Advice about possibly relocating to the Finger Lakes/Canandaigua area.... (Rochester: best neighborhoods, for sale)

[grose58]

Hello everyone...

I am, once again, back on this forum looking for some advice. (Hopefully I won't bore anyone with this long post). I originally posted a few months ago about relocation advice regarding the Summerville, SC (Charleston) and Myrtle Beach area. Now I am actually thinking about returning to my original home town in the Finger Lakes area -- possibly Canandaigua. We were there last weekend briefly, esp around the resort/park area and LOVED it.

We live in the Northern VA/DC area and are at a 'crossroads' in our lives. We feel we need to ... and are ready to ... make a life change with relocating. My husband (originally from NJ) would rather go north...me, I was hoping to go somewhere south. (My brother actually just moved to Summerville, SC). However, after several visits back to my hometown (Geneva), I'm starting to feel a tug on my heart to live in this area again. As much as I HATE the c-c-cold, I am starting to look at EVERYTHING involved in where we relocate. There is no perfect place; and know that there is always a sacrifice of something. Virginia has been wonderful for the many years I've lived here, but we are now so exhausted from the chaotic "rat-race" here, it's expensive for us, it has been stress-filled for many reasons (including two job layoffs for my husband), etc. WE NEED to just "SIMPLIFY" now ..... in a more laid-back area.

Main Info needed: SCHOOL SYSTEMS in Canandaigua (middle/high school); JOB MARKET (I know it's tough now everywhere) -- I am a fairly new realtor and substitute-teach .. My husband (Currently with UPS), but is jack of all trades...his main passion/niche is homebuilding, carpentry, etc...but has management, sales, airline and manufacturing experience.

Would love to hear from anyone that can give us some advice and personal experience -- especially those who may have lived in BOTH the north and the south!

THANKS SO MUCH, in advance!!

[HowardRoarke]

Originally Posted by grose58

Hello everyone...

I am, once again, back on this forum looking for some advice. (Hopefully I won't bore anyone with this long post). I originally posted a few months ago about relocation advice regarding the Summerville, SC (Charleston) and Myrtle Beach area. Now I am actually thinking about returning to my original home town in the Finger Lakes area -- possibly Canandaigua. We were there last weekend briefly, esp around the resort/park area and LOVED it.

We live in the Northern VA/DC area and are at a 'crossroads' in our lives. We feel we need to ... and are ready to ... make a life change with relocating. My husband (originally from NJ) would rather go north...me, I was hoping to go somewhere south. (My brother actually just moved to Summerville, SC). However, after several visits back to my hometown (Geneva), I'm starting to feel a tug on my heart to live in this area again. As much as I HATE the c-c-cold, I am starting to look at EVERYTHING involved in where we relocate. There is no perfect place; and know that there is always a sacrifice of something. Virginia has been wonderful for the many years I've lived here, but we are now so exhausted from the chaotic "rat-race" here, it's expensive for us, it has been stress-filled for many reasons (including two job layoffs for my husband), etc. WE NEED to just "SIMPLIFY" now ..... in a more laid-back area.

Main Info needed: SCHOOL SYSTEMS in Canandaigua (middle/high school); JOB MARKET (I know it's tough now everywhere) -- I am a fairly new realtor and substitute-teach .. My husband (Currently with UPS), but is jack of all trades...his main passion/niche is homebuilding, carpentry, etc...but has management, sales, airline and manufacturing experience.

Would love to hear from anyone that can give us some advice and personal experience -- especially those who may have lived in BOTH the north and the south!

THANKS SO MUCH, in advance!!

Funny you should mention Summerville, as we live in SC and have traveled through there on the way to the coast. If you don't mind me asking, what's the attraction ? Here's the deal with SC at the moment, and I'm sure it applies to many places (although this state is in pretty sad shape at the moment, economically)-you must have jobs lined up before you move to here. This isn't '07 when folks were showing up here without lining up jobs, first, and still were managing OK (we know of several folks from NY who did it). Folks from out of state are especially vulnerable to being laid off, right now, because so many came to here within the last 5 years (and this explains PART of SC's scary unemployment #'s), and it appears many companies have strict seniority provisions in their employee handbooks. I'm more of a believer in merit, but, "when in Rome...". I work in manufacturing and the seniority thing was big at the first place I worked at down here (and one of the biggest reasons why I left that place), and I imagine the main reason they have it is to keep the unions out, which is kinda funny in a way 'cause they run many shops down here as if they are union shops.

The Summerville/Orangeburg area has been hammered by this recession, in fact Federal Mogul is shutting down their plant there by the end of the year. That general area is somewhat depressed, economically, although a major company from the Mideast wants to open up a massive warehousing operation, there, which no doubt will benefit the port at Charleston (they'll hire 9,000 people). One bright spot, locally, is in the area of HVAC installers/techs/etc., and there's a major shortage in the state, with few takers for jobs. There are almost zero manufacturing jobs anywhere in this state, at the moment, and more job losses are expected through next year (yes, I'm nervous). Only manufacturing openings I'm aware of within 150 miles of here are in Aiken (few well-paying welding temp jobs I heard about), and the "usual suspects" as I'll call them that are always looking for a body or two, and no doubt are not worth going to work for (up around Charlotte). Speaking of Charlotte, that area has been hammered, as well, but mostly in the banking/financial sectors. York County, SC, just made the top 3 list for home foreclosures, and it's the first county in SC to be affected by the housing issues seen elsewhere across the U.S.

Now for the on-topic part of my long-winded post...

My sister and brother in law live in Victor, in fact, we talked earlier today on the phone. I'm glad they settled in Ontario County, in fact, if my wife and I had stayed in NY instead of moving to SC, we would have located inside Ontario County. Sister and bro in law's taxes are HALF what they would be 1/2 mile away in Perinton. They're toying with the idea of moving again, and have checked houses in Monroe (just for kicks). She said a few listings they checked in Scottsville (near to where she works) were in the $150K range, with $7K/yr. in combined property taxes. My sphincter clenched when she told me that. It's likely they'll be staying in Ontario, long-term, just not in Victor.

So, be cautious re housing in Rochester that, while affordable, have high property taxes (athough they vary wildly across the county). For my money I'd check out NW Ontario County (Bloomfield, Victor, Farmington, etc.), or even northern Livingston. Wayne County's taxes tend to be high, too, although parts of Macedon and western parts of the county are nice.

Employment-wise, it depends on what jobs you guys might be interested in, and others on this board are more likely to know what current trends hold in Rochester (and no doubt it's tight, at the moment). As far as manufacturing is concerned, there are several newer, well-paying companies which have sprouted up in Ontario County, near to the Monroe line (not far from Eastview and Victor). They're mostly in Fishers and Farmington, where there are clusters of manufacturers (mostly contract shops (which weather these storms well) and even a few OEM's). I've had offers in the past at several companies out that way, and they appeared to be well-managed, and with newer facilities/equipment, to boot. A world away from some of the nastiness I experienced at a couple of places in and around the city (contact me directly if you want the straight scoop on the better manufacturers in Rochester. A few ARE HIRING, right now.).

Hope this helps.
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[loveautumn]

Didn't NYS put alot of money into a Tech Center in or around Canandaigua a few years ago.....did that ever happen?

[ckhthankgod]

I would go with Victor too. That is a part of Ontario County and the Rochester metro that is growing. Canandaigua wouldn't be bad either.

I believe both school districts are still good too. Also, it is still acessible to Rochester by taking I-490.

Here's a site to check out jobs in Ontario County as well: OntarioCountyJobs.com: Ontario County jobs. Find all jobs in Ontario County, NY with one search.

[swg]

The school districts in the Rochester area (suburbs) are mostly all excellent. I know for sure that Pittsford, Brighton, and Honeoye Falls-Lima are all ranked very high nationally (I have relatives who have attended all three). If you're looking to avoid Monroe County, for tax reasons mentioned above, HF-L spans multiple counties. Victor is also good. The job market everywhere isn't very good, so I would try to secure a job before picking an area to live, but commuting in the Rochester/Finger Lakes area is easy, so if you find a job, you would still have your pick of towns to live in.

[ckhthankgod]

A good place to check out school districts:
https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/Di...t=430300050000

https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/Di...t=431701060000

[loveautumn]

I think it would be quite a culture shock going from NoVA to Canandaigua....

[grose58]

Thanks for all of the replies so far...I really appreciate it!

"HowardRoarke", the 'spinchter' comment had me rolling! Do you like living in SC???"

LoveAutumn"....We have said the same thing -- about it being a culture shock for us...but on some level...we are welcoming that type of living now. At least we'd be near Rochester for some city living. We are doing a whole lot of thinking.....

I don't know anyone that lives in Summerville, SC -- other than my brother who literally just moved there with his family...two days ago. He and I had been researching for about a year to go somewhere warmer....and Summerville and Aiken kept coming up. I'm not so sure now?

I heard someone last weekend mention Farmington being nice; I also saw that Pittsford came up as being one of the top 100 places to relocate for 2009. Not sure how close that is to Canandaigua....

Still eager to hear from anyone that can provide more input. Also, how is the crime rate in that area??

THANKS EVERYONE!!

[HowardRoarke]

Originally Posted by grose58

Thanks for all of the replies so far...I really appreciate it!

"HowardRoarke", the 'spinchter' comment had me rolling! Do you like living in SC???"

LoveAutumn"....We have said the same thing -- about it being a culture shock for us...but on some level...we are welcoming that type of living now. At least we'd be near Rochester for some city living. We are doing a whole lot of thinking.....

I don't know anyone that lives in Summerville, SC -- other than my brother who literally just moved there with his family...two days ago. He and I had been researching for about a year to go somewhere warmer....and Summerville and Aiken kept coming up. I'm not so sure now?

Aiken is nice, too, in fact there's a pretty broad cross section of humanity which lives there, which is cool. My first interview down here was in Aiken. It's very similar to Canandaigua, in that it's a small city with stuff to do and is pretty self-sufficient, considering its size. It's very affluent, too, and with all the amenities affluent people support. SC is becoming a big draw for retirees, in fact one reason the state's population keeps going up during this recession is due to many retired Floridians coming here (as well as folks from other states). Aiken is considered one of the best small cities in the South (if not THE best). There are thousands of northern retirees in Aiken, too.

We love the area around Greenville and the people are great, mostly. The mountains are a 30 min. drive from our house. The economy is in bad shape here, though, and we're nervous like I'm sure many are, now.

I sent grose58 a message about SC to keep things on topic.

I heard someone last weekend mention Farmington being nice; I also saw that Pittsford came up as being one of the top 100 places to relocate for 2009. Not sure how close that is to Canandaigua....

Still eager to hear from anyone that can provide more input. Also, how is the crime rate in that area??

THANKS EVERYONE!!

Canandaigua and Pittsford are pretty close to each other. Pittsford is considered the most affluent of Rochester's 'burbs. Farmington is next to Victor, between that town and Canandaigua. Many folks commute into Monroe County from Famington. A few of my cousins live out that way, and they like it, in fact most of my extended family lives in the area of NW Ontario, SE Monroe, and SW Wayne counties. That whole area is pretty nice, and affordable for just about any budget.

Crime? Heh. Like most of Upstate outside the cities, the crime stats are pretty low in that area. My sister reports there are occasional car break-ins and other petty crimes in the village of Victor, although it's mostly outsiders who commit the crimes. Victor/Farmington have had some bizarre stuff happen, there, but mostly not person-on-person type crimes. Probably better than similar areas of northern Virginia. Victor schools are supposed to be OK, although there have been some discipline issues at the high school (probably normal these days).

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[nyctransplant]

Hi there! I'm a native new yorker, with relatives north and south. I live part time in summerville, part time in the northeast.

Unemployment in the summerville area and all through south carolina is very high - a lot higher than in the northeast. I don't know about the hvac thing - my son's been looking for an hvac job, he's a lead installer and just moved to summerville a few months ago. No job yet. None of the building/financial/ and real estate related professions are doing well. Unemployment throughout the state is close to 12 percent, i believe. The northeast is losing jobs at a lower rate, but the cost of living is higher. If i were to choose where to seek employment, it would be in new york state, but closer to nyc. where you can commute and take advantage of higher wages.

The sad thing for a lot of folks struggling in summerville/sc, but particularly summerville because i know it as a fact - a house purchased just last year at 180,000 is now thrown onto the market at the "marketability" price of 139,000 or less - there were so many defaults/foreclosures and job losses in the past year, that even the best neighborhoods aren't able to draw in buyers. so folks who are unemployed or can't make payments and want to move somewhere else for a job are stuck for a bit. There's a glut of houses and many short-sales - i haven't seen so many homes for sale before in several great neighborhoods. If you're self-employed and not dependent upon a local employer or trade and can make it through - houses are at bargain basement prices and property taxes not bad if you're a resident.

I'd say upstate new york is great for simplifying,i don't find Summerville to be peaceful, nor quiet, nor simple - and at least until things get better in south carolina, i would be very hesitant to move there full-time without job-in-hand. Rochester, i think, is suffering but not too badly. They do need to get their property taxes in control.