Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi!-- My gal and I are New Yorkers; she, a native, and I, having lived previously in Chicago, St. Louis & Dallas.
We are looking to relocate to the Rochester, NY area sometime after October, 2008, and are interested in learning anything we can about where is good to live, and perhaps, more importantly, where is good NOT to live!!
We are not averse to living in culturally diverse areas, but do want to stay clear of any areas known as "crime hotspots"....
We're looking to find a nice pair of 2-3BR houses (her elderly parents will likely be moving, as well), that would be reasonably priced (Under $130K), in a nice, quiet (SAFE) area, and would be walking distance to Public Transportation and decent grocery stores.
I own a Cleaning Company here in NYC, and will likely be opening up a branch of it in Rochester, unless I decide to take on other employment opportunities, but she will need to have a job in the city, doing administrative work.
Any info you could offer as far as where NOT to look for housing would be appreciated, as well as any info about Irish neighborhoods, waterfront-area housing prices, and ease of transport to the city.
The only two area's you have listed above that I would suggest NOT looking in would be the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood and the 19th Ward. Susan B. Anthony is a bad neighborhood altogether, lots of crime, run down etc. The 19th ward is nicer, with many historic homes and a diverse population....but it is basically in an "island" in the city, because the rest of the area around it (the 11th ward) is pretty bad. When you say "East Rochester", do you mean the east side of the city of Rochester, or the actual village of East Rochester?
Referring mainly about the town of "East Rochester"..... I'm actually very unfamiliar with the area, but just going off the maps and stuff, I saw it on there...
I've looked at places like Irondequoit and Greece as well, which seem nice, but all in all, I'd like to find a place with wooded areas, close to the water, safe & secure and all the above, wrapped up in one...
well east Rochester is very small and not really close to the water, but it's very safe and affordable. Most of the Rochester area is lush with trees, especially the older neighborhoods in the city and inner-ring suburbs. Although it's a little more expensive (for Rochester at least, coming from NYC it will seam like a huge bargain probably), would be Webster...it is right on the water, fairly "upper-middle class" with many wooded subdivisions, very safe, with great schools. With the exception of proximity to the water however, I would say the area that seems you would like best would be Brighton.
Brighton is the suburb that would be closest to downtown, before I explain further the only thing I'm curious about is if you have kids who would be attending public school? Because if so then you would want to be in one of the suburbs, such as Brighton, that have great schools. If you don't have any kids though, and schools aren't really an issue, there are some very nice nieghborhoods in the city with great older homes on tree-lined streets, VERY close to downtown, right in your pricerange...but the city schools aren't very good.
My recommendations on areas to live include the Park Ave area and Southwedge areas of the city. For suburbs, I would recommend the eastern suburbs, especially Brighton, which is very close to all the amenties of the city and Monroe Ave into Pittsford. However, if your housing budget is $80-130, you may be hard pressed to find something decent in Brighton. Park Ave is out, but maybe in the Southwedge. Charlotte area is OK (but I think there are better areas), and Irondequoit is nice (although I prefer the eastern suburbs). You may find houses in your range in Greece, but I find that area more isolated from the areas I tend to frequent, which seem to be more on the east side and in the city.
For your budget, you could find a nice smaller house Webster -- lots of small cape cods and ranches in the west Webster area. I really like Webster because it is near the lake and is a nice socioeconomic mix of people. Most of the neighborhoods are quite a mix of houses of various prices from low 100s to half million. I think that west Webster is especially convenient, and there's lots of nice neighborhoods with many trees. For day-to-day living, you'll have everything you need within 5-10 minutes. Plus you can get on the expressway and be in the city within 10-15 minutes.
Also just noticed you inquiry about Irish neighborhoods. I don't think that you will find much of an Irish influence in Rochester, unlike our neighbor to the west, Buffalo, which defintely has certain neighborhoods which are predominantly Irish origin and influence. I grew up in Buffalo, and there is more of an ethnic sense to some of the neighborhoods that there is in Rochester (been here for 25 years) -- although many of the old neighborhoods in Buffalo are also changing.
For your budget, you could find a nice smaller house Webster -- lots of small cape cods and ranches in the west Webster area. I really like Webster because it is near the lake and is a nice socioeconomic mix of people. Most of the neighborhoods are quite a mix of houses of various prices from low 100s to half million. I think that west Webster is especially convenient, and there's lots of nice neighborhoods with many trees. For day-to-day living, you'll have everything you need within 5-10 minutes. Plus you can get on the expressway and be in the city within 10-15 minutes.
I wouldn't rely on public transportation from Webster. I would imagine it is a nightmare due to it being fairly distant from the city (and separated by the bay). That is not from direct experience though, so please to correct me if I am wrong.
The above poster is right -- If you absolute must rely on public transporation, then you are best to look into the city. There may be some limited service to certain suburban areas, but I wouldn't rely on it for day-to-day.
In your price range, you may want to consider the Southwedge (off South Ave, Mt Hope, Highland, South Goodman area), and potentially Charlotte.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
