Syracuse (New York, Clay, Manlius: fit in, crime, houses)

[EternalNomad]

i have been to syracuse but it was a long time ago and i cannot remember it very well.
my husband may take a job in syracuse. we would have 3 children in elementary school at that time. Can anyone give me any info about syracuse and the surrounding areas? what school districts are some of the better ones/worst ones?

Is there any info i should know about the area? i realize there is a lot of snow.

i did look at prices of flights in and out of syracuse (family may want to visit). Fares seemed awfully high. Am i missing something? is there a low cost carrier or smaller airport that people normally use but i just havent found it?
Thank you for any and all advice

[DGC]

AA just eliminated it's non stop service to D/FW however they offer connections through thier Chicago hub. But keep your eye on the weather channel before your journey into the Chicago snow .

[boomvang]

The search feature is your friend, use it and you will find many threads both pro and con regarding the Syracuse area. Personally, we like it here and find both the areas' beauty and the friendly people to be a real advantage. Hancock is the only major airport in the area, and while I don't know about airfare from the mid-west, I can say that the fares to Florida are not much higher from here than from the major NYC airports.

[EternalNomad]

i am not sure what gave the impression that i am from the midwest, but i was looking more at airfare from philly, pa or greenville, sc.

so, do any of you have children? do you like the school districts? are there any that are known as the best or worst in the area?
would you recommend living right in syracuse or on the outskirts?

[boomvang]

No kids, but I do get to pay for one of the better school districts in New York! Taxes are very high, depending on where you move.Most here would recommend avoiding living in the actual city, as some of the schools are less than stellar and crime is can be a factor. Most suburbs are very safe, and most schools are quite good, although there can be quite a variance. There has been much discussion on this board about this, I do recommend doing a search, as folks who have lived here longer than me would know much more about the best schools, suburbs and so on. I can say that the areas to the east of Syracuse, IE Fayettville, Manlius, and Dewitt are all quite nice. Good luck in your search.

[Raven The Dark]

If your moving to Syracuse I would probably live on the outskirts a bit. The city kind of sucks i've lived there for 18 years. The city schools SUCK Fowler is the better of the 4 city highschools in my oppinion. Bishop Ludden, Grimes, and CBA I personally wouldn't reccommend either for high schools their just all hype... As for elementary schools you'd have to research that my elementary school isn't there anymore so I couldn't refer you to it lol Your better off living in Baldwinsville or Camillus. Both are close to syracuse and they have a better school district.

Syracuse is one of the snowiest cities in the country so be aware of that. Oh most people don't realize this but Carousel mall is the ONLY thing keeping Syracuse alive... Just thought i'd share that. Lets see the city needs a total revamp because it looks like crap, and nobody seems to care...

Yeah there arent a whole lot of positive sides to living in syracuse so my oppinion live on the out skirts of it.

[skaneatelesmom]

I live in Skaneateles, one of the suburbs of Syracuse. I can't give you a lot of information about the city itself, or some of the other suburbs, but I can tell you about my town. I grew up outside of NYC in Ct and we chose Skaneateles for a few reasons. The first and foremost one was the fact that we were impressed with the school system. I have four kids (ages 7-16) and the fit in the schools has been very good. The classes are not too big and there is a wide variety of courses in the high school. I also like the sense of community here in town. People seem to really care about each other. I am sure this sense of community exits in the other towns, but because Skaneateles is so small, it really stands out.
Skaneateles isn't for everyone. Everyone on the boards will tell you how expensive it is to live here. It is true that houses cost more here than say, Syracuse, but many people feel our schools and beautiful parks and lake front help to justify that cost. It is also very snowy here. I've found people adjust and continue to be active. Very few things get cancelled due to weather here. SKaneateles loves its arts and its sports. We have concerts in the gazebo and very well attended high school football games (despite the fact that our team um, is not so great).
I'm sure you'll get lots of info from the other posters. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Jo

[Raven The Dark]

Originally Posted by skaneatelesmom

I live in Skaneateles, one of the suburbs of Syracuse. I can't give you a lot of information about the city itself, or some of the other suburbs, but I can tell you about my town. I grew up outside of NYC in Ct and we chose Skaneateles for a few reasons. The first and foremost one was the fact that we were impressed with the school system. I have four kids (ages 7-16) and the fit in the schools has been very good. The classes are not too big and there is a wide variety of courses in the high school. I also like the sense of community here in town. People seem to really care about each other. I am sure this sense of community exits in the other towns, but because Skaneateles is so small, it really stands out.
Skaneateles isn't for everyone. Everyone on the boards will tell you how expensive it is to live here. It is true that houses cost more here than say, Syracuse, but many people feel our schools and beautiful parks and lake front help to justify that cost. It is also very snowy here. I've found people adjust and continue to be active. Very few things get cancelled due to weather here. SKaneateles loves its arts and its sports. We have concerts in the gazebo and very well attended high school football games (despite the fact that our team um, is not so great).
I'm sure you'll get lots of info from the other posters. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Jo

I have to say that seems about right. If I could afford it I would consider living there lol

[EternalNomad]

thank you that info is very helpful. so how long would the commute be from skaneateles? (and how do you pronounce that?)

i dont mind a small town. i dont mind a rural setting either. i just want a safe, peaceful place that my kids would thrive and learn and be happy. i would prefer to have access to some other larger cities or interesting towns but you cant have everything.

my husband is military and i realize there is no major base up there, but he would be working at the reserve branch in syracuse.
that is why i am asking about the commute time.

i will have to look up the homes on trulia and see how expensive it is.

anyone else who has info i would appreciate hearing it!

[bellafinzi]

Originally Posted by EternalNomad

i have been to syracuse but it was a long time ago and i cannot remember it very well.
my husband may take a job in syracuse. we would have 3 children in elementary school at that time. Can anyone give me any info about syracuse and the surrounding areas? what school districts are some of the better ones/worst ones?

Is there any info i should know about the area? i realize there is a lot of snow.

i did look at prices of flights in and out of syracuse (family may want to visit). Fares seemed awfully high. Am i missing something? is there a low cost carrier or smaller airport that people normally use but i just havent found it?
Thank you for any and all advice

Best school districts:
Fayetteville-Manlius
Jamesville-DeWitt
Westhill
West Genesee
Skaneateles
Baldwinsville

Worst school districts:
Syracuse City Schools
Solvay
Central Square

Nice places to live:
-outside the city limits
-Baldwinsville, Manlius, Camillus...too many to name

Nice semi-rural places to live:
Skaneateles
Cazenovia
Marcellus area

Nice suburban villages - communities with sidewalks etc.:
Baldwinsville
Liverpool
Fayetteville
Manlius

Where not to live?
-East Syracuse, Minoa, Solvay, Mattydale, City, Nedrow, Lakeland

Syracuse northern suburbs:
-communities include Baldwinsville, Cicero, Clay, Liverpool
-mostly flat
-fastest growing
-many convenient stores and restaurants
-most transit population in the region

Syracuse eastern suburbs:
-communities include Manlius, Fayetteville, DeWitt, Jamesville, Pompey
-mostly hilly
-the most upscale area

Syracuse western suburbs:
-communities include Camillus, Onondaga Hill, Westvale
-mostly hilly
-some areas are isolated

Hope this helps!