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Ok....I'm considering making a pretty big move and I need your help! I'm a young (24) professional female considering a move to the upstate NY area. I'm originally from Nashville, moved to San Diego, then to Charlotte, NC. I just received an awesome job offer to work in Rome, NY. The manager I would be working for recommended living in the Syracuse area and commuting. After looking at Mapquest and noticing the commute would be an hour, naturally I was very discouraged. First question....is it smart to commute that far? Second question, where would a safe, yet interesting place be for a young woman? Diversity is a huge plus! I would say my preference is:
Being a young professional, I would also advise living in the Syracuse area. Since Rome is quite a commute, for diversity and a more white collar area, I would choose the east side of Syracuse, more specifically the Westcott Neighborhood (zip code 13210, this is just east of Syracuse University) and perhaps DeWitt or East Syracuse which are suburbs that are east of the city of Syracuse and in close proximity to the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) which would be your main commuting route to Rome. Keep in mind both East Syracuse and DeWitt are still going to be about 45 minutes from Rome with the east side of Syracuse being around 50 minutes. Although this area gets hammered with snow, the interstates and secondary roads are very well maintained.
If you want a more urban environment with a greater variety of activities I would suggest Downtown Syracuse which has a popular entertainment district with bars, nightclubs, boutiques and restaurants called Armory Square. The Westcott neighborhood, I mentioned earlier also has a business district with a concert venue, ethnic restaurants, a bookstore and several small shops. Downtown Syracuse is about an hour from Rome, maybe slightly less.
Another option may also be Liverpool, which is a somewhat diverse suburb just north of Syracuse and directly off of Interstate 90. Due to a large concentration of apartment complexes, Liverpool has some young professionals, though has a very suburban feel and lacks the density of a city like Syracuse.
Two areas closer to Rome that are also safe and desirable are New Hartford and Clinton. New Hartford is directly west of Utica (20 minutes from Rome) and has a typical strip with shopping centers and a regional mall. Clinton, a college town home to Hamilton College is probably about 20 minutes from Rome. Both communities, however are not very diverse (with the exception of professors and students at Hamilton College and some of the doctors that reside in New Hartford) and have few young professionals.
Just to clarify, Rome has some desirable neighborhoods as well, however they tend to have more middle-aged professionals as opposed to young professionals.
With Rome, it's actually a somewhat diverse city and it is safe. I don't know about the nightlife there though.
Utica might also be an option as it is pretty diverse and is only about 15 minutes away from Rome. You might like Utica's South or North sides of the city. There are some nice parts of the East side by Proctor High School and by the Parkway.
Like Rolls said though, Syracuse is your best bet as for what you are looking for and his/her post pretty summed up the neighborhoods I would look at.
Also, with that commute, I would look at getting EZ Pass for the Thruway. it would probably save you more in the long run.
Here's some more information you might like to check out:City of Utica, Home
Besides Syracuse, both Utica and Rome, I believe have all the other things in terms of hair salons, churches and restaurants(Utica for sure, but not sure about Rome though), among other things.
You might want to try asking the possible new employer if anyone else is commuting from Syracuse and car pooling. For long trips like that it's nice to have the option of driving on your own or sleeping in the back while someone else drives
Someone else I know makes that commute but she works longer hours 3 or 4 days a week so that she doesn't need to drive out there all 5 days. That might also be an option for you if the job is open to that.
The nice thing about that commute is that it is a fairly straight forward trip with minimal traffic. Like others said, it does snow a lot but the thruway is kept very clear and well salted. People in this area don't let snow keep them down and have great snow removal programs.
I agree with others that the Utica/Rome area has some nice areas for families but if your looking for a younger, diverse crowd then Syracuse is a better bet. I agree with Rollsroyce and CkhthankGod the the Wescott area/East Side of Syracuse and Downtown are probably most like what your looking for.
I can see why your employer suggested that. If you were older with a family Rome would be fine, but in your situation, you'll probably be happier in Syracuse. The suggestions given so far seem right on target. Good luck!
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