Know anything about upstate New York? Fairport? Rochester?

[Anonymous]

My BIL and SIL just moved to Fairport last month. They were so concerned about the transition for their children - and after being there for 3 weeks can't believe they were concerned.

1st day they moved in, neighbor invited them for a BBQ - and invitied neighbors with children of similar ages for them to meet.
Fairport schools are really strong - the public schools around Rochester are always in the top 100 schools list.

Cost of living - my BIL went from a 2 bedroom condo to a 4 bedroom house for less money. BUT taxes are a whole lot more.

The greater Rochester area has the 2nd best economy in NY State outside of Manhattan.

We visited for 4th of July and had a lot of fun. There was definitely a small town feel with a local parade and the various politicians throwing out candy to the kids.

Observations, very little diversity - but for some families there is a huge quality of life trade-off that makes it worth while.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I am interested in the is topic, having grown up in WNY, the armpit of the state. I think others have pretty much covered the pros and cons of it--but I'd add that your kids will probably love growing up there and then want to get the hell out when they are teenagers. I think its the natural cycle of life, and you will probably be happy about parts of it, and miss DC like hell for other reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to chime in. I grew up there and while everything the other posters say is true about charm, excellent schools and cost of living, I cannot imagine living there after living here. It is not just that the winter is brutal and that snow is constant work, it is the provincial attitude of the area, the small- and narrow-mindedness of the general population and its total inability to compare on any scale with the major international city that DC is. Yes, there are a lot of pros to living there as the other posters have mentioned, but there is not a lot of diversity of thought, no huge international presence, no good shopping (makes DC look like NYC), no good restaurants (again, just comparing to even DC), the museums are really sub-par compared to here, and big nights out are picnics at a friend's. Yes, it is charming, but it really isn't comparable to DC. Be very comfortable with what you are getting into if you move there, it is a huge cultural change, I think, from here.

I agree that there is a huge cultural change, but really this would apply to most towns that are not DC, NYC, and other major metropolitan areas (or right outside major metro areas). And clearly not everyone is itching to live in or near a major city.

I love the DC metro area and think I personally might have a problem with a cultural change to a smaller town, but clearly there are intelligent, interesting, engaged people in upstate and NY and other places. Knowing what little I know about the Rochester area: I know there are many universities and teaching hospitals which means there are many researchers, professors, physicians, and other such professionals there. Wegmans is based there and at least two other major corporations I can think of - so you have those business execs, etc. Then there are going to be lawyers, small business owners who probably got fed up with the rat race and wanted to start a business someplace quieter, etc. I also know that DC is home to many national organizations that have chapters all over the country - I used to work for one and the Rochester chapter did quite well so there also folks there raising money for different charities (executive directors, etc.).

Sure, you probably won't find as many lawyers, consultants, policy folks etc. but there is enough going on that anyone there should be able to find plenty of opportunities to meet educated, engaged folks of many different professions. Just another perspective!

[Anonymous]

I went to College in Buffalo, but I've been to Fairport because I had a roomate from there. People I knew in WNY referred to Buffalo is the "blue collar city" (I'm from
Baltimore and it seemed similar in the respect that it was also once a steel city) and Rochester is the "white collar city." I personally really liked WNY, although I agree it's much different from here. Rochester is a good size, but is broken up into distinct areas. People will tell you they're from Rochester or Syracuse and they're really from a teeny tiny town nearby. Not like here, where people in the District will get mad if someone from Bethesda claims to be from DC.....these people live like an hour outside the city, with nothing in between, but there's no better marker for where they live than just saying "Rochester."

Fairport, from what I've heard, has a cute downtown area. The people I knew from there were educated and I've always been under the impression that it's a nice place to live. It's so much less expensive it's incredible. It's not nearly as diverse as here, but it's not a podunk town. Buffalo actually has really good food, but I don't know about Rochester.