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If I get a job at the University Hospital, I will be relocating from Chicago suburbs to Syracuse, NY. I will be bringing a spouse and two school-aged kids with me. We will be looking for a rental apartment/house within 15 min driving time from the hospital in a safe, family-friendly neigbourhood with decent schools. Our budget is $1,500. I might stretched it up for another couple hundreds in exchange for a safer/closer area or more square footage.
We enjoy going out to cafes, shops and restaurants, so places with high walkability index are preferred, but not required. If you asked me describe the vibe of desired area, I'd say the one that provides urban-suburban vibe. Not too crowded as a big city, but not too rural either.
My friend lives in the area and he recommended following suburbs: DeWitt, Manlius, Skaneateles, Baldvinsville, Liverpool.
What would be the best pick for us and our kids given the above conditions?
All good suggestions and I would say that DeWitt would be a good choice in terms of schools and proximity to the hospital. There are parts of the Jamesville-DeWitt school district that aren't too far from the Westcott neighborhood, which has cafes, shops, restaurants and a theater with live performances. I thought about this complex right behind Nottingham Plaza, but it only has a 1 and 2 bedroom apartments: https://www.dlhproperties.net/proper...partment-homes
Fayetteville-Manlius is a highly regarded schools district not only in the area, but in Upstate NY and it is actually the district to the east of the Jamesville-DeWitt SD(also highly regarded at both levels) both in the eastern suburbs.
There may be other places that would work, as Syracuse is really a 15-25 minute city in terms of getting to anywhere you need to get to. So, that is something to keep in mind, as you can get to Downtown and other districts in the city/county with relative ease.
I may post more examples a little bit later...By the way, given your handle and the area of Chicago you are coming from, there is a Ukrainian community in the city's West Side and it goes through the western suburbs(Geddes, Solvay, Camillus, parts of Onondaga; even Elbridge(more rural/small town)) into Auburn in Cayuga County. So, that is another thing to possibly consider.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 02-16-2023 at 12:53 PM..
There are some areas of the city that could work, but it may be a matter of fitting what you are looking for and perhaps flexibility in terms of schooling.
Thank you for that detailed answer. I am glad to learn that there is an Ukrainian community in Syracuse
By the way, do you know if there is an Ukrainian church or school or perhaps some organizations, restaurants etc?
Are schools in the West Side about the same as in Jamesville-DeWitt and Fayetteville-Manlius SDs?
Talking about "some areas of the city", which ones would you recommended?
Where housing is more affordable: city or suburban Syracuse?
My priorities are the following:
1. great schools for kids
2. neighborhood where they can play outside safely
3. housing affordability
4. proximity to the hospital
5. apartment look/size
Thank you for that detailed answer. I am glad to learn that there is an Ukrainian community in Syracuse
By the way, do you know if there is an Ukrainian church or school or perhaps some organizations, restaurants etc?
Are schools in the West Side about the same as in Jamesville-DeWitt and Fayetteville-Manlius SDs?
Here is some information about the Ukrainian community, which has churches, organizations and a credit union: https://www.syrucc.org/unh (on the West Side in the Tipperary Hill neighborhood, an outer West Side neighborhood with a historically strong Irish population)
More: https://www.syrucc.org/
In terms of the Western suburbs, yes, the schools are generally good there. Solvay is a more blue collar suburban area with one of the biggest Ukrainian percentages in NY State for school districts, but while not bad, it isn't as highly regarded as Westhill and West Genesee. So, those are some school districts worth looking into. A list with older census info(2010-2014) showing Solvay second out of all SD's in NY state in Ukrainian percentage in terms of residents: New York Ukrainian as First Ancestry Population Percentage School District Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data (West Genesee is 11th and Westhill is 15th) Marcellus, which is more small town, with a nice village is on that side of town too.
Also, the thing with the Western suburbs is that it also could allow you to get to work and amenities within a reasonable time, but also Auburn, a small city of about 28,000 further west by about 20 minutes also has some institutions like these here: https://peterandpaulukr.com/
Tipperary Hill also has the zoo: https://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/ in this park: http://www.syrgov.net/parks/burnetPark.html It is an area known for its pubs in parts and may be something else to consider. On the other side of town, the previously mentioned Westcott(inc. University) and Eastwood neighborhoods would offer walkability. There are other areas, but I may add them later.
^Just to add some other areas of the city, there is the Sedgwick area just west of Eastwood, which is mostly an old money area with some solid/nice areas around it. This is a listing in that area: https://www.apartmentfinder.com/New-...tments-j4jry67 (I drive by this area on my way to work and have done it at different times and it is nice area). More Sedgwick information: https://www.sedgwickfarm.org/
You could walk or take a short bike ride/drive/bus ride to some of the businesses along James Street or other parts of Eastwood or to Downtown going west on James Street.
There is also Schiller Park nearby, which has a pool, nice view of the city skyline, you'll see Soccer runs due to the very diverse population in other parts of the North Side: https://www.syr.gov/Living/Our-Commu.../Schiller-Park
You also have a village like North Syracuse, that has walkability along Main Street and there are some apartments nearby, some restaurants(a lot of Italian fare), multiple ice cream shops, multiple parks, a library, some festivals, plenty of shopping up and down Brewerton Road/Route 11(what Main Street is outside of the village), it is close to the airport and I-81.
Here is some information about the Ukrainian community, which has churches, organizations and a credit union: https://www.syrucc.org/unh (on the West Side in the Tipperary Hill neighborhood, an outer West Side neighborhood with a historically strong Irish population)
More: https://www.syrucc.org/
In terms of the Western suburbs, yes, the schools are generally good there. Solvay is a more blue collar suburban area with one of the biggest Ukrainian percentages in NY State for school districts, but while not bad, it isn't as highly regarded as Westhill and West Genesee. So, those are some school districts worth looking into. A list with older census info(2010-2014) showing Solvay second out of all SD's in NY state in Ukrainian percentage in terms of residents: New York Ukrainian as First Ancestry Population Percentage School District Rank Based on ACS 2010-2014 data (West Genesee is 11th and Westhill is 15th) Marcellus, which is more small town, with a nice village is on that side of town too.
Also, the thing with the Western suburbs is that it also could allow you to get to work and amenities within a reasonable time, but also Auburn, a small city of about 28,000 further west by about 20 minutes also has some institutions like these here: https://peterandpaulukr.com/
Tipperary Hill also has the zoo: https://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/ in this park: http://www.syrgov.net/parks/burnetPark.html It is an area known for its pubs in parts and may be something else to consider. On the other side of town, the previously mentioned Westcott(inc. University) and Eastwood neighborhoods would offer walkability. There are other areas, but I may add them later.
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