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ha! Broad question, I know...
I am really familiar with the Adirondacks AND with NYC (and a little with Albany). In Syracuse, do you more feel an "upstate", laid back vibe or is it more akin to to "the city"? Best of both worlds maybe? Is it pretty?
Love to hear some feedback. Numbers and averages and comparisons are easy to come by online, but not so much when it comes to real, honest feelings about a place. By the way... I'm NJ born and bred, spent regular chunks of time in the Adirondacks, now live south (not deep South) and miss real lakes, northern folks, diners, etc, and have a good opportunity to possibly make a jump to Syracuse.
Definitely not a big city "feel". Maybe like in a larger suberb of a big city. Nothing at all like NYC.
Very beautiful and well preserved downtown area. Prolly about 80%+ abandoned. It's actually nicest on a weekend when you would except it to be empty. On a weekday it's just sad.
Depending on what part of the ADK's its about a two hour drive. About 3-4 to the nicest parts.
Horrible weather and high taxes. Living in NJ may give you some idea of the taxes.
I'm just coming back from Syracuse. As always even though I only live 20 miles away its startling how run down it is. I guess the locals have gotten used to it but damn its well past its prime.
I was born in northern VA, grew up in south Jersey, lived outside Boston to finish out highschool, college in Florida, first job in Hawaii, and I've been in Syracuse for 4 years this summer.
Syracuse is a small city and is far away on the spectrum from NYC. It's got more of the upstate feel, but has its own charm. I don't think Syracuse the city itself is necessarily "pretty" but I think the area is pretty. As you can see, I've lived in ALL different kinds of places and have never hated any of them. I fell in love with the villages around the area - the small town feel, walkability, and nice architecture sold me right off the bat. I just bought a house in the Village of Liverpool less than 2 months ago and couldn't be happier. My family has a camp in the Adirondacks an hour and 15min from here that I go to frequently.
As for what my life is like... I work a typical day job, but my friends and I are always doing things together. Whether it's co-ed sports, game nights, trivia, traveling, wine tasting, festivals, just getting together and doing whatever. We do all out downtown bar nights every once in awhile too. I coordinated a limo wine tasting tour for my bday a few months ago. Basically... we're always finding stuff to do.
If you have any more specific questions, would be glad to answer them. What's the job you may have?
ETA - and in addition to all that fun stuff I do, I also volunteer for a dog rescue org - I have a foster dog and help with various aspects of fundraising, etc... as well as I hold a position as well
Last edited by Becca8377; 03-07-2013 at 07:07 PM..
Syracuse is more laid back. I wouldn't say that 80% of the city is abandoned, but like most cities, some parts are better than others. If you like hills, valleys, lakes, streams, etc., I think you would like the area. You may like diners like Stella's, Market Diner and many others in the area. Adirondacks aren't too far away and the same for the Poconos and Catskills. Lake Ontario has some great sunsets and Oswego is a decent small city. If you want the city of Syracuse, you may like Downtown, much of the East Side, Tipperary Hill, most of Eastwood, the Valley south of Seneca Turnpike and the North Side north of Grant Boulevard, among some other areas. Plenty of nice villages as well. Plenty of festivals from late Spring into early Fall, as well as a Winter Fest and the State Fair. There are sporting events all year, as well as professional theater, an opera and other arts based offerings.
Definitely not a big city "feel". Maybe like in a larger suberb of a big city. Nothing at all like NYC.
Very beautiful and well preserved downtown area. Prolly about 80%+ abandoned. It's actually nicest on a weekend when you would except it to be empty. On a weekday it's just sad.
Depending on what part of the ADK's its about a two hour drive. About 3-4 to the nicest parts.
Horrible weather and high taxes. Living in NJ may give you some idea of the taxes.
I'm just coming back from Syracuse. As always even though I only live 20 miles away its startling how run down it is. I guess the locals have gotten used to it but damn its well past its prime.
Well said! While it might has an edge over Utica, it will be very hard to catch up to other run down bigger cities like Buffalo and Rochester. Thank you very much for providing your honest feedbacks!
Well said! While it might has an edge over Utica, it will be very hard to catch up to other run down bigger cities like Buffalo and Rochester. Thank you very much for providing your honest feedbacks!
Actually, those 2 bigger cities have lost much more from their peak years in terms of percentage and like any city, it has its good and bad parts of town. Rochester peaked in 1950 with a little over 332,000 and has about 210,000 now. Buffalo peaked in 1950 with a little over 580,000 and now is around 261,000. Syracuse peaked in 1950 with around 221,000 and is a little over 145,000. Buffalo lost a much higher percentage, while Rochester lost slightly more in percentage than Syracuse(Rochester is at 63% of its peak while Syracuse is a little over 65% of its peak, with Buffalo at 45% of its peak).
Actually, those 2 bigger cities have lost much more from their peak years in terms of percentage and like any city, it has its good and bad parts of town. Rochester peaked in 1950 with a little over 332,000 and has about 210,000 now. Buffalo peaked in 1950 with a little over 580,000 and now is around 261,000. Syracuse peaked in 1950 with around 221,000 and is a little over 145,000. Buffalo lost a much higher percentage, while Rochester lost slightly more in percentage than Syracuse(Rochester is at 63% of its peak while Syracuse is a little over 65% of its peak, with Buffalo at 45% of its peak).
So, as you can see, neighborhoods and areas vary within Syracuse
Thank you very much for helping me realized how depressing all the cities across Upstate NY. No wonder my friend sold her house for $650k after taking a $125k loss in Pittsford NY.
Can't some of those nicer areas be spilt off from the city and annexed by the nearest suberb??
You've been looking at consolidation. Wouldn't that work?? I bet those areas don't use much by way of "city services" so they could save a good bit by joining an area that matches there needs better.
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