Overall a nice place
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1/3/2019
I've lived here for 3 years and I like it most of time though hate it sometimes.
It's a convenient city with a lot of things to do within driving distance. By 2 interstate highways and local roads, big mall, airport, hospitals, restaurants, schools and major business are all within 30 mins from even suburbs and there is canal and lakes around the city. The whole area is on Appalachian so you will see hills everywhere and during 4 seasons there are many beautiful views. Within hours there are more mountains and lakes such as famous Adirondack mountains, finger lakes, great lakes and big cities (NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Montreal, Toronto...) and there are 2 big casinos near the city. You can explore the rest of upstate NY on weekends. We like to visit farms, orchards and wineries.
Winter is nasty however they shovel snow fast and living in the snowiest city in US, people in Syracuse cherish their time and prepare well for the long winter.
My major compliant would be the lack of sunshine and the old look of the city which makes me depressed sometimes. And long winter means for half of the year we can't do any outdoor activities, we don't ski or skate btw.
The stats are not good, high tax, low income, increasing crime and reducing population while people know it and there are some initiatives to address those problems as far as I know. Though not as competitive as big cities, there are still many opportunities here for young professionals to get a decent job or start business.
It's easy to buy a house here and there are many options for day cares and schools. There are a couple of celebrated colleges right in the city and one hour away is Cornell University. So, if you like a small city to raise family and don't mind cold weather and snow Syracuse is the place for you.
Lily | Jamesville, NY