Is Rochester for me in 2018? (New York, Buffalo: job market, neighborhoods, school)
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Like many others in NYC, my wife and I are being pushed out of our neighborhood by hopeful landlords who intend to cash in on the hipsters relocating to our sandy beaches in the Rockaways, Queens.
Just a well....it's miserable to constantly work overtime and still be in suffocating debt. I live next to a boardwalk that I never get to use cause I work so much, stupid….time to go! Time to investigate a city that may allow the paycheck to stretch a bit further and hopefully free up some time to enjoy a little nature and perhaps a festival or two.
I am a tattooed middle aged female veteran security guard (that’s a mouthful), are most employers cool with tats? I hope to stay in a university setting where I work now and based upon job availability looking to move in 2018.
I am from originally from New Orleans but I have lived in NYC off and on for 14 years. I miss the New Orleans comradery but not the humidity. I am looking for a similar city vibe where rockers, hippies, goths, Buddhists, and Lesbos can live peacefully. Is there an area in Rochester that is as diverse as that? I heard Monroe Street is a good place to start. A nice area to grab groceries, do some banking, grab a microbrew, eat some sushi, and take a bike ride without being jacked. Not too much to ask, is it?
My co-workers roll their eyes when I mention Rochester, is there a stigma or something? I noticed that my field has limited job postings, but that could be due to the fact that people really enjoy their jobs? Or are people afraid to leave their jobs? What’s the job market like?
Any info is helpful-Melissa
Last edited by mgiorgio333; 09-29-2017 at 03:32 PM..
Reason: Double posted not sure how to delete
Well, other areas Upstate that may work are Elmwood Village in Buffalo, the Westcott/University/University Hill area of Syracuse, Ithaca and the Center Square area of Albany, among maybe a few others.
What would be cool about SouthWedge is that it would put you in between Downtown and the University of Rochester. https://rocwiki.org/South_Wedge
Here is some Monroe Village info, which also mentions areas in other cities that were mentioned earlier in this post: https://rocwiki.org/Monroe_Village
I lived in Rocha-cha back in the mid 70s-mid 80s and once resided just off Monroe Ave. Loved it! It's really close to the Park Ave area which was Bohemian at the time--now I imagine it's more upscale, hipster-ish and trendy--check out The Parkleigh--I went there when it was Parkleigh Pharmacy and Bruce Kost, the pharmacist, supplied me with my birth control pills, and it's where I bought my Gunny Sack dress
Charlie's Frog Pond is a great breakfast joint as is Jines--still going strong after all these years!
There are several colleges--U of R, RIT, St. John Fisher and Nazareth and Monroe C.C. and others (as well as several hospitals in the area) so there are ample job prospects if you want to work school security.
Rochester is a great place to live. What do people from NYC know about Upstate? Take their advice with a grain of salt....
Being from NJ originally, I agree that you absolutely shouldn't trust NYCers about upstate NY. I'll use a much younger me as an example: I grew up thinking upstate was Poughkeepsie and some nondescript series of farms and dying cities northward, with Albany somewhere, Buffalo apparently somewhere else to the west, and probably some other cities whose names I didn't really grow up with an awareness of, like Syracuse and Rochester. The NYC-Philly-NJ area is fabulous, but upstate NY has a lot of worthwhile things going on that, understandable, tri-state residents don't have on their radar.
I really think you'd like Rochester. If you want tattoo parlors, good coffee shops, and craft cocktails, we've got you covered. There's a good music scene, whether indie or classical. The Fringe is the largest in the US. The colleges and universities here are somewhat tightly knit but there are many jobs, plus if you're willing to find other fits for your skillset outside of a college setting you are probably going to be fine.
There are lots of good neighborhoods in Rochester, some more up and coming than others. In ten years we'll very likely see some underappreciated neighborhoods with the qualities you describe from your New Orleans days. Right now South Wedge is a really good fit for you and so is Swillburg and Pearl-Meigs-Monroe. Also look at Upper Monroe, Highland Park, Park Ave, and Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA)... in that order, I think, based on what you're looking for.
South Wedge has Abundance Food Coop, Highland Market, and Mise en Place as far as walkable markets go. There's a lot going on there and I expect this will continue. Swillburg has a lot of ethnic diversity in its restaurant offerings; really, South Wedge and Swillburg are totally walkable to one another, and to parts of Highland Park, too. (The reason I didn't put Highland Park higher on the list of priority for you is that I think parts of Highland Park can be quiet and are further from South Wedge or Swillburg, so, since it's a broad neighborhood, it doesn't fully rank as highly for satisfying your criteria, although segments may be perfect for you.) Should you move here, wherever you land neighborhood-wise, you should definitely check out Lux in the South Wedge and Bug Jar on Monroe Ave; they're intersectional and awesome. (That's really true of the majority of the southeast quadrant of Rochester, though!)
Last edited by ljber; 09-30-2017 at 09:06 AM..
Reason: Neglected to include intro
Like many others in NYC, my wife and I are being pushed out of our neighborhood by hopeful landlords who intend to cash in on the hipsters relocating to our sandy beaches in the Rockaways, Queens.
Just a well....it's miserable to constantly work overtime and still be in suffocating debt. I live next to a boardwalk that I never get to use cause I work so much, stupid….time to go! Time to investigate a city that may allow the paycheck to stretch a bit further and hopefully free up some time to enjoy a little nature and perhaps a festival or two.
I am a tattooed middle aged female veteran security guard (that’s a mouthful), are most employers cool with tats? I hope to stay in a university setting where I work now and based upon job availability looking to move in 2018.
I am from originally from New Orleans but I have lived in NYC off and on for 14 years. I miss the New Orleans comradery but not the humidity. I am looking for a similar city vibe where rockers, hippies, goths, Buddhists, and Lesbos can live peacefully. Is there an area in Rochester that is as diverse as that? I heard Monroe Street is a good place to start. A nice area to grab groceries, do some banking, grab a microbrew, eat some sushi, and take a bike ride without being jacked. Not too much to ask, is it? My co-workers roll their eyes when I mention Rochester, is there a stigma or something? I noticed that my field has limited job postings, but that could be due to the fact that people really enjoy their jobs? Or are people afraid to leave their jobs? What’s the job market like?
Any info is helpful-Melissa
One of the most maddening things I find about downstate/NYC/NJ/Long Island is the contempt these people have for anywhere north of Rockland County. When I tell people I have looked for jobs upstate for a possible relo, they look at me like I stepped off a spaceship.
"Why would you want to live where its colder and all hicks?"- is the typical response. My answer: "I'm not too crazy about the cold, but you do realize its about 50% cheaper to live up there and they aren't having possom roasts up there, you know that right?"
I'm in California a lot these days, and despite LA and SF always vying for who is #1 in CA, most Californians have a lot of pride in their state. You unfortunately don't see that a lot in NY, particularly downstaters toward Upstaters. Its NYC or no place else.
This is all great info, it's so appreciated. I am writing all of your suggestions down .
New Yorkers can be debbie downers. I try to be friendly with my neighbors...in 4 years of seeing my face, you would think they would be nicer. At least they don't sneer anymore. I am more of a curiosity or oddity ha!
This place sounds just what I am looking for, now I just have to make it happen. Thanks again y'all!
Last edited by mgiorgio333; 09-30-2017 at 12:56 PM..
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