Name: Syracuse, NY
Rating: 0.0

( 40 Ratings )

Living in Syracuse, NY

Ranks better than 77% of areas Follow

Population

142,553

Median Age

31.7 Years

Syracuse Area Facts

Syracuse has a Livability Score of 77_/100, which is considered exceptional
Syracuse crime rates are 83% higher than the New York average
Cost of living in Syracuse is 23% lower than the New York average

What do the locals think about Syracuse?

31%

Family friendly

69%

Public transit is accessible

31%

Walkable to grocery stores

19%

Yards are well-kept

58%

Lots of parks

42%

Walkable to restaurants

Friendly neighbors

Safe at night

Pet friendly

Streets have sidewalks

19%

A quiet area

42%

Sense of community

Based on 26 votes from AreaVibes users. Take the poll

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Syracuse Reviews

Write a review about Syracuse Tell people what you like or don't like about Syracuse…

The Emerald buried in the Rustbelt 4.5 rating By Anonymous ( Jul 07, 2019) Yes, Syracuse (like the rest of the Rustbelt) gets a bad rap. Syracuse is a large city, it's the 4th largest in the State and the metro is roughly 750,000 people. As per-usual there is crime, poverty, and hardship. These however do not nearly come close to making up Syracuse aka ...Read More the Emerald City as a whole.
Syracuse is home to several Colleges and Universities. As the center of Upstate and the Central New York regions it is home to multiple highly rated and specialized hospitals and medical facilities.
Destiny USA is one of several malls in the area and it boasts the title of the 3rd largest mall in the country.
Cuisine of every shade can be found. Ethiopian, Indian, Italian, Polish, Middle-eastern, the list goes on. Syracuse is routinely crowned a foodies paradise. There are several concert venues including the Amphitheatre on the Lake and Syracuse is home to the New York State Fairgrounds, which hosts not only the State Fair but dozens of other events monthly. The snow is a lot, which can be expected from Americas snowiest city and we host a large refugee population. The City is one of the most diverse in the Northeast, which unfortunately brings us to it's bad rap. You will find that 90% of those who have nothing but ilk towards Syracuse live in the suburbs and have very little experience with the city itself.
Their is a lot of animosity coming from the suburban areas and most of it is unwarranted and ignorant. If you are a Boomer Trump-voter, you're not gonna like it here. If you are young, openminded and community oriented...you can not find a better place to live. Read Less

After 6 years of resident, I flee Syracuse 0.5 rating By Jay A ( Jun 16, 2019) Syracuse is the city make me find out this website, to seek for my next stop for life, without making the same mistake of choosing a place like Syracuse.

Syracuse is a typical northern, post-industrial, depressing city, with an extra amount of snow. There are a few schools, some ...Read More industries, and that's it. I stayed in Syracuse for school and work for 6 years, from my 22 to 28. It is one of the worst choices I made in my life. And as people observed, when you settled in a place like this, you kind of get stuck, and very hard to get out of it.

If you never been into weather like this, you will not know how bad weather can hurt you physically and mentally. And it will slowly get on you, doing irreversible damage. On the second year of being here, I fall on snow and hurt my knee, can't jog for about 2 years. The third year of being here, I got depression, of my counselor calls anxiety. But I am indeed depressed. People here commonly get SAD, seasonal affective disorder. There is so much pressure in your work, life, marriage, can get you into depression, and the weather really is the last straw for me. Luckily, I seek help and I am getting better. However, I am not the same person before this anymore. I easily get into a bad mood and thinking, and need help myself get out of with some effort.DO NOT underestimate the weather, really. When you get into depression, I guess you never get out. I also see people grow bad addict habits.

I gained 40 lbs over those years. I know people will say you need effort, but go to gym in the winter means, you will need to: 1. put on lots of layers and snowboot, 2. use shovel to clean your car, 3. drive to gym, 4. take off all your layers and change shoes, sometimes you are standing dirty salty snow water coming off your winter boots, 5. workout, 6. put back on your snow boots and layers, 7. go out and clean your car again, 8. drive home. 9. take off your layers. It is UNEASY.

Enough about the weather. Another thing I find is people here are not very friendly, sometimes rude. In my working environment, in Starbucks, in TJmax, sometimes you say hi and people just turn their head away. It's not like it's in NYC, everyone is too busy. They just avoid you. Maybe it's because I am Asian. But if you read other comments here, you will find people share same experience.

The crime is indeed very bad. Teenage killing, drive-by shooting, robbing, burglary, all kinds, mostly on the west side and university area. Check the news, check the neighboorhood.

Next, I want to comment to some of the existing reviews to Syracuse. To "It's not all that bad, depends where you are": this is correct, but base on who you are. I move to Fayetteville after a few years in Syracuse. I can tell you it is better, but people there are very cold to me as an Asian. So if you are not a Caucasian, you may have some hard time to blend in.

To "DO NOT EVER COME HERE! IT IS HORRIBLE!!!!", and "I don't recommend Syracuse": I agree with your conclusion, and I share with your experience. Except for the above-mentioned weather, and the people, the potholes on the road badly need fixing. Because of it rain and snow so much, to fix all the potholes in Syracuse will take 100 years, it's in the news from government estimation. Which means it will never be fixed, because the winter plow will just ruin the road as soon as they fix it. You will change a lot of shocks, ball joints, ABS sensors, TPS sensors on your car.

To "Could be improved!", you are lucky to be born in Fayetteville, and live in Dewitt now, which are nice neighborhoods. It's nice you are in a helpful community. In my neighborhood in Fayetteville, there is only 1 neighbor talks to me; the other 19 just try to avoid talking to me, or just ignore me ( I wave to their car, and they just drive away).

Farewell, people of Syracuse. I wish you the best, be happy, keep warm. If once you suffer from depression, seek help. Buy a therapy light, take vitamin D, drink coffee, talk to people. I know it's not easy, but we need to save ourselves. Read Less

It's not all that bad, depends where you are 3.5 rating By Anonymous ( Aug 29, 2018) I grew up in the suburbs of Cuse (Manlius). I've lived in other, nicer cities (New York City, Buenos Aires) and by comparison I would say that Syracuse is obviously smaller and not as exciting but it's not the hellhole everyone's claiming it is. The downtown area has a good bar a ...Read More nd sports scene with Syracuse University and the suburbs like Manlius and Fayetteville and Dewitt are really, really nice. It's important to note that the income disparity in Syracuse is extremely drastic. The rough parts are really rough but the nice parts are perfectly fine. You also have the finger lakes, Cazenovia lake, Ithaca and loads of gorgeous natural outdoor attractions within easy day tripping distance. There's no doubt it has been hit hard economically and has really bad areas but if you're in the nicer areas its really not bad. Read Less

DO NOT EVER COME HERE! IT IS HORRIBLE!!!! 1 rating By Ash1234 ( Jan 09, 2018) Syracuse is the worst place I have ever lived. There is absolutely nothing to do here, they have lame festivals and those are just a waste of time and these people litter everywhere. You will literally have to walk over piles of trash, even though there are trash cans! It is hor ...Read More rible! The weather is trash and they rarely snowplow. The last 3 days every single road has been horrible and not plowed at all. Destiny is crap and every food place in the mall has cocroaches. The mall refuses to do anything about it so enjoy that. If you park at the mall be prepared for someone to hit your car and leave it. People here cannot drive. I have gotten in 3 crashes in a year here, in perfect weather because nobody can handle driving. A ton of people here drive around without insurance or a license. People here are idiots and do not have any common sense. They are very rude and do not understand please and thankyou. No manners here. The people are incredibly lazy and slow. If you hate yourself and want to be miserable then this is the place for you. Also every single person I have talked to here also says they hate Syracuse. Syracuse is trash. Never come here if you want to be happy. The food options here are even crap. So if you like food do not come here! This is the worst place! Seriously!!!! Read Less

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It's not all that bad, depends where you are 3.5 rating By Anonymous ( Aug 29, 2018) I grew up in the suburbs of Cuse (Manlius). I've lived in other, nicer cities (New York City, Buenos Aires) and by comparison I would say that Syracuse is obviously smaller and not as exciting but it's not the hellhole everyone's claiming it is. The downtown area has a good bar a ...Read More nd sports scene with Syracuse University and the suburbs like Manlius and Fayetteville and Dewitt are really, really nice. It's important to note that the income disparity in Syracuse is extremely drastic. The rough parts are really rough but the nice parts are perfectly fine. You also have the finger lakes, Cazenovia lake, Ithaca and loads of gorgeous natural outdoor attractions within easy day tripping distance. There's no doubt it has been hit hard economically and has really bad areas but if you're in the nicer areas its really not bad. Read Less

DO NOT EVER COME HERE! IT IS HORRIBLE!!!! 1 rating By Ash1234 ( Jan 09, 2018) Syracuse is the worst place I have ever lived. There is absolutely nothing to do here, they have lame festivals and those are just a waste of time and these people litter everywhere. You will literally have to walk over piles of trash, even though there are trash cans! It is hor ...Read More rible! The weather is trash and they rarely snowplow. The last 3 days every single road has been horrible and not plowed at all. Destiny is crap and every food place in the mall has cocroaches. The mall refuses to do anything about it so enjoy that. If you park at the mall be prepared for someone to hit your car and leave it. People here cannot drive. I have gotten in 3 crashes in a year here, in perfect weather because nobody can handle driving. A ton of people here drive around without insurance or a license. People here are idiots and do not have any common sense. They are very rude and do not understand please and thankyou. No manners here. The people are incredibly lazy and slow. If you hate yourself and want to be miserable then this is the place for you. Also every single person I have talked to here also says they hate Syracuse. Syracuse is trash. Never come here if you want to be happy. The food options here are even crap. So if you like food do not come here! This is the worst place! Seriously!!!! Read Less

I don't recommend Syracuse 2 rating By boyboo123 ( May 22, 2017) First off, my husband and I made a mistake moving here from Massachusetts. I had rather stayed in Massachusetts, know what I do now. We've lived here TEN years, and I don't really care for it. Originally, I'm from the southeast, and sunshine is something I love. In Syracuse, some ...Read More years (not all) are so depressing with very minimum sunshine. The winters are so gloomy and long, and you just want nice, warm weather; you won't get it until May at least! I have NEVER lived in a place so gloomy weather wise. This spring so far has had maybe two weeks of sunshine, other than this, it has rained every single day!!! It's depressing! I was diagnosed with seasonal depression a few years after relocating here! I have never struggled with something like this -- until I got here! The next thing I dislike here, people have a lack of hospitality! Some of them won't even say thank you after holding the door open for them. It's as if they find it unheard of to do so. There are some friendly people, but it's almost a rarity. I find people in NYC friendlier than some of these people! I'm not kidding! At least there, they didn't have a personality of a rock or board! They did try to communicate! Not here!Moving on . . . Taxes! Taxes are ridiculous, and you have NO clue why! This is Syracuse not San Francisco! Gimme a break! The ONLY thing around is a mall they've been working on since the Jurassic Age -- still not complete! Is this where tax dollars are going???? Really! An overcrowded mall, that you don't even go to????Finally, I find Syracuse needs a major cleaning and modernization! The buildings are worn out and gloomy. I understand keeping that history, but how about using some of those tax dollars to build something decent? Major cleanup needs to happen for sure in parts of the area! I don't recommend Syracuse. It's not my favorite, that's for sure. I can't wait to move from here -- somewhere sunny, taxes are lower and there's friendlier people! This isn't my idea place at all to live! Read Less

Could be improved! 3 rating By Mom48 ( Jan 16, 2017) I was born and raised in Fayetteville, a suburb of Syracuse. I admit I was sheltered from the city as a kid which was probably a good thing. I moved away for a few years to Boston, which was awesome! I Moved back to Syracuse, got an apt in the Tipp Hill area (great for 20-30 year ...Read More old's- cheap housing, fun bars). Then the husband came along. We bought a small cape in Dewitt, had a few kids, etc.... I can say our school district is wonderful, we are close to restaurants, Wegmans, SU if we want to see a game. There are some quaint towns- Caz, Skaneatles. There are a lot of positive qualities that are nice for families here. (Decent schools, cheaper housing)Downtown has some nice spots such as Armory and Clinton Square. As for the downside, there is extreme poverty in areas, crime is increasingly scary, and taxes are high. There are some places you do not want to even drive through anymore. Despite this, there is an overall sense of community and most people here are genuine and helpful to one another. Read Less

Sewercuse New York 0.5 rating By What ( Dec 03, 2016) Run Forest Run! OMG, what a dump. Lived in the suburbs not in the city. People live like pigs, don't care about there appearance, their homes are dumps, rusty cars and uneducated people and just don't care. It's generations of the same families and the kids get knocked up at 18 a ...Read More nd start having families of their own because there is nothing to do in this dump. Weather sucks and nothing to do! Onadoga lake, yeah right now you can win in it, no thank you! When I do go back to visit, I can't wait to leave, bunch of farmers and people that just don't care. It's like going back in time and not a good place in time. Read Less

Incompetent City of failure 0.5 rating By Boone ( Aug 17, 2016) Syracuse, NY...NYC's scum bag little brother! The people are a lost cause on all spectrums of life. Strolling down S. Salina st., you might be asked by a local if you have CRACK! The government officials are incompetent worms! I bought a house in the city late in 2014. The house ...Read More needed some work done to it! I hired a contractor to do the work! and he disappeared! I advise you triple check your local contractors because this is an epidemic in Syracuse. Contractors will come with their fancy contract paperwork, take a down payment, make you sign a sheet that doesn't mean anything, and then next thing you know... the contractor is gone with the wind! What does the city do about it? Nothing! I pay my taxes and bills on time like a good citizen. However that's not good enough! I had my water turned off because they thought my house was vacant! I called and said how could I be vacant? I pay the damn bill! If you pay time warner cable for internet, they don't care how much internet you use, just as long as you pay the bill. In Syracuse this policy is different. Even though, I pay my bills, they felt the need to turn my water off because they thought my house was vacant! The nerve of these Pretentious bastards. The Nerve of some people! I wish I could just start a riot and reform the city! In 2016, people have forgotten what civil service is! The government has forgotten that they are here to serve the people! The police department are just adult hall monitors! Syracuse is not a city, its just has a good university. Read Less

Very unsafe with a lot of crime 2 rating By cnyrock ( Jul 13, 2014) After living here for a short period of time, I was victimized three times. My car was stolen, I was jumped, and recently got attacked by pitbulls. The city is filled with bs. It is also filled with cameras. The city has been installing outdoor cameras to fight crime. If you rese ...Read More arch the city's crime map, you'll notice that it's riddled with crime everywhere. There are no good parts of Syracuse. If you absolutely have to live in the city, I recommend the Eastwood area, East Syracuse, the SU Hill area, or the suburbs such as Camillus or Fayetteville. Also, you'll want to keep your doors locked and valuables out of sight at all times. Never flash your cash at anytime, and never leave your car running unattended. Also, never walk the city streets alone, especially at night. It's way too dangerous. One of the good things about Syracuse is DestinyUSA. It's a huge multilevel mall with plenty to do and eat. It's becoming a tourist attraction as it's been growing and evolving in recent years. Other pros about the city include the Armory Square area and Westcott area, both filled with great nightlife. There are plenty of places to eat as you drive on Erie Blvd East. Read Less

Don't move here!!! 0.5 rating By Hockenheim ( Jun 20, 2014) We are a military family who had the "pleasure" of living in Syracuse. It should not be necessary to say that we have lived in a lot of places; stateside and overseas.
This has been by far the worst place we have lived. I cried when we first arrived and took a drive around town. ...Read More There are many abandoned buildings and everything is extremely run down compared to what I have ever seen. The streets are beyond awful!

We once took a trip to rural Poland, when we lived in Europe and the quality of the roads in the former rural east block reminds me of the good streets of Syracuse. They try to repair the big potholes
And make it worse!!! Also you can hardly see the any lines in the street.

This is the sort of town where downtown benches, if not bolted to cement, are chained to trees.
This is also sort of town that has nothing but good intentions; say renovating the alleys and only to have the nice sidewalks destroyed due to two separate incidents where water pipes bursts. They fixed the pretty tile work by pouring cement all over it. We lost water twice. Speaking of water; water here tastes and smells Like a swimming pool.

What is up with people and driving here??!!! I have never seen as many incompetent drivers who completely neglect and ignore the rules of the road. All though there are more good drivers than bad drivers- the bad are REALLY BAD. I have learned, here in Syracuse, to wait for a moment when the light turns green, because so many drivers like run a solid red light. It happens daily. Has the Tipperary reverse light made the locals confused? Also folks don't understand that an only turning one is only for turning in and not for going straight. I have had cars pass me where there is not passing and straight out dangerous. That is the issue. There is very little thought of their consequences or the danger they are causing.

And what is up with jay-walking? It is TERRIBLE! Do pedestrians and bike cyclists ever look up? A red light is
Pretty significant. My 5 year old knows the difference between a red and a green light!
I have seen people drive against traffic in the wrong direction just because they did not feel like taking a construction detour.
We've lived in Georgia for 3 years then 3 years in Germany. I can with certainty say that in those 6 years we've not had as many "close calls" as we have had in the 1 year in Syracuse either because people don't know the rules of the road or they just don't care.
Driving while operating a cellphone is also a very very common sight in these parts.

This is the sort of city where you find cars parked in the "no
Parking" zones or close to corners because they just don't care and the police is not there to Make them care. Parking control is mostly done at the university not downtown.
The police has more important matters than strike down on such banal things as traffic because of the lovely crime rate.

Crime is awful and general behavior is awful. We live downtown and
People are screaming and fighting. In the year we've lived here we've seen reports of People
Getting stabbed and shot just a few blocks away from
Our building. We've watched a group of young men fight below our window. Ladies do not fare alone at night!!!

You cannot walk down Salina without being asked for
Money. I had a person walk after me and my 5 year old daughter and who kept on asking me for "bus fare". He followed me all the way to the building we live in. I have seen People dealing drugs outside our garage. It makes me feel very unsafe.
We've had a mentally unstable homeless person scream at my daughter and I with no prior provocation or interaction. He screamed the most nasty and disturbing things scaring my daughter. Luckily a young man stood up for us and chased the man away. However the experience was not good and they seem to target women.

We have repeatedly seen people vandalize the downtown streets at night. Not only during weekends. They usually scream and wanting to fight each other or people passing by. They were Climbing road construction machines, throwing cones and barriers around, throwing trash cans out onto the street and breaking off the entrance arm to parking lots.

Yes, there are nice places outside of Syracuse. Someone mentioned Onondaga lake park. I have come To enjoy running the East Shore lake trail in the
Mornings and people actually greet you and smile. However I do not enjoy how some
Trash the Wegmans playground with used diapers and junk. It is a shame to soil the one good place in Syracuse.

The only things I have found I like are Wegmans, kitty Hoines and Secret Garden.
Destiny Mall is just another uninteresting mall. A mall is not interesting or fun. I find it a shame that the city wants the mall to grow in expensive of the smaller downtown business owners at Armory square. Armory square had potential to be a really quaint lovely area.

However I do like the charging stations for the electrical cars. Nice touch.

Overall....I strongly dislike Syracuse and the lack of things to do. When shopping is Not one if the things you enjoy then there is not
Much left. The little festivals on Clinton Square are ok. Not great. Not very special. Just ok. I have seen better. The downtown arts and crafts festival was good.

If you do have to live here DO NOT LIVE DOWNTOWN. Seek out the suburbs however finding a house for rent in the suburbs is almost impossible if you are only here temporarily.
If you have to live downtown do not live in any apartments close to Fayette or Salina!

I am sorry for not liking your town. I understand if this is your childhood town that you would be offended but us who come here from other parts do not enjoy the stay. The first impression usually sticks:
some of my husband's colleagues were shown a middle finger on several and separate occasions while driving because they had Texas plates from their previous duty station. Way to go for first impressions! Read Less

City or Suburbs - Depends on You 4 rating By Browser ( May 17, 2014) I've lived in Syracuse or in the suburbs of Syracuse for the past 36 years and work in the city of Syracuse. Growing up, I lived in 3 different states. After reading a lot of negative reviews on this forum, I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth. Any state or town is a fine plac ...Read More e to live as long as you have built up a strong support system whether it be family or friends. It takes about 3 years to build that support and you have to actively work towards achieving that goal. The Syracuse area has lots of clubs to join, classes to take at the several colleges, OASIS for the over 55 crowd. - things to do to meet people and possibly make friends. If you like to ski, snowshoe, play hockey, ice skate, you'll love winter here. If you don't, go mall walking at Destiny (large mall) just to be around people. The parks around here are amazing - go to Onondaga Lake Park. Beaver Lake, Green Lakes, Highland Forest. Where to live - city or suburbs - depends on you. I lived in the city for for about 20 years on the south, north and west sides. I felt safe then but moved to the city when my idea of safe blocks began to shrink. (One block great, one block ok, 2 blocks urban blight) kids in black clothes on black bikes could be seen riding around neighborhoods on dark nights -up to no good. I left but I have friends who still live on ok blocks and are ok with it. I also know people who have purchased condos in the newly renovated factory buildings and they are happy with their surroundings. As far as the suburbs go, I can get to 2 major malls in 15-20 minutes, 2 major parks in 5-10 minutes, hospitals in downtown Syracuse in 15 minutes. For entertainment, I can drive to the Turning Stone Casino (40 minutes) for major concerts, attend lots of free festivals downtown. I do feel safe working and going to festivals in downtown Syracuse but I am cautious too. (Ex. I don't talk on the phone while walking downtown.) As for people who live in unsafe areas of Syracuse, I've asked them why they don't move and they all tell me they want to stay there because that's where their family and friends live. So in the end, where you'll be happy really depends on you. Read Less

Terrible city with a lot of crime! STAY AWAY 0.5 rating By Hawk ( Jan 23, 2014) I have lived all over the country (CO, KS, GA, NC, NY, UK). By far, Syracuse is the WORST place I have ever lived. The crime is terrible here. Gang wars, car jacking, burglary, rapes, are all prevalent here. You hear gunshots on almost a nightly basis. It's so bad that on th ...Read More e 4th of July my wife and I play a fun game of "Gun Shots or Fireworks?" where you try to guess what made the loud boom. I've personally witnessed a shooting, stopped someone from trying to steal my car out of my driveway in the middle of the night, and have seen more street fights than I ever care to. Panhandlers are very aggressive and the "knockout" game is very popular here (one kid killed an elderly man playing the game).

The taxes are ridiculous. The town is full of degenerates living on government handouts and their sense of entitlement is through the roof and the city does nothing but try to give them more. The property taxes for a $110k home are more than what relatives of ours pay for a $300k home in the Midwest. The public schools are terrible and anybody with more than two nickels to scratch together uses it to send their kids to private school. The city is dirty, parking is expensive, and there isn't must to do other than try not to get mugged.

If you HAVE to move to the Syracuse area, then get as far in the suburbs as possible. The 20-30 min drive to the city is worth not having to deal with the endless things that are wrong with this god forsaken city. Otherwise, DO NOT MOVE TO SYRACUSE!!! Read Less

Don't start a project and never finish it 0.5 rating By imtheone ( Aug 30, 2013) The city of Syracuse is very dirty. Construction people start building something and then leave it for the longest time without finishing it. For example, At Leavenworth Park, They started digging to build a gazebo and still haven't finished that yet and summer is almost over. I ...Read More t has been about 3 months. And it is in the middle of the park where children are supposed to go and play. If I had kids I wouldn't want them playing around that area and getting hurt on the construction equipment and other dangerous stuff. There is trash and debris all over the city. There are drug baggies and used needles all over the ground. I almost stepped on one the other day on West street going toward downtown they were on the sidewalk uncapped with needle out. There were 3 of them. Back to the Leavenworth park area, People walk their dogs in there and don't pick up after them. People sit on the benches and drink and smoke leave their trash all over. I would not recommend living here. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't. Read Less

No matter how far you roam, Syracuse will always remain your home. 5 rating By Charlie Q ( Jun 30, 2011) I lived in Syracuse for 7 years and I would return in a second if I could. The time I spent in Syracuse were the best years of my life and I have lived all over the world in cities that get a lot more positive attention than Syracuse (Seattle, DC, NYC, Berlin).

Damn it bothers ...Read More me when people trash talk this city. "JuneBug" is WRONG on so many levels. I never lost water, not once in 7 years. I was never a crime victim, not once in seven years. I actually had my wallet returned to me with nothing taken when I lost it. I got one parking ticket. Guess what, I got over it. I was wrong, I didn't do it again.

CENTRO is one of the best small city mass transit systems I have ever seen. It is efficient, fast and cheap.

People in Syracuse have pride in their city and they love it. The weather is "rigorous," but with global warming it seems to be getting quite a lot less cold. The scenery of Syracuse is spectacular. It is set in a green valley. You can get a panoramic view of the city from the "standpipes" in Thornden Park and the reservoir at Stolp Hill. It is absolutely gorgeous.

I really doubt that the Junebug has visited all of the attractions that Syracuse has to offer. You could just stroll around in the city and the attractions never end. The Junebug must have a small appreciation for history because it is EVERYWHERE in this city. Start out at the Onondaga County Historical Society Museum and don't miss Oakwood Cemetery.

I've been to "Dinosaur Barbeque" more times than I can count and I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a table for 2 or 4.

The rapes that the Junebug talks about are either falsehood or ancient history. First of all, Laurie Halse Anderson went to Onondaga Community College and Georgetown University (NOT Syracuse University). I've never heard her mention that she was raped (in Syracuse or ANYWHERE). Alice Sebold unfortunately was raped in Thornden Park in 1981. That is true but it was also more than 30 YEARS AGO! If you want to know the true crime statistics for Syracuse, ask their police department and don't listen to this hearsay bs. NO, rape and sexual assault ARE NOT common in Thornden Park. Read Less

Stay Away Unless You Can't Help It 1.5 rating By JuneBug ( May 16, 2011) I actually created an account on this website to specifically review the city of Syracuse and to make others think twice before they come here. No one warned me and I really wish they had.

I have lived in many cities both here in America and abroad. I spent the last year in ...Read More Seoul, South Korea before I moved here to Syracuse. The city doesn't make a terrible impression if you haven't been here for long. Unfortunately, once I got to know Syracuse, it became, by far, the worst city I have ever lived in. The suburbs of Syracuse may not be that bad, but if you intend to live in the city limits you're in for a sour surprise.

At the moment I'm writing this my water has been down for over 6 hours because the city decided to shut down the water to dig in front of my apartment building without notice. When I called them to ask when it would be back on they had no estimations of when they would be finished. This is not the first time this has happened.

Syracuse University has a decent reputation as a private academic institution. One would think that the area around a recommended university would decent as well. I live maybe a mile from the university (I am here as a graduate student) and there are regularly break-ins and armed robberies where I live (just North of campus). Break-ins also happen regularly on South Campus where most of the students live. The break-ins actually in student housing, not just near it. Consider this if you intend to come here for school.

It seems like one can get a parking ticket for breathing in this city. I have had a friend come back to his car before his meter time was up to be greeted by a preemptive parking ticket. The city takes absolutely terrible care of its roads. Seeing as Syracuse gets some of the most (if not the most) snow in the lower 48 states each winter, you would think they would be capable of plowing. Again, the roads are fine in the surrounding suburbs, but in the city of Syracuse the plowing is abominable and, frankly, pathetic.

I have visited all the "attractions" that this city has to offer. The zoo is decent although their enclosure for the bald eagle was pretty much criminal. (It couldn't fly up at all and had maybe 6 feet to fly horizontally.) The art museum held mainly ceramics by little known artists and doesn't seem to get well known artists frequently if ever. The Erie Canal museum is decent for a little museum. Armory Square is also decent, but if you have been to any other college area with a quirky downtown, it pales in comparison. You will not be able to find parking in Armory Square unless you pay for it. Most parking is in 2 hour only segments unless you park in a garage.

Public transportation is available but may be the worst part of the city. I have been left at bus-stops repeatedly since I have moved to this city (nearly a year ago). Busses that are clearly marked for your destination may or may NOT stop where they are supposed to. This depends on whether the driver is on time or feels like stopping. I have been on buses where the driver says "I'm late" and actually skips a stop to make up time. This is clearly not fair to the people waiting at that stop. As a result, if the busses arrive they are almost never on time. Most drivers do not announce the stops that they arrive at to the people in the bus. This is illegal seeing as the blind and others with disabilities may not know what stop they are at without the bus driver announcing this. I know about this law only because it is actually posted in the busses... and yet the drivers almost never announce the stops despite the fact that the law requiring them to do so is posted in the chassis.

Walking wouldn't be bad here except for the crime Syracuse. The city has a terribly depressed economy. I literally cannot walk the mile between my house and campus without someone asking me for "bus fare" or blatantly panhandling. I understand that this is a normal part of the city, however, the fact that the panhandling turns into armed robbery at night is still unacceptable if you are a college student simply trying to walk back to your house from the library (which is open 24 hours a day during finals, so, yes, some students do end up walking from there are 3 am).

I'm well aware that there are positives and negatives to living in every city; however, I cannot say that the positives of living in Syracuse outweigh the negatives. They simply don't. For example: The city has a very famous BBQ restaurant... but if you don't get there before 2 pm expect to wait at least an hour or more for a table which may or may not be cleaned. Syracuse is close to a lake and park... but the lake is one of the most polluted lakes in the entire nation (Onondaga Lake - fishing and swimming are not recommended). The city has beautiful snow in the winter... but is terrible at plowing it from their roads. When the sun manages to shine (it rarely does, Syracuse has some of the most rain - and, hence, snow - in the Eastern United States) everything is pretty and green... but if you walk around after dark be careful that you don't get mugged.

The authors of the novels Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson) and The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold) both attended Syracuse University... and were both raped in Thornden Park (very close to the school). This is why both of their novels center around young women being raped. Rape and sexual assault is, unfortunately, still relatively common in Thornden Park after dark.

Basically, unless you are being paid good money to come here or cannot avoid it, I'd recommend all to stay away from Syracuse. There are plenty of nice towns in Upstate New York (see Ithaca or Rochester) but Syracuse is not one of them. If you must come here, live in the suburbs and commute. You do not want to live within the city limits. Read Less

Syracuse, NY - A Charming City 4 rating By Anonymous ( May 07, 2010) I live in the suburbs of New York City and I have visited Syracuse, NY once in my lifetime. Although I was still in the state of New York, Syracuse felt like a whole different world that I haven't experienced before. A friend of mine studied at Syracuse University and he invited ...Read More me to go along with him. By the way, Syracuse University is considered one of the best schools in New York, and nearly 20,000 students attend it. I toured the University's campus grounds, and understood why the school is so popular. The school's 19th century building facades were just as impressive as their sports teams that compete in the NCAA Division I.

Although Syracuse is a charming medium size city, it lies in its own little isolated world in upstate New York. Nevertheless, more than 140,000 residents proudly call this city their home. The city is rich in history and heritage, with historic areas such as Hanover Square, Clinton Square, Armory Square, and Columbus Circle. I haven't seen such unique 18th and 19th century architecture in other U.S. cities.

For local residents, major bodies of water such as the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario are nearby. But for me, all of this is too far away. Our drive by car from New York City to Syracuse took more than four hours, considering several rest stops along the way on New York State Route 17 and Interstate 81. Read Less

Compare Syracuse, NY Livability

Syracuse, NY

Syracuse is a great place to call home and a great place for businesses to develop and grow. The city was home to the country's first drive-thru window, and this spirit of innovation is alive and well on the college campus and in the business community. One of the year's top events is the state fair that is one of the longest-running in America. This event gives Syracuse residents a chance to get out and enjoy friendship and fun.

With a population that exceeds 140,000, Syracuse is one of the largest cities in the Upstate area. The large city offers residents all of the amenities and conveniences that are demanded from a leading city. As mentioned, Syracuse is the location of Syracuse University. The Orange are one of the leading teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and each winter the Carrier Dome is rocking when Jim Boeheim and his team take the court. Syracuse is also home to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, which has one of New York's largest collection of primates. The Erie Canal Museum is a fascinating collection of artifacts and historical accounts that shed some light on what a marvelous miracle it was to create such an ambitious waterway. The Everson Museum of Art is an I.M. Pei designed facility that has shaped the modern Syracuse skyline. It is easy to spend a full day walking the museum's halls and enjoying its exhibits. Onandaga Lake Park is the perfect place to take a mid-afternoon stroll below the tree-lined paths that circle the lake. During the summer, it is packed with children riding bikes and flying kites.

One of Syracuse's largest employers is the Medical School of the State University of New York. Lockheed Martin also has a major operation in the area that provides job opportunities to over 4,000 people. These steady and reliable employment opportunities afford Syracuse residents the chance to own or rent homes in some of the city's most desirable locations. Armory Square, downtown, Lakefront, and Little Italy are just some of the areas that are worth checking out as you begin your search for the home of your dreams.

Transportation options in Syracuse include the Centro system of busses and shuttles. This is a very convenient way to get around the city that is especially popular with students and younger professionals. Those who opt for private transport via car or truck will find that Syracuse is an easy city to navigate and that traffic is not a major problem outside of a few areas of the city. In general, Syracuse is a fine city that has many attractive qualities to offer those who are looking to buy or rent here.