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Tullyviking had a wonderful post about Cicero, hope he doesn't mind me repeating his quote here....
FoxFox - My name is Fox and coincidentally I lived in Cicero for 4 years until moving to Tully and have been there the past 2 years....
Pro's: Cicero has a nice, safe suburban feel. Shopping is close by, restaurants, schools offer lots of programs, close to city (more like a 10 minute drive to downtown), close hunting/camping/lakefront areas, lots of parks, pretty quiet. Housing is fairly affordable but has gone up a lot in the last 5 years.
Con's:Cicero definitely has some traffic issues if you live off 31 or Thompson during the work commute home (but that's only because its a two lane road). Lots of new development (constant construction in some areas). CNS highschool is like a "big city" school with some of the problems (drugs, kids hanging outside smoking/drinking). Cicero has many areas in swampland - so get ready for LOTS of mosquitoes...
All in all though very good places to live - loved 'em both, I'm just more a country person (although my place isn't really country). My main and only complaint would be the taxes (of course). Both Cicero & Tully are in Onondaga County (Syracuse) and you can expect to pay 3 - 4% the value of your home in annual property/school taxes. Most other places I've lived (MN, VA, WA, CA) it's 0.5 - 1.5%, so while the monthly home payments are very reasonable, it's the monthly tax bill that hurts. For instance, when I lived in Cicero, I had a $90k house (3 bed, 1 1/2bath, 1500 sq ft on a 1/4 acre) and paid $3500/yr in taxes. Now I have a $265k house (4 bed/ 2 1/2 bath, 2800 sq ft house on 4 acres) and pay $9000/yr in taxes. This part blows my mind and will probably be the reason I move out of NY state once the kids are older. Good news though - the surrounding counties (only minutes away) offer lower taxes (nice communities like Cazenovia, Central Square, etc).
Much to do in the Syracuse region (Adirondacks are beautiful, gorges, state parks to visit, finger lake region is great (winery tours, boat tours). Most major areas are within a day's drive (Philly is 4 hours, Boston is 5, NYC is 4, Toronto is 4, Baltimore/D.C is 6). Airport is small and is never really congested. Some large shopping malls, Carrier dome for Div IA Syracuse Univ sports, lively downtown area with clubs & music, river communities and great restaurants, day spas, historical spots & museums, and lots of history. Some areas of downtown during day & night leave a lot to be desired - but most of the crime is designated to one specific low income area - so if you stay out of there, you'll be fine.
Here are some brand new photos of the Cicero area taken about two weeks ago.....yes I know they are just suburbs with the same stores you see in most other suburbs yadda yadda... etc....
new Target to open in July
my Wal-Mart is better than yours...lol
Walgreens just entered the Syracuse market...this is their Cicero location still under construction
Very popular Miniature Golf place called Big Don's
Driver's Village has changed a little since I took pics of it before
Hey Bellafinzi, where is that Walgreen's going up? I used to live in Mattydale, and graduated from C-NS, but moved to the southern tier since then. I only visit family up that way two or three times a year, so I miss alot of the recent developments (like the bank in photo six was just finished the last time I visited). Heck, that town grows by leaps and bounds.
The Cicero Walgreens is on the north side of Route 31 near the Eckerd (now Rite Aid) I believe.
Yes, Cicero is growing at a decent pace. If the growth continues, by the 2010 Census Cicero "should" exclipse Salina as the second largest suburb of Syracuse. The largest suburb being Clay.
Is there a walkable downtown business district in Cicero or is all the shopping in malls or big box stores that you have to drive to?
Most of Cicero is the typical new suburbs of cul-de-sacs and power center strip malls, but there are a couple small parts of Cicero that have sidewalks and a walkable business district.
1) Half of the village of North Syracuse (population 7,000) is located in Cicero. The Village of North Syracuse has the typical village main street with sidewalks, minus the historic storefronts. I grew up just outside the village. In one way all the developments in this part of the Syracuse area are suburbs of North Syracuse. North Syracuse sometimes has parades etc.
2) Brewerton is located at the northern end of Cicero near the Oswego County border/Oneida Lake and has a very small walkable business district. Though "downtown Brewerton" is somewhat depressed currently, there are plans to revitalize it in the near future.
Target, Wallgreens, Subway, McMansions up the Yin-Yang. Are you sure this isn't a suburb of Albuquerque, Seattle, or Atlanta or anywhere else in America?
The area around it and the lake sure look nice, though. Can you recommend a nearby town with more of a traditional feel? I like walking, bicycling, and village greens. There must be someplace in the Syracuse area like that.
ABQConvict
Last edited by ABQConvict; 06-22-2007 at 01:46 PM..
Target, Wallgreens, Subway, McMansions up the Yin-Yang. Are you sure this isn't a suburb of Albuquerque, Seattle, or Atlanta or anywhere else in America?
The area around it and the lake sure look nice, though. Can you recommend a nearby town with more of a traditional feel? I like walking, bicycling, and village greens. There must be someplace in the Syracuse area like that.
ABQConvict
Sorry I didn't see your post sooner.
There are a few reasons I take so many pictures of the "new stuff" instead of the "old stuff". #1) Growth and development is something I enjoy tracking. I also don't like stagnant places. #2) I want to see the Syracuse area attract more families that favor growing places...sprawl and all. Today, there are way too many people in this area that hate change and new development. #3) I'd like to help dispel the area's bad image. Yes, there ARE people out there that believe the Syracuse Area is just a small, dying, depressed, college town with nothing to offer. I know... I met these people in college. I hear stories all the time about people from downstate believing the Syracuse area is all closed factories, run-down buildings, cows and farms. Then they visit the Syracuse suburbs and see that this area is much like the suburbs of any major city (minus the traffic jams).
To answer your question. There are many villages around Syracuse which have a traditional feel. Liverpool, Manlius, Fayetteville and Baldwinsville are the best ones IMO.
The real problem with the Syracuse area is that is hasn't grown in population enough. Regions that grow fast have great downtowns, revitalized city neighborhoods, new planned communities with lifestyle centers, lots of walking trails, more attractive areas, impressive buildings along the interstates and other elements which help attract new residents etc.
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