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Would you consider something like this, which is essentially in the southern portion of Downtown Auburn?: http://loganparklofts.com/
That looks awesome to me, and would be a perfect place to rent while getting to know Auburn better before eventually buying. The interior space is stunning with the brick wall, sky-high ceiling, and all of those nice big windows. I did not see whether dogs are allowed. It's lacking a couple features I would prefer (there's no covered parking and no private entrance) but it does look fabulous.
It's honestly amazing how many appealing options there are to choose from. So far here's what I'm thinking (and of course these opinions may change after I spend time in each place this coming summer.)
City of Canandaigua: Love that it's right on one of the cleaner finger lakes, awesome location between Keuka and Rochester plus close to Geneva. Some cool historic homes and buildings. Has a Wegmans grocery store. Worry that the downtown area will not be quite enough for me and that living there would feel more suburban than what I'm looking for.
Geneva: Right on the lake, the row homes look magical, looks more like a real city with some soul as opposed to some of these downtown areas that almost just exist for tourists and travel vloggers. Has Wegmans. There is some info online claiming crime is a problem but something tells me this is exaggerated or inaccurate.
Auburn: Looks like more of a real city with heart. Has a Wegmans. History and cool older buildings. Not right on a clean lake, however only a 15 min drive to Skaneateles Lake. Worry that Auburn has an undeserved reputation for being less desirable, this only concerns me in terms of resale.
Skaneateles: I would feel very safe. Being right on the cleanest Finger Lake would be amazing for me. It's obviously a very beautiful setting, but it might lack a certain realness. The Dickens thing at Christmastime would make me happy, I love goofy stuff like that. I think the people who live in Skaneateles seem polite. However, some of the tourists freak me out. Super-rich people can be frighteningly awful. Also worry that the downtown is too small to be interesting long term.
Ithaca: The setting just looks... joyful to me. When I watch the youtube videos about Ithaca I find myself sitting here with a huge smile on my face. The diversity is beautiful. It seems like a place where I could be myself and not stand out as all that eccentric. Two biggest concerns about Ithaca are: I am not quite buying that Cayuga Lake is clean and there are too many college kids in Ithaca. However, I'm thinking maybe the specific colleges there might attract a better class of students? I would absolutely hate being around drunk fraternity / sorority types but I'd actually enjoy being around weird, nerdy college students, even hipster types would be fine.
Corning: Downtown area looks nice, maybe a little too small, not sure. Love the pedestrian bridge over the river. Wegmans. Half hour to Hammondsport to get into the Finger Lake I know and love best, Keuka. Looks like a pretty setting, more "hilly" than other options. To me Corning looks like an oasis in a desert - like a little section of civilization surrounded by very rural, secluded areas. I might prefer to be in an area of civilization surrounded by more civilization. (Please understand when I say this I have been living in rural and remote parts of FL for a long time. I am not trying to badmouth rural places, I'm just looking for something different now.)
So, those are the main locations I'm considering. Also open to some of the smaller Finger Lakes towns, hamlets, and villages that have downtowns but I predict ultimately I'll choose one of the options above.
^This is just me, but the villages that may have a chance at working are Seneca Falls(actually a former village), Waterloo, Penn Yan and maybe Watkins Glen/Montour Falls. With the first 3, they are bigger villages and with Watkins Glen/Montour Falls, the 2 villages almost run together and is essentially the hub of Schuyler County.
What could make Seneca Falls and Waterloo appealing is the fact that they almost run together, are in between Geneva and Auburn(as well as pretty evenly split between Rochester and Syracuse) and are close to the Thruway. There is the Waterloo Premium Outlet Mall and if you are into a place like this, Del Lago Resort and Casino. I can’t forget the Women’s Hall of Fame and the It’s A Wonderful Life Museum in Seneca Falls. Here is some video of events that take place in Seneca Falls: https://youtube.com/watch?v=pfoLcVtUY3Q&feature=share
Canandaigua is definitely still on the list! That place does look awesome, good find! I went to their website - it's really cool how the different buildings each have a unique vibe: https://www.factory243.com/floorplans-amenities
Palmer81, do you have a preference for the type of neighborhood you are looking to live in?
Also, just looking at your criteria again, I would still consider Auburn and specifically its neighborhoods around Hoopes Park/East Genesee Street(closer to Skaneateles), around Lake Avenue and the previously mentioned Melrose Park just outside of the city next to the lake. Here are street views in order: https://goo.gl/maps/DDuNr5D4HSTyzwA86
It is the second biggest city in the region after Ithaca and in turn, one of the biggest Downtowns in the region. It includes a Wegmans, restaurants, a theater, an art gallery, museums, shops, a YMCA, etc. There is also a drive-in movie theater on the western edge of town, a Collegiate Baseball League team that replaced the minor league team they once had, there is professional Theater at the Rev in Emerson Park(which is on Owasco Lake), there is only Cayuga Community College and it is only about 25-30 minutes to Syracuse, give or take. Skaneateles is only about 5 miles away to the east.
There’s shopping on Grant Avenue on the city’s eastern end and a little more on the western end of the city. Camillus, an outer western suburb of Syracuse about 20/25 minutes away, has more shopping options as well.
Here is a photo gallery from the art gallery/museum that was referring to in the post.
Skaneateles is known for having pretty wealthy residents in the town and the village, but Cayuga Heights, Gang Mills and Melrose Park all have higher median household incomes than either the town or village of Skaneateles.
For families that may be reading or following the thread, Cayuga Heights is in the Ithaca City SD. Melrose Park is in the Auburn City SD. Gang Mills is in the Corning-Painted Post SD. Aurora, which is also home to Wells College, is in the Southern Cayuga SD.
Besides Aurora, the others puts you into close proximity to a Downtown, along with quick access to a lake(Aurora definitely offers the latter, with Gang Mills less so).
Here is is an article about Aurora in the Auburn Citizen newspaper...
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