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Hello - My husband & I have been deliberating over where to move for quite some time now. We’re originally from NJ & have lived in the Raleigh, NC area for the past 3 years. To be as brief as possible, we’re not interested in ever returning to Jersey due to the COL & other aspects, but we’re very eager to leave the SE. The climate (oppressive heat, no snow) nor culture (a bit too close-minded and surprisingly unfriendly) suit us. Our ideal location would be New England but due to a high COL & poor job prospects, we’re afraid it would be a poor decision at this juncture of our lives. As far as we can see, upstate NY is one of the few places in the Northeast with both a low cost of living & an okay economy (?). Here’s essentially what we’re looking for:
Open-mindedness: We’re agnostic, into holistic healthcare, organic foods, etc., neitherliberal nor conservative but rather politically autonomous. We’re Ron Paul supporters, leaning towards libertarianism.
Decent job opportunities, particularly in creative & research fields. Both of us hold Bachelor’s degrees (mine in Psychology, my husband’s in English). I’d like to continue in a research-related field for now & my husband would like to gain employment in either media or writing.
Access to nature on weekends (hiking, water, etc.).
A place that would respect the fact that we’re both introverted & not interpret it as being cold or unfriendly.
A climate that does not get excessively hot & humid (cold & snow are acceptable but hot & humid is not). We also very much miss experiencing a real fall & spring.
Decent COL (average or below, taking into account average pay).
Low crime. From what I hear, crime is an issue within the city itself but not so much in the suburbs - is this correct? One of the reasons we sold our first home within two years was due to a teenage gang issue in the neighborhood; we'd certainly like to avoid that in the future at all costs.
Based on this criteria, do you think the Syracuse area could be a good fit for us? We’re open to considering other areas of upstate NY as well since it’s a pretty large region that we’re not all that familiar with. From our research on the area, our main concerns are finding decent jobs, possible crime issues, & a very oppressive state government. We realize that no place will be perfect, however, & upstate NY seems to have a lot of what we’re seeking. Thanks for reading & offering any input you may have!
I would begin looking around the areas of Fairmount (technically Syracuse but the edge, zip of 13219)/Camillus (13031), Manlius (13104), Fayetteville (13066), the Dewitt area (13224 and 13214), and the Westcott/Nottingham HS/Drumlins area (13210, 13224) of Syracuse, which is near Syracuse University.
I think the Syracuse area is a good choice and meets your criteria. Apart from more snow and less sun in the winter than you get in most parts of New England, you'll find it to have nearly all of the characteristics you seek. The "crime in the city" that you may have seen referenced in various places is very much restricted to limited areas in certain parts of the city and does not spill over to other neighborhoods.
I live in the Meadowbrook/Nottingham HS area and we've had a number of unlocked cars get rifled for the contents during the night and a few isolated incidents of what appeared to be an attempted burglary - but I think you'll find that sort of think happening even in the suburbs on occasion.
If you don't require a semi-rural or small village feel and either don't have school age kids or are okay with the current state of Syracuse city public schools then you may well find the city to be ideal. I have neighbors on my block - a retired engineer and retired teacher - who moved here from CT aftfer they retired for that exact reasons - lower cost of living but with the sense of neighborliness and culture that they sought.
Outside of the great recommendations, Ithaca, an hour SW of Syracuse would probably work. If Yu want something more rural in that area, look into Trumansburg or maybe even Dryden. Cornell University and Ithaca College are there and has that vibe you are looking for.
Hamilton, where Colgate University is located, is a small village what that New England look, could work. It is more rural, but was the fastest growing town in the Syracuse metro this past decade.
Clinton in the nearby Utica-Rome metro, is very similar to Hamilton and Hamilton College is located there.
What is your budget? What kind of community do you want to live in? Walkable? Rural?
Thanks to everyone for their helpful replies so far. ckhthankgod, I really appreciate all of the links & will look into them very soon. To answer your question about budget/type of community, we usually tend to avoid living within the city itself. Either rural or suburban would probably work well, leaning towards a bit more rural. Our plan is to rent for at least a year first, preferably a single family home with a garage for 1K or less. Small is fine, anywhere from 900-1,000 square feet and up, preferably on a 1/2 acre+. However, when we first arrive, we may opt to rent an apt or townhome for a short-term lease to get acquainted with the area.
More importantly, though, we're really just trying to get a sense as to whether this area would be a good fit for us & whether we there is at least a somewhat diverse pool of jobs, preferably paying 15+ per hour. I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation since we both have Bachelor's degrees and 5+ years of professional experience following college. However, I've read other threads stating that graduates tend to leave the area partially due to a lack of jobs. We're also hoping to find some temp work when we first arrive. Having moved a couple of times before, we've found that securing a job prior to arriving is difficult if not impossible. We'd rather not sit here & wait for that to happen, especially since we have savings to get by for awhile & are willing to take on clerical/admin temp positions, substitute teach, etc. Whatever it takes to get by until something comes along. If anyone thinks this is crazy & feels that the Syracuse economy for entry-level, white collar jobs is grim (?), that's the sort of info we'd really like to know sooner rather than later. Thanks!
You may very well find the happiness you have always wanted in Syracuse, I can't say cause its different strokes for different folks.
But what about CNY makes you think of NE?? I spend as much time as I can in NE, mostly Vermont and Mass, and I can't see the slightest things in common.
Jobs in your field I cannot speak to. I can tell you I don't get out of bed for less then 20 and hour and lottsa OT. If I lost my job I am pretty sure I could find another. I also get worked like a rented mule and work all weekends and holidays. Be aware that the taxes here are among the highest in the nation so you will need to make quite abit more then you do now to break even. Income tax is the killer but property taxes are bad also. And sales tax. And toll roads. And gas taxes. I hope you don't smoke but if you do know that smokes run about 11$ a pack.
Crime is whatever your comfort level is. People live in Compton so anything is possible. Crime in CNY is waaaaaaaaaay over my comfort level. You may find it doesn't bother you.
Heat shouldn't be a problem. Its stays in the 90's a couple Months but thats about it. Over a 100 is super rare. BUT, humidity is very high here. Its always muggy here. It can be 75 and you'll be sweating. That moisture in the air is also a problem in Winter, the dampness makes it feel much colder then it is. If humidity really bothers you stay as far away from NY as you can. Thats your call.
Politics in CNY is hardcore loony left. NY is a Union state plain and simple. But NY is also more or less irrelevant nationaly due to being a 100% money in the bank no questions asked Blue state. I'm pretty far to the right and pretty close to every single thing in this state offends me. Also know that someone "pretty far to the right" in NY is a borderline Communist in the 49 free states. You'll learn, problem very quickly, to never discuss politics in public. Nobody will get in your face either, its just assumed if you live in NY your a card carrying Democrat thats in a Union that dabbled with being a Communist in college.
As to opressive state government, NY is considered the least free state. Albany has there hands in everything. No other state is even close to being as oppressive as NY. But people here just shoulder the yoke and march to Albany's tune. No reason you couldn't join them if you wanted to.
I disagree that it's muggy here. It may be a couple of days out of the year but overall the humidity is low. There's tons of snow but they clear it very well. I moved here from CT last year and there are more overcast type days than there were in CT. Less windy here. Cost of living is pretty good if you consider house prices, but they get you on the property/school tax which is quite outrageous.
I'm in the suburbs and crime is not a big issue here. There are gorgeous nearby state parks which you would love not to mention the beautiful lakes.
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