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my family and i are looking to relocate to the area in the next year or two. originally from NE Ohio we now find ourselves in upstate SC
so if i could take a minute to descibe what it is we're looking for, maybe someone could help us get pointed in the right direction.
good schools, low crime, adequate shopping and restaurants, resonable traffic. (the usual)
3br/2ba $155,000 range
we also desire a town that's foot friendly (can we access a majority of the town on foot or bike, could i safely hop on a bike to hit up a local grocer for milk or bread, maybe a place where my kids can walk to school or a park?
are there sidewalks throughout the town? maybe a cute downtown.
maybe somewhere i can access Syracuse via bus or cab.
and finally can someone fill in these blanks?
GAL. MILK $
GAL. GAS $
Loaf of bread $
pack of smokes $
thanks for your time, all suggestions are greatly appreciated
my family and i are looking to relocate to the area in the next year or two. originally from NE Ohio we now find ourselves in upstate SC
so if i could take a minute to descibe what it is we're looking for, maybe someone could help us get pointed in the right direction.
good schools, low crime, adequate shopping and restaurants, resonable traffic. (the usual)
3br/2ba $155,000 range
we also desire a town that's foot friendly (can we access a majority of the town on foot or bike, could i safely hop on a bike to hit up a local grocer for milk or bread, maybe a place where my kids can walk to school or a park?
are there sidewalks throughout the town? maybe a cute downtown.
maybe somewhere i can access Syracuse via bus or cab.
and finally can someone fill in these blanks?
GAL. MILK $
GAL. GAS $
Loaf of bread $
pack of smokes $
thanks for your time, all suggestions are greatly appreciated
Villages of Manlius or Liverpool, without a doubt. The former is 12 minutes southeast of Syacuse and Liverpool is 5 minutes northwest of Syracuse.
Gallon of milk is $1.79
Gallon of gas is $2.99
Loaf of bread is $.79
You can buy cigarettes at the Onondaga (Indian) Nation Reservation for about half-price/carton. $55ish for name brands and $20-$25 for their Seneca brand. They're open 24/7 and are located about 10 minutes south of Liverpool.
I have to run out for a bit but I'll explain my take on each village better later.
As I said, The Village of Liverpool (13088) is 5 minutes northwest of downtown Syracuse, set back along Onondaga Lake. Mind you, this is not a swimmable lake (before you get your hopes up about having a beach nearby lol) but the park alongside it is immense and definitely a perk of living in the village. There's a huge playground, walking/running/skating/biking trail, marina, large, monitored, VERY nice skate park, pedicabs and skates and bicycles to rent, the Salt Museum (very cool), baseball diamonds, the Syracuse Chargers running club meets there and there are MANY events - huge and small - throughout the year there. There's a dog park, covered shelters to rent for special occasions, grills, a trolley to take you the full length of the trail (several miles)... a biking/walking trail that continues almost 3/4 of your way around the lake... that park is a HUGE asset to the village. Onondaga County Parks, OLP (http://onondagacountyparks.com/olp - broken link)
In addition, the village has all the regular things you'd need - in easy walking/casual biking distance - for everyday life. Nichol's grocery store is a Liverpool landmark and has been a mom-and-pop place for decades. They have GREAT prices for quality of meats and cheeses. (Check out Gianelli sausage, Hofmann's hot dogs, and their swiss cheese, particularly their own kind of lacy Lorraine that I've not found anywhere else.) The county library has a branch there. Fire/Police are there. There's The Retreat (http://http://retreatrestaurant.com/ - broken link) restaurant (on that site, you'll also see The Cobblestone bar- great place) and an increasing number of small businesses/restaurants for a variety of tastes and interests.
The schools are average-good. As with many places, what your child will get out of school is exactly what the parents/child put into it. It is a VERY large district, however, with occasional funding problems... though nothing that would seriously damage academics, imo. Liverpool Central School District The feel is suburban-rising blue collar-middle class, imo.
Liverpool is reliably congested but not suffocating, if that makes sense. The northern suburbs are always quite bustling, in general.
The Village of Manlius (13104) is 12 minutes southeast of downtown Syracuse (gauged by my time of going from our home here to the Regional Market in 16 minutes. lol) The feel here is more upscale-rural, if that makes sense. :P There's more countryside interspersed... rollings hills start in Dewitt and continue growing through Manlius before reaching LARGE hills in Pompey/Cazenovia. We have a nice set of parks within walking distance, a beautiful library, community center (seniors, free-play gymnasium supplied with toys/equipment, recreation/art/fitness programs), playgrounds, duck/swan ponds, trails, night-lit soccer field, baseball diamonds, ice cream stand, twice-weekly farmers' market... we have a P&C>Tops grocery store, liquor stores, pharmacies, multiple diners, bars, restaurants, eateries, an independent movie theatre. This summer, I invested in a nice bicycle and trailer so I can take our three small children all over the village quickly, without worrying about meltdowns while walking. lol. The pace is generally slower here than Liverpool. We're at the edge of 2nd-ring suburb-rural.
Fayetteville-Manlius is the 16th best school district in New York State, out of 485 districts... strongly centered on the arts, applied sciences, politics and sports. Fayetteville-Manlius Schools Funding is rarely an issue, especially with private donations and fund raisers.
The tax base is generally higher (many VERY expensive homes) but finding a nice home in the village itself, for a good price, is certainly possible. The feel is more polished-outdoorsy, for lack of a better descriptor. lol
In every area of Central New York, one must closely observe the taxes. Generally, older homes have a lower percentage of tax assessed value-real market value (down to around 50%.) New/newer homes are closer to 100%... thus, the taxes are higher for newer homes as the tax percentage is based off of a higher tax-assessed value. You need to contest every assessment increase to keep your property taxes low, wherever you are... you'll clearly see that on for-sale homes that could be next to each other and the same price/size/quality but one has taxes that are up to several thousand dollars more. Be vigilant in checking the taxes of every.single.home you wish to see BEFORE seeing it... the taxes might very well weed out the homes where the owners didn't stay on top of their assessments.
There are plentiful churches/places of worship in both areas. Fayetteville-Manlius is strongly Jewish but there are temples all over both areas.
Another area to check out might be the Orvilton neighborhood of Dewitt. 13214. Much closer to everything, in general. It's located at the eastern edge of Syracuse, off of East Genesee Street. It's a busy area but all the major stores are very nearby and Orvilton is tucked away- it's in the very good Jamesville-Dewitt school district.
Last edited by proulxfamily; 11-06-2010 at 08:57 AM..
Thank you very much. Your information is definitely going to be helpful in our search. Of course, we will have to come visit a few times before anything happens. lol... I have seen your pictures on other threads and I have to say I love what I see. We don't want to go back to NE Ohio, but we still want that feel. We definitely don't have that here in Upstate SC. I'm very excited to research all of your suggestions to see which area is the best fit for our family. I can't thank you enough for your information.
Just to add to what proulxfam said, the village of Fayetteville would work too. You have the Fayetteville Towne Centre with stores like Target, Kohl's, Tops Grocery Store, several restaurants and the Eastern YMCA, among other things in the Western edge of the village. There's also some other good restaurants and stores in the center of the village and schools are close by as well.
North Syracuse might work, as some parts are walkable and there are some stores in and just outside of the village. Schools are average to good like Liverpool. It is the second biggest school district in the area too.
Another good community to check out is Baldwinsville. It's about 15 minutes Northwest of Syracuse on the Seneca River. It has good to very good schools, a nice walkable village, with shopping in and just outside of the village(as well as being close to the Route 31 shopping corridor) and it is close enough to Syracuse, but far away for that close knit community feel.
You get bus service from all of these communities to and from Syracuse too.
The only reason I would rule out Fayetteville is because of that long hill. I've made that bike ride with a trailer full of groceries and Target stuff instead of children. It's perilous, at best, with the traffic and it's NO fun pulling it up that hill. lol - if the grocery store/Target/Kohl's/etc. were at the top, in the rest of the village, it would be much easier. Walking home with a bunch of things would be even more awful. We're a one-vehicle family and I try to use it as little as possible, walking and biking instead... ohhhhhh, if only it was flat between here and Dewitt, to my husband's work. lol - though it wouldn't be great for him to show up sweating in his suit.
my family and i are looking to relocate to the area in the next year or two. originally from NE Ohio we now find ourselves in upstate SC
so if i could take a minute to descibe what it is we're looking for, maybe someone could help us get pointed in the right direction.
good schools, low crime, adequate shopping and restaurants, resonable traffic. (the usual)
3br/2ba $155,000 range
we also desire a town that's foot friendly (can we access a majority of the town on foot or bike, could i safely hop on a bike to hit up a local grocer for milk or bread, maybe a place where my kids can walk to school or a park?
are there sidewalks throughout the town? maybe a cute downtown.
maybe somewhere i can access Syracuse via bus or cab.
and finally can someone fill in these blanks?
GAL. MILK $
GAL. GAS $
Loaf of bread $
pack of smokes $
thanks for your time, all suggestions are greatly appreciated
I'm going to assume that you want to relocate to a close-to-the-city suburb village rather than a village farther out in the countryside. Is that correct?
Villages/Suburbs close to Syracuse city that I would recommend you consider.
#1 Choice=original village of Liverpool. There has been huge Liverpool development outside the original village. No other Village can claim as nice or large a Park as Onondaga Lake Park at Liverpool. One large local grocery store and other small shops. You have to travel farther for other major stores.
#2 Choice=original village of Baldwinsville. It has a real "village feel". Very walkable and observant bike riding. The Erie Canal/Seneca River run through the center of the village. Considerable new home development outside the village. Some small stores near downtown. Large grocery store and SOME other stores on the west edge of the original village near Rt. 690. Travel farther for other major stores.
I just noticed the clock on the wall, I have to go out at this time. I will send you more info within the next few days.
Gal. Milk = $1.79 Cicero Wegmans.
Gal gas = $2.92 today Cicero.
Loaf of bread = $0.79 at Aldi's; $1.99 at Wegmans Cicero.
Pack of cigs. = No clue-I Don't smoke!
For the OP, where did you live in NE Ohio or what type of community did you live in there? That could help, if you are looking for a similar type of community around here. For instance, that Orvilton area of DeWitt is probably similar to say Shaker Heights on a smaller scale in terms of that old rich look and being a relatively more diverse suburban area. Solvay is a steel and industrial community with a strong Italian-American character similar to many communities in that part of Ohio.
I'm going to assume that you want to relocate to a close-to-the-city suburb village rather than a village farther out in the countryside. Is that correct?
.
indeed.
While in Ohio, we lived in New Philadelphia/Dover and North Canton/Massillon. if that helps?
Would you say that Cicero and Clay are too rural in regards to what we're looking for?
While in Ohio, we lived in New Philadelphia/Dover and North Canton/Massillon. if that helps?
Would you say that Cicero and Clay are too rural in regards to what we're looking for?
No those two towns are in the Northern suburbs, which have the most people out of the suburban areas. School districts in that part of the area are:Liverpool, North Syracuse, with some parts of being in the Baldwinsville, Phoenix and Central Square SD's. Baldwinsville would probably be more like New Philadelphia and Dover(and they love their HS Football there too...lol). I think an area around here that might be similar to the North Canton/Massilion area in terms of character is probably the East Syracuse-Minoa area due to having a mix of blue collar, middle class, upper middle class and rural folks in that SD. Schools are good and the two villages(East Syracuse and Minoa) were built around the railroad that runs through them. Minoa is very quiet, further away from Syracuse and doesn't really have much in it. East Syracuse is right next to Syracuse and has some shopping, but some of it isn't necessarily walkable in the part of town along Route 290. There are some small businesses along Manlius Street though and a Wegmans on James Street. There some nice neighborhoods in and just outside of both villages. You could also walk, ride your bike or take a short bus ride into the Eastwood neighborhood in Syracuse from there as well.
Liverpool might be a happy medium in terms of having that nice, little village in a good location, the makeup of the SD is similar to Massilion in terms of demographics of the people and aren't bad, has bus access, has plenty of big box/mall shopping close by and you can get into Syracuse in a short time.
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