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It melts but there's usually *something* on the ground. Not the roads, of course... but yes, the snow comes a few inches at a time. It melts into itself, called packing, so it'll be harder packed close to the ground and fluffier on top, with the new snowfalls.
Speaking of which, we've been getting some snow today. Nothing measurable, of course, but I just set out a bowl of Halloween candy and put an umbrella over it. Don't want all that candy sitting in a bowl of cold water. :P This will definitely be one of those Halloweens with Michelin-esque princesses and superheroes. lol
NorthStarDelight
You won't have to have anything to do with union membership as long as you are going to work "on-your-own" or work temporarily for a small-time contractor. There is a lot of "handyman" type work that you will be able to find and maybe when a small contractor needs one more carpenter for a project, he'll ask you to work for him for a week or so. You will see/notice small contractors vehicles who are working in suburban neighborhoods and you can always stop and give him your name and cell phone number in case he needs some extra help from you in the future. A small contractor built a beautiful cathedral ceiling new livingroom on the back of my home several years ago. He has several men who he employs temporarily or brings together to work, depending on the size of the project. My lvgrm. of course, required permits & inspections by the town because that is major work. All towns here do require building permits (? licenses ?) and passing inspections depending on what the work project involves. There can be fines and legal problems when a "handyman" does not follow town regulations and codes by getting involved in too large a project and town inspectors find out about it. If you limit yourself to things like "windowseats", a new sink vanity, bookshelves, and other small jobs maybe you won't have a lot of government involvement. I know one "handyman" who works part-time on his own and he does work like: bookshelves, install closet shelving/clothes racks, replace a sink, painting walls/ceilings/doors, repair damaged wallboard/sheetrock walls, replace existing electric light fixtures, install tile in a bathroom, replace old faulty french-doors/sliding doors, and other small jobs that sometimes small contractors don't want to be bothered with doing.
Winter & snow. Speaking about northern Syr. Suburbs. We usually have some snow by mid-late December. Sometimes a minor snowfall the weekend before Thanksgiving which melts in a day or so and doesn't come back to stay until the 2nd week or later in December. But the snow season can vary. I imagine the snow lasts a little longer here in the higher elevations of Pompey, Fabius, LaFayette, Skaneatles, Marcellus--not sure because I don't get to those Suburbs very often. Maybe people living there don't like being called Suburbs (not sure); no offense meant. Those places are nice, lovely towns located in the beautiful, peaceful high elevation southside countryside. I've noticed that the snow melts sooner in the city and you can see green lawns more often in the city than out in the Suburbs; City buildings & roadways I guess, absorb more natural heat from the sun and expell more heat from the concentration of city buildings/streets which melts the snow faster.
The region north of (suburb) Brewerton (Oswego County plus western Oneida & Jefferson & western Lewis Counties) receives a lot more snow (can be 4 feet in one snowstorm on Tug Hill Plateau) than closer to the city. Towns like Fulton, Parish, Mexico, Pulaski, Williamstown, Camden, Ava, Boonville, West Leyden, Constableville, Turin, Martinsburg, Sandy Creek, Mannsville, Adams, Adams Center know what REAL SNOW is like. A friend of mine from the Fulton area says, "I have to shovel/plow snow to leave home and have to shovel/plow snow to get back in my driveway when I return home after work"! He says it "gets-old" doing that week after week. I prefer my lighter "Suburban Snowfall" to my friend's farther north snowfall.
Most years we experience a "January Thaw" for a few days when a lot of the snow melts and exposes some of the green lawn below. After that "break" in winter, snowfall continues off and on for the remainder of winter.
Temperatures in the 70's or higher are rare in winter; just a fluke. Last year the temperature got in the low 80's for a few days in April; must have been Southern winds & the Jet Stream involved. The 60's would usually be high temperatures in winter; usually much lower for most of the winter.
Here where I live, my lawn has snow cover all winter-for the most part. My back yard faces south. The snow in my back yard basically is 12" deep during winter; 5" deep when the weather is warm & melts a little and can be 30" deep after a heavier snowstorm. My 2 dogs love "snowplowing" through the 30" deep snow and tackling/rolling/somersaultin/romping/chasing one another around the back yard. I enjoy watching them through my livingroom wall of windows, play and run and have fun as the snow gently falls and sticks to the trees/shrubs surfaces creating a beautiful winter scene. Then when the bright sunshine comes-out and you can see the clear blue sky, the snow-covered scene "sparkles/glitters" with a pristine white coating. Nice for sitting in front of a blazing fireplace, having some popcorn, hot chocolate, or just reading a book and enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.
NorthStarDelight
You won't have to have anything to do with union membership as long as you are going to work "on-your-own" or work temporarily for a small-time contractor. There is a lot of "handyman" type work that you will be able to find and maybe when a small contractor needs one more carpenter for a project, he'll ask you to work for him for a week or so. You will see/notice small contractors vehicles who are working in suburban neighborhoods and you can always stop and give him your name and cell phone number in case he needs some extra help from you in the future. A small contractor built a beautiful cathedral ceiling new livingroom on the back of my home several years ago. He has several men who he employs temporarily or brings together to work, depending on the size of the project. My lvgrm. of course, required permits & inspections by the town because that is major work. All towns here do require building permits (? licenses ?) and passing inspections depending on what the work project involves. There can be fines and legal problems when a "handyman" does not follow town regulations and codes by getting involved in too large a project and town inspectors find out about it. If you limit yourself to things like "windowseats", a new sink vanity, bookshelves, and other small jobs maybe you won't have a lot of government involvement. I know one "handyman" who works part-time on his own and he does work like: bookshelves, install closet shelving/clothes racks, replace a sink, painting walls/ceilings/doors, repair damaged wallboard/sheetrock walls, replace existing electric light fixtures, install tile in a bathroom, replace old faulty french-doors/sliding doors, and other small jobs that sometimes small contractors don't want to be bothered with doing.
Winter & snow. Speaking about northern Syr. Suburbs. We usually have some snow by mid-late December. Sometimes a minor snowfall the weekend before Thanksgiving which melts in a day or so and doesn't come back to stay until the 2nd week or later in December. But the snow season can vary. I imagine the snow lasts a little longer here in the higher elevations of Pompey, Fabius, LaFayette, Skaneatles, Marcellus--not sure because I don't get to those Suburbs very often. Maybe people living there don't like being called Suburbs (not sure); no offense meant. Those places are nice, lovely towns located in the beautiful, peaceful high elevation southside countryside. I've noticed that the snow melts sooner in the city and you can see green lawns more often in the city than out in the Suburbs; City buildings & roadways I guess, absorb more natural heat from the sun and expell more heat from the concentration of city buildings/streets which melts the snow faster.
The region north of (suburb) Brewerton (Oswego County plus western Oneida & Jefferson & western Lewis Counties) receives a lot more snow (can be 4 feet in one snowstorm on Tug Hill Plateau) than closer to the city. Towns like Fulton, Parish, Mexico, Pulaski, Williamstown, Camden, Ava, Boonville, West Leyden, Constableville, Turin, Martinsburg, Sandy Creek, Mannsville, Adams, Adams Center know what REAL SNOW is like. A friend of mine from the Fulton area says, "I have to shovel/plow snow to leave home and have to shovel/plow snow to get back in my driveway when I return home after work"! He says it "gets-old" doing that week after week. I prefer my lighter "Suburban Snowfall" to my friend's farther north snowfall.
Most years we experience a "January Thaw" for a few days when a lot of the snow melts and exposes some of the green lawn below. After that "break" in winter, snowfall continues off and on for the remainder of winter.
Temperatures in the 70's or higher are rare in winter; just a fluke. Last year the temperature got in the low 80's for a few days in April; must have been Southern winds & the Jet Stream involved. The 60's would usually be high temperatures in winter; usually much lower for most of the winter.
Here where I live, my lawn has snow cover all winter-for the most part. My back yard faces south. The snow in my back yard basically is 12" deep during winter; 5" deep when the weather is warm & melts a little and can be 30" deep after a heavier snowstorm. My 2 dogs love "snowplowing" through the 30" deep snow and tackling/rolling/somersaultin/romping/chasing one another around the back yard. I enjoy watching them through my livingroom wall of windows, play and run and have fun as the snow gently falls and sticks to the trees/shrubs surfaces creating a beautiful winter scene. Then when the bright sunshine comes-out and you can see the clear blue sky, the snow-covered scene "sparkles/glitters" with a pristine white coating. Nice for sitting in front of a blazing fireplace, having some popcorn, hot chocolate, or just reading a book and enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful, knowledgeable reply. Re - your comments about doings small jobs and "handyman" work is very close to what I plan on pursuing upon my arrival, so I'm glad there doesn't appear to be any undue obstacles for doing the kind of carpentry work I'd like to do up there.
Nice to know that snow can be relied on throughout the winter - I figured that the snow would melt more in the city proper as opposed to the outlying communities - and that the southern hill communities would hold on their snow a bit longer, etc. I'm a big fan of hills and elevation anyhow, so I'd lean to living in the southern communities (I don't like using the term "suburb", as that leaves a bad taste in my mouth due what I've been exposed to down here...lol). However, I really do like the village of Liverpool, as that's one community I got to visit in June - I like how it's close to everything and yet has that cool, walkable "village" feel plus that awesome lakeside park - something that's sorely lacking down here in the ATL.
On my next visit, I'll be sure to check out the other communities surrounding Syracuse, both north and south, to get a good overview of what's out there in terms of houses, ease of access to the rest of the metro area (a real biggie with me, as I don't care to spend a lot of time on the road, something that really eats into your time around here), and the cost of living, and so on.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful, knowledgeable reply. Re - your comments about doings small jobs and "handyman" work is very close to what I plan on pursuing upon my arrival, so I'm glad there doesn't appear to be any undue obstacles for doing the kind of carpentry work I'd like to do up there.
Nice to know that snow can be relied on throughout the winter - I figured that the snow would melt more in the city proper as opposed to the outlying communities - and that the southern hill communities would hold on their snow a bit longer, etc. I'm a big fan of hills and elevation anyhow, so I'd lean to living in the southern communities (I don't like using the term "suburb", as that leaves a bad taste in my mouth due what I've been exposed to down here...lol). However, I really do like the village of Liverpool, as that's one community I got to visit in June - I like how it's close to everything and yet has that cool, walkable "village" feel plus that awesome lakeside park - something that's sorely lacking down here in the ATL.
On my next visit, I'll be sure to check out the other communities surrounding Syracuse, both north and south, to get a good overview of what's out there in terms of houses, ease of access to the rest of the metro area (a real biggie with me, as I don't care to spend a lot of time on the road, something that really eats into your time around here), and the cost of living, and so on.
I'm sure you will do fine getting handyman/carpentry work by yourself, occassionally with a contractor, word of mouth, through small ads in the "Pennysaver" or "Scottsman" community newspapers, and maybe posting a temporary "work by" (Home Projects ~ Phone 315-555-2200) small sign on the front lawn of the home owner (with approval) where you are working. Some of the Contractors have their full equipped enclosed walk-in trailer workshops parked where they are working. The whole outside surfaces of the "workshop trailer" are one big billboard sign with their business name, phone number, and listing type of work they do. You may have a much smaller type work vehicle (truck or van) but you can still have some sort of signage (permanent painted or removeable magnetic business sign) on your vehicle if that's what you decide to do.
You mentioned that you might like to live in the hilly terrain communities which are at the southern part of Metro Syracuse. The southern hilly towns of Camillus, Fairmount, and Manlius>(upscale $) are all nice places. The Baldwinsville area has some gently rolling terrain around the area. One nice slightly rolling terrain home area is off the west side of Route 370 south of Baldwinsville. There is a "village feel" to the original "downtown" of B'ville, just as there is for Liverpool, Manlius, Fayetteville, and Cazenovia; other towns too but to a lesser degree.
You mentioned "ease of access" to the rest of Metro Syracuse and NOT spending a lot of time (gasoline) on highways to get to your work. I do like the communities of Camillus, Fairmount, Onondaga Hill, & Lakeland but because they are all on the west side of Onondaga Lake, they just seem "more removed", farther from, the rest of Metro Syracuse. I'm sure that you'll consider EVERYTHING when selecting a community where to buy your home.
Yes, I like the Liverpool area. Downtown Liverpool has a pleasant "village feel" and has that great Onondaga Lake Park at the original village and northward toward the newer developed areas. Onondaga Lake Park is great for jogging, walking a pet dog, bike riding, picnicing, rollerblading, suntanning, people watching, relaxing reading a book, etc. Before and during Christmas season, the Park is decorated with Christmas "Lights On The Lake". They charge a "car fee" (not per person) and you can drive through the park to see all the twinkling lights/decorations and listen to Christmas music broadcast through your car radio. It's nice. The Liverpool area is large enough to have 3 postal zip codes; 13088. 13089, & 13090. The 13090 area is the newest part of the Liverpool area.
There are other nice Parks around the Metro Syracuse area also: Oneida Shores Park/at Brewerton, Beaver Lake Park/near Baldwinsville, Green Lakes Park/near Fayetteville, Pratts Falls Park/near Pompey.
I think that you would be able to find plenty of handyman work especially in Liverpool, Cicero, Radisson, Manlius, Fayetteville, Baldwinsville, Clay. Actually, there are so many homes within one concentrated area that you probably would never have to travel to ALL the towns. You could concentrate on say: Cicero/Clay/Brewerton/North Syracuse OR Liverpool/Radisson/Baldwinsville OR Fayetteville/Manlius OR whatever concentrated area you decided.
If you have more questions in the future, feel free to ask us Metro Syracuse CD members. Best of luck to you with your plans.
When we had that magical 4-inch snow here last Feb, I felt like I was walking in a slice of heaven, and I kept thinking "this is what upstate New York is like all winter long." To me, when it's 38 degrees and dumping down rain and windy, that's just nasty, ugly weather, and that's usually the extent of our (southern) "winter weather". When it's 22 degrees outside with a fresh cover of snow on the ground, it feels absolutely delightful. That's why I want to live in a place that has a "real" winter, where you can expect to have good snows each and every winter.
Urbanplanner - You're right, Florida isn't the paradise it's cracked up to be, although the same could be said for the entire Southeast, in my opinion at least.
Can't ya tell I'm ready to move?
NorthStarDelight<
So you think "Wintertime Rocks". I like our Central New York Winters too. The light-fluffy snowfall, the occassional blizzard, the clear blue sky/sunny no snowfall days, even an "epic" snow blizzard. Winter is just one part of CNY's wonderful 4 seasons climate/weather.
I have a "special treat" to show you today. I hope that you REALLY DO enjoy it.
Sit down. Hang on to your chair. Be scared! Are you READY??! >>CLICK>>
OSWEGO County, NY - 2007 http://tjbailey.com/snow/
You bet I wish I was packing my bags for the move north, those pics were NICE!
And to be that close to several ski hills, that'd be awesome to be able to go skiing all winter long, as that's something I miss terribly (when I used to ski Sugar Mtn in NC in my younger years.)
I've been following the snow somewhat up in CNY, and it really seems to be an impressive winter so far. I can only hope that this is the beginning of a long-term trend to colder, snowier winters for the eastern US, as some meteorologists are theorizing. When I move up there, I wanna be seeing a record 200-inch, rock-and-roll winter in the Syracuse area as a housewarming gift...hehe.
Thanks for bringing up my moving thread anyhow - while I'm not ready to pack my bags quite yet, the move is still very much in the picture. Perhaps I can make it up there in time for the Great New York State Fair, at least.
Oh, by the way, I recently made a 4-day trip to visit my uncle in lower Michigan, and while the snow wasn't deep, it was very much in the deep freeze, and I had the privilege of walking of walking across a frozen pond within an hour of landing...lol. And I got to see a nice 4-incher fall on my last evening there, not terribly impressive, but very pretty nonetheless. And my uncle likes the snow too, he keeps a pair of cross-country skis in his car at all times during the winter, for instance. Nice to know I'm not alone in my love of snow.
Snow Skiing, Snowboarding, Snow Tubing ~ Central NY Region
There are a lot of Snow Resorts in the Central New York State Region. They offer several winter sports activities such as snow skiing, snowboarding, & snow tubing. Some also offer cross-country skiing. Here is a listing for all of you who have been wanting to know about these winter resorts.
I thought I'd give this thread an update, lest anyone think that I've abandoned my dream of moving to beautiful Syracuse / CNY.
While I do plan on moving up *sometime*, it's not going to happen this summer like I had previously hoped. Yep, I'm gonna have to sweat out another Georgia summer..
But all hope isn't lost, however. In July, I plan on making a 16-day road trip, traveling first to Detroit (my uncle), then to Ontario (a good friend), and then on to Syracuse for a *whole week*. Seven days in CNY right smack in the middle of July - am I looking forward to it - you bet!
I figure while I'm stuck down here for the time being due to various life factors (I'm sure we can all relate to that...hehe), I can at least spend a week in my future city in order to get to know it better. I plan on walking the various neighborhoods and villages of the area, visit the local eateries and shops, perhaps look at a few houses for sale...although the latter might just be a bit too tempting, that's playing with fire right there...LOL. But in any case, I figure a long, in-depth stay will give me a solid overview of what to expect for when I do relocate. And relocate I will, although the likely date of the move has been pushed back to Spring 2012, up to another year away (sniff, sniff). Lots to do with the house, etc, but at least the local real estate market is finally perking up after a long, LONG period of housing depression - I figure things oughta be looking good to sell in another year - with more potential equity to bring with me to CNY.
Yes, I've been reading through some of the negative threads in this forum, tsk, tsk. I know some of you just think Syracuse is the most horrid place in the world and that you somehow feel the need to blast that out on the web, but I'm not letting a bit of negativism sway me (nor should it anyone else seriously thinking of moving to the Syracuse area). The problems that various posters have pointed out exist right here in Atlanta, with one difference - it's on a much larger scale. We have the same exact problems with drugs, crime and welfare dependency as up north - this is a *national* problem, not a local one. I urge anyone who thinks Syracuse should be called "sewercuse" should make a trip down south, like south Atlanta. I'll bet my bottom dollar that you'll come back home with visions of your native city covered in rose petals - it'll look that good in comparison...LOL. Of course, I don't run around yapping about how much Atlanta sucks - after all, I've got a house to sell...LOL. And I really do live in a pleasant corner of Atlanta, which I do have to admit, makes it a tad harder to leave. But just a bit, mind you...hehe. The point is, there's both good and bad to be found in any given area, whether it be Atlanta, south Florida or Syracuse. It's just that Syracuse just fits me better than any other place I've been to, and I know I'll be very happy living there. Especially since I'd have done my due diligence to avoid the "bad", just as I did when I made the move up here from Florida in 2005. So no worries about that.
In the meantime, I'll be reading the Syracuse threads daily, and can't wait to be there in just 2 short months.
In July, I plan on making a 16-day road trip, traveling first to Detroit (my uncle), then to Ontario (a good friend), and then on to Syracuse for a *whole week*. Seven days in CNY right smack in the middle of July - am I looking forward to it - you bet! I can at least spend a week in my future city in order to get to know it better. I plan on walking the various neighborhoods and villages of the area, visit the local eateries and shops, perhaps look at a few houses for sale...although the latter might just be a bit too tempting, that's playing with fire right there...LOL. But in any case, I figure a long, in-depth stay will give me a solid overview of what to expect when I do relocate. And relocate I will, to CNY.
Yes, I've been reading through some of the negative threads in this forum, tsk, tsk. I know some of you just think Syracuse is the most horrid place in the world and that you somehow feel the need to blast that out on the web, but I'm not letting a bit of negativism sway me (nor should it anyone else seriously thinking of moving to the Syracuse area). The problems that various posters have pointed out exist right here in Atlanta, with one difference - it's on a much larger scale. We have the same exact problems with drugs, crime and welfare dependency as up north - this is a *national* problem, not a local one. I urge anyone who thinks Syracuse should be called "sewercuse" should make a trip down south, like south Atlanta. I'll bet my bottom dollar that you'll come back home with visions of your native city covered in rose petals - it'll look that good in comparison. Syracuse just fits me better than any other place I've been to, and I know I'll be very happy living there.
In the meantime, I'll be reading the Syracuse threads daily, and can't wait to be there in just 2 short months.
Hi NorthStarDelight,
Metro Syracuse, Central New York, the beautiful Finger Lakes Region, the wonderful forested Adirondack Mountains, the multitude of Lakes across Upstate New York, the impressive Thousand Islands & St. Lawrence River Region, the thundering Niagara Falls may not be perfect to the people who L-O-V-E to bad-mouth our city/region/state but WE ALL KNOW that New York State is in the TOP 10 to 15 BEST States in the whole U.S. in spite of our high property taxes.
When you or anyone reads all the "bad-mouthing" and "excessive criticizing" of our Central New York area, just think of the following words from the "Webster New World Dictionary". The complaining: exaggeration, overstated, misleading, uninformed, distortion, negativity, prejudiced, falsehoods, overblown, faultfinding, overemphasized, negative personality/outlook/views. BUT THOSE NEGATIVE PEOPLE CONTINUE TO RESIDE IN NY STATE!
Terms that accurately describe Metro Syracuse & the Central New York Region are; High Quality Of Life aspects, Low Cost Of Living, reasonably priced homes, High Educational Standards, good place to raise children and for your family to live. People can choose to embrace/enjoy the POSITIVE or choose to exaggerate/dwell on the NEGATIVE; your choice.
NorthStarDelight, I will be posting something else for you to read BEFORE you travel to Syracuse in July; look for it. It might inform you of some things you want to know for your visit here. Hope you enjoy your Trip to Central New York.
Do you have a reason you have to be in the Syracuse MSA?? Sadly I do, I will be gone the second some things clear up so I'd understand if you are forced to live there.
But the area is a scumhole. It was a very nice area when I was a kid. I planned to live there forever. Now its just a wasteland of slums and trash. The good people have fled.
Have you ever thought of the Rapid City SD?? I spent yesterday and today poking about Western SD and am very impressed. The area is prosperous and very clean. Lots of new houses. The area has a million things to do. I was thinking today I could do something different every weekend and never run out. Syracuse has nothing to do at all, nothing, the area is completely dead.
SD is not for me though, still to cold for my old bones. Does feel nice with the dry heat. Near a 100 today and it felt like 70 in NY with that damm humitity.
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Not the roads, of course... but yes, the snow comes a few inches at a time. It melts into itself, called packing, so it'll be harder packed close to the ground and fluffier on top, with the new snowfalls.
Snow Variable
When we had that magical 4-inch snow here last Feb, I felt like I was walking in a slice of heaven, and I kept thinking "this is what upstate New York is like all winter long." To me, when it's 38 degrees and dumping down rain and windy, that's just nasty, ugly weather, and that's usually the extent of our (southern) "winter weather". When it's 22 degrees outside with a fresh cover of snow on the ground, it feels absolutely delightful. That's why I want to live in a place that has a "real" winter, where you can expect to have good snows each and every winter. 
