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I am looking at purchasing a business in Rome. I am going to check out the area, but what can you tell me from experience that a somewhat cursory glance won't? I lived in NE Ohio for 18 years and understand some of the aspects are similar, ie weather.
I'd be on the hiring end rather than the other end, but what is the job situation - is it really so bad? Where are schools best? Any general information as to the culture?
Housing seems very affordable, and taxes seem reasonable? I suppose living in Southern California will make anything in either of those fields look reasonable, though.
I grew up and Rome and have a lot of positive things to say about it. It is true that Rome has suffered since the loss of Griffiss Airforce Base and with the movement of manufacturing firms to other parts of the country and the world. There is not an over-abundance of jobs, but the area is in better economic shape than many may give it credit for.
The schools in Rome consistently perform above the New York State average and per-pupil spending is high. The construction of a new high school five years ago significantly enhanced the quality of education in the area. In the past few years alone, Rome has sent multiple students to nearly all of the Ivy-League institutions.
If you ask me what the most negative part of Rome is, I would say the mindset of its residents who are still bitter that manufacturing jobs have (like in all parts of the country) mostly disappeared. After having traveled throughout the United States and attended school in New Haven, CT, I can honestly say that the quality of life which residents in Rome experience is above average at least.
Housing prices and cost of living are considerably lower than in California or on the East Coast. Though tax rates may be higher, because property is less expensive, residents in Rome do not pay above-average taxes for New York state.
In short, I think that Rome is a fine community with a lot of history and hope for future development, as is demonstrated with the continued revitalization of the downtown district and the growth of the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. I would highly recommend Rome as a place to purchase a business.
As far as school districts, Clinton and New Hartford just outside of Utica, seem to have the best reputations. You can check out school information here:https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/County.do?year=2007&county=Oneida (broken link)
Utica is a city of about 60,000 and Rome has about 32,000. It's a nice and pretty area. Both cities have strong Italian-American communities too. Utica has a strong and generally hard working Bosnia community too. People are generally friendly.
As far as the job situation, it's tough and has seen better days, but it is an area with a lot of potential like the rest of Upstate NY. Here's some information on unemployment in Oneida County:Unemployment Rate: Oneida County, NY, New York; Percent; NSA
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