Info on Corning, NY

[mertweed]

I am from Mahwah, NJ, moved to poconos after married, but have been living in FL for the past 16 years. Dislike the south and miss the north. corning is a town I am considering. I am a single mother and need affordable housing but also a safe environment. How bad are the snowstorms in Corning. Are they worse than the Poconos?

[aquarius2669]

I can see why corning would be an attractive alternative to the cost of living in NJ, as my sister lives there, I get sticker shock every time I visit.
Corning is a small town, which can be good and bad.
It is not very sunny here, in fact, we like to say that if you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes and it will change. Actually, June/July through October is beautiful. November through December is tolerable and rainy. January through May is miserable, particularly February.
Property taxes are the highest in the nation, but still housing is relatively affordable (relative to the rest of the country). We recently purchased an 1800 square foot home on the South Hill for 79K. Built in 1862, it is a two story Civil War-era balloon construct with alot of charm (aka not a square corner or plumb line). No off street parking, but the upside is that we are in good school districts (Coring East High, Corning Free Acadamy, Carder Elementary), and within walking distance to the Cedar Arts Center on Cedar Street, and Market Street with a theatre, tons of shops and restaurants.
Renting a decent place here will cost between $600-$1200 a month for a house. Many landlords will consider spay/neutered and declawed housecats, but few will consider dogs of any type. Usually pet references and a veterinary letter certifying responsible care for your dog might give you an edge - it did for me when I first moved back from the military.

There is a Wegmans's here. There is a community college (Corning Community) and Elmira College and Mansfield University (Pennsylvania) within commuting distance. There is a Senior Center here that provides elder day care, along with three respected assisted living/skilled nursing facilities - Founders Guardian Pavillion, The Waters of Three Rivers and Green Meadows - all within 20 minutes of Corning, or right here in town.

Hope this helps!

[langley]

hey everyone, thanks for the info, i am currently planning to move to the Corning Elmira area and it seems really beautiful up there! I was wondering what the local economy is like, if it is hard to find work?
I mainly have labor type skills. any info would be appreciated!

[Finger Laker]

very tough economic climate - the trades are also getting hit pretty hard (even more than the normal cyclical stuff you put up with up there)

i'd definitely try to have some work lined up before making the jump

[langley]

Oh, boy not exactly what id hoped to hear, but certainly not far from what i have prepared myself for... thanks for your reply and giving the heads up!