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3) Village of Liverpool
4) Village of Fayetteville
Third Best
5) Village of North Syracuse
I'd put Liverpool up there with, if not above Manlius and Baldwinsville due to having restaurants/cafes, a library, a grocery store, shops, a big park and more that you can walk to within a smaller village land area. Manlius is similar and B'ville is too, but its grocery store is on the edge of the village. Liverpool has easier access to Syracuse too.
Fayetteville may be higher due to the ability to walk to the Town Center at Fayetteville and it has a couple of small districts(the Limestone Plaza area and its Downtown) that you can walk to as well. It may be the only village where you could do your clothes shopping there as well. Its only drawback may be the hilly bridge on Route 5, but you can also circumvent that, as there is a street that runs under it that you can use instead.
If Skaneateles is included, it is also high on the list, if not first. I say that due to all of the schools in that district are in the village and has a relatively bustling Main Street with a lake view. Cazenovia is similar.
Marcellus is a somewhat overlooked village, which has a nice big park, a grocery store, a few restaurants and shops.
I will also say that Main Street in North Syracuse has quite a few restaurants, ice cream shops, a library nearby, a plaza at each end of the village(north and south), has several parks, some concerts during the summer and other events during the year; as well as its share of apartments. It has the second highest population out of area villages(Baldwinsville has more people).
Solvay and East Syracuse are villages built around industry, but have some walkability. For Solvay, Milton Avenue has a split business district with a concentration in east Solvay(closer to Syracuse) and west Solvay(closer to Fairmount). There is also Westvale Plaza on West Genesee/Charles Avenue.
With East Syracuse, Manlius Street is the Main Street, with some businesses. However, to get to the big box shopping in the southern portion of the village(Walmart/BJ’s/Aldi/etc.), you could walk/bike, but you are looking at crossing 6 lane Bridge Street. So, taking a bus would be better or a short drive.
Both have some apartments/rentals and schools are solid/good.
Lyncourt’s Court Street closer to the North Side of Syracuse has some businesses that people can walk to. There is a park north of the school, which you can walk to(goes up to 8th grade and kids have the option between Solvay or East Syracuse-Minoa HS’s). There are some businesses on/near Teall Avenue(inc. Shop City Plaza), but it isn’t really walkable in that area. There are a few apartment complexes there as well.
Minoa, north of the village of Fayetteville, is another railroad town like East Syracuse. There are some businesses on Main Street/Costello Parkway(named after former NBA player/coach Larry Costello a village native), along with a big park they use for Field Days in the summer. Some businesss are near the tracks on North Main Street. There are some apartments nearby on/off of North Central Street. There is also the newer Minos Farms housing development(watch property taxes though). Solid, quiet village for people that want to be low key/somewhat “country”, but still a short drive to shopping in Fayetteville/East Syracuse or even DeWitt. Green Lakes State Park is nearby as well.
Another area that comes to mind is the DeWittshire/Orvilton area of DeWitt. There are a couple of plaza like areas along East Genesee Street that one could walk to. One has a few Indian/South Asian based businesses along with a new deli, a Chinese takeout, a few other places/etc. Across the street is a Tops and another strip with a pizza place(good slices at Mario & Salvo’s), a bagel spot, Carvel(w/Kosher options), a Chinese spot, the Dark Horse Tavern, a couple of salons, etc. There is a synagogue, medical spa annd law firm across the street from that strip of businesses. You also have Moses DeWitt Elementary within walking distance and the DeWittshire Apartments(not listed/hard to find information). You “could) walk to the huge Fayetteville Wegmans due to having a sidewalk that goes to the plaza it is in, but it is just under 20 minutes/a mile away going under an overpass (and by another small strip of businesses, a bike ride would be under 10 minutes though). If the current ShoppingTown property ever gets developed as planned, the walkability in this area could increase.
A couple of other suburbs with some walkability in parts are Nedrow(town of Onondaga), just south of Syracuse/north of the Onondaga Nation offers some on South Salina Street(Route 11) and on some side streets. It does have one of the best grocery stores in the area in Green Hills Farms, a local, family owned store just south of the city line: https://www.greenhills.com/ You can also walk into Syracuse’s Valley neighborhood from there via South Salina Street.
Another one is Mattydale in the town of Salina, north of Syracuse. Much of the walkabilty comes for those on/very close to Brewerton Road(Route 11)/Le Moyne Avenue, which has a few restaurants, a few commercial strip plazas, an older movie theater(The Hollywood: Hollywood Theatre - Zurich Cinemas - Proudly serving Mattydale, New York with the latest movies from Hollywood ), along with some big box shopping further north(inc. a couple of bigger plazas(Northern Lights Plaza & Mattydale Plaza), but that have vacancies). There is a library, a couple of schools(used to have a Catholic school too), but also could use some commercial/mixed use infill on Brewerton Road in parts.
Fairmount in the town of Camillus is similar to those two, as West Genesee(inc. Fairmount Fair shopping center) is the only street/area with sidewalks. It is a major shopping location in the Western suburbs.
Something else to consider is that some of these suburban communities have better CENTRO Bus coverage. For instance, Nedrow gets good coverage along South Salina Street: https://www.centro.org/docs/default-...rsn=a1b6399d_2
I will also say that Main Street in North Syracuse has quite a few restaurants, ice cream shops, a library nearby, a plaza at each end of the village(north and south), has several parks, some concerts during the summer and other events during the year; as well as its share of apartments. It has the second highest population out of area villages(Baldwinsville has more people).
Solvay and East Syracuse are villages built around industry, but have some walkability. For Solvay, Milton Avenue has a split business district with a concentration in east Solvay(closer to Syracuse) and west Solvay(closer to Fairmount). There is also Westvale Plaza on West Genesee/Charles Avenue.
With East Syracuse, Manlius Street is the Main Street, with some businesses. However, to get to the big box shopping in the southern portion of the village(Walmart/BJ’s/Aldi/etc.), you could walk/bike, but you are looking at crossing 6 lane Bridge Street. So, taking a bus would be better or a short drive.
Both have some apartments/rentals and schools are solid/good.
Lyncourt’s Court Street closer to the North Side of Syracuse has some businesses that people can walk to. There is a park north of the school, which you can walk to(goes up to 8th grade and kids have the option between Solvay or East Syracuse-Minoa HS’s). There are some businesses on/near Teall Avenue(inc. Shop City Plaza), but it isn’t really walkable in that area. There are a few apartment complexes there as well.
Minoa, north of the village of Fayetteville, is another railroad town like East Syracuse. There are some businesses on Main Street/Costello Parkway(named after former NBA player/coach Larry Costello a village native), along with a big park they use for Field Days in the summer. Some businesss are near the tracks on North Main Street. There are some apartments nearby on/off of North Central Street. There is also the newer Minoa Farms housing development(watch property taxes though). Solid, quiet village for people that want to be low key/somewhat “country”, but still a short drive to shopping in Fayetteville/East Syracuse or even DeWitt. Green Lakes State Park is nearby as well.
Another area that comes to mind is the DeWittshire/Orvilton area of DeWitt. There are a couple of plaza like areas along East Genesee Street that one could walk to. One has a few Indian/South Asian based businesses along with a new deli, a Chinese takeout, a few other places/etc. Across the street is a Tops and another strip with a pizza place(good slices at Mario & Salvo’s), a bagel spot, Carvel(w/Kosher options), a Chinese spot, the Dark Horse Tavern, a couple of salons, etc. There is a synagogue, medical spa and law firm across the street from that strip of businesses. You also have Moses DeWitt Elementary within walking distance and the DeWittshire Apartments(not listed/hard to find information). You “could) walk to the huge Fayetteville Wegmans due to having a sidewalk that goes to the plaza it is in, but it is just under 20 minutes/a mile away going under an overpass (and by another small strip of businesses, a bike ride would be under 10 minutes though). If the current ShoppingTown property ever gets developed as planned, the walkability in this area could increase.
A couple of other suburbs with some walkability in parts are Nedrow(town of Onondaga), just south of Syracuse/north of the Onondaga Nation offers some on South Salina Street(Route 11) and on some side streets. It does have one of the best grocery stores in the area in Green Hills Farms, a local, family owned store just south of the city line: https://www.greenhills.com/ You can also walk into Syracuse’s Valley neighborhood from there via South Salina Street.
Another one is Mattydale in the town of Salina, north of Syracuse. Much of the walkabilty comes for those on/very close to Brewerton Road(Route 11)/Le Moyne Avenue, which has a few restaurants, a few commercial strip plazas, an older movie theater(The Hollywood: Hollywood Theatre - Zurich Cinemas - Proudly serving Mattydale, New York with the latest movies from Hollywood ), along with some big box shopping further north(inc. a couple of bigger plazas(Northern Lights Plaza & Mattydale Plaza), but that have vacancies). There is a library, a couple of schools(used to have a Catholic school too), but also could use some commercial/mixed use infill on Brewerton Road in parts.
Fairmount in the town of Camillus is similar to those two, as West Genesee(inc. Fairmount Fair shopping center) is the only street/area with sidewalks. It is a major shopping location in the Western suburbs.
I'd put Liverpool up there with, if not above Manlius and Baldwinsville due to having restaurants/cafes, a library, a grocery store, shops, a big park and more that you can walk to within a smaller village land area. Manlius is similar and B'ville is too, but its grocery store is on the edge of the village. Liverpool has easier access to Syracuse too.
Fayetteville may be higher due to the ability to walk to the Towne Center at Fayetteville and it has a couple of small districts(the Limestone Plaza area and its Downtown) that you can walk to as well. It may be the only village where you could do your clothes shopping there as well. Its only drawback may be the hilly bridge on Route 5, but you can also circumvent that, as there is a street that runs under it that you can use instead.
If Skaneateles is included, it is also high on the list, if not first. I say that due to all of the schools in that district are in the village and has a relatively bustling Main Street with a lake view. Cazenovia is similar.
Marcellus is a somewhat overlooked village, which has a nice big park, a grocery store, a few restaurants and shops.
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