Elmira - how bad is it really? (live, classes)

[smithit]

Thanks for your input URBANICA. Although I don't think the "correct" population for Elmira, NY is particularly signficant, you bring up an interesting issue about population statistics. Population is manipulated and classified in many ways based on US Census Data. There are Core City Data Areas, Urban Areas (non-rural), Small Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and probably others. My reference to the Urbanized Area ranking of Elmira at #311 in 1990 with a population of 66,612 came from Demographia.com. The Elmira MSA, which includes more communities in Chemung County besides Elmira, is somewhere in the 90,000 area. The City Area population is in the 30,000 area. Which brings up the error as you point out. I was not as diligent as I should have been and as it turns out was comparing an Urban to a City population statistic. In fact the 2000 Urbanized Area population statistic for Elmira was 67,159, or an INCREASE of 0.8%.

[Ellie C.]

718bound: You are right about the size of the planes that fly out of Elmira. You generally will connect in Philly, Detroit, or La Guardia. But for me, it's worth it. Elmira is quick, easy, uncrowded and very friendly. Even the TSA people are nice there. I'm in my car and out of the parking lot 10 minutes after we land.

Ithaca is just as fast and convenient, but the staff is not nearly as nice or as helpful as in Elmira.

I could fly out of Rochester but the employees at that airport are surly and rude. The parking fees are ridiculous. I've had about all I can take with airline and airport personnel acting like they're doing the customers a big favor by doing their job, so I avoid Rochester and their nasty attitudes.

On another sad note for Elmira: the Pan Am Clipper is no more as of 2/29/08. Many people didn't know that Pan Am was still flying, and that they had a connection that flew out of Elmira airport. I hope they find a way to bring it back.

Pan Am Clipper Connection

[Chad2002]

I lived outside Elmira growing up and school there. There are great neighborhoods (northwest elmira, west elmira, Pine City, horseheads, big flats) and some not-so-nice areas that rival far larger cities. Working in education, I would lean toward avoiding the Elmira City schools in favor of Elmira Heights (very small & personable) or Horseheads (large, typical suburban school). Many wealthier families in West Elmira seem to enroll their children in private school, esp at the high school level.

Prisons figure heavily into Elmira's history, and there is no doubt some effect from the inmates families coming to Elmira, but I think it's likely overstated. Unless you're a local, I would bet that the average person couldn't find Southport even though it's one of the largest state prisons in NY and highlest level max. security. ECF, "the Hill" could actually be called historic and is visible from the highway. On the flip side, the prisons provide a substantial number of state jobs to the community.

The sex offender count is influenced by the prisons, but even then I would bet they're largely concentrated in the less desirable parts of town. I think the numbers could also be influenced by the increasing number of offenses that are subject to sex offender registration, but I am biased as I have a friend who mooned some people as a prank in high school, was 18 at the time, and now has to be registered. that's a whole other can of worms though.

there's no doubt taxes are high in elmira compared to elsewhere in the region, and NY's utilities are high too, but I guess that's why I am content remaining just across the border in PA.

[Chad2002]

ohhh...i think some may be overestimating Elmira College's impact on the community. It's important to keep in mind it's a very small college of around 1100 students?, with many of those being commuters/non-traditional evening students.

[James007]

I'm new to this board but I have found it very informative.
I plan on relocating to Elmira. My mistake was moving to Florida when I retired.
I thought the grass would be greener, who doesn't when you reach 64 and plan on being in the sun?
Personally, I look forward to seeing the change of seasons in a small city.
I like the optimism expressed here.

[Foxy Brownie]

Originally Posted by tviz25

First of all to set things straight some facts about Elmira because I live in it-

-population- 30,000
-the population is on upswing
-the downtown is slowly coming back
-there is a large shopping area with a mall and many big stores such as a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.
-there are many bad spots in the city, but many good ones.
-Elmira was ranked #9 in America's top "green cities in the U.S.
-Ranked in the top in the nation in good housing
-there are 2 prisons-Southport Correctional Facility and Elmira Correctional Facility- I live one block from the Elmira prison- an inmate escaped one time and nothing happened.
-It is a very save place to live, granted you don't live in Hathorn Court or Dewittsburgh (public housing projects).
-There is a higher crime rate than cities of its size such as Ithaca, Jamestown, Auburn, and Binghamton
-Overall it is a good place to live

-I live here and ride all over the city all of the time and see all of it so if you have any questions ask me.

Neither Hathorn Court or Dewittsburgh are publlic housing. Where did you getyour information? BOTH are privately owned.

[gizmosfriend]

Business and Industry and the Railroads is what made Elmira the Jewel of upstate new york,people had good paying jobs, then they went into decline a long time ago why? the city and state was hostile towards them and labor bosses and taxes and EPA regulations were killing them so many closed or moved out, this city has been a dust bowl and asleep for forty years, Where is all the business? in horseheads and big flats because they can survive there you have to have a balance towards business and industry and labor and city state when one becomes a hog the others always suffer, so what did the great thinkers and planners of Elmira do ,they became a prison and social services and state and local and federal Industry!!! and what supports that? Taxes!!! and who pays the taxes the workers and business and industry and guess what no more workers and business and industry the State is broke so raise taxes again and again sound familiar? frigging rocket science!!! And to top it all off the folks who make all the money from there cushy state and federal and local city services jobs snub you..Wake up!

[Bobbkat]

Very Well Said. Sadly, I moved away from Elmira 33 years ago when I could not even find a minimum wage job after graduating from college. As of my latest return to visit in the summer of 2008, the economic conditions have become far worse since I left in 1976. Hundreds of homes had "For Sale" signs on them. The population, which at one time was over 50 thousand, has decreased to under 30 thousand. 65 percent of the school children in The Elmira School District receive some kind of meal assistance. Except for the very few jobs available that pay 7-12 dollars an hour in the fast food or service industry (i.e. Wal-Mart, Sam's etc), no one is working. Unless you are independently wealthy, how in the world could you classify Elmira, NY or the immediate area on ANY nice place to live list??

[hillary1707]

I am 25 and have spent my entire life in Elmira. It is very boring! Having lived here as a teenager I feel that with less activities to do you tend to get into trouble. A lot of my friends were very heavy into drugs. It is a beautiful area if you know where to go. It can be breathtaking in the autumn with all the hills, and trees changing colors. Southport is nice. West Elmira is also a nice area. I honestly think Pine City is the nicest area. It's a very small area that meets the PA border. It is quite, and mostly a country setting. There are really no places in Elmira that are dangerous enough that you would be fearful to drive through, except maybe Hawthorne Court. It is a complex of low income housing, that has had some issues with crime in the past. It's right near the Elmira Correctional Facility and the Woodlawn Cemetary. I would love to leave Elmira, I just can't right now due to my excellent state job at the Elmira Psychiatric Center. It does have quite a history though. Many famous people have lived here ie: Ernie Davis, Tommy Hilfiger, Mark Twain, Brian Williams, Eileen Collins, & Geoff Bodine. I think sometimes the people that make the decisions in Elmira, are not very intelligent. I read in another blog that it's a retirement community. I agree completely!

[Bobbkat]

Mark Twain's name is Samual Clemens and he married a girl from Elmira--he's from somewhere in Missouri. Hawthorne Court used to be nice when I was young. It was built for Veterans and their families. I agree with being a dangerous area, as a matter of fact, the home I grew up in was on the other side of Fassett School and when my parents passed away we sold the home as the neighborhood has become to dangerous to live in.