Tell me why I SHOULD move to Syracuse :) (Buffalo, Hope: neighborhoods, schools)

[goingreene]

Hi everybody!

We are looking to get outta the south! We're thinking about Buffalo, Syracuse or near Pittsburgh. Can anyone tell me the positive side of life in Syracuse, actually tell me the negatives,too please? I have applied to colleges in all three places, but would like to hear from those of you that really know about the town. Is work easy to come by? Are the people friendly? Schools good? Are there things for the kidlets to do? We all LOVE snow, so that's not an issue.

Thanks, can't wait to hear from you!

[bellafinzi]

In my personal opinion, the Pittsburgh/West Virginia area is one of the most depressing areas of the whole US. I haven't visited much of the US, but I find it hard to believe there is a place more depressing. I found the people weren't very "alive" or energetic either. IMO, people from California (I have cousins from there) are the most outgoing and "alive" people in US. After the west coast, places like New Hampshire on the east coast are next, then maybe parts of the fast growing suburbs in the south, then the suburbs around the major Upstate cities like Syracuse, then the Midwest, then last is Appalachia (which includes Pittsburgh).

If you are looking for lots of snow do not move to Pittsburgh. It only averages 40 inches of snow and it melts fast and turns to a muddy mess. If you are looking for a place with cold rain(40s), mud, clouds and slush in the winter months, then I'd suggest Pittsburgh.

All the colleges in Syracuse are located in neighborhoods that I personally dislike. So your college experience will be extremely different than if you are living and working here. I went to a college in Upstate NY and hated everything about it including the weather...this was in the Southern Tier of NYS. It was awful having to walk between classes in the extreme cold and living way out in the middle of nowhere. That's why I tend not encourage others to go to college in the Syracuse area. The colleges in Syracuse just give the Syracuse area a bad name since they are only session during the worst weather months and all of them are located in less than stellar locations. Chances are you'll come away thinking more about the negatives than the positives of the area.

Normally I don't respond to people asking about going to college in the area because the experience is so different than real life IMO.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by goingreene

Hi everybody!

We are looking to get outta the south! We're thinking about Buffalo, Syracuse or near Pittsburgh. Can anyone tell me the positive side of life in Syracuse, actually tell me the negatives,too please? I have applied to colleges in all three places, but would like to hear from those of you that really know about the town. Is work easy to come by? Are the people friendly? Schools good? Are there things for the kidlets to do? We all LOVE snow, so that's not an issue.

Thanks, can't wait to hear from you!

It depends on what kind of work you are looking for. People are generally nice here. Schools are good up here and if you go to Syracuse city schools, it depends on which ones you go to. Yes, there are things for the kids like the MOST, the Puppet Museum, the NY State Fair and the area is in close proximity to many nice areas like the Finger Lakes, the Adirondacks, the 1000 Islands and so on. Hope this helps.

[jrice]

Some highlights from my perspective:

Great scenery
Beautiful seasons--even winter
down to earth, honest people
great diversity of food--not all chains either
good, and affordable housing market
centrally located--within hours to many major cities
great water system