Why Does Everyone Dislike Elmira,ny? (New York, Rochester: crime rate, roughest, school district)

[ckhthankgod]

It didn't seem that bad the couple of times I've been to the area recently. People there seem to be friendly and nice. It didn't look that dirty tro me, but maybe I missed it or something. Horseheads is a nice suburban area with a huge mall and plenty of retail in the area. Yeah, Elmira's population is around 30,000, but the potential is there, just like the rest of Upstate NY. Now, we just need others to see that and run with it.

[rickcool]

I had a good job in Elmira ny right up until I was in my mid 30's. I was a Computer Programmer and a pretty darn good one. After being downsized, I found myself almost completely unemployable in this town. I stayed to look after my elderly father(whose a widow) and found after applying for hundreds of jobs that I was consistently turned down(Overqualified at first then later unemployable). Most of the jobs are in retail and they barely pay the minimum wage(forget health benefits). So now that I am nearly broke, I am compelled to relocate to Florida(where my brother lives) and hope for a miracle vis a vis my employment situation. If you have a good job in Elmira consider yourself lucky. If you lose it do not wait: Leave. Like Shawshank Prison, you can end up institutionalized if you stay here

[needalife]

I grew up in Elmira. I like the fact that the average home price there is $100,000+ cheaper than the average home price. But there's a reason why it's so cheap...
High taxes
High Crime Rate
Bad Public Schools
Not one but TWO maximum security prison
Few good jobs
Nothing to do (okay, the glider was fun, but that was about it)Downtown is abandoned
Overall, CNY is beautiful and has plenty of lakes. I wouldn't mind going back to CNY, but there's no way I'd go back to Elmira.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by needalife

I grew up in Elmira. I like the fact that the average home price there is $100,000+ cheaper than the average home price. But there's a reason why it's so cheap...
High taxes
High Crime Rate
Bad Public Schools
Not one but TWO maximum security prison
Few good jobs
Nothing to do (okay, the glider was fun, but that was about it)Downtown is abandoned
Overall, CNY is beautiful and has plenty of lakes. I wouldn't mind going back to CNY, but there's no way I'd go back to Elmira.

Is the crime really high in Elmira? I know it occurs there, but is it really that bad? I have a hard time believing that.

Also, are ALL of the schools bad? It is a district with multiple schools and it's tough to think the district has schools where a student could not learn in them.

As far as taxes, much of that is offset by the lower housing prices. So, it's not really as bad as people make it out to be, but I totally understand considering how bad the tax situation is here in NY State.

I can see the other things mentioned, but I don't think it is a complete loss for the area.

[43bonnie]

I certainly hope Elmira is going to be a nice place to live. My husband is already there, has been for a week now. The kids and I are moving there in June of 2009 when school lets out. From everything I've read, and had sent to me on my blog page, it doesn't sound that bad. Try living out in Wyoming, where the nearest town of any size is Salt Lake City, a two and a half hour drive. My town has a population of about 22,000 and not a whole lot to do. We also just got a letter from the High School here telling us that if they don't straighten things up, they have some bad reprecussions coming from the state. I just need to get away, and I think Elmira sounds like a much better place to live than Rock Springs, WY.

[jaykonechne]

I was there over the summer and the town seemed really dirty and fairly unfriendly....I do love upstate tho..the scenery is awesome

[needalife]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Is the crime really high in Elmira? I know it occurs there, but is it really that bad? I have a hard time believing that.

Also, are ALL of the schools bad? It is a district with multiple schools and it's tough to think the district has schools where a student could not learn in them.

As far as taxes, much of that is offset by the lower housing prices. So, it's not really as bad as people make it out to be, but I totally understand considering how bad the tax situation is here in NY State.

I can see the other things mentioned, but I don't think it is a complete loss for the area.

The crime index in Elmira is 523 which is significantly higher than most cities/towns in New York State. As far as public schools, there are multiple Elementary Schools, not all were bad. However, there is only one middle school and two high schools in the city, all which are horrible. Also, taxes are not only high, the average income is low which does not make Elmira as cheap as one would think.

[needalife]

Originally Posted by 43bonnie

I certainly hope Elmira is going to be a nice place to live. My husband is already there, has been for a week now. The kids and I are moving there in June of 2009 when school lets out. From everything I've read, and had sent to me on my blog page, it doesn't sound that bad. Try living out in Wyoming, where the nearest town of any size is Salt Lake City, a two and a half hour drive. My town has a population of about 22,000 and not a whole lot to do. We also just got a letter from the High School here telling us that if they don't straighten things up, they have some bad reprecussions coming from the state. I just need to get away, and I think Elmira sounds like a much better place to live than Rock Springs, WY.

Elmira is probably worse than Rock Springs. Elmira is isolated and has nothing to do as well. The population is not much greater than Rock Springs (29,000 vs 22,000). The closest big city is Rochester (pop 230,000) which is a two hour drive. The high school in Rock Springs is no better than the one in Elmira. Also, I'm sure you're used to good weather in Wyoming - bluebird days, no humidity and high quality snow for snow related sports. Elmira is a different story. There aren't many bluebird days, nearly every day in summer is humid and the snow is wet at best. So, I'd stay in Rock Springs if I were you.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by needalife

The crime index in Elmira is 523 which is significantly higher than most cities/towns in New York State. As far as public schools, there are multiple Elementary Schools, not all were bad. However, there is only one middle school and two high schools in the city, all which are horrible. Also, taxes are not only high, the average income is low which does not make Elmira as cheap as one would think.

consider this: Elmira is an urban center. So they are going to have more crime than say some suburban area or small town, but still isn't as bad as you are making it.

Elmira City School District has 2 Middle Schools(Ernie Davis and Broadway). Here's the listings and zoning for the schools in the Elmira City School District:Elmira City Schools and more on the school district:Elmira City Schools

As for the taxes and income, you still have to think about cost of living. So, while the taxes are high, the price tag isn't as high as one would think.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by needalife

Elmira is probably worse than Rock Springs. Elmira is isolated and has nothing to do as well. The population is not much greater than Rock Springs (29,000 vs 22,000). The closest big city is Rochester (pop 230,000) which is a two hour drive. The high school in Rock Springs is no better than the one in Elmira. Also, I'm sure you're used to good weather in Wyoming - bluebird days, no humidity and high quality snow for snow related sports. Elmira is a different story. There aren't many bluebird days, nearly every day in summer is humid and the snow is wet at best. So, I'd stay in Rock Springs if I were you.

Elmira is not isolated. You can go to Ithaca, which is a nice city of about 30,000 with quite a bit to do and it's only 30 minutes from Elmira. Binghamton is about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. Corning, another nice little city of about 11,000, is a 15-20 minute drive. Syracuse is about an hour and a half drive too. It's also close to the Finger Lakes Region too.