Rochester NY. Please tell me about it...

[one_voice]

Last edited Tue Aug 6, 2013, 08:23 PM - Edit history (1)

I may have to move there. Hubby may be transferred to manage offices in Boston, Albany, and Rochester. We've been told it would probably be best to live in Rochester.

So, what's it's like? Winters, summers, etc. Cost of living. Cost to rent (cuz I'm not selling my house here).

Pros, cons.

Someone please tell me about it. I'm not thrilled with the prospect of moving. Delaware isn't flashy but it's home to me and mine...so...

[olddots]

1. well atleast it ain't Buffalo

bring warm clothes ,bug spray and things to do ( but that's just about anywhere now )

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. Nephew went to school there 4 yrs and loved it.

I was there twice in connection to his schooling.

It is definitely cold, but there are colder places. ( lake effect moderates the cold temps in winter but produces monster snow falls. Not as bad as Buffalo , but way more than Delaware, I'm thinking.

It's got a small, old downtown area and a ring of suburbs. Manufacturing is pretty much gone of course, but tech industry has made up partially. World class Med Center: Strong.

I didn't like the fact that the ride up there is so long ( from NYC, 7 hrs.) So it's isolated.

OTOH it's not so far from Buffalo , Syracuse, Finger Lakes, Ithaca and skiing in the Adirondacks.

Summers are really nice there, I'll bet. ( There are even beaches within the city limits on Lake Ontario.). I think winters would be long and hard for most people.

[one_voice]

6. Isolated..

would bother me.

Cold winters wouldn't, snow wouldn't, but a long winter would.

Thanks for the info.

[rug]

3. If he has a choice, Albany is probably better than Rochester.

Straight run south to NYC, north to Montreal, east to Boston.

[one_voice]

7. Thanks..

We will look into Albany. Not sure if we'll have to make the move, but he's going up for the rest of this week and all of next week. So...

[hedgehog]

4. Don't get scared by stories about the snow.

The counties in the snow belt have the equipment to clear the roads quickly and keep them open. It's a running joke that offices in places as diverse as Denver or Atlanta are closed more often due to snow than those in Buffalo or Syracuse!

The small towns and suburbs in New York State have excellent public schools, the big five cities not so much.

Real estate costs are relatively low and public services (libraries, parks, museums,etc) relatively good.

Buffalo and Syracuse have a lot of overcast days, so it's my guess that applies to Rochester as well. On the other hand, you can be outside and comfortable from April to late October even if you don't like snow.

[one_voice]

8. No need for schools...

my kiddies are grown. My son is in his last semester of college, so he's staying in Delaware.

I love snow, so not scared of that. More afraid of very long winters, and short, too mild summers. I like to swim in the summer.

Thanks for the info, I'm also going to look into Albany as others have suggested.

[adirondacker]

5. I would second the Albany option. Rochester is fairly conservative, even in regard to it's campuses.

The wind off of lake Ontario can be fatiguing, as well as making winter temps seem much colder. The other pitfalls are listed by others.

Albany is the center of everything great about the state, along with neighboring that socialist state of VT. A lot of diversity in a two hour commute; mountains (Adirondacks, Green and Berkshires), Lake Champlain, historical towns (including those in Mass and CT), and NYC.

If Rochester is the only option, there are much worse places to be (Utica, Rome, and Herkimer have that 21st century Detroit vibe to them). The Finger Lakes region can be a fun visit also.

There is a lot to do in this state and it is much larger than most realize.

[one_voice]

9. Thanks you..

definitely going to look into this as an option.

Off to google.

[BarenakedLady]

10. I'm outside Rochester

in the rural burbs. I've been in this area for the past 18 yrs now transplanted from New England. Winters are usually not as bad as Syracuse or Buffalo. This area has TONS of things to do. The city, of course, has city stuff (museums, shows, clubs, etc). The Finger Lakes are beautiful. Summers are about the same as most of the East Coast. Cost of living is cheaper than New England for sure.