Syracuse... an important US City 50 years ago (New York, Rochester: violent crime, mortgage)

[johnny99]

Ever hear of thriving Burlington,Vermont? Recommend you take a trip there. Vermont also has a no billboard law which I think would be a great idea for Cuse.

[envision]

I am a recent departure from Syracuse. I was born there, and raised there. Not in the city but in the suburbs in Clay. I went to college in Oswego and then left. Why did I leave Syracuse? There's nothing there. To us young people Syracuse looks like a dead end. It has very very little for jobs and opportunity and it isn't bringing new jobs in. The weather isn't exactly a plus either.

I don't know how to fix Syracuse and I won't pretend to come up with a solution. I don't like where I am now in San Francisco though and I miss Syracuse and New York in general, but I have no options. Syracuse offers me nothing. I feel like this is a huge problem with Syracuse and a main contributor to it's lack of growth. Of course this all goes back to the lack of jobs and the inability to attract jobs as the source of the problem. I have hope for Syracuse, but I also see the current attempts to attract business there as naive. Syracuse does need change and it needs to start with a modernization of Syracuse. If Syracuse has nothing to offer to begin with then why would anybody invest there?

[jrice]

I agree with envision, I grew up in Clay, and love the area a great deal. Moved out west to Vegas when I was 26(about 5 years ago). Problem with Syracuse, in my opinion and the reason why I moved is after I lost my job with Telergy there was nothing as far as a comparable job in the CNY area. Good paying IT jobs are few and far between there. We (my wife and I) miss the east coast and are moving to PA this summer. I wish it could be Syracuse but because of the aforementioned economic reasons we cant.

[Alt Dach]

I grew up in Syracuse,I love Syracuse in the same way I love my
departed Grandfather.Nevertheless they are both dead and have
about an equal chance of revival.
GE left,Carrier left etc etc etc etc and Syracuse died.Even the Elms
which made it so beautiful died.

The US in general is in rapid decline and there is NO will or way to
revive the old rust-belt shells of cities.RIP sweet Salt City.

[ckhthankgod]

It's not a complete loss. At least the University is trying to help revitalize some areas. They are trying to help the near Westside, they are using the old Dunk and Bright Warehouse at the corner of West and West Fayette, they are involved in the Center of Excellence, the campus is changing with the expansion of buildings(academic and athletic) and they are building new campus housing too.

Hopefully the rest of the city will jump on board to help build the city back up again. So, there are some that are trying to build this city back up again.

[bellafinzi]

Originally Posted by Alt Dach

I grew up in Syracuse,I love Syracuse in the same way I love my
departed Grandfather.Nevertheless they are both dead and have
about an equal chance of revival.
GE left,Carrier left etc etc etc etc and Syracuse died.Even the Elms
which made it so beautiful died.

The US in general is in rapid decline and there is NO will or way to
revive the old rust-belt shells of cities.RIP sweet Salt City.

Remember, the city and metro are closely linked. If the region booms, the city will come back too. The city is only 25 sq miles in size. It is no Detroit. It can happen if this State decides to "Let Upstate Be Upstate". My point: it is up to New York State whether the Syracuse area thrives or dies. For example: cutting property taxes(state mandates), business taxes and regulations, investing State money in the area, building up the infrastructure and finding creative ways to grow jobs in Onondaga County. If the Syracuse area thrives, then parts of the city will make a comeback. Of course a few neighborhoods are a lost cause...though you can say same for most cities larger than 100,000 people. Even booming sunbelt cities have run-down crime ridden neighborhoods.

[rochacha]

Originally Posted by bellafinzi

Remember, the city and metro are closely linked. If the region booms, the city will come back too. The city is only 25 sq miles in size. It is no Detroit. It can happen if this State decides to "Let Upstate Be Upstate". My point: it is up to New York State whether the Syracuse area thrives or dies. For example: cutting property taxes(state mandates), business taxes and regulations, investing State money in the area, building up the infrastructure and finding creative ways to grow jobs in Onondaga County. If the Syracuse area thrives, then parts of the city will make a comeback. Of course a few neighborhoods are a lost cause...though you can say same for most cities larger than 100,000 people. Even booming sunbelt cities have run-down crime ridden neighborhoods.

LOL, remember, you are talking about NY State Maybe if you have a politician in the running to replace Bruno you have a chance, but I don't think you do (it did wonders for Albany). Other than that you better hope the Sheeple rise up in a revolution, but when would they watch tv then?

[Classicalguy]

Many of the fastest growing areas, like California and NYC, have high taxes that match NY's. Yes, high taxes discourage growth, but there are a lot of other factors too. Upstate NY was very heavily blue collar industrial, and that work has gone overseas. Rochester is hardly a model of a thriving city. I think we need to encourage more immigration in upstate NY to get things moving.

[Alt Dach]

NY ,like IL, is totally dominated by a city who looks at the rest of the state as a joke.
Worse yet,NYC is the home of Wall Street which views the entire population of the world as merely fodder for its insatiable maw.

[twentyfour01]

Rochester has a higher murder rate than Syracuse, if I'm not mistaken.

Rochester also seems to have a somewhat more gaping distance between rich and poor than Syracuse does. Rochester has tonier suburbs, but also a darker dark side, if you ask me.