Pictures of Syracuse’s largest suburb –Clay, NY (New York, Buffalo: crime, new house)

[cuse]

Thanks for the Westvale pictures. Seeing Bishop Ludden High School really brought back some memories. I went there in the 80's. I've heard that the enrollment has been on a decline ever since. You post some wonderfull pictures!

[bellafinzi]

Thanks cuse!

msnewyork, You're welcome! Snowfall varies considerably in the Syracuse area due the Lake Effect snow. For example, the northern suburbs could get 5 inches of snow, but the western suburbs get nothing but flurries. Lake Effect is a rather funny weather event for those who don't grow up with it. In one suburban town it can be a nice sunny winter day, but in the next town over they get a blizzard. It can snow with the sun out here because the wind blows the snow outside the main snow band. Many times you'll hear that school is closed for just certain school districts in Oswego county, the county north of Syracuse, due to a snowstorm, but in the Syracuse area not even an inch of snow falls. It all depends on the wind direction off Lake Ontario where the snowfall occurs.

Where the Syracuse Airport is located in northern DeWitt, it averages about 115 inches of snow a year. That's the most snow for any large metropolitan area in the US. Quebec City in Canada gets about 135 inches of snow a year, Montreal gets about 90 inches of snow a year.... just to compare Syracuse with other cities you may have heard about. Every year its very different though. For example a couple years ago Syracuse only had about 70 inches of snow, but the next year it got over 130 inches. It all depends on the number of nor-easters and the wind direction off Lake Ontario during the winter.

In an average year, Syracuse gets a few inches of snow starting in November, but this year we didn't get snow until December. Then December, January, February, and March Syracuse gets snow. By April, most years its too warm for snow... as the average highs are in the 50s by then so snowfall is unlikely, when it does happen it usually would melt on the same day due to high angle of the sun. Syracusans like to talk about snow in May, but it only happened twice in the history of record keeping. The average high temperature in May is in the upper 60s. Here is a little chart I put together so you can see the Average High Temperatures in Syracuse for the first half and second half of each month:

1st half of January 32
2nd half of January 31
1st half of February 32
2nd half of February 35
1st half of March 39
2nd half of March 46
1st half of April 53
2nd half of April 59
1st half of May 66
2nd half of May 71
1st half of June 76
2nd half of June 79
1st half of July 81
2nd half of July 82
1st half of August 81
2nd half of August 78
1st half of September 74
2nd half of September 69
1st half of October 64
2nd half of October 57
1st half of November 52
2nd half of November 45
1st half of December 39
2nd half of December 35

Two summers ago Syracuse had 26 days that reached 90 degrees or above. So summers can get hot here. This year Syracuse only a few days above 90 degrees. Generally, May is the start of nice weather and November is the start of the cold winter weather. April is one the worst months IMO because while the rest of the country is warming up faster, Upstate NY can still be in the 40s and 50s with cloudy days. Also, by March and April everyone is looking forward to Spring so if the weather is cold people complain more. The temperatures in Upstate NY are very similar to Toronto Canada, so its not like there are no large world class Metropolitan areas with similar weather patterns. Many people think Syracuse is colder than many other areas because of snow, but its not true. The temperatures are in Syracuse and Toronto are very alike year around, but Syracuse is on the side of the lake that gets the snow off the lake, and Toronto is not. That's the real difference. Here's some interesting facts about Syracuse weather: Syracuse has more days per year in which the temperature is above 60F than days with snow on the ground. Syracuse averages 9 days below 0 degrees, Minneapolis averages 34 days below 0 degrees. Average Precipitation in Syracuse each year is about 38 inches, Charlotte averages 43 inches. Syracuse has only reached 100 degrees 4 times in recorded history.

If you really hate snow, Syracuse is probably not a good place to move. But if you don't mind it, the snow plows usually do a good job of clearing snow here and making the roads safe during the winter. The local Airport rarely closes due to snow and the schools close only about 4 or 5 times a year due to snow because everyone here is so used to it and have the equipment to deal with it.

To give you an idea how winter is here so far....to date Syracuse has got about 10 inches of snow this year and the next two weeks highs are supposedly going to be in the 40s so most of it will melt.

Hope this helps!

[YahYouBetcha]

that's where my aunt & uncle live! i love it!

[msnewyork]

Thank you so much Bellafinzi for that very detailed response. I do very much appreciate all of your help.

[Hartwick]

Okay...great pictures; area looks very appealing and new. However, show us some pictures of Syracuse during one of your famous blizzards when you're getting socked by all that lake effect snow Syracuse is so famous for. Sure, your city and suburbs have all that snow removal equipment, but they have it for a reason...it snows big time up there!! How many feet of snow have you had the past two winters? Tne feet? Twelve feet? Fourteen feet? I always thought Binghamton winters are bad, but they are mild compared to Syracuse's.

[bellafinzi]

You sound like one of the people who keeps writing letters to the Syracuse newspaper saying that we shouldn't tell the rest of the world how nice the Syracuse area is or else we might turn into a over-crowded city. Me, personally, I want the area to grow. You and some other people with agendas want to paint a negative picture about Syracuse so you can keep Syracuse all to yourself. Why keep Syracuse a secret forever? Saying Syracuse has "just enough" of everything isn't really true either. Many young people can't have good jobs and need to move away. So we will never have "just enough" jobs as you like you say. I don't believe in only pointing out "negative things" about Syracuse to stop people from moving here.

[bellafinzi]

msnewyork, you're welcome! I'll be happy to answer any other questions you may have.

[bellafinzi]

If it ever snows here again , I'll try to get some snow pics for everyone.

The following pictures were taken this past fall. The first couple pictures are of newer neighborhoods in the Liverpool School district in the western part of Clay. The zip code address is called Liverpool. The next neighborhood photos are of southeastern Clay (where I live) in the North Syracuse school district. The Zip code Address is either North Syracuse or Liverpool. The last couple pictures are of the main retail corridor on Route 31 in northern Clay.

[bellafinzi]

Winter in CNY! After nearly a month without any snow, it's finally here!

These are photos of a Town of Clay neighborhood built in the 1970s. Clay boomed in the 1970s and 1980s, therefore there are many neighborhoods from that era. Most of these homes are valued around $100,000. This particular development is in southeastern Clay in the North Syracuse school district.

Snowy Clay

[homansweets]

Well Hello "neighbor" Just got here a week ago yesterday....what a change in weather though since then! At least it held out for the drive up here & unloading our truck!

We are in the newer subdivision off of Route 31, I like our house & beginning to learn a little bit about how to get to places. But man, you were right about some of the older houses out this way outside the new subdivision! So, how far are you away from me then? Your neighborhood looks really nice, haven't seen that part of town yet.

Well, getting settled in, I feel like a huge "outsider" at times though being clear from Iowa! My son started his first day at school here today, but his old school was all day where this is only half day (2 1/2 hrs is just not enough!) Other than shopping & eating out, haven't ventured out too much yet. I am thinking with the colder temps coming & eventually more snow, I will just hibernate I haven't forgotten about your cake though, lol, I made my neighbors some cupcakes yesterday when I introduced myself to them....
Have a nice weekend, I am thinking of heading to the mall in Syracuse again this weekend, it is so big that I think I only made it a 1/3 of the way thru last weekend!