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Syracuse has for many years been a community - economically speaking - that has been on a plateau with some gradual dips and rises but few if any spikes. From an overall long term standpoint we're probably in better shape than many cities that could be categorized in a similar way to us. I'll include Scranton, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo and gosh knows how many cities in Michigan.
The demographics are in our favor for long term job stability in the sense that education (SU, LeMoyne and SUNY Upstate Medical School) should remain stable as should health care jobs. Our three major local hospitals plus the VA comprise a significant percentage of jobs for the city and draw from a large region. There's also plenty of higher tech non-defense dept. related activity at Sensis, Lockheed-Martin and SRC.
Housing prices are stable and affordable.... and we have one of the lowest foreclosure rates of any area in the US (helped greatly by our affordabel prices). Not discussed frequently but potentially a huge boon 10, 20 or 30 years down the road as other parts of the country continue to be plagued by droughts is our abundant supply of fresh water. Industry relies on it heavily and if our tragically dysfunctional state government can get its act together to help lower taxes and create a more business friendly climate.
I see our biggest challenge as being that of creating an identity that is compelling enough to draw younger people here and keep them here. I'm 53 years old and of the top 10% of my Syracuse city high school graduating class guess how many are still here? None of those thirty or so people other than me. And of the handful of people my age that I've gotten to know since returning to Syracuse guess how many have adult children who returned to or stayed in Syracuse after college graduation (including my own daughter). Yes - none. That's an issue that needs to be addressed.
Go to a web site such as Lockheed, Sensis or SRC's. You'll find scads of good paying jobs (mostly trained Engineering positions) available that remain unfilled. My employer is in the high tech industry and although we're a small company (under 30 people) we pay well and have excellent benefits. It's been incredibly difficult for us to find talented young hardware engineers (BEE) because this area doesn't have a compelling identity or a vibe that says "lots is and will be happening here - stick around." On the flip side... places that have been a magnet for young educated professionals - e.g. Austin and Charlotte - are now suffering very high unemployment rates.
I don't have any real answers and I do accept that our climate is an issue for about five months of the year - one that can't be skirted for some propsects who may consider moving here. But I do feel as if forward progress is being made.
I took one of our young (30'ish) engineers with me to Taste of Syracuse recently for a few hours after work on a Friday. He's from Portsmouth NH - a very cosmopolitan place for such a small town - and has also spent much time in the Boston area. We talked about downtown Syracuse and as I started recalling what that area was like in the late 60's through the early 70's and beyond it became evident to me that HUGE progress has been made in many areas - and more is to come.
Syracuse has for many years been a community - economically speaking - that has been on a plateau with some gradual dips and rises but few if any spikes. From an overall long term standpoint we're probably in better shape than many cities that could be categorized in a similar way to us. I'll include Scranton, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo and gosh knows how many cities in Michigan.
The demographics are in our favor for long term job stability in the sense that education (SU, LeMoyne and SUNY Upstate Medical School) should remain stable as should health care jobs. Our three major local hospitals plus the VA comprise a significant percentage of jobs for the city and draw from a large region. There's also plenty of higher tech non-defense dept. related activity at Sensis, Lockheed-Martin and SRC.
Housing prices are stable and affordable.... and we have one of the lowest foreclosure rates of any area in the US (helped greatly by our affordabel prices). Not discussed frequently but potentially a huge boon 10, 20 or 30 years down the road as other parts of the country continue to be plagued by droughts is our abundant supply of fresh water. Industry relies on it heavily and if our tragically dysfunctional state government can get its act together to help lower taxes and create a more business friendly climate.
I see our biggest challenge as being that of creating an identity that is compelling enough to draw younger people here and keep them here. I'm 53 years old and of the top 10% of my Syracuse city high school graduating class guess how many are still here? None of those thirty or so people other than me. And of the handful of people my age that I've gotten to know since returning to Syracuse guess how many have adult children who returned to or stayed in Syracuse after college graduation (including my own daughter). Yes - none. That's an issue that needs to be addressed.
Go to a web site such as Lockheed, Sensis or SRC's. You'll find scads of good paying jobs (mostly trained Engineering positions) available that remain unfilled. My employer is in the high tech industry and although we're a small company (under 30 people) we pay well and have excellent benefits. It's been incredibly difficult for us to find talented young hardware engineers (BEE) because this area doesn't have a compelling identity or a vibe that says "lots is and will be happening here - stick around." On the flip side... places that have been a magnet for young educated professionals - e.g. Austin and Charlotte - are now suffering very high unemployment rates.
I don't have any real answers and I do accept that our climate is an issue for about five months of the year - one that can't be skirted for some propsects who may consider moving here. But I do feel as if forward progress is being made.
I took one of our young (30'ish) engineers with me to Taste of Syracuse recently for a few hours after work on a Friday. He's from Portsmouth NH - a very cosmopolitan place for such a small town - and has also spent much time in the Boston area. We talked about downtown Syracuse and as I started recalling what that area was like in the late 60's through the early 70's and beyond it became evident to me that HUGE progress has been made in many areas - and more is to come.
Very true and honest post!
I think Syracuse is due for a breakthrough. It is in a great location, is a really a relatively safe area in terms of crime, it offers a lot of for it's size, it is a great place to raise a family and has 4 seasons, along with the things you mentioned. So, it is a matter of time if the community from politicians to families and individuals decide it is time to live up to it's full potential.
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Just to prove it, I'm moving there shortly and will give you an outsiders pair of "fresh eyes"!
