Looking for feedback on Syracuse from the perspective of relocation (Auburn: transplants, sale)
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Hello all,
I'm interested in hearing from people who have moved to Syracuse from somewhere else. It doesn't matter how long ago you moved there, but please feel free to share how long it's been, if you like. I'm looking for your subjective opinions and personal experiences, rather than collected data and statistics. Please share as little or as much detail as you want.
How has Syracuse compared to where you came from?
Are you in the city itself or a nearby suburb?
Are you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner.
How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation.
Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term?
How would you rate Syracuse's arts/culture scene (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.)?
Please share your opinion on the cost of living there. Do you think salaries in Syracuse keep pace with COL?
1) this is a smaller city, more like a town than a city and things quiet down fairly early around here, 9 to 10 pm
2) live in the city, 5 minutes from center of downtown
3) homeowner, not happy or unhappy, like being close to city and can drive, take bus or even bike but neighborhoods in syracuse are street specific rather than having whole in-tact neighborhoods; in other words, you might have a couple streets that are okay or a street that is decent surrounded by other streets that are not (and have crime/drug issues) so it’s a bit more cut-up than in other cities if that makes any sense. housing stock is also older here and not much updating and renovation occurs because property values are flat and have been for many years; there seems to be less pride in taking care of own’s house and unfortunately, a lot of garbage around everywhere.
4) the city is easy to get around, there are hardly any traffic issues, most places are within 10 to 15 minutes drive; there is no subway; there is no uber (there are taxis); there is a metro bus system that is fairly decent; there is also a decent amtrak station and a regional airport. I drive to work but have taken the bus a few times when needed due to weather or car issues. I would say most people tend to drive since public transportation is not that extensive, bus transportation is mostly used by lower income residents.
5) not unhappy with move I made but feel as if I need a bigger city and don’t think I’ll stay long-term
6) wouldn’t rate the cultural scene highly, there are some concerts that may come through here & there but not many; there is a new amphitheatre for summer concerts but it’s only in summer and it tends to be country music or old rock bands from the 70s; there is a 2 day outdoor jazzfest in summer which is nice (but to give you perspective rochester’s jazzfest is 10 days long and brings in a lot more well-known performers – which is also easy to get to since rochester is an hour or so from syracuse). many people go out of town to albany, buffalo, rochester, even ithaca for concerts. there is some live theatre here ‘syracuse stage’ and small arts venues like the redhouse. there is one “arthouse’ cinema but it doesn’t bring a lot of independent and foreign films in and only features one film at a time but it is a good venue to have and again, rochester is only an hour away. not much in the way of museums.
7) low cost of living, and I’d say salaries reflect that but if you find a decent-paying job (50-60k), you can do well since cost of living tends to be lower
8) people are down to earth and friendly and generally unpretentious, neighbors are willing to help neighbors, it’s centrally located in new york and close to other cities which are easy to get to and other areas like the adirondacks, thousand islands, and the fingerlakes, which are all lovely. if you’re into the outdoors, it’s a good place to be. there are plenty of parks and hiking opportunities around.
9) I’d say lack of cultural things to do is the biggest downer, it’s more of a sports and outdoor oriented place; there is really only one college here (Syracuse Univ) so that doesn’t help; there are some good restaurants and there are local farmers markets but there’s not really a restaurant scene and things close early around here, which takes some getting used to, there’s limited shopping as well (lack of overall trendy options or independent type stores, lack of good furniture stores, etc); also there’s a bit of an insular attitude among the residents and there’s not a lot of cultural diversity and the lack of incoming residents and young people, which are some of the things that bother me the most.
1) this is a smaller city, more like a town than a city and things quiet down fairly early around here, 9 to 10 pm
2) live in the city, 5 minutes from center of downtown
3) homeowner, not happy or unhappy, like being close to city and can drive, take bus or even bike but neighborhoods in syracuse are street specific rather than having whole in-tact neighborhoods; in other words, you might have a couple streets that are okay or a street that is decent surrounded by other streets that are not (and have crime/drug issues) so it’s a bit more cut-up than in other cities if that makes any sense. housing stock is also older here and not much updating and renovation occurs because property values are flat and have been for many years; there seems to be less pride in taking care of own’s house and unfortunately, a lot of garbage around everywhere.
4) the city is easy to get around, there are hardly any traffic issues, most places are within 10 to 15 minutes drive; there is no subway; there is no uber (there are taxis); there is a metro bus system that is fairly decent; there is also a decent amtrak station and a regional airport. I drive to work but have taken the bus a few times when needed due to weather or car issues. I would say most people tend to drive since public transportation is not that extensive, bus transportation is mostly used by lower income residents.
5) not unhappy with move I made but feel as if I need a bigger city and don’t think I’ll stay long-term
6) wouldn’t rate the cultural scene highly, there are some concerts that may come through here & there but not many; there is a new amphitheatre for summer concerts but it’s only in summer and it tends to be country music or old rock bands from the 70s; there is a 2 day outdoor jazzfest in summer which is nice (but to give you perspective rochester’s jazzfest is 10 days long and brings in a lot more well-known performers – which is also easy to get to since rochester is an hour or so from syracuse). many people go out of town to albany, buffalo, rochester, even ithaca for concerts. there is some live theatre here ‘syracuse stage’ and small arts venues like the redhouse. there is one “arthouse’ cinema but it doesn’t bring a lot of independent and foreign films in and only features one film at a time but it is a good venue to have and again, rochester is only an hour away. not much in the way of museums.
7) low cost of living, and I’d say salaries reflect that but if you find a decent-paying job (50-60k), you can do well since cost of living tends to be lower
8) people are down to earth and friendly and generally unpretentious, neighbors are willing to help neighbors, it’s centrally located in new york and close to other cities which are easy to get to and other areas like the adirondacks, thousand islands, and the fingerlakes, which are all lovely. if you’re into the outdoors, it’s a good place to be. there are plenty of parks and hiking opportunities around.
9) I’d say lack of cultural things to do is the biggest downer, it’s more of a sports and outdoor oriented place; there is really only one college here (Syracuse Univ) so that doesn’t help; there are some good restaurants and there are local farmers markets but there’s not really a restaurant scene and things close early around here, which takes some getting used to, there’s limited shopping as well (lack of overall trendy options or independent type stores, lack of good furniture stores, etc); also there’s a bit of an insular attitude among the residents and there’s not a lot of cultural diversity and the lack of incoming residents and young people, which are some of the things that bother me the most.
hope this helps.
Some of this is odd coming from a poster that has posted on the forum since 2009......
This may help, as there are other events, including the Wine and Jazz Festival: Syracuse Arts Directory
There's also Lemoyne College, Onondaga Community College, Cazenovia College, SUNY-Oswego, Colgate University and SUNY-Morrisville in the metro area. SUNY-Cortland and Cayuga Community College are within 30 minutes or so from the city.
Outer city neighborhoods tend to be generally OK to very nice, while inner neighborhoods are more likely to be hit or miss.
Syracuse is 51% White non Hispanic and 49% everything else within the city, with it being about 31% Black, 10% Hispanic, 6% Asian and 2% Native American, give or take. There is diversity within the diversity as well, as it is a refugee resettlement hub. So, there are SE, Eastern and Southern Asians within the city. There are Sudanese, Somalians and some West Africans, with some from the Caribbean, along with African Americans in the city. Among Native Americans, not only are there Onondaga, who tend to be in the Valley and some on the near west Side, but there are Akwesasne(aka Mohawk) that also live in the city. Most Hispanics are Puerto Rican, but you have some Mexicans and Dominicans as well. Then, you have the ethnic diversity within the White population too.
There's also Lemoyne College, Onondaga Community College, Cazenovia College, SUNY-Oswego, Colgate University and SUNY-Morrisville in the metro area. SUNY-Cortland and Cayuga Community College are within 30 minutes or so from the city.
Outer city neighborhoods tend to be generally OK to very nice, while inner neighborhoods are more likely to be hit or miss.
Syracuse is 51% White non Hispanic and 49% everything else within the city, with it being about 31% Black, 10% Hispanic, 6% Asian and 2% Native American, give or take. There is diversity within the diversity as well, as it is a refugee resettlement hub. So, there are SE, Eastern and Southern Asians within the city. There are Sudanese, Somalians and some West Africans, with some from the Caribbean, along with African Americans in the city. Among Native Americans, not only are there Onondaga, who tend to be in the Valley and some on the near west Side, but there are Akwesasne(aka Mohawk) that also live in the city. Most Hispanics are Puerto Rican, but you have some Mexicans and Dominicans as well. Then, you have the ethnic diversity within the White population too.
Places such as Byblos, Pastabilities, Heid's, Mother's Cupboard, Eva's European Sweets and Kitty Hoynes have been featured on Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel and Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network.
The NYS Fair may also get concerts, with some at other venues, but they may not be highly publicized. This is the case with those at college venues or maybe even the Westcott Theater. You may have some at nearby casinos as well.
Last call at area bars/clubs is 2 AM.
For a more international flavor, you'll have a mix of businesses on this side of town: Retail - Northside UP
How has Syracuse compared to where you came from? Poverty is higher. Crime is higher. Hospitals are mediocre at best. Professional services are the same. Job/economy is barely standing without major help from the state. The city itself struggles with serious crime but has one saving grace - it's "small". Google the story about the guy walking by the YMCA during the day and getting beat with a pipe. That's the city for you.
Are you in the city itself or a nearby suburb? I'm in a nearby suburb. It's very pretty where I live but very remote too.
Are you happy with your housing? Please say whether you are an apartment dweller or homeowner. Sure but I live in the middle of nowhere. Everything is within 15 to 20 minutes. Now an apartment/condo.
How would you describe the experience of getting around in the city for shopping and work, and accessibility of stores/services/businesses you need? Please share whether you have a car or use public transportation. I drive 5 miles to the local wegmans which is just east of the city. You'll need a car if you live in a suburb. You get used to the snow but make sure you aren't shoveling. Shopping at the malls around here is all big box. The major mall Destiny is dropping stores left and right. It's never crowded though which is nice I suppose.
Have you been happy with the move you made? Do you think you'll stay put long-term? Absolutely not - cannot wait to leave here. What a horrible chapter of my life to have spent it in CNY. Divorce and kids keep me here. I get to visit major metro cities though so that keeps me sane. Plus I get to visit places where you can see the sun. The CNY area has an issue with sunshine. We just don't get it as often due to lake effect weather patterns.
How would you rate Syracuse's arts/culture scene (museums, theaters, galleries, concerts, etc.)? Zero - non-existent. The MOST takes you about 15 minutes to visit. Many of the exhibits are broken. The Emerson is similar. That's it. If you are coming from the city - you'll see everything in a weekend and you'll spend half that weekend driving around. I love museums and the only way I can get my fill is to head back home to the east coast. Don't listen to the locals who brag about the local venues. They get boring after one visit. If you can spend hours MoMA and love the afternoon doing so - you will HATE CNY.
Please share your opinion on the cost of living there. Do you think salaries in Syracuse keep pace with COL? Very low COL. Gas is fairly cheap and food at Wegmans is always fairly priced. But then there's that factor of the salary. I took a 75% pay cut moving out here. My former employer just brought me back on board but that was a few years of total lost revenue. Those companies out here who do hire tend to be few and far between. Job offers are very low too.
What do you like best about Syracuse? Leaving. Honestly some days I just don't understand how the hell I wound up in this mess. Spouse moved us out here so she could go to grad school and it's been an absolute mess since. We are divorced now because she loves it here (friends from college) and now I have to find someone who is educated, in their 30's, attractive and progressive. Talk about a near impossible feat!
What do you like least? It all stems from the economy. It just doesn't have the infrastructure to support an economy. You have mediocre hospitals and SU which is not a high ranking college. There's virtually no real industry in the area. Everyone left. All of the white collar jobs are limited to two or three major players but they account for maybe 5% of employment. There are a few law offices in town but even they are few and far between. I received an offer for an interview two weeks ago and when I heard who it was, I laughed and declined the interview. Some of the employers out here do not have great reputations. WelshAllyn is great though if you can snag employment but that's in Skaneateles.
Without knowing where you are coming from - it's hard to determine if this is a good fit for you. If you are coming from NYC - you are in for one hell of a culture shock. If you are coming from say...Detroit, maybe it's a better option? But Syracuse had a higher poverty rate per capita than Detroit so, stay in Detroit.
Now all of this and let's get some feedback from friends:
Friend 1 - Doctor who works in a suburb. She and her husband moved from NYC and she's on medication to cope with depression due to the move. Her first few years here were her drinking heavily. She had to go to rehab and she shared this all with me one day. She had kids and they like the schools. Once her husband retires, they are leaving.
Friend 2 - Doctor who works in the city. He loves it - his wife can't find a job anywhere. He was born and raised in the city so he likes rural. He also makes a very healthy six figure income and travels all the time to...exotic cities.
Neighbor 3 - Youngest son graduated high school 2 years ago, they put their house up and left as soon as possible.
Neighbor 4 - Similar situation - but husband left early and family stayed so daughter could finish high school. They left - took a BATH on the sale of their house. I think they lost about 150K on the sale. She was crying the last I saw her as she was packing the boxes. Moving/living out here was tough for their family. They moved to San Diego!
Neighbor 5 - Moved out here so wife could take care of "Dad". Husband is from Boston - took massive paycut like me and can't wait for the "Dad" to die. Wife likes it but struggles as well. She stays over guilt. They both want to leave as soon as Dad agrees to either leave or...like I said...die.
Neighbor 6 - Husband commutes to Philadelphia every Monday - returns on Wednesdays. Wife loves it but can't wait for daughters to be done with high school so they can sell and leave.
Neighbor 7 - Husband commutes to NYC. Wife stays at home. She's cheating on him. He's cheating on her. They live here because they can't sell the house and the school is the best in CNY.
So there ya go! Don't move out here.
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