Oneonta, NY Reviews

Isolated and isolationist - 2/23/2013
We have lived here for five years, and are looking to move. The town is fairly conservative and ethnically monotone. In fact, there is a history of racial discrimination that includes the local colleges. Being an outsider, it's very hard to feel welcomed here. There is great italian food, and everything else is pretty much terrible and limited in choice. Cost of living is extremely high considering the low salaries available in the area - gas is currently over $4, which is challenging because you have to drive for an hour to find a department store other than Walmart. Food is extremely expensive as well, unless you look to the farmers markets during the harvest seasons.

The town itself is picturesque and charming and has it's bright spots. The public schools are substandard and all rapidly contracting due to lack of resources. The nightlife is dominated by the two colleges, and consists of dive bars for the most part. There is a nice performing arts center, Read More

A wonderful place to raise your family! - 9/13/2010
Our family has lived in Oneonta for the past 14 years. It is great! Oneonta is safe, friendly, active and serene. The hills will grab you and keep you. Whikle not NYC it is an easy hour from Albany and Binghamton. Many dance classes, theater, sports, culture, great Downtown and so much more! Read More

Home Town Oneonta - 6/2/2009
Well oneonta sucks, if it were not for the colleges, it would dry up. the cops suck, they are not trained the way they should be. down town is a ghost town all closed up. why you can not even open up a store there as the code dept really sucks. so people stay away the the city hall works for their own people ,in city hall only. good Read More

Dreary - 10/28/2008
Dreary, bleak and dull especially in winter. That about summarizes it. Unattractive three block narrow downtown has nothing to offer; most of the shopping is "Southside Mall" a long hike if you don't have a car. Limited cultural and social activities if you're not into bars. Despite being in the middle of the wilderness there are few outdoor activities like in the Catskills to the east. Basically a hick and college Read More

The good and bad. - 12/31/2006
I was raised in Oneonta, NY. The good is that it's a diverse and relatively open-minded town, there is some very unique shopping downtown, the people are very friendly (will carry on a conversation with a stranger), and it's not far from Cooperstown, Fly Creek (with the Cider Mill :D), and other really beautiful places. However, the bad is the economic structure. There is very little opportunity and prices are kind of high for everything, overall. However, if you have a good job, and have enough money to make a monthly trip or so to Binghamton, then it's a wonderful place to live. Much of the population is quite poor, however, you do not see very many homeless people (if any), as everyone has a tendency to get by due to some decent programs. The schools are quite good, and Riverside, the lesser of all of the schools, has really turned around and become a great school to go to. The people take a lot of pride in this town and are very much involved.

There is a local Read More

Not a great place to live - 8/7/2006
Oneonta's ONLY allure are the colleges. Outside of that there is nothing here. For a young person trying to start a career you will find yourself terribly out of luck. There is no big business and if you find a job it will be at a fastfood restaurant or the local Wal-Mart. Income per Cap is only $13,792. About sixty percent of the county is on welfare while the cost of living exceeds the national average by 5%. How we achieve this? I have no idea. Our population has decreased and will continue to decline as the cost of living rises. Why bother to spend the type of money it takes to live in Oneonta when you could go somewhere else that provides you with more for your money. If it was not for the colleges, the hosptial and the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Oneonta would be a ghost Read More

low key beauty - 4/10/2006
Oneonta is often passed over for glitzier small towns. But for folks from the NYC and Boston Metropolitan areas looking to start a business and raise a family its hard to beat. There are two colleges in the town, restaurants that serve local produce, and no uppity attitude you find in Ithaca and Saratoga Springs. Its a down-to-earth community, a bit on the frumpy side, but means well. there are oodles of Victorians at cheap prices and good condition, and wonderful views from the "City of Hills". A secenic 3.5 hour drive from mid-town Manhattan is making it noticed by Read More

Downtown - 1/17/2006
Downtown is pretty, but extremely congested with traffic. There is a small farmer's market in the summer. Outlying areas are not very picturesque. Walmart dominates the south side of the city. There is a whole strip of fast food places, dollar stores, and others of this type that have sprung up around the discount giant. Great if you want to buy cheap clothing or food, but not so great if you own one of the cute shops on Main Street. Parking is Read More