Pictures I took of the suburban Syracuse Town of Cicero, NY (Clay: cul-de-sac, low income)

[bellafinzi]

You're right Southside Shrek. Watertown's economy is very much based on Ft Drum.

Originally Posted by IMISSNY

Bellafinzi, How do you know so much about New York State? I thought you were from Chicago but now live in Wisconsin. I was the one that posted about the Wisconsin-Illinois feud. I only ask because I'm a native of New York State, specifically Skaneateles. I grew up between Skaneateles lake and Otisco. I used to swim both lakes in the Summer. Well I was just being nosey. I liked your pictures too. Take care.

Thanks, but I think you have the wrong person. I've lived in Upstate NY my whole life (outside of going to college near Pittsburgh). Maybe I mistakenly picked a user-name that looks like someone else's.

The Skaneateles area is really nice even though most of it is still rural. I can post some more pictures of Skaneateles in another thread if you'd like to see how it looks now.

[Glen NY]

Shhhhh...don't tell everyone about that beautiful place or it will soon be industrialized, commercialized.....it is so pretty out there.

[bellafinzi]

Glen NY, I wouldn't worry about that happening. The local planning board is against new development. They want everything to stay the same there.

[Spooky]

Nice pictures!

[bellafinzi]

More Cicero Photos. Most of these pics are of northern Cicero.

[bellafinzi]

Cicero, NY Fall pictures

[bellafinzi]

More Cicero...

[ddana]

Bellafinzi,

Thanks so much for all the pics of Cicerol. I am looking to relocate to upstate NY, anywhere from Cazenovia down to Hamilton and again farther north. I will be moving from the mtns of So. California. I like the suburbs and country. I am used to small towns as I retired to one. Definitely do not like the big cities anymore. Thanks again bellafinzi!

[cnybound]

Thanks again bellafinzi for great pics! Are you a photographer? I realize your pics are in all the threads, and have been very helpful. Can you tell me about Cicero compared to the Clay area? As mentioned before, we will be moving there soon and trying to learn about different areas. Thanks.

[bellafinzi]

ddana, thanks and you're welcome!

Originally Posted by cnybound

Thanks again bellafinzi for great pics! Are you a photographer? I realize your pics are in all the threads, and have been very helpful. Can you tell me about Cicero compared to the Clay area? As mentioned before, we will be moving there soon and trying to learn about different areas. Thanks.

You're welcome! No, I'm not a photographer. To make a long story short. A few years ago I contacted the Chamber of Commerce and the leadership in Syracuse. I made the suggestion to take digital pictures of Syracuse since I could not find any quality up-to-date pictures of this region on the internet. After waiting two years and still finding no good pictures of this region on the net, I bought a camera and started taking pictures of Syracuse myself. Then after I did downtown and the city, I started taking pictures of the suburbs. So at least today you can do a google search and find a couple quality pictures of Syracuse.

Comparing Clay and Cicero.... they are both very similar. Both share a long border in the northern suburbs. Both have flat terrain. Both have huge State protected wetlands...the Clay Marsh and the Cicero Swamp. Over the last decade Cicero has seen more home building. I believe Cicero's growth can be attributed to main reasons. 1) Great location near highways and main roads. Most major employers are located in either DeWitt or in downtown Syracuse. Cicero has great highway access for both locations. 2) Cicero borders Oneida Lake. The largest inland lake in New York State is the northern border of Cicero.

The pattern of growth for the northern suburbs went something like this....The town of Salina grew in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. Salina is mostly built out today. Clay grew most in the 1970s, and 80s. Development slowed in the 90s and 2000s. Clay still has about half the town undeveloped. Cicero grew most in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. Still lots of land before full build out. Lysander and Van Buren are still mostly rural.