Troy and/or Schenectady vs. Syracuse - Which is better (Albany: low income, real estate)

[chrisruns2far]

Hello fellow threaders, posters and city-data dynamos!!!!

We will be moving to Upstate NY next summer to be closer to family. We enjoy living within a city (will never do a subburb, tract home, etc.) with nice older homes (pre-1940) an historic old downtown and being able to walk to many things and leave the car at home and also have short commute times of no more than 20-30 minutes.

We prefer medium size cities (50,000 to 150,000 people) and are looking at either Troy, Schenectady or Syracuse to relocate. Would like to pay cash for an old home in the $120-150K range in an old neighborhood with decent public schools. We will find jobs once to relocate.

Please give us you feedback and we respectfully don't need any info on any subburbs, just the cities themselves - Thanks

[averagenyjoe]

Originally Posted by chrisruns2far

Hello fellow threaders, posters and city-data dynamos!!!!

We will be moving to Upstate NY next summer to be closer to family. We enjoy living within a city (will never do a subburb, tract home, etc.) with nice older homes (pre-1940) an historic old downtown and being able to walk to many things and leave the car at home and also have short commute times of no more than 20-30 minutes.

We prefer medium size cities (50,000 to 150,000 people) and are looking at either Troy, Schenectady or Syracuse to relocate. Would like to pay cash for an old home in the $120-150K range in an old neighborhood with decent public schools. We will find jobs once to relocate.

Please give us you feedback and we respectfully don't need any info on any subburbs, just the cities themselves - Thanks

Cant tell you what is better because I really dont know Syracuse, Lots of people on here that do though. I can tell you that Troy has ALOT of history and your price range can buy quite a bit especially if you want an older home. If you are handy and can do just a slight tad of work, than you are in for a real treat. Lots to be had. Troy is on the side of a hill and is very walkable but you wont go too far without going up or down. Their downtown is under revitalization and has a ways yet to go. The city will be an up & coming place within 10 years or so but in the mean time, it is transitioning from a once crime filled, gang, drug place and alot of that is starting to clean up even now. Alot of low income folks in & around the downtown area and many of the issues associated with that.

Schenectady is also very historical. The downtown there is alot smaller than Troy and is basically one long strip with one little side street that is for pedestrians only and has some cute shops. Once you've seen downtown there is not alot to go back to over & over. Most of the neighborhoods directly around downtown are not too clean and safety would be if'ey. Not so much by day but at night. Now, there are some very nice neighborhoods mostly up Union St and almost anything to the North of that street. Walkable and peaceful but not really walking distance to much of what you may be interested in. We live off Upper Union and there is a small business section with a couple places to sit on the sidewalk and eat and some other very usable shops. It suits me fine but it sounds like it may be too laid back for what you describe.

I hope someone from Syracuse weighs in, because I would love to hear a good description myself. There is a thread titled something about pictures of downtown Syracuse posted by "bellafinzi", He did a fantastic job of capturing their downtown and from what I see, it is better than what you would find in Troy or Schenectady. You may have to go a page or two deep on the forum to find it
Best wishes

[rug city]

For those seeking jobs, I always lean more toward Albany area since I think it is far more stable than other upstate areas, but I have to say that if that is not a big issue, Syracuse may get my nod between the 3 mentioned. Though I love Troy, I think it is tricky finding a place that is walkable to downtown w/decent schools- same for Schenectady. To me, Syracuse's Armory Square is far ahead of any Capital Region urban shopping/dining districts, though I do believe we're catching up (downtown Troy, Schen, & Albany are changing rapidly).

On the other hand, Capital Region usually has less harsh winters and is more connected to other major cities and of course, Saratoga. I must say it is a tough call, and points out how even diehard urban dwellers face many challenges when opting for city living as opposed to the easy breezy 'burbs.

[chrisruns2far]

Thanks for the feedback averagenyjoe and rug city. I have not been to Schenectady, but have visited Troy and Syracuse once before. I liked both and both have their pros and cons (IMO more pros and cons), but I liked the smaller size of Troy better and the old downtown was amazing when I passed thru there a couple of years ago, and from that I have read, it will only get better. I've read conflicting crime data, some show it just above the national average and other data shows it well below the national average?? What is your take on that?? From what I have been reading Troy, as well as Schenectady and Syracuse are all on the upswing from recent economic and social woes. We are not looking for any nightlife, just like to be able to spend time walking around old downtowns for good coffee, books, food, festivals as well as having close access to outdoor recreation such as running , mountians-hiking, water, parks, etc.

[Sgoldie]

I'm not too familiar with the neighborhoods within Syracuse but there is a section called Tipperery Hill not too far from downtown with relatively decent older affordable houses that you might find interesting. Only a smattering of stores within walking distance but less than 5-10 minutes away from downtown, the Carousel Mall, and the transportation center. There's an adjacent park and it's not far from the zoo. Armory Square is very cool but housing is urban condos.

There is a great initiative right now to energize those gorgeous buildings in the center of downtown. It was recently announced that money was received to improve the near west side of downtown centered around a brand new facility for the local PBS station to be surrounded by artist's loft buildings.

There are some sections of Liverpool by the lake that have their own downtown, are walkable, and not far from the mall or downtown. Even from the suburbs or nearby rural areas (hilly LaFayette) you can get to most places in 15 minutes.

[alexei27]

Choose Schenectady. I have lived in both areas. Troy is definitely cleaning up its act...but Schenectady is as well. Syracuse has a poor economy and worse weather! You are much closer to everything in New England in eastern NY as well.

The list goes on and on but that is a start.

Even better than Schenectady is Niskayuna....chack it out...it is a beautiful town!!

[averagenyjoe]

I think without knowing Syracuse and from what you are describing, I would lean more toward Troy & Schenectady. However, Troy fits a little better than Scht'y only because it is a better "downtown" to walk around and has better niche-market shops. As was said, this area is much closer to some other very nice places like Saratoga which is the ultimate in charm and sidewalk cafe's. Than a short drive to the east will give you Stockbridge, MA, Lenox and some out of this world quaint New England villages. Scht'y has the better options for neighborhoods and Troy is very limited on "great" neighborhoods. there was something in our paper yesterday about how Scht'y crime rate has dropped. Troy gets a worse rap than it really deserves and is mostly lives off its past reputation. There is still outbreaks of crime & drugs but is getting less & less. The city still looks a bit old & tired which also makes it "appear" crime infested but again, not really as bad as people make it out to be. I agree with you 100% about the love for the old architecture. That is one thing that makes living in a large suburban area more tolerable is the great history.
Best wishes

[j12308]

I don't know Syracuse at all. And I'm biased because I live in Schenectady. I admit I do like Troy's downtown better, beautiful buildings. I do like Schenectady, I love our neighborhood, little neighborhood stores w/in walking distance, great neighbors. I love walking around Union College and the GE plot & Stockade neighborhoods as well. I love Vale Park and Cemetary, Proctors for shows, Art Night once a month downtown. If you come check out the city do check out certain neighborhoods for buying...GE plot, "sister plots" across Nott St., Stockade, between Union St. and Grand Blvd, Union Triangle. As far as schools, very bad reputation, however not as bad as what realtors or others (from other towns) will tell you. The postives are free pre-K, all day kindergarten, magnet elementary schools, "houses" in the high school for specialty learning, International Baccalaureate program at HS. Schenectady has neighborhoods and areas that I wouldn't walk around at night or by myself, as I'm sure is how every city is. Schenectady tends to have crime and gangs like any other larger city as well. Schenectady has only gotten better in the few years I've been here, tons of work happening downtown, new restaurants and shops and businesses all the time. I'd recommend visiting, try staying at the new Hampton downtown and see a show at Proctors, and eat out, drive around the areas I mentioned above to get a good feel of the area. Good luck!

[shawn1957]

I currently live in Schenectady, which is about 2hrs from Syracuse and 2.5hrs from NYC. I also lived in Syracuse for 13 years. I'm not from either place originally. I lived in Syracuse because I went to college there and ended up staying after I graduated.
I think that Syracuse has far more to offer, than do Troy or Schenectady, and here are my reasons:
1. More character to the landscape; rolling hills, country side, older neighborhoods with trees and sidewalks. For some reason, trees seem to be sorely lacking in Schenectady, and the Schenectady/Troy area is very seedy looking to me.
2. More sporting and cultural events
3. Pretty much everything is 10 minutes away by car, whether you're driving local streets or the hiway. If you live in Troy or Schenectady, plan on doing alot of driving (in traffic) to get to cultural and sporting events. You'll be driving to Albany alot!
4. Syracuse has nicer downtown area that is centrally located. The city of Syracuse is only 25 square miles in size, with the downtown located right smack in the middle. There are places to shop and eat downtown as the Up-down towners have really built the downtown area of Syracuse up. The coolest part of downtown Syracuse is the Armory Square area. Schenectady downtown has very little to offer in the way of after work hours entertainment.
5. Syracuse offers a plethora of outdoor activities. There are 3 public beaches that I can think of right off the top of my head within 10minutes of most Syracuse neighborhoods; Jamesville, Oneida, and Green Lakes. There are 170 public parks. Syracuse also has a zoo! Public swimming pools and parks in each part of town.
6. Real estate and property taxes are far less than Troy and Schenectady (schenectady being the worst... A $170k house will run you almost $5k in taxes), plus you get more bang for your buck in Syracuse as far as real estate goes, and you're going to find more of those "nice older homes (pre-1940)" that you mentioned.
7. Commutes take about 10 mins, and the traffic is not as hellish as it is when you work in Albany and have to drive home to Schenectady or Troy. You have to take into account that there are commuters from all around Albany, population of just Albany, Troy, Schenectady is around 205k (factor in commuters from Clifton Park, Saratoga, Ballston area and the commute gets hellish); whereas Syracuse is only 147k and the bus system is well utilized
8. Syracuse has a very large regional farmers market every Saturday, great for fresh produce and plants, and a flea market on Sundays. It has the Syracuse Chiefs which is a farm team for the Toronto Bluejays, it has Syracuse Athletics at the Carrier Dome, it has local skiing at Song mountain and Labrador, which are no more than 1/2hr (at most) away.
9. Alot of libraries. You can checkout videos and music at each branch, not just the main branch as is the case in Schenectady libraries.
10. Annual balloon festival in June, the regatta in June, Party in the Plaza (downtown) every Wednesday, the NY State Fair in August. And then there is the Renaissance Festival in nearby Fulton, NY, and the Oswego Harborfest to mention a few.
11. There is a big music culture in Syracuse
12. You can find "joints" in Syracuse. Quaint throwbacks to a different time. Places that seem to be caught in a time warp... duck pin bowling for instance.
Each side of town has it's different ethnic flavor and each has much to offer. My favorite part of town was the Westcott neighborhood. It's more of an artsy well-blended community of professors and working professionals. Everything was in walking distance. Westcott street used to have an insurance office, a grocery store, a movie theatre, a laundromat, a florist, hardware store, a couple bars, a bookstore, a drugstore, restaurants-mexican-middle eastern-pizza-american-chinese, boutiques, a library, even a funeral home. So you could basically live and die in this neighborhood. It still has the restaurants, the bars, the movie theatre, the library, the boutiques, and some other neat stuff... still.. all within walking distance.

The downside to Syracuse is yes, the economy has been hit hard, the weather's not so great, but to be honest, I've experienced more rainy days here in Schenectady than I can ever recall in Syracuse. The snowfall total accumulation is definitely higher in Syracuse, but I like snow. Plus, there are more outdoor dining facilities in Syracuse, because Syracusans like to enjoy the warmer weather when it comes.

I live in Schenectady, and I have found positive things about it, but hands down, I would pick Syracuse over Troy or Schenectady any day.

Good luck on your decision

Originally Posted by chrisruns2far

Hello fellow threaders, posters and city-data dynamos!!!!

We will be moving to Upstate NY next summer to be closer to family. We enjoy living within a city (will never do a subburb, tract home, etc.) with nice older homes (pre-1940) an historic old downtown and being able to walk to many things and leave the car at home and also have short commute times of no more than 20-30 minutes.

We prefer medium size cities (50,000 to 150,000 people) and are looking at either Troy, Schenectady or Syracuse to relocate. Would like to pay cash for an old home in the $120-150K range in an old neighborhood with decent public schools. We will find jobs once to relocate.

Please give us you feedback and we respectfully don't need any info on any subburbs, just the cities themselves - Thanks

[Zyll]

Troy vs Schenectady - I would only say Troy because, from Schenectady it is not easy to get to the rest of the Tri-City area, where most of the jobs are. You pay on the Thruway or take forever on old main roads. If only they had extended Alt-7 to Schenectady, back in the early 80's...