Syracuse (New York, Buffalo, Rochester: crime, buying a house, neighborhoods)

[CharmCity]

I'm considering a relocating to Syracuse. I'm interested in buying a house in the city. I'm not concerned about the schools. I've lived in downtown Baltimore for 20 years, so I can handle the crime and grime of living in an urban setting. I'm interested in funky neighborhoods that might be on the verge of rebirth. I'd like something where I can walk to little shops and restaurants. A nearby college would be nice, too. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[spike1611]

Hi. I've lived in Syracuse for almost 10 years, and I love it to death. Every time I go away to college, I long to come home...not because of homesickness, but because no place is like Syracuse.

I've been to 49 states and 9 countries. I've lived in Zambia, Africa, for 4 years. I've lived in a LOT of places. But nothing is quite like Syracuse.

Minimum wage is going up, crime is going down, schools (although still without prayer in them) seem to be picking up a little bit.

The hospitals here put all others to shame. Crouse, St. Joe's, University, and others. They are amazing.

The fact that Syracuse is a test market area means that we get some great products before anyone else. From fast food to general merchandise, we are the ones who the restaurants and stores rely on for our input.

So we get some pretty wacky menu choices sometimes.

Syracuse is located right off the Thruway, 81, 690, and 481. It's the perfect junction city. Everything is right where it needs to be.

There's a niche for EVERYTHING here. If you like something no one else does, you'll probably find someone in this great city who agrees with you.

Carousel Mall, Great Northern Mall, and Shoppingtown Mall are all within Syracuse, and the Carousel Mall (although facing many obstacles) is looking to become "DestiNY USA", the largest mall in the world. Sweet.

No place is perfect. Our weather stinks sometimes, and the roads...well, they try their best, I really believe that. But there's some rough times in the winter here.

Niagara Mohawk, the electric company, is generally pretty mean. That's the whole NYS consensus, I'll bet! I believe they seek to make people pull out their hair.

But Syracuse, as a whole, has everything. Syracuse University (National Champions in 2003), OCC, and OCC BOCES are among the schools here. Of course, there are scores of others.

The schools, such as North Syracuse Junior High, Cicero-North Syracuse, Fowler, Cocoran, West Genesee, East-Syracuse Minoa, and others, are generally pretty good. The bus system is excellent, and security is tight.

Seriously, there's not a lot of wackos in Syracuse. Only the politicians.

Matt Driscoll is our mayor, and I'll leave what we think of him up to the websites or something. It doesn't matter. He's our mayor.

Well, I know that this post is long, and you've probably missed a kid's birthday party while reading this thing. But I definitely recommend Syracuse, and I know Syracuse would love to have you.

Thanks for reading, friend.

P.S. Oh, I forgot about the shops you wanted to walk to. Syracuse (besides NYC) is the only place I've been that I actually can do that! And I enjoy it VERY VERY much. The best place to do that, actually, is right on the outskirts of downtown, by the hospitals (the hospitals are all located very close together). Maybe we'll run into each other, no? Have a great one.

[christinalackey]

You should become a Syracuse spokesperson. What a beautiful description of our fine city- well said.

[NooYowkur81]

I like Syracuse a lot from an outsider's point of view. It is a little too cold for me though. I mostly like it from a business point of view. I think it has a lot of upside potential and it is affordable.

[vicarian]

Up and coming neighbourhoods? Hawley-Green is an up and coming neighbourhood, popular among same-sex couples. Little Italy, is improving little by little. And of course, the residential revitalisation of downtown can't be missed.

[Orwelleaut]

I'm from Ashtabula, Ohio, on the PA border East of Cleveland.

I'll also say that Syracuse is very nice. Weather is a little rough in the winter, more lake effect snow than places like Cleveland and Erie, PA, that have plenty of snow. The payoff is the gorgeous summers that rarely get too hot, as nice as I've ever experienced. While winters are extremely snowy, they are no colder than in Ohio, where our summers are hotter.

I've enjoyed my trips to this part of New York State. Low cost of living, beautiful scenery, many interesting museums and cultural activities, and very pleasant, friendly folks living here. To me, being from Ohio and having traveled in New England, the mentality here is Midwestern compared to other parts of the East I have visited. I don't hear much of a regional accent here like elsewhere in the East, and folks seem easy going and down to earth, and more talkative than New Englanders and folks in Eastern PA. The pace of life seems more sensible here than other places in the East, and people don't seem so nervous. If I had to move East, Central NY would be my first choice!!

[arcturus]

Hello I lived in Syracuse for a few years and just loved the artist community there. Coming from Rochester I felt very safe, much saver than Baltimore. I lived in Manlius and loved it.

[CharmCity]

Originally Posted by arcturus

Hello I lived in Syracuse for a few years and just loved the artist community there. Coming from Rochester I felt very safe, much saver than Baltimore. I lived in Manlius and loved it.

I lived in Rochester for a few years and absolutely LOVED it. It's actually my first choice among places in NY to move to. I was actually raised in Geneseo and have lived in Fredonia, the Buffalo area and Oneonta. So, I'm quite familiar with the climate and the way of life in Upstate NY. I've been to Syracuse a number of times, but it's been quite a few years and I never looked at it as a possible place to live, so this is new territory for me in that respect.

[movinback08]

I will be moving back to CNY next year. I have been in Florida for about 21 years and just hate it. I grew up in northern NY and near Ithaca. I plan to settle in Syracuse. Matter of fact I was just up there for 2 wks and experienced beautiful spring weather-for a day , rain and snow-but loved every minute of it. I actually met with a realtor to establish a relationship and talk about neighborhoods. If you are looking for interesting up and coming areas I would suggest the University area and Strathmore-both are beautiful and full of gorgeous older homes in all types of styles. I have decided to focus on the university/east Syracuse area. Strathmore seemed to be surrounded by some tough areas and as a single woman I did not want to have to drive though the areas all the time. I know there are many other great neighborhoods to pick from so this is a suggestion to get you started.

[bellafinzi]

spike1611, fantastic post!

CharmCity, did you make the move to Syracuse?