Virginia to Syracuse for Grad School - Need Help and Suggestions (university, living)

[syracusebound]

I've read quite a few forums on here about people relocating to Syracuse, NY, and I was interested in getting a little more information based on my personal situation.

I currently live and work in Richmond, Virginia, and I just received acceptance to Syracuse University for graduate school. My fiance and I came up to the area for a visit, and I love the school and the department I will enter. Now, we need to figure out the best place to live. On these forums, I've noticed most people seem to favor the suburbs of Syracuse versus the city, which I can understand after visiting the area. It's not that it's bad, it just obviously has questionable areas.

However, my concern is that I would really like to live near campus, because my first semester in graduate school is supposed to be very intensive, and I'd like to be as close to school as possible. AND the other issue I have is three pets: one dog and two cats. So, obviously I need a place that accommodates them.

So, my question is in regards to city living - where are the best places close to the university where I will feel safe walking to and from school? And I need a place that will accept pets. Driving around the university, I also noticed a lot of undergraduate-inhabited areas, and while I remember my own days of hanging out outside partying with friends, I'm going to be in grad school now, so I'd like to stay away from too much of a partying scene

Any advice people can give would be great. Thank you so much!

[bellafinzi]

Wish I could help you but I do not know enough about the city to make an informed suggestion. You may want to check out Syracuse.com and ask there. Good Luck!

[syracusebound]

Thanks for the response! I'll check out that site.