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We are looking for a nice suburban/ex-urban town in the Syracuse Metro. We are looking at homes up to $120k. Is it possible to find a nice 3 bed/2 bath, at least 1,500 sq. feet, and at least a little room to stretch 1/4 acre or so at this price? We really don't know the area very much, but have like the photographs of Camillus, Cicero, Clay, etc. We will visit a few times first too. We want to live near young families in a safe community. Snow is not an issue. Property taxes are not an issue, as we are moving from New Jersey. We are getting ready to move in spring or early summer. Thanks!
We are looking for a nice suburban/ex-urban town in the Syracuse Metro. We are looking at homes up to $120k. Is it possible to find a nice 3 bed/2 bath, at least 1,500 sq. feet, and at least a little room to stretch 1/4 acre or so at this price? We really don't know the area very much, but have like the photographs of Camillus, Cicero, Clay, etc. We will visit a few times first too. We want to live near young families in a safe community. Snow is not an issue. Property taxes are not an issue, as we are moving from New Jersey. We are getting ready to move in spring or early summer. Thanks!
$120,000 is the median home price in Onondaga County. So yes, I believe you can find a 3 bed/2 bath, at least 1,500 sq. feet, and 1/4 acre for about that price. The less expensive towns are Cicero, Clay, and Salina....so you would be looking for homes with zip codes named Liverpool, North Syracuse, Clay, and Cicero. You could also expand your search to include Camillus, Onondaga and Geddes, but you may not get as much for your money. And some areas of Geddes (Solvay area) are sketchy as some people from the city move out there. Mattydale and Lyncourt are also places I'd avoid...both are in the Town of Salina.
Bellafinzi or cuse, is there a reason that Clay, Cicero, and Liverpool are cheaper than Camillus and Geddes? Is there a crime element, or is the landscape not as nice? Are there industrial areas in these towns (powerplants, dumps, brownfields, etc)? Which towns have heavy industrial areas?
Also, is there any strife between the Onondaga Indians and other citizens in the southern areas of Onondaga? Sorry for all the questions, but I am trying to get a real feel for the area for when I visit again.
Homansweets, I haven't read all of your postings so I don't know exactly why you came to this area. We came six months ago. I am not kidding when I say I never beieved I could live this nicely. All of the things that bothered me in Long Island are gone. That being, crowds, traffic, traffic, crowds, crowds, obnoxious people, superficial people, high cost of living, crime, pollution, rudeness and it goes on. I ran into another Long Islander who said he and his wife have to pinch themselves each day to remind themselves that this is for real. He also can't believe how nicely we live here in central New York.
Bellafinzi~ thanks for the reply. Yes, I have shopped along Route 31 a lot already. The mall is nice & much easier to get around than the Carousel Center!! We have eaten out too much since moving here, Smokey Bones is our new fave (so far). Bed Bath & Beyond is loving our $ too (new house = new things!) We haven't gone to any other areas of Clay, like the medical center you are referring to, I don't believe I know where that is. For instance, all we do is go into Cicero & to Bear Rd to my sons school, some shopping along Route 11, back onto Route 31 or Carousel Center mall, that's it so far and we've been here for a week 1/2. Can you tell me anything about the man made lakes & why there are so many? I am curious about them, I don't know why. I just saw them filling a large one up last week in my neighborhood where they are still building houses.
GlenNY~
My husband's job brought us here. He is a field rep for Gateway computers, will be working some in Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Albany Saratoga Springs & other cities. So, we were told to move somewhere in between, lol. I have only been to NYC once, and loved it..it was always a place I wanted to be in, something about all the people, the sounds, the stores, the buildings, the history, I have always wanted to be around since I can remember. But I have heard from a lot of people that living there for so long can get old. Moving to Syracuse will at least get me there more often than living back in IA would have, lol. I have yet to even go IN Syracuse at all except for going to the mall! hahahaha.....wanted to go to Clinton Sq today but it was too cold & rainy, didn't think it was a good day to sight see, lol. Well, I am glad you like it here......I lived in NW IA my entire life, so this is a little bit of a change for me & I have run into some rude people since being here.....I know I can't chalk it up to being in NY after IA all these years, you will get that no matter where you go.....anyhow, what part are you living in? I want to visit Camillus & Baldwinsville, Manlius to see what they are like......I wasn't able to visit here to decide on where to live, it was all of the internet & my husband came here to see it & took some pics, lol........I prefer big cities, but living in Lawton Valley will do for now, I guess......
I am also moving to the Syracuse Area from New Hartford, NY. My husband just accepted an offer this week and plans to commute until my son is done with school (kindergarden). homansweets---I am curious how you like Baldwinsville and Camillus. We would like to stay to the west side of Syracuse because it would make our visits to family in Rochester just a little shorter. We still haven't ruled out the east side thought. I am just a little turned off by the expensive housing and taxes. We currenty live in area very similar to Fayetteville/Manlius (schools, housing costs and taxes) but it would be nice to afford a newer home. We would most likely have to move into a fixer up if we went to Fayetteville/Manlius schools and not interested in doing that again. Baldwinsville sounds appealing to me. I like the thought of living in a planned community like the Radisson especially with little kids. I just hope to find an area where people are down to earth! We plan on taking a ride to the area this weekend. Good luck to you and I look forward to your response.
Bellafinzi or cuse, is there a reason that Clay, Cicero, and Liverpool are cheaper than Camillus and Geddes?
Phish Head, on second thought, most of Geddes isn't that nice anymore. I don’t know Geddes that well, but it just doesn’t seem as family friendly as it used to be. City residents are starting to move there and it's becoming an extension of the city neighborhoods. There is just a small part of Geddes near Camillus that I'd recommend. I think cuse lives there, so I gave his suggestion a "benefit of a doubt". Personally… if I wouldn't live there, I don't want to recommend the place to others. The Solvay school district isn't that great compared to West Gennese either.
I believe the main two reasons why Clay, Liverpool, North Syracuse and Cicero are cheaper than the western or eastern suburbs are #1 school districts and #2 the abundant availability of easily developable flat land in the northern suburbs.
#1. The North Syracuse school district covers Clay, North Syracuse and Cicero and is ranked low compared to West Genesse, Westhill, F-M, J-D. It's not a bad school district, it just isn't as good as most others in the suburbs. The North Syracuse school district is also huge. Over 10,000 students, 5th largest in Upstate NY. Over 2,000 in the High School alone. Many families are scared away from the fact that their child might become just a number at such large schools. The Liverpool school district covers Liverpool (western Clay and Salina). Liverpool was once known as a great school district and I've heard it's still good, but I think ones in the eastern and western suburbs have done better lately. Liverpool is also big, about 8,000 students and over 2,000 in the High School. So over the years the families with money have been attracted to the F-M, J-D, Westhill, and West Gennese school districts. As more upscale homes have been built in these areas, prices in the surrounding neighborhoods (around the upscale homes) increased too.
#2. Land is cheap and flat in the Towns of Clay, Cicero and Salina. This makes it easier for developers to build cheaper homes. The western and eastern suburbs are hilly, have bedrock just a few feet underground, and due to road access land is harder to come by. The hilly terrain and bedrock cause the developers and homebuilders to increase the price of new homes to make profits. Add that to the fact that traditionally wealthy families desire to live in hilly terrain. Thus larger homes and increasing home prices in the surrounding neighborhoods.
So to answer your questions:
Is there a crime element: no....actually I believe most of the northern suburbs are safer than the eastern and western suburbs. Why? Most criminals originate in the city, since DeWitt and Geddes are so close to the worst city neighborhoods, those two towns are easier targets. And this may sound strange, but many city residents don't know anything about the northern suburbs because...as you'll see...the northern suburbs are cut off from the city...as where the western and eastern suburbs flow into the city. Many city residents shop in the western and eastern suburbs but rarely if ever shop in the northern suburbs.
is the landscape not as nice if you like hills, then yes. Otherwise the northern suburbs landscape is OK. Nothing special, mostly flat. The eastern suburbs don't have as many eyesores as the northern suburbs mostly due to all the upscale residents in the eastern suburbs.
Are there industrial areas in these towns (powerplants, dumps, brownfields, etc)? Simple answer is no. Especially if you mean like Buffalo or New Jersey. No powerplants I can think of in Clay, Salina or Cicero, or Liverpool or North Syracuse. No dumps or landfills, I believe there are a couple small transfer stations, but they aren't really landfills or dumps. Maybe one or two brownfields, but they aren't really polluted. One at the old Hancock Air base on Taft road in Cicero, but it's undergoing redevelopment and it's nothing major, just asbestos etc.
Which towns have heavy industrial areas? The towns with heavy industry are DeWitt and Geddes. DeWitt is home to Carrier and Bristol Myers Squibb among others. DeWitt also has a trash incineration plant. So the East Syracuse area (northern DeWitt) is the heavy industrial area of DeWitt. Geddes has an industrial area near the State Fair grounds. Lysander has an Anheuser Busch plant, but it doesn’t feel industrial compared to DeWitt or Geddes. The Town of Clay has two Industrial parks, but all the businesses there are small warehouses or just small manufacturing buildings. Salina has a large Lockheed Martin plant employing over 2,000 people , but it's mostly clean I think. Cicero has a couple business parks, but just warehouses etc, no heavy industry.
Overall, the home prices in Clay, Salina, Liverpool and North Syracuse have stayed low because it's mostly home to the middle class. There are only about three or four "upscale" developments out of the 120,000 residents who live in Salina, Clay and Cicero. Other areas tend to attract the wealthy mostly due to the school districts. Lysander is attracting more and more upscale homes and this has caused other home prices in that town to rise too. That's why I didn't mention Lysander in my previous post.
Also, is there any strife between the Onondaga Indians and other citizens in the southern areas of Onondaga? Don't think so. I haven't heard about it if it exists. There is an "infamous" sign they put up along Interstate 81 that gives outsiders a bad first impression of Syracuse. It's been there for nearly 10 years, you'll see it if you come up from I-81.
homansweets, good to hear you discovered the Route 31 corridor! About the man made lakes. I'm not totally sure, but I'm guessing the small lakes could be drainage basins. Maybe they were testing them out to see if they could handle water. Most new developments around here have large drainage ditches or catch basins so the run-off will not go into local streams or wetlands...and to keep flooding water out of basements etc. If not that, then maybe they are building lakes to increase home values.
homansweets, I like big cities too, not as big as NYC, more like the size of Indianapolis. That's one reason why I'm on this forum. I'd like the Syracuse Metropolitan area to grow into a bigger sized city. If you head into downtown Syracuse, keep in mind most neighborhoods around downtown aren't too good. The near northside has some crime now. Also, downtown during the winter months can feel a little depressing. It could be the low lighting. Generally, outsiders are turned off by downtown Syracuse during the winter, but if they visit during the summer they are more impressed. The City of Syracuse seems like a totally different city in winter and in summer. That's probably why the city gets so many mixed reactions. A visitor coming on a nice sunny day in July gets a totally different impression of Syracuse than a visitor coming on a cloudy cold day in January. The city just feels and looks so different.
dcomposto, hopefully Spitzer can lower the State mandates it puts on the counties. Then Onondaga County can lower taxes. County Executive Nick Pirro has said numerous times that if the county didn't have to pay for State Medicaid it could cut property taxes in half.
dcomposto~ I have never been to Baldwinsville or Camillus yet. Only to Cicero, Liverpool & Clay. Only been here a week 1/2 so with the weather, unpacking, shopping haven't had much of a chance to visit too many places. And gloomy cloudy rainy weather gets me in the dumps....so I just stay home for now mostly. I just want spring to come soooo bad! Then I am sure I will venture out much more often!
Bellafinzi~ Yes I was thinking the same with the man made lakes...about the basements, etc.... And I cannot wait til summer, I think most cities are like this in the winter, just not too appealing. It gets me in the dumps that we moved in January & I already feel a little homesick, staying in just makes it worse, but then again going out in the cloudy, cold rainy weather isn't too fun either I am already flying back home next month to see my son & my sisters (and my moms flying back home from Key West too). Moving here was really hard for me, my oldest son decided to stay with his dad there instead of moving with us (he is almost 10 & has pretty much always stuck with his dad since I got married)......he will come here for half the summer though, so like I said summer will be better for me here.
Isn't the winterfest next month? What kinds of things go on during that?
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I'd like the Syracuse Metropolitan area to grow into a bigger sized city. If you head into downtown Syracuse, keep in mind most neighborhoods around downtown aren't too good. The near northside has some crime now. Also, downtown during the winter months can feel a little depressing. It could be the low lighting. Generally, outsiders are turned off by downtown Syracuse during the winter, but if they visit during the summer they are more impressed. The City of Syracuse seems like a totally different city in winter and in summer. That's probably why the city gets so many mixed reactions. A visitor coming on a nice sunny day in July gets a totally different impression of Syracuse than a visitor coming on a cloudy cold day in January. The city just feels and looks so different.
I am already flying back home next month to see my son & my sisters (and my moms flying back home from Key West too). Moving here was really hard for me, my oldest son decided to stay with his dad there instead of moving with us (he is almost 10 & has pretty much always stuck with his dad since I got married)......he will come here for half the summer though, so like I said summer will be better for me here.
