Lafayette, Camillus, Baldwinsville...? (Syracuse, Clay, Lysander: apartment, to rent, crime)

[cpiseco]

So, my girl and I are narrowing our apartment search down to these few towns and were looking for some more info on them. What could you guys tell me about Lafayette, Camillus and Baldwinsville?

Are there any "downtown" areas in any of those towns? Are they recommended places to live? Safe, quiet or are there things to do in any of those areas?

Do you have suggestions for any other towns to rent a place in?

[Sgoldie]

Lafayette has a gas station, a school, a diner, an auto repair, a tiny hardware store further down the road, and a McD's along Rt 81. It is rural and very hilly. There are one or two small apt places with nothing else around them. If you want quiet, that would be a good spot.

Camillus & B'ville are much bigger. B'ville has it's down little downton and runs along the canal system. Camillus is more suburbanish and close to Rt 81. Both are about the same size and both are equally close to shopping.

[Ham Sandwich]

Originally Posted by Sgoldie

Lafayette has a gas station, a school, a diner, an auto repair, a tiny hardware store further down the road, and a McD's along Rt 81. It is rural and very hilly. There are one or two small apt places with nothing else around them. If you want quiet, that would be a good spot.

Camillus & B'ville are much bigger. B'ville has it's down little downton and runs along the canal system. Camillus is more suburbanish and close to Rt 81. Both are about the same size and both are equally close to shopping.

I second Sgoldie's appraisal of Lafayette--it's small, quiet...basically a tiny rural town.

There's also a "Dollar General" there and a local honky-tonk called "the Lafayette Inn" which on Wed. nights in the summer features various Harley groups coming in--and NO, I'm not talking "the Mongols" or "H*ll's Angels"...It's groups consisting of CPAs and dentists who own very nice, very well maintained bikes... They come to the Inn to engage in karyoke and tip back a few Miller lites.

In the autumn, LaFayette becomes a bustling little hamlet as people from all over the area flock to "the Apple Festival" just outside the town on Rt. 20. there are games, rides (not very big ones) LOTs of homemade apple pies, and acre after acre of crafts people and artisans (both locally and from all over the US) selling their wares. There's also entertainment...

The town also has several churches, a couple of local attorney's offices, one funeral home, a pizza place, a dog kennel, an optometrist... BUT (and here's the best part)...It's a 6 mile, straight shot up the I81 into the heart of downtown. You are 6 minutes from everything, but in a very "country" atmosphere where everyone seems to know everyone. Not a lot of crime going on... and yet, it seems well patrolled...that's because there's a substation near-by.

[bellafinzi]

All those towns are safe...

I'd rank these places in this order (only my opinion)

1. Baldwinsville
The Van Buren part of Baldwinsville isn't as nice as the Lysander part. So as long as you live north of the Seneca River, this is a very nice community IMO.

Why do I like the Baldwinsville area so much?

-has a nice downtown
-is located on the Erie Canal with its own lock
-is far enough from the City so that the depressing aura of the City does not impact you
-is close to major shopping malls on Route 31 in Clay
-is growing/feels alive and is not as stagnant as many other communities in CNY
-has beautiful rolling terrain
-good highway access with 690 or 481

2. Camillus

Good points

-active suburban feel
-beautiful hills
-close to shopping plazas and retail stores
-good highway access
-good school district

Bad points

-The City is very close, so many people from the City do their shopping in Camillus
-parts of Camillus are little depressing
-narrow country roads.....widening roads in the Western suburbs must not be a priority

3. Lafayette

-rural
-with no southern suburbs, major shopping malls are very far away
-you'll probably feel like an outsider looking in on Metropolitan Syracuse since it's so isolated

Hope this helps a little!

[cpiseco]

Baldwinsville seems to have a nice little downtown. How are the shops? Are there some good places to eat and enjoy a drink or two? Thanks!

[bellafinzi]

Places to eat in B'ville....assuming these restaurants are still open

Lock 24 Restaurant
Blue Water Grill
B'Ville Diner
Johnny Angel's Heavenly Burgers
Lake Effect sports bar

-a couple are located right-on the Erie Canal

Plus many little shops (sorry..don't know much about them) in Baldwinsville along with a new ice skating rink too.