Branchport/Finger Lakes areas (New York, Geneva: homes, employment, school)

[thisbloominglife]

Hi!

I was wondering if anyone could give me any insight into living in the Finger Lakes area of New York - specifically the Branchport area? My husband and I have been looking at an amazing home there which (after selling our home here) we should be able to just about pay cash for, thereby leaving us without a mortgage. We would still of course need to find a source of income to pay for living expenses which never go away (we have this crazy desire to EAT several times a day and have grown quite accustomed to modern conveniences such as running water and electricity - to say nothng of our love of technologies such as this lovely invention known as the Internet! :-p ). We both have good, marketable job skills that could translate well to pretty much any part of the country - my husband having ten plus years experience as an electrical lineman, while I have almost a decade and a half experience as a human resources specialist and am also a part time artist; we are therefore hopeful that at least one of us will be able to find employment to pay for living expenses.

The things that give me pause are:

I understand that the immediate area surrounding he homesite would not offer much in the way of employment opportunities for us; would it be safe to assume that some of the outlying areas beyond Branchport might, and if so, would the commute be a reasonable one - say within 45 minutes each way?

Also, I wonder what the people of the area are like. We would be moving from norhwest Georgia where the people are very nice bit also often a bit clannish. How would the people of the Branchport/Fingerlakes area feel towards "outsiders"? As long as we were friendly and amiable, would they likely react in kind?

We are planning a fact gathering trip up early next year but I thought I might get some good info here as well. Also, ANY info you might like to share about the area is also welcome - it needn't be in direct answer to any of my specific questions.

Oh, and I it matters, we are married without children (therefore school systems are of little concern) thirty-somethings who enjoy small town life and are simply looking for a change of scene and perhaps a bit of adventure. We are in no PARTICULAR rush to move but are looking to do so within the next 1 to 3 years.

Thank you all in advance! :-)
Thank you in advance! :-)

[ckhthankgod]

I think you will be alright. Penn Yan, a nice village, is closest community with much of anything. You could also look for work and enjoy things in places like Geneva, Canandaigua, Corning, Bath and Watkins Glen, among other communities. Keuka College and Keuka Lake are nearby as well.

[Finger Laker]

I'm pretty familiar with Branchport - it's a nice community, but very small

it's on the tip of the west branch of Keuka Lake - the drive up west lake road is beautiful and there are a number of little restaurants & bars to visit

also the wineries along west lake are incredible

you'll also have easy access to keuka lake state park (the beach) and Keuka College

it's definitely country living though - there is a little mainstreet type corridor in branchport, but most of your services will be in Penn Yan which is about 10-15 minutes away

that may also be your best bet of employment

not sure what you do, but you'll probably end up commuting

penn yan is a decent sized community for the area - hammondsport is on the south end of the lake and is a small village, but very nice

dresden is decent sized as well and is about 30 minutes

geneva is about 45 minutes and is a decent sized community as well - home to hobart and william & smith colleges

naples is about 45 minutes in the other direction and is also a decent sized community

bath will take you 30-40 minutes and is the county seat for Steuben County .... some government jobs there

you go another 20-30 minutes and you are in corning which has a little more opportunity

a lot of the jobs in the area trend towards public works (including teaching, police, gov't, etc), service industry and some factory work

I'm not sure what you do, but finding employment may be your biggest challenge

As far as the community - it is close knit and the people who live there have usually been there for generations

however, it has been fairly open ... some areas along the lake can be a little bit snobby, but there is no need to associate with those who will look down on you (or anyone) - they are the minority and suffer from big fish/small pond syndrome

one of my good friends growing up was from Alabama and they were concerned about fitting in, but did just fine

the hardest part is going to be finding employment

if you find employment you just need to make yourself part of the community like you would when moving to anyplace - get involved and be proactive ..... people there are willing and if you have kids they may even get some popularity from being the new kid from the place we don't know much about

other than that you just have to get used to rural living - shopping/services and everything else that you're going to have to drive for, limited selection, etc ..... that is what is starting to wear on my mom and one of the major things that drove me nuts (that and the fishbowl lifestyle)