower than that.

[Phish Head]

I'm definitely looking at the suburbs, and far-outer suburbs at that, anywhere that I go. How is Fairport and Canandiagua? Seems like more reasonably priced homes in Fairport, and much lower taxes in Canandiagua. Seems like websites like this are split between people who love Rochester, and people who hated it there and have moved away. Other than the snow (which I love), why would people hate Rochester? I have to admit I am a little nervous about moving there due to all the layoffs and stagnant growth.

[Glen NY]

Phish, If location is flexible I like Syracuse. Consider that it is in the cross roads of New York State. They boast that Syracuse is a short trip to every upstate city. Route 81 and 90 cross right threw it. Definately more prosperous than Ablany. The suburbs are beatiful. The are lake communities such as Cazenovia to the east and the finger lakes to the west. If you ever get a chance and visit the village of Skaneateles, there is no prettier place. I owned property in Albany and was disturbed by the number of vacant properties(both residential and commercial) there were both in the city and the immediate suburbs. Syracuse has depressed areas as well but you just don't see the abandoned building like you do in Albany. Syracuse is the only city to compete with NYC for growth and employment for the past year (Syracuse in the lead). Also do your self a favor and visit New York State department of education web site. You can compare every school district in NYS. Each district will have a break down from demoghraphic to student performance. I usually use the category of "student receiving regents diplomas" to make a comparision. It is a state exam and difficult to tamper with. High performing students is usually representative of solid communities with kids coming from good homes (not necessarily always accurate) But the site is very helpful. I have found several communities that rival with my Long Island school for grades actually many surpass Long Island. Taxes by the way in Onandaga county (Syracuse) are high at about 3.1/3 % of home value, but you can live very nice from 140k to 260k. Good Luck Glen

[I'minformed2]

Originally Posted by Phish Head

I'm definitely looking at the suburbs, and far-outer suburbs at that, anywhere that I go. How is Fairport and Canandiagua? Seems like more reasonably priced homes in Fairport, and much lower taxes in Canandiagua. Seems like websites like this are split between people who love Rochester, and people who hated it there and have moved away. Other than the snow (which I love), why would people hate Rochester? I have to admit I am a little nervous about moving there due to all the layoffs and stagnant growth.

It's just like any place. Some hate it and some love it. Most people who hate Rochester usually just hate the winters. The people who love Rochester (like me) love it for it's beautiful summers and glorious falls Also for its great sense of family and community that is hard to find in most cities these days. The area also has a lot of historical charecter and sites. Susan B. Anthony's house is a museum in Rochester, as is the mansion of tycoon George Eastman, the founder of Kodak. As far as jobs go, it's true. Although Rochester was by far the most prospurous Upstate City (heck the only prospurous upstate city) from the 70's to the 90's, Kodak has been tough on the area lately. The layoffs are mostly in the manufacturing sector though. Canandaigua is more of a satelite city of Rochester than an actual suburb. Ontario county does have lower taxes than Monroe County though. I would suggest Victor, in Ontario County but very close to the Monroe Coiunty line. It's the fastest growing town in Western NY and has a lot of new construction and very safe neighborhoods with low taxes (low for NY at least). Victor still pretty close to the city of Rochester (about 15-20 minutes) while still having a very suburban/rural feel. A lot of the towns in the far east of Monroe County, like Perinton, have similar qualities.

[Phish Head]

Thank you i'minformed and Glen NY. I've been doing nothing but research on the Rochester area for the last few days. And I have to say that Rochester seems to have a major edge over Albany. For one, I'm blown away by how cheap the homes are in Rochester. My wife and I had been happy with home prices in the Capital region, and Rochester is far cheaper. I've found a few areas with lower taxes, but overall, they are quite high. I'm not too concerned about that, however, as it seems that the high taxes at least get good services (good schools, trash pickup, fire department, etc). The other state we were looking in, Virginia, has very low taxes ($1,500/year), low housing costs depending where you live, but limited services.

So we are torn. We have been getting job offers in Virginia galore. My wife is a teacher and I am a project manager at a large oil company. Nothing, and I mean not one, job offer from anywhere in the Capital region, and I've been applying for jobs there for 2 years. Neither my wife nor I truly want to move south. We are winter people who love the fall and winter season. We like snow, hiking, natural lakes, and cooler temperatures. Rochester seems perfect for us. Maybe we will have better luck applying for jobs in Rochester. First, we'll have to take a trip up there. Thanks for the info.

[I'minformed2]

Oh, you just missed probably one of the best events to travel to Rochester for. The annual lilac festival ended on Sunday. See. Rochester is known as the "Flower City" because up until about the 1880's, Rochester was home to the largest and most elaborate nursery, Ellwanger-Barry, in the world. The owners sold much of their land and one of the largest areas they sold was what is now Highland Park. Designed by Frederick Law Omstread. They park is covored with lilac bushes that bloom beautifuly in mid May, and well, they have a festival for it that attracts 200,000 people per year. But from June-October there are more art and agricultural festivals in the area than you whould know what to do with. Glad to see you believe Rochester is the right place for you. By the way, if you don't mind my asking, what is your profession?

[Phish Head]

I'm a senior project manager for a large oil company. My background is cleaning up environmental sites. My wife is a private school teacher. We are both seeking to pick up and go somewhere else. Unfortunately, my company tends to go where the work is. I went from CT to NJ to PA and back to NJ in 2 years. Liked PA a bit, do not like NJ at all. I am looking for new employment in a new state. I think that I decided to take a trip in the near future to Rochester. I have been scouring the internet looking for jobs, to no avail thus far. Maybe when we are up there visiting, we could look for some more local resources. The whole area seems right up my alley. I've been to the Finger Lakes a number of times and it is breathtakingly beautiful. I'm not sure if we will be fortunate enough to find gainful work, so I can't say for sure. We pray that something will come through soon. We can't afford to live in NJ anymore.

[I'minformed2]

I wish you the best of luck. I'm sure with your determination you will be able to find something.