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So I have had a love hate relationship with Rochester, NY. Grew up in the South Wedge and Chili. Couldn't wait to move out. I went to a much smaller town for college (Potsdam, NY) and found how to have a good time there. After I wanted something bigger and more exciting and I did move to the Philadelphia metro for 8 years. It's a great large city that has a small town feel. You will bump into people you know all over the place, and there is still a neighborhood feel in many areas. People there do have more of the 'East Coast' attitude but when you get used to it and the accent, it's fine. Loads to do in the city and towns, and close to DC and NYC or the shore. It's also a regional magnet for folks from other smaller blue collar cities. Some of my friends were from Utica, Scranton, and Reading and we had fun learning the city together.
Major downsides of Philly and the area are the roads and taxes. The main highway has 2 lanes each way, 2 lanes for a metro of 4 million. Even the side roads are slow and congested. The regional train (Septa) does a decent job if you live and work on one of the lines, but for driving expect an hour for anything beyond 15 miles. The taxes are also bad. On top of the Fed and State tax, you pay a one time 'right to work tax', and Philly and many of the villages and towns have an income tax (0.5 - 1.5%), though the property taxes are a touch lower.
I returned to Potsdam, NY again for grad school. It was really small feeling, and after graduation I returned to Rochester and fell in love with it. I found how to have fun in very small towns and got my big city fix. I was able to view Rochester with an unbiased sense and found it was a great place.
3 years later I transferred for work to a small industrial city in Worcester County, MA. It's like Utica without the charm. I hate it. The fall is pretty, but the people are as cold as the weather, contrarian know-it-alls and terrible drivers. I thought Penn and NY were govt heavy tax holes, but this state would turn Ghandi into a right wing nut job. It's horrible. I am about an hour to Boston, 40 minutes to Worcester and 40 to Nashua, but the traffic, weather and crummy train schedule have all but taken Boston out of the equation until it warms up.
I do like Boston itself, but an apt in Roch (and the city I live in) that goes for 1-1.5 k goes for 4k there.
All in all 6 months in in MA and I want to get back and am looking for transfer opportunities. I now know I don't need a Philly sized city to be happy, but smaller than Rochester feels clausterphobic. Rochester is a cost affordable, easy to get around city with good people, reasonable housing costs and decent jobs if you have skills that are in demand in the modern economy.
I hope to return to Rochester or would consider Buffalo or Pittsburgh within the year. Columbus is booming too, those types of cities just 'feel right'. Toronto is a dream city
PS while I respect the opinions of the person who moved to SC, I don't take the opinion of someone who cites another strip mall or mega center like Costco as 'development'. It's that clueless attitude that has led to the sprawl that has killed cities all over the North East, and explains why they are happy moving to a cultural dead zone like SC. But for each there own.
PS while I respect the opinions of the person who moved to SC, I don't take the opinion of someone who cites another strip mall or mega center like Costco as 'development'. It's that clueless attitude that has led to the sprawl that has killed cities all over the North East, and explains why they are happy moving to a cultural dead zone like SC. But for each there own.
I think you may have misread my statements and haven't really looked into what I was talking about. I was citing a large development of retail space and condo/apartment property anchored by a Costco in the Rochester area. I agree that the construction of a big box store or strip mall isn't really development, but I was referring to one of Rochester's three actively discussed current projects (and how it's tough to get off the ground).
Also, I can't speak for the rest of SC, but I wouldn't refer to Charleston as a cultural dead zone. In addition to the Southern culture, Gullah is the traditional culture of this specific area, in addition to Charleston being an Southern English-French mix (New Orleans being a Southern-French mix). Charleston was home to the largest Jewish population in the South and was the largest arts and cultural center in the Southern US (3rd most populated city in the country in the 1800s). That's quite a blend of heritage and culture. Nowadays, transplants are estimated at over 50%, mostly coming from NJ, NY, PA, FL, and OH, which contains two states that you personally defend. It's literally a melting pot here.
You'd probably see that after spending a few days here, but instead like to judge a place based on who-knows-what instead of actually seeing for yourself. In NY or SC, we call that prejudging, or "prejudice". In most places, they also call that ignorant.
Perhaps read up next time before actively seeking to sound uninformed.
Also, I respect your time spent in Philly. We were considering moving there for many years and it's interesting to hear about what you found to be practiced in the area in terms of taxes, etc.. When actively thinking about moving there, I did receive the Philly paper via RSS feed daily and eventually grew tired of reading of crime in our target neighborhoods of Old City, Center City, and Society Hill. Still love to visit though!
I think you may have misread my statements and haven't really looked into what I was talking about. I was citing a large development of retail space and condo/apartment property anchored by a Costco in the Rochester area. I agree that the construction of a big box store or strip mall isn't really development, but I was referring to one of Rochester's three actively discussed current projects (and how it's tough to get off the ground).
Also, I can't speak for the rest of SC, but I wouldn't refer to Charleston as a cultural dead zone. In addition to the Southern culture, Gullah is the traditional culture of this specific area, in addition to Charleston being an Southern English-French mix (New Orleans being a Southern-French mix). Charleston was home to the largest Jewish population in the South and was the largest arts and cultural center in the Southern US (3rd most populated city in the country in the 1800s). That's quite a blend of heritage and culture. Nowadays, transplants are estimated at over 50%, mostly coming from NJ, NY, PA, FL, and OH, which contains two states that you personally defend. It's literally a melting pot here.
You'd probably see that after spending a few days here, but instead like to judge a place based on who-knows-what instead of actually seeing for yourself. In NY or SC, we call that prejudging, or "prejudice". In most places, they also call that ignorant.
Perhaps read up next time before actively seeking to sound uninformed.
Also, I respect your time spent in Philly. We were considering moving there for many years and it's interesting to hear about what you found to be practiced in the area in terms of taxes, etc.. When actively thinking about moving there, I did receive the Philly paper via RSS feed daily and eventually grew tired of reading of crime in our target neighborhoods of Old City, Center City, and Society Hill. Still love to visit though!
I've been to New Mexico numerous times in both summer and winter, but felt the weather was just too monotonous.
I live in Albuquerque, and came from Rochester. If you think Rochester's weather is better then Albuquerque, then you would be in a very small minority of people. The only thing remotely "monotonous" about the weather here is the abundant sunshine (300+ days a year) and endless glorious sunsets (like every night). Temps very greatly here and there are 4 very distinct, but mild seasons. Occasional snow in winter (melts by noon), and rarely gets above mid-90's in summer (dry). No humidity and very few bugs. You gets some of all seasons, but not enough to make you dread them. There is little to no severe weather risks here (i.e. tornados, earthquakes, ect..)
Look, ROC and ABQ are very different places and there are certainly things about each place that are could be arguments for making either city superior to the other. Weather, with all due respect, MOST DEFINITELY ain't one of them. ABQ is weather is pretty much ideal weather wise and far superior in every way to ROC.
Not hating on Rochester either. There are many things I miss about back home (I still consider ROC home as I grew up and lived there 40 years), but the weather is far down on the list. Summer is too hot and humid, Winter is endless and TOO snowy/cold, Spring is dysfunctional and fall is really the only season I truly miss.
Ocala,Fl. Better weather, taxes. Young people can find a job that pays reasonable and afford housing. Too much damage happen all throughout Ny to now consider residing here.
Hey Roryt - I really enjoyed your reply and will agree that Charleston is the one place I could see myself in SC. It is historic and beautiful. The beaches are fun too as a get away but I have spent too much time on business travel in all sorts of areas in the south that are really culturally devoid. The old hubs like Charleston are charming.
I also see we agree more than I anticipated on the strip mall big box development. Your post did lean heavily on that example and it was a natural, though, perhaps incorrect assumption. Not sure the last time you spent much time in Roc but some of your post also indicates that you have missed a lot of rejuvenation with lofts, Genesee River Development and the stunning rebirth of the South Wedge. Not sure you looked at the dev plan for the Costco but it was a traffic and automobile reliant nightmare. Like placing one of plazas in Henrietta smack at the edge of the city. Someone posted an alternative idea that allowed for pedestrian and bike traffic, green space and actual street design fit for human sized living (much like Charleston, center city Philly or Boston), without the same footprint. Not all development is good development.
The govt in NY is a joke and we can agree there. Getting anything done in Upstate/ WNY in general is a nightmare, but let's be fair, it is not just a Rochester issue.
I hope you do make it to Philly! Great town experiencing explosive growth. Plenty of places to steer clear from, but center city, northern liberties and the area along the Delaware are revitalized and wonderful.
Little River SC . 3 years from buying and 6 years from becoming a resident of SC .
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