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Hi! It looks like I will be going back to graduate school and I am considering Syracuse. I do not drive. I am a walker and a public transit person. Can anyone recommend some neighborhoods that are good for people like me who will not be driving? If I end up moving there, I anticipate a year or a year and a half at most, but I would like to be near convenient things like grocery stores, restaurants, gyms, parks, hospitals, and the Syracuse U campus. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Of course safety is also important. I haven't decided if I will take the offer or not, but I would like to know my options beforehand.
Hi! It looks like I will be going back to graduate school and I am considering Syracuse. I do not drive. I am a walker and a public transit person. Can anyone recommend some neighborhoods that are good for people like me who will not be driving? If I end up moving there, I anticipate a year or a year and a half at most, but I would like to be near convenient things like grocery stores, restaurants, gyms, parks, hospitals, and the Syracuse U campus. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Of course safety is also important. I haven't decided if I will take the offer or not, but I would like to know my options beforehand.
I'd say that the Westcott or Meadowbrook neighborhoods of Syracuse or even a place like the Maplewood apartments just inside the town of DeWitt line would be good choices for you. Depending on your budget, Downtown may also work.
Honestly, you might look into the apartments on South Campus run by SU (like Slocum Heights, which is primarily grad). It's isolated from restaurants and things, but on bus lines - and I think SU still runs a shoppers shuttle from south to grocery stores and the like.
SU provides some campus-centric shuttle and bus information here: Shuttle Information
Syracuse in general is more car-oriented, so you will likely want to stick to somewhere within range of the shuttles or bus routes mentioned on that page if you want to be truly carless. It's not ideal (especially in winter) but it is doable in any major student area.
Westcott is generally stronger for the immediate walkability and shuttle access to campus, though it has no full grocery store, just convenience marts. The nearest full grocer to campus is not really walkable - either Tops near South Campus or Price Chopper, PriceRite and Aldi further away on Erie Blvd. Wegmans can be reached by bus from campus - the Fayetteville/Dewitt store is about a 20 minute bus trip though.
Honestly, you might look into the apartments on South Campus run by SU (like Slocum Heights, which is primarily grad). It's isolated from restaurants and things, but on bus lines - and I think SU still runs a shoppers shuttle from south to grocery stores and the like.
SU provides some campus-centric shuttle and bus information here: Shuttle Information
Syracuse in general is more car-oriented, so you will likely want to stick to somewhere within range of the shuttles or bus routes mentioned on that page if you want to be truly carless. It's not ideal (especially in winter) but it is doable in any major student area.
Westcott is generally stronger for the immediate walkability and shuttle access to campus, though it has no full grocery store, just convenience marts. The nearest full grocer to campus is not really walkable - either Tops near South Campus or Price Chopper, PriceRite and Aldi further away on Erie Blvd. Wegmans can be reached by bus from campus - the Fayetteville/Dewitt store is about a 20 minute bus trip though.
Good point about South Campus apartments and perhaps University Village, Copper Beach Commons, Campus West, Park Point near campus and Creekwalk Commons in Downtown may work too. Nob Hill apartments also has a shuttle to campus.
With Creekwalk Commons, you can take the Connective Corridor shuttle to campus and possibly take a bus to the Aldi on West Genesee Street, Tops in Westvale Plaza also on West Genesee Street or Wegmans on Onondaga Boulevard. I believe that there is a new market in Armory Square, but I'm not sure how extensive it is.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 02-14-2014 at 12:22 PM..
oh wow thanks for the information. I remember hearing from other forums that Westcott was a popular area with grad students. Definitely some things to consider. I will take a look at those links.
How do you guys feel about downtown Syracuse? In terms of safety, amenities and accessibility to campus? What's it like in the winter in terms of clearing the roads? I was speaking to some current students and both of them lived on campus and paid very high monthly rents while living with several other people....that to me wouldn't be worth it, even though it's right on campus.
How do you guys feel about downtown Syracuse? In terms of safety, amenities and accessibility to campus? What's it like in the winter in terms of clearing the roads? I was speaking to some current students and both of them lived on campus and paid very high monthly rents while living with several other people....that to me wouldn't be worth it, even though it's right on campus.
Downtown should be fine and you have the Connective Corridor Bus can take you back and forth to and from campus as well. You have Armory Square and Hanover Square in Downtown with some things to do, as well as the Redhouse Theater, which has some events. You should be generally safe, but like with any city, you should take usual precautions. As for clearing the streets, it is usually done in a timely manner, but it may depend on the snowfall in terms of how fast and how much falls. I forgot to mention that Clinton Square has a bunch of festivals usually from late Spring into early Fall and Ice Skating during the winter.
Oh wow thank you guys! I hope they give me some $$$ because the more research I do, the more of a fit it seems like for me. Thanks for all of the insight. This is one of my favorite forums, even though I mostly browse! :-)
What do you know about University Hill vs. Westcott? Is University Hill more mostly undergrads? Thanks a lot....
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