Greece, NY (New York, Buffalo, Rochester: amusement park, hairstylist, new home)

[Home Buyer]

Can anyone tell me anything about Greece, NY? I'm currently on the market for a new home, and was considering Greece. Thank You!

[I'minformed2]

Well..it just so happens that I grew up in Greece and after being in NC for 12 years, will be going up to Rochester on Wednesday to begin hous hunting for a long awaited move home....with Greece being my top choice. Greece is the largest suburb of Rochester, with about 95,000 people. It has a large streatch of shorline on Lake Ontario, and is IMO the most close-knit and community oriented town in the Rochester area (despite being the largest). The school system has faceed some tough critics becaue the people on top were out of their minds and corrupt, so that is what I would call the towns biggest weeknes...that and the fact that it has higher property taxes than most other towns in the area. I think a lot of the "dissing" of Greece Central School Districts stems from the fact that just a couple towns away, the more affluent suburbs of Brighton and Pittsford both have top nationally ranked schools (the housing stock in Brighton is however much older than that in Greece, and while most of the housing stock in Pittsford is very new, it's also much more expensive) A lot of people moving to the Rochester area as well as many who aleady live there and are just looking for a house in a different neighborhood, are settling in Henrietta and Webster. Henrietta has relatively low property taxes for the Rochester area, and Webster is a very picturesque town right on Lake Ontario...both have lots of new housing developments. I'd suggest taking a trip to the area and getting a feel of the lifestyle in all of the areas. Greece is home for me so that's where I'll probably buy, but different strokes for different folks.

[Home Buyer]

Thanks for the information. It really helps alot!

[Tinman313]

Lived their in the 70's for several years,went back in 86-87 Nice but crowed.

[RottenChester]

I live in this wonderful town. Its population really is at or near 100,000. But it seems smaller. We have 4 high schools and 4 middle schools, not to mention a bunch of elementary schools. Having been through the school system myself, I would rate the schools as fairly good. It is consistently ranked as one of the safest communities in the country and I agree wholeheartedly. We have a very nice mall (The Bon-Ton, Sears, JC Penney, and Macy's being the anchor department stores) with a newly built movie theater with stadium style seating. All your shopping and restaurant going can be done on West Ridge Road. There you will find the typical national chains (Home Depot, AppleBee's, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, etc) as well as some local cuisine and favorites (The Distillery, Wegmans). For the best pizza on the planet try Carbone's on Dewey Ave and for the best wings, TC Hooligans at the Mall. Traffic is never a problem except with West Ridge Road always being under construction and the main streets are easy to navigate because its a basic grid system. Housing is really affordable and you can get into a safe, nice neighborhood with mature trees and sidewalks for under $100,000. Zip codes 14626 and 14612 are your best bet. 14616 (definitely an older side of town) is ok and I wouldn't touch anything in 14615 because it's too close to the taint of Kodak. Yea if you visit Greece and see two huge smokestacks rising just south of West Ridge Road and just east of 390, that's the Kodak incinerator where they burn questionable material (cancer inducing material???), especially in the wee hours of the morning when everyone is sleeping. This air pollution is reflected in the housing prices of the KodaVista neighborhood and in the city neighborhoods, off Dewey Ave near Ridge road (Avis, Pullman, Rand, Steko etc.). Interstate 390 cuts the town in half and is where you will encounter rush hour traffic M-F at the typical times, 7-9 am and 4:30 to 6 pm. It usually is backed up from West Ridge Road all the way to the 390/490 intersection heading south in the morning and from Brooks or Chili Ave to the 390/490 intersection heading northbound in the afternoon. The downside to Greece is the high property taxes but this is true of every suburb in Rochester and New York State for that matter. Good paying jobs are also hard to come by around here. Greece is mostly a working class suburb and the local economy was hit hard by the downsizing of Kodak. The population is mainly white (just like most of the Rochester suburbs). And of the course we get really crappy weather in the winter. By crappy I mean lots of snow, little sun, wind, and cold that will nip you to the bone. But the summers are gorgeous and if you like water recreation the town borders Lake Ontario, where you can swim, boat, fish, jetski, etc. The Lake also moderates the towns temperature, especially for those living north of Latta Road, keeping them slightly cooler in the summer, and slightly warmer in the winter. We also have no droughts, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, or volcanos. Also everyone speaks English which is sadly fast becoming a foreign language in places like Florida and Texas. And yes we call our Coca Cola and related beverages "pop" not "soda".
Greece, Rochester, and Upstate New York in general are vastly different from say NYC and Long Island. In Upstate, High housing costs and high wages are non-existant generally speaking. The Upstate economy is terrible right now, while the NYC region is booming. Also from my experience, NYC'ers are terribly naive when it comes to distance and location in New York State. Rochester is a good 6 hour drive away from NYC. Most NYC'ers think they could catch a cab and be in Rochester in an hour tops.

Sports info: The residents of the Rochester area are huge fans of the pro sports in Buffalo, the Bills and the Sabres. We do however have our own minor league teams. Red Wings (baseball), Americans (hockey), Rhinos (soccer), Knighthawks (indoor lacrosse), Rattlers (outdoor lacrosse), Raiders (indoor football), Razorsharks (basketball). The Yankees are the local favorite MLB baseball team followed by strangely enough Red Sox fans, who exist to annoy and propel the rivalry. Geographically we should be Blue Jay fans ( cough, cough yea right!!)

Amusement park info: Seabreeze is nearby in Irondequoit, but the better one is Darien Lake which is a 45 minute ride from Rochester, nearer Buffalo. Marineland is also nearby in Niagara Falls, ON.

Well there's Greece. NY in a nutshell. Anyone who disagrees with this post is a liar and does not know what they are talking about.

Recommend moving here: yes, if you have a job lined up. otherwise, no.

[Home Buyer]

thanks for the great replys! It really is helpful.

[maw63]

I have just moved into the area about 6-7 months ago and I have found the people in Greece, NY to be very friendly and helpful. I am really enjoying the process of meeting people here and as a hairstylist I am certainly meeting a lot of people from every walk of life in the community. I really believe it's the people who make up most of your experience, whereever you live.

[Lancet71]

Originally Posted by Home Buyer

Can anyone tell me anything about Greece, NY? I'm currently on the market for a new home, and was considering Greece. Thank You!

Where are you from? Maybe we can compare it to a place you're familiar with.I'm originally from long island and NYC and it's definitely a nice town with lots of good businesses nearby.

[Sobarzo4]

Is anyone familar with Lake Shore commuinty church? Can you tell me anything about it?

[MSLITTLE]

yes I attend LakeShore community church and have for the past year. I like it there it is laid back meaning you where what you want. no one pushes you to be involved in everything and the pastor is very good he makes every lesson understandable.You should check it out