Syracuse, NY?

I grew up in Ithaca. I've traveled far and wide over the years, but nothing is as pretty as the Finger Lakes, for my money.

I'll bet no, because NYC *IS* the whole state voting wise and they won't be wanting fracking in thier watershed. However, the rest of the Marcellus will be open season (southern tier, fingerlakes).

Begreen, pretty!

I see you your lake and raise you a Great Lake (Lake Ontario Sunset & Chimney Bluffs, Sodus, NY-also Lake Ontario) AND a mountain sunset from Long Lake.

Can't get anything by you Hogz. You take the good with the bad.

During any storm, it really depends on wind direction. Long term averages tell a more accurate story though and are the reason Syracuse wins the Golden Snowball almost every year. Syracuse averages 10' while Buffalo and Rochester are around 8 measured at their respective airports I believe. The bands just South of Buffalo and just North of Syracuse are where the real action happens. As for equipment/preparedness, the only time our airport shuts down is when there is no where to fly to. The crews here do an amazing job maintaining the roads. We don't even bother with snow tires.

We have a big shortage of grease to give Albany in these parts (a little west of the finger lakes.)
Moved here from Minnesota and find the winters mild and tolerable. Not that much snow, we are east of the worst of the Buffalo snow effect. It's beautiful here, the hardest thing about winter is the cloud cover, many gray days. The summers are glorious though, not too hot and beautiful light. Generational poverty and high property taxes.
I like the relative proximity to NYC, Philadelphia, Toronto, Cleveland, etc..

Welcome to Upstate NY! You got to be smarter than the snow. Hell, people that have lived here all their lives still go off the road. But unless yer one of them Southerners that thinks they can spin their tires down to the pavement to get traction in snow, I wouldn't make my decision to move here based on snow. Nor SNOW.

Economics- as others have said, check on taxes. You will be amazed ;-)

Social opportunities - If you or the Mrs is used to going out to Opera, Saks, yada, yada, yada, you may get here and go stir-crazy. The ADKs are beautiful, but you'd be amazed home many people therein are alcoholics. There literally is nothing else to do. Unless yer addicted to scrounging like Zap.

Oh, speaking of driving around . . . once you get settled in, stop by my neck of the woods. Bring the family for a meet-n-greet. Iceland, you say? Hmmm. . . .

Jimbo

I can do that..none from Central NY, but WNY and the Dacks

We definitely have our share of waterfalls. With 400 ft cliffs and a 215 ft drop, Tuaghhannock near Ithaca is one of my favorites.

Typical winter day in western NY. "The Belt".

i went to school at morrisville college about 30 min south east of Cuse the snow was fun i drove a rear wheel drive mustang all through college, never a prob! One thing to think about is that sometime in october the sun goes behind a cloud then you dont see it again untill sometime in april or may, that was the most depressing for me. also one winter we had snow for 46 days in a row, not allways alot but some. all in all it was worth it because the nice days were so nice and its a really beautiful place, a little slower pace then down here in the hudson valley where i am now, but not so slow to be boring.

Where are you in WNY?!

he's the guy waving that rake back and forth

If you do come to Syracuse I'll slowly show you all the good fishin spots!

Was this first picture taken with Kodacolor film...we got Kodak here too in WNY or should I say...HAD.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZpaNJqF4po&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Great now I have Kodachrome in my head...

I never realized how many people from the Syracuse area are on this site One thing has not been mentioned is that the weather here is VERY fickle. I'm in a spot near Auburn that actually gets little snow, If I go 10 miles north I'm can be in a snow band off of lake Ontario and have 3' of snow. If you watch the Radar weather usually the heavy snow is in long narrow bands that form off the East end of the lake (Lake effect snow) and follow the wind direction. As was said TAXES are what kills you, not the snow

The taxes out of side of the City of Syracuse can get high but the taxes inside the City are not bad, but this the only house I've ever owned and I've lived in the Central NY area all my "Short" life so I have not idea what the taxes in other parts of the US are like.
Snow fall is funny around here. I live in the southern end of the City of Syracuse and its not to bad but 5-10 miles north of me always gets more snow and Tug Hill get buried.

I lived in the Syracuse area for 3 1/2 years in the early 90s. I liked it. PM with some questions if you want. I currently live 2 hours north of there. So would probably be in the area you would be traveling through for work.