Relocating Advice Needed - Ithaca / Dryden / Finger lakes (New York, Syracuse: rentals, hotel)

[CallMeADreamer]

Hello all,

A little bit about us first. We are a couple in our thirties who live in the capital region. No children. Have pets. We are both from Long Island . We moved to the capital region originally for school and to possibly settle down there. He is a Iraq veteran going to a welding trade school to get into a Union like Steamfitters etc. I am going to school for restaurant / hotel Management. I spent my summers up in Lake George then into my 20's and loved it. I love boating and Lakes, hence another reason why we moved there.

In any event, Part of my education now is learning about Wines, I would like to transfer in the Fall to TC3 in Dryden, and focus my education / career within the wine industry (I currently have almost 20 years working in the beverage / restaurant industy)

He will be done with his schooling / certifications in June.

I am just learning about the area from research online. I am understanding it is not so affordable to live in Ithaca. We would like to rent a house for about a year or two then buy our own if we like it there. What towns should we look into that house rentals are 1100.00 a month (and under) a month for 3 bedrooms? (prefer pet friendly, enclosed porches and fenced yard) (Dryden / Ithaca)

How is Dryden?

We plan on Visiting for a few days and checking the area out...

Anyone know anything about unions? Steamfitters? Are they in need?

Any lakes that are fun like lake george is with partying boating, restaurants, bars on the waterfront?

That's it so far...Thanks!!!

[Tioga]

Dryden is centrally located..to go north to Cortland, west to Ithaca, south to Owego. As far as jobs for your husband go....hmm..well...he'll have to do some searching. The wine industry starts outside of Ithaca...extends north and west from there. Tell your other half to take adantage of any veteran's job placement/help/assistance offered(anywhere). If I owned my own business, I'd make no excuse for giving job preference to other veterans.

[ki0eh]

You might want to get hold of copies of "The Suburban Cortland-Ithaca Shopper" free weekly ad paper, not sure how if you don't have a mailbox, but their office is in Freeville on Main St/Rt 366 just west of the Rt 38 junction. Might find a deal in there on rental housing from someone who's pre-craigslist.

I'd really doubt you could touch a house ON a lake for a rental cost like you're talking, especially with areas for pets. In/around some of the smaller towns it may be possible. Nearby areas to look at for rental listings besides Dryden would be Freeville, Etna, Groton (GRAH tun), McLean, Harford, Virgil. The Freeville post office covers a pretty wide area. Dryden especially TC3 is actually a little closer to Cortland than it is to Ithaca, but of course going that way you are further away from the grapes and the boats.

Since Cornell University has an extensive centralized heating/cooling system that might be a first location for a steamfitter to try for employment. Skilled tradespeople there might do better than PhD's because the latter are a dime a dozen around Ithaca. Beyond that, there remains some basic industry in Elmira, Auburn, Cortland, Binghamton, and Syracuse all of which could be intercommutable with Dryden.

[Jeromeville]

Dryden seems like it would be cheaper than Ithaca.

[CallMeADreamer]

Hoping someone answers again... Thanks to everyone for your reply thus far

[ckhthankgod]

Check out the job situation here:Ithaca, NY Jobs | Jobs in Ithaca New York and Surrounding Areas

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Check out the job situation here:Ithaca, NY Jobs | Jobs in Ithaca New York and Surrounding Areas

Interesting site! 1 job in my discipline in Ithaca and a PhD is required. 1 more in Cortland.

[scjo52]

Finger Lakes region is not the best area of the 10-12 places I've lived. Taxes and utilities in NY are high, although medical in the Finger Lakes is fairly low. There are a lot of good medical and elderly services here. Food costs about the same as urban areas and rents are too high for such a downtrodden area, and considering that the salaries here can be a third of the salaries in more urban areas. Jobs are hard to get - a lot go to friends and family of employees before any outsiders are considered. If you're a senior, you won't be hired, period. No one monitors these practices. The communities here are fairly closed toward "outsiders." You won't be welcomed with open arms. Natives here have little experience of the world and tend to be suspicious of outsiders' ways, as well as very critical of them. People here have an odd perspective toward others in general - they're more likely to blame, gossip, and "invent," than see the good in others. Rod Serling of "Twilight Zone" lived in Seneca Falls for a time. I would not at all be surprised if his idea was born there - you'll find some extraordinary cruelty in this area. The area is also very lean on the cultural and activity score, unless you do lake things and own your own boat.

[cardboy2454]

maybe 1100 a week on the lake in town. there are other lakes, you go 2 minutes in any direction and you are in the countryside and on to the next town so its not like you have to live in ithaca. i think i would rather live in trumansburg then ithaca or dryden, closer to wine country, right in it, right next to ithaca and going up the western side of lake cayuga where wineries are. cornell is entry level for ivy league, they start here and then try to work at harvard or yale so lots of turnover. your husband probably would be best off at cornell for employment, ithaca college also up there. they used to have ithaca gun but i think its closed now. rent, don't buy, taxes and closing costs are unbelieveable here.

[cardboy2454]

oh and rod serling got his ideas in binghamton where he grew up at 63 bennett until he was 18 and went into the service. he went to school with my mom and another classmate was mel from the dick van dyke show. he was the bald headed guy played dick's boss. his stories come from there and the service in the pacific during the 2nd war. and some episodes were shot here at the binghamton train station. i have been on his boat 'The Twightlight' as the new owners called it after they bought it, it was named the Twightlight Zone and used to be parked next to malcom forbes old wood boat on senaca lake. senaca is close to montour falls where supposedly the director of jimmy stewart's its a wonderful life took the look of the town for the town in the movie. i'am just full of useless tidbits aren't i?