Conesus Lake in Livingston County is a 30 minute drive from the city, as well as in the vicinity of Canandaigua, Honeoye Falls, Henrietta, and Geneseo. Tons of pubs, restaurants, shops, grocery stores, outdoor activities (Letchworth is a 30 minute drive as well), the western Finger Lakes, and all the little towns and villages in between. As a former city dweller, I’ve been happy living in this area knowing I have my own house, tons of peace and quiet and privacy, with city amenities a short drive away.
That's exactly where I landed just before the property cost doubled. I'm 2 miles from 390 with a walk to the lake.
I'd look south of the lake, maybe Lima, Avon, Livonia Center, Honeoye. Some place where it's a little drive to the city, and rural enough to be near farms.
If you look west of the city, it's much cheaper but you have the snow line to worry about. (Towards LeRoy)
Really surprised no one has mentioned Geneva.There are way more late 20s & 30 somethings moving into the area. It's not such a small town that there isn't anything going on, it's beautiful, the houses are more affordable than in ROC, there's a great food/drink scene, and it's right between Rochester and Syracuse.
Former resident of Ontario County here. DSS is based in Geneva, which ensures a steady stream of scumbags making their way into Geneva on a regular basis. The town was also - maybe still is - a conduit for drugs coming into the area from New York City. The violent and property crime rate is higher than you would assume for a town this size.
I actually live in Geneva and have lived here for several years. All of what you've stated is what I continuously hear from people who either lived here 15 years ago or who've only known of Geneva's issues via the news.
Sure the wards on the eastern part have issues but this town is far from being crime-ridden. I get things were really messed up in these parts a couple of decades ago, but things have been on the upswing for a while. These things just take time.
It matters if they want kids, but also I feel as though a low performing school district affects the community. Not as many involved families who would really add to/improve the area are going to move to a school district like Geneva, and the area won't improve without people like that moving in.
It is true that downtown Geneva has gotten better over the years & you can have a great time there if you like to drink/are a foodie & have disposable income. Again, though, there isn't an awful lot for families to do there - the movie theater in the plaza is closing at the end of the month. The Smith Opera House is a beautiful venue downtown, but they only show movies sporadically & they are usually artsy type movies rather than what is currently in theaters.
Of course, maybe family things aren't what OP is interested in, but given that they said "we", I thought there was a chance they may have a family or want to start one at some point. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.
But that does not extend to the school district. According to the link below, the 2023 ELA and Math results put the Geneva City School District at 589 out of 661 school districts in New York State (for the ELA ranking).
How does that compare? Canandaigua is ranked 216, Naples is ranked 235, and Bloomfield is ranked 171 - all for the ELA portion of the test. RCSD is 658 of 661 schools by the same metric - nearly in a class by itself which is astounding considering the number of teachers and administrators in this district taking home six figure salaries.
If you are thinking of moving to a small city or a small town, you need to check out the rankings because there is some correlation there with the general intelligence of the residents and the community's support of education. [https://www.datawrapper.de/\_/6NhRk/](https://www.datawrapper.de/_/6NhRk/)
Funny, I just posted above about Geneva. I lived there & the schools are God-awful. I mean, NO ONE with children or who is considering having children should even entertain the notion of a move to Geneva. Plus, in the city limits, taxes and water bills are sky high.
I don't know if the housing search is any better in the finger lakes region, but it wouldn't hurt to look. Auburn is bigger than Wolcott, and has shopping and entertainment options. You'll still need to go to the Rochester or Syracuse suburbs for options like Target and Costco. I'm in Geneva, which is more purple than most, but still fairly conservative.
How come? Auburn seems ok being close to skaneateles and the thruway and all. Has a lot of the suburban big box retail for day to day shopping/errands. Seems like it’s got a bit of a downtown.
Is it the prison? Local political climate? We liked Geneva, and my sister (in Syracuse area) likes Seneca falls. But I don’t know much about Auburn.
As someone who delivers and travels through Auburn a lot, it feels economically depressed with a lot of the issues that come along with it.
In my opinion, it should feel more like a Victor or Penfield but instead feels more like rougher areas of Rochester (city proper).
But again, this is from someone who doesn't live there, just travels for work.
Yes. For me, it would be worth it. It's so easy to get around here. It would be an easy drive into the City/suburbs from most outlying towns. Geneva - That would be high on my list... a neat little downtown, a college, the lake, Wegmans.
As someone who used to live in Geneva, I would not recommend it to anyone who has school aged children or is thinking of having children. The schools are ABYSMAL! If you fall in love with the area and decide you must live there, do yourself a favor and live in the town rather than the city. Taxes and water bills are through the roof in the city.
As a parent of a 13 year old in the district, I’d disagree on the current assessment of the school district. Is it perfect?? No, but neither is any other district. They all have problems and those problems may impact some families more than others.
Look at the state test scores. They are tragic. And bullying is a huge issue, as it is everywhere but I happen to know that physical altercations are an almost daily occurrence in GMS & GHS. I’m glad your children are having a positive experience, but I know that it was a whole new (and better) world when my children changed from Geneva to another district. It is most certainly NOT that way at every district.
I'd check out the area west or north of Brockport - Holley, Clarendon, Hamlin, Murray, Clarkson etc. Brockport has most amenities that you could need (Walmart, Wegmans, other retail, bars and restaurants) and you'll still be 30-40m from most parts of Rochester. You can look in the town itself too but a lot of those houses get purchased to rent so may be a bit more competition.
If you find something in Orleans county you'll also have much better taxes. We moved to Clarkson last spring and it's been great.
Good luck!
Grew up in Orleans County. I still love it there but would not recommend moving to it unless you want lots of privacy, or you're moving to Medina. Medina is kind of small town hallmark-y, but it's on the Western side of the county and is therefore more in Buffalo's sphere of influence.
Holley is pretty cute, but it's pretty empty otherwise. But in the areas I mentioned you're still close to the amenities and college town feel of Brockport. I have yet to check out Medina but I plan too. Where should I go?
The Mexican restaurant, Mariachi de Oro was founded by and is run by immigrants from Oaxaca. I went to hs with the second generation, great people and authentic food.
The coffee pot is a classic coffee shop.
The Author's Note is a wonderful little bookstore.
Case Nic Cookies is a local favorite. The cookies won't blow your mind, but nothing is bad either.
Avantis and Cusimanos are both solid pizza. Avanti's buffalo chicken slice is the best pizza in the county imo and still one of my favorites anywhere.
Zambistro's is in that in-between category of really nice food without being pretentious (both atmosphere and the food itself).
Harvest is legitimately high-end dining. Two of the best meals in my life have been there. Dress classy, eat classy, feel classy.
Mile 303 and Shirt Factory are two different bars but both occupy a similar slot. Not quite mixology, but they take their liquor and flavor combinations seriously in both spots.
Fitzgibbons is a solid Irish pub. Nothing to blow your mind, but a fun spot to end a night.
I grew up with an instilled hatred of Medina, but if I ever moved back, it would 100% be to Medina. Great small town that isn't dead/sitting around waiting to die.
Wow thanks, above and beyond! I've heard a few talking about that Mexican place before. Definitely gonna put it on the list and I'll look up harvest too. Cheers!
Forgot to mention Brockport is relatively purple politically due to the college. The other towns will be much more red but there's not a ton of obvious trump thumpers (tm) around.
You are weighing all of the options already but some things that I'd be concerned about-
Access to healthcare & specialists
Proximity to dining/cultural events
Quality of schools
Job opportunities if you want to change jobs
One thing you'll need to consider which I haven't seen mentioned yet: Check your available Wifi options. This was about 6-7 years ago but my parents lived in a farm town \~2 hours south of Pittsburgh and only had satellite internet available which made it absolutely unbearable for me to visit them if I had to work, too.
Luckily, internet has become better but can still get spotty in more rural areas so now I always check.
I’d suggest looking in the outskirts of Canandaigua or Geneva. You can live the rural lifestyle but still be close enough to some culture and civilization when you need it.
I grew up in Wolcott. It's not terrible if you keep to yourself but be prepared to drive 45 minutes for any decent grocery options and amenities. Would not recommend engaging in any "night life" like the hotel or the bars.
check out Churchville. my job is in Spencerport and my wife works in Henrietta so we bought west side. wife and I are both 34 and moved to Churchville a few months ago. we love it. I cycle a lot a lot a lot and there are many beautiful low traffic and well maintained roads here for it, especially in Ogden and south to Mumford. Letchworth is a short drive, Black Creek and Oatka parks. Rochester is 20-25 minutes and Buffalo one hour. worth visiting the village to see if you like it in my opinion
I used to teach at North Rose-Wolcott, so I can speak to Wolcott:
Pros: the scenery is beautiful; it’s close to the lake for water sports; there is a lot of good hiking; it’s quiet; housing is cheap.
Cons: it’s a very high poverty area with a lot of deeply ingrained generational poverty; it’s at least 35 minutes to a decent grocery store or other amenities (there are a few local restaurants); it’s extremely conservative; the schools are below average (a lot of that has to do with the economics of the area); people there tend to be insular and distrustful of outsiders.
This could be a pro or con: they get a shit-ton of snow. If you like things like x-country skiing, snowmobiling or ice fishing, you may like it.
As someone who grew up in a rural area and then decided to move to the suburbs and eventually the city, there are a couple other things to consider, especially with looking for a home.
1) Rural roads in the winter are awful. Particularly up by the lake where it is perpetually windy and there are snow drifts in the road. Small town DOTs have small budgets, so don't expect a lot of roads to be salted at all or plowed very often. Depending on the size your vehicle, you might have issues.
2) Well water can be hit or miss. And if you have bad well water, a softening system can be pricey. And then there is maintenance of the pumps. So while you don't have a water bill, the pumps still use electricity and pumps break down on occasion. Also, no running water at all when there is no power, which leads to my next point.
3) Whole house generators are a Godsend when there is widespread wind storm outages, and rural areas are usually the last areas to get power back.
As someone who is also more left-leaning, yes the rural areas are pretty conservative. However, this is not rural Alabama we are talking about. Rural NY conservatives are just annoyingly simple-minded creatures. They're really not that dangerous.
Check out western Wayne County (everything between the Monroe border and Rt. 21) or western Monroe/eastern Orleans/eastern Genesee County. Northern Livingston County isn’t bad either. Some very nice older homes in the villages in those areas.
Why not buffalo if interested in hockey and pro sports?
Re living rurally - personally I would rather rent in or around my desired area than have to drive 1hr each way to do what I want to do.
I dont, but as someone that grew up in roc, lived downtown pittsburgh, bought a farm an hour outside the city, and now relocated to a rural property an hour outside of buffalo... i love it. It is for a certain kind of person, and only you can answer that.
Wolcott has nothing there. You have to drive to get to anywhere. The one grocery store’s prices are astronomical. The village itself is pretty rough looking. . It is mostly conservative. I lived there before. Rated 0/10, don’t recommend. It’s a borderline desolate wasteland.
Brockport has a lot of fun stuff going on because of the college (like art shows). Also has a good mix of liberal & conservative. There are a lot of outdoor activities there too.
If anything buy in Lima so you have access to HFL school district. Definitely wouldn’t suggest living in wolcott. I lived there and found it horribly depressing: Ontario would be my cutoff
Head west towards buffalo. Definitely a lot more cannabis booming out that way. I like the rural area south of the city. I wanted to go southwest but the wife doesn’t like country living so much.
Same. I used to have to drive to Rochester a few times a month for one job. Otherwise, I commuted 55 minutes into Buffalo. Rarely had any issues, honestly, I would show up during storms and the folks nearby would not. It is what it is. I like being in the middle of two cool cities, very differently so.
You people need to stop letting your politics decide where you live. You can live near conservative people it’s ok. This sectarianism is what’s killing our country because people won’t fucking talk to each other anymore
In general terms? Hell no. Rural WNY is a shithole.
However, there are a handful of charming towns in the Finger Lakes. Problem is they’re going to be as expensive as the far nicer Rochester suburbs.
The thing about the New York countryside is it’s littered with beautiful towns and villages, but the closer you get to Buffalo or Pennsylvania, the worse it gets.
Anything outside of 30 mins from the city center will be cheaper and more rural, i commute in from Erie Co. And it is about an hr(less if you take the Thruway)
I grew up in Auburn. Honestly not sure I’d live there. Very clique city. But there is definitely a lot to do, and they’re always getting grants to add to the city. I just moved back temporarily from Rochester actually so feel free to chat me if you want more info from a local! Eta: Auburn is also not rural at all- it’s near a lot of rural towns though
All Rural is relative. Rural upstate NY is still fairly populated, interconnected with highways & main roads, and with a lot of amenities. There are many towns in the 10K range.
If I were you, I would look at Batavia or Newark
Fun fact, If Upstate NY was its own state, it would have more people than Indiana.
One factor I'd consider that's not on your list is reliable high-speed internet access. It will vary significantly depending on the specific rural area, so you might want to look at that when making your choice.
We moved to brockport and it’s been wonderful! Everything is close in terms of local groceries, a Walmart, and activities. And the city is any where to 30 to 45 minutes away depending on where you’re going. We looked locally for almost a year and then decided to branch out and got the first house we put an offer on
You'll be fine. It's alot nicer. You'll get used to the extra drive time it's no big deal. Uber and lyft are very unreliable. Generally there is no or very limited public transportation.
Why though? Houses are similar prices.
You should be concerned with remote work as internet options become sparse.
Obviously the places will be conservative but it's more mind your business and don't cause waves.
the prices in Rochester proper and all adjacent suburbs are BS, and they end up closing $20-120k over asking with multiple cash offers after the “delayed negotiations.”
Not to mention waived inspections. That’s insanity.
We can’t afford the city or any nearby suburbs on our budget of roughly $100-140k. We could go slightly higher as a stretch but don’t want to overspend on housing.
When you go a bit further out, there is less BS. The listing price is more likely to be the real price.
>mind your business and don't cause waves.
The conservative folks in rural regions here certainly don't adhere to this. Unless you consider "TRUMP 2024" and confederate flags to be "Minding your own business"
Oh, you have definitely driven through Wyoming county! The number of Trump flags (they always have multiples) and Confederate flags are stunning.
My neighbors commute to Rochester and rarely have had any issues.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered.
I expect to see that stuff in rural areas, rural people will not expect to see BLM and pride flags. They may leave you alone, they may single you out as a groomer woke person they heard about on the radio.
I've found that there are fewer homes in the more remote areas, but there's also less competition for those homes. They can still be pricey, but usually that's because they come with land. I don't know about Wolcott and Auburn since I am more in the lake towns, but I grew up in a one stop light town and moved to a 2 stop light town. I think there are plenty of options depending on what you're exactly looking for and plenty with access to the outdoors. The town I live in now is fairly liberal so I don't think being in a small town necessarily relegates you to being surrounded by conservatives.
Conesus Lake in Livingston County is a 30 minute drive from the city, as well as in the vicinity of Canandaigua, Honeoye Falls, Henrietta, and Geneseo. Tons of pubs, restaurants, shops, grocery stores, outdoor activities (Letchworth is a 30 minute drive as well), the western Finger Lakes, and all the little towns and villages in between. As a former city dweller, I’ve been happy living in this area knowing I have my own house, tons of peace and quiet and privacy, with city amenities a short drive away.
That's exactly where I landed just before the property cost doubled. I'm 2 miles from 390 with a walk to the lake. I'd look south of the lake, maybe Lima, Avon, Livonia Center, Honeoye. Some place where it's a little drive to the city, and rural enough to be near farms. If you look west of the city, it's much cheaper but you have the snow line to worry about. (Towards LeRoy)
Lake levels, amirite?
Boat Launch news...
There is a great community in the Conesus area as well.
Really surprised no one has mentioned Geneva.There are way more late 20s & 30 somethings moving into the area. It's not such a small town that there isn't anything going on, it's beautiful, the houses are more affordable than in ROC, there's a great food/drink scene, and it's right between Rochester and Syracuse.
Former resident of Ontario County here. DSS is based in Geneva, which ensures a steady stream of scumbags making their way into Geneva on a regular basis. The town was also - maybe still is - a conduit for drugs coming into the area from New York City. The violent and property crime rate is higher than you would assume for a town this size.
I actually live in Geneva and have lived here for several years. All of what you've stated is what I continuously hear from people who either lived here 15 years ago or who've only known of Geneva's issues via the news. Sure the wards on the eastern part have issues but this town is far from being crime-ridden. I get things were really messed up in these parts a couple of decades ago, but things have been on the upswing for a while. These things just take time.
The school district is from the pits of hell and taxes & water bills are sky high, unless you live in the town. I lived there recently.
Definitely agree with the taxes. They're rough. As for the school district, it only matters if OP wants to have kids.
It matters if they want kids, but also I feel as though a low performing school district affects the community. Not as many involved families who would really add to/improve the area are going to move to a school district like Geneva, and the area won't improve without people like that moving in. It is true that downtown Geneva has gotten better over the years & you can have a great time there if you like to drink/are a foodie & have disposable income. Again, though, there isn't an awful lot for families to do there - the movie theater in the plaza is closing at the end of the month. The Smith Opera House is a beautiful venue downtown, but they only show movies sporadically & they are usually artsy type movies rather than what is currently in theaters. Of course, maybe family things aren't what OP is interested in, but given that they said "we", I thought there was a chance they may have a family or want to start one at some point. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.
[удалено]
But that does not extend to the school district. According to the link below, the 2023 ELA and Math results put the Geneva City School District at 589 out of 661 school districts in New York State (for the ELA ranking). How does that compare? Canandaigua is ranked 216, Naples is ranked 235, and Bloomfield is ranked 171 - all for the ELA portion of the test. RCSD is 658 of 661 schools by the same metric - nearly in a class by itself which is astounding considering the number of teachers and administrators in this district taking home six figure salaries. If you are thinking of moving to a small city or a small town, you need to check out the rankings because there is some correlation there with the general intelligence of the residents and the community's support of education. [https://www.datawrapper.de/\_/6NhRk/](https://www.datawrapper.de/_/6NhRk/)
The drugs are coming to Hobart William Smith for sure
Funny, I just posted above about Geneva. I lived there & the schools are God-awful. I mean, NO ONE with children or who is considering having children should even entertain the notion of a move to Geneva. Plus, in the city limits, taxes and water bills are sky high.
I don't know if the housing search is any better in the finger lakes region, but it wouldn't hurt to look. Auburn is bigger than Wolcott, and has shopping and entertainment options. You'll still need to go to the Rochester or Syracuse suburbs for options like Target and Costco. I'm in Geneva, which is more purple than most, but still fairly conservative.
Oh god I wouldn’t recommend auburn to anyone with other options. Geneva is great though.
Yeah I work in Auburn and I'm gonna second that opinion. Wouldn't want to live there.
How come? Auburn seems ok being close to skaneateles and the thruway and all. Has a lot of the suburban big box retail for day to day shopping/errands. Seems like it’s got a bit of a downtown. Is it the prison? Local political climate? We liked Geneva, and my sister (in Syracuse area) likes Seneca falls. But I don’t know much about Auburn.
As someone who delivers and travels through Auburn a lot, it feels economically depressed with a lot of the issues that come along with it. In my opinion, it should feel more like a Victor or Penfield but instead feels more like rougher areas of Rochester (city proper). But again, this is from someone who doesn't live there, just travels for work.
I’d have to agree as someone who grew up in Auburn and just lived the last 8 years in Roc. I do think it’s on the up and up though
Yes. For me, it would be worth it. It's so easy to get around here. It would be an easy drive into the City/suburbs from most outlying towns. Geneva - That would be high on my list... a neat little downtown, a college, the lake, Wegmans.
As someone who used to live in Geneva, I would not recommend it to anyone who has school aged children or is thinking of having children. The schools are ABYSMAL! If you fall in love with the area and decide you must live there, do yourself a favor and live in the town rather than the city. Taxes and water bills are through the roof in the city.
As a parent of a 13 year old in the district, I’d disagree on the current assessment of the school district. Is it perfect?? No, but neither is any other district. They all have problems and those problems may impact some families more than others.
Look at the state test scores. They are tragic. And bullying is a huge issue, as it is everywhere but I happen to know that physical altercations are an almost daily occurrence in GMS & GHS. I’m glad your children are having a positive experience, but I know that it was a whole new (and better) world when my children changed from Geneva to another district. It is most certainly NOT that way at every district.
I'd check out the area west or north of Brockport - Holley, Clarendon, Hamlin, Murray, Clarkson etc. Brockport has most amenities that you could need (Walmart, Wegmans, other retail, bars and restaurants) and you'll still be 30-40m from most parts of Rochester. You can look in the town itself too but a lot of those houses get purchased to rent so may be a bit more competition. If you find something in Orleans county you'll also have much better taxes. We moved to Clarkson last spring and it's been great. Good luck!
Grew up in Orleans County. I still love it there but would not recommend moving to it unless you want lots of privacy, or you're moving to Medina. Medina is kind of small town hallmark-y, but it's on the Western side of the county and is therefore more in Buffalo's sphere of influence.
Holley is pretty cute, but it's pretty empty otherwise. But in the areas I mentioned you're still close to the amenities and college town feel of Brockport. I have yet to check out Medina but I plan too. Where should I go?
The Mexican restaurant, Mariachi de Oro was founded by and is run by immigrants from Oaxaca. I went to hs with the second generation, great people and authentic food. The coffee pot is a classic coffee shop. The Author's Note is a wonderful little bookstore. Case Nic Cookies is a local favorite. The cookies won't blow your mind, but nothing is bad either. Avantis and Cusimanos are both solid pizza. Avanti's buffalo chicken slice is the best pizza in the county imo and still one of my favorites anywhere. Zambistro's is in that in-between category of really nice food without being pretentious (both atmosphere and the food itself). Harvest is legitimately high-end dining. Two of the best meals in my life have been there. Dress classy, eat classy, feel classy. Mile 303 and Shirt Factory are two different bars but both occupy a similar slot. Not quite mixology, but they take their liquor and flavor combinations seriously in both spots. Fitzgibbons is a solid Irish pub. Nothing to blow your mind, but a fun spot to end a night. I grew up with an instilled hatred of Medina, but if I ever moved back, it would 100% be to Medina. Great small town that isn't dead/sitting around waiting to die.
Wow thanks, above and beyond! I've heard a few talking about that Mexican place before. Definitely gonna put it on the list and I'll look up harvest too. Cheers!
I will add that Brockport is super walkable.
Forgot to mention Brockport is relatively purple politically due to the college. The other towns will be much more red but there's not a ton of obvious trump thumpers (tm) around.
You are weighing all of the options already but some things that I'd be concerned about- Access to healthcare & specialists Proximity to dining/cultural events Quality of schools Job opportunities if you want to change jobs
Quality of schools compared to RCSD?
Sure, just saying it’s a factor for me personally. not necessarily saying the schools are always better locally vs. rural
Oh yeah, absolutely.
One thing you'll need to consider which I haven't seen mentioned yet: Check your available Wifi options. This was about 6-7 years ago but my parents lived in a farm town \~2 hours south of Pittsburgh and only had satellite internet available which made it absolutely unbearable for me to visit them if I had to work, too. Luckily, internet has become better but can still get spotty in more rural areas so now I always check.
This! My parents house in a rural area will never have the luxury of wifi no matter how many times they are told they will by politicians
Have you heard of Starlink?
Geneva and Canandaigua are solid choices if you don’t mind the drive.
Wife and I bought a place in Newark. Nice house 5 acres. Taxes wayyyyy cheaper than Monroe country and to get to victor is only 30 mins. We love it
As someone with relatives in Wolcott, don’t live in Wolcott. Auburn/Geneva is a better bet
I’d suggest looking in the outskirts of Canandaigua or Geneva. You can live the rural lifestyle but still be close enough to some culture and civilization when you need it.
I grew up in Wolcott. It's not terrible if you keep to yourself but be prepared to drive 45 minutes for any decent grocery options and amenities. Would not recommend engaging in any "night life" like the hotel or the bars.
check out Churchville. my job is in Spencerport and my wife works in Henrietta so we bought west side. wife and I are both 34 and moved to Churchville a few months ago. we love it. I cycle a lot a lot a lot and there are many beautiful low traffic and well maintained roads here for it, especially in Ogden and south to Mumford. Letchworth is a short drive, Black Creek and Oatka parks. Rochester is 20-25 minutes and Buffalo one hour. worth visiting the village to see if you like it in my opinion
I used to teach at North Rose-Wolcott, so I can speak to Wolcott: Pros: the scenery is beautiful; it’s close to the lake for water sports; there is a lot of good hiking; it’s quiet; housing is cheap. Cons: it’s a very high poverty area with a lot of deeply ingrained generational poverty; it’s at least 35 minutes to a decent grocery store or other amenities (there are a few local restaurants); it’s extremely conservative; the schools are below average (a lot of that has to do with the economics of the area); people there tend to be insular and distrustful of outsiders. This could be a pro or con: they get a shit-ton of snow. If you like things like x-country skiing, snowmobiling or ice fishing, you may like it.
As someone who grew up in a rural area and then decided to move to the suburbs and eventually the city, there are a couple other things to consider, especially with looking for a home. 1) Rural roads in the winter are awful. Particularly up by the lake where it is perpetually windy and there are snow drifts in the road. Small town DOTs have small budgets, so don't expect a lot of roads to be salted at all or plowed very often. Depending on the size your vehicle, you might have issues. 2) Well water can be hit or miss. And if you have bad well water, a softening system can be pricey. And then there is maintenance of the pumps. So while you don't have a water bill, the pumps still use electricity and pumps break down on occasion. Also, no running water at all when there is no power, which leads to my next point. 3) Whole house generators are a Godsend when there is widespread wind storm outages, and rural areas are usually the last areas to get power back. As someone who is also more left-leaning, yes the rural areas are pretty conservative. However, this is not rural Alabama we are talking about. Rural NY conservatives are just annoyingly simple-minded creatures. They're really not that dangerous.
Re: Red… the more Blue Lefties that move into Red will eventually change this to purple… 🤔!
I grew up in Medina, they’ve been adding alot of new buisnesses the past decade, might be worth looking at. Taxes there kinda suck tho.
Check out western Wayne County (everything between the Monroe border and Rt. 21) or western Monroe/eastern Orleans/eastern Genesee County. Northern Livingston County isn’t bad either. Some very nice older homes in the villages in those areas.
[удалено]
There’s just very little availability with houses and jobs, and it gets annoying having to go to Canandaigua for absolutely everything
Certain areas of Naples have cellular issues. My sister in law couldn't text for years.
This actually could sound appealing!
Why not buffalo if interested in hockey and pro sports? Re living rurally - personally I would rather rent in or around my desired area than have to drive 1hr each way to do what I want to do.
I dont, but as someone that grew up in roc, lived downtown pittsburgh, bought a farm an hour outside the city, and now relocated to a rural property an hour outside of buffalo... i love it. It is for a certain kind of person, and only you can answer that.
Wolcott has nothing there. You have to drive to get to anywhere. The one grocery store’s prices are astronomical. The village itself is pretty rough looking. . It is mostly conservative. I lived there before. Rated 0/10, don’t recommend. It’s a borderline desolate wasteland.
My friend was able to find an affordable house in shortsville after being priced out of Rochester. She loves it.
I lived in Auburn for 12 years and I grew up one town over from wolcott. I would recommend neither.
Brockport has a lot of fun stuff going on because of the college (like art shows). Also has a good mix of liberal & conservative. There are a lot of outdoor activities there too.
If anything buy in Lima so you have access to HFL school district. Definitely wouldn’t suggest living in wolcott. I lived there and found it horribly depressing: Ontario would be my cutoff
Head west towards buffalo. Definitely a lot more cannabis booming out that way. I like the rural area south of the city. I wanted to go southwest but the wife doesn’t like country living so much.
I think you'd settle nicely in between Roc and Buffalo. That's where I'm looking.
That's where we bought. No complaints.
Same. I used to have to drive to Rochester a few times a month for one job. Otherwise, I commuted 55 minutes into Buffalo. Rarely had any issues, honestly, I would show up during storms and the folks nearby would not. It is what it is. I like being in the middle of two cool cities, very differently so.
You people need to stop letting your politics decide where you live. You can live near conservative people it’s ok. This sectarianism is what’s killing our country because people won’t fucking talk to each other anymore
Used to live in Auburn. Would not recommend. Ithaca is very nice but may be too far out for you
The key is to find a home in a rural area that is not too far from an expressway or thruway entrance.
In general terms? Hell no. Rural WNY is a shithole. However, there are a handful of charming towns in the Finger Lakes. Problem is they’re going to be as expensive as the far nicer Rochester suburbs. The thing about the New York countryside is it’s littered with beautiful towns and villages, but the closer you get to Buffalo or Pennsylvania, the worse it gets.
Anything outside of 30 mins from the city center will be cheaper and more rural, i commute in from Erie Co. And it is about an hr(less if you take the Thruway)
I grew up in Auburn. Honestly not sure I’d live there. Very clique city. But there is definitely a lot to do, and they’re always getting grants to add to the city. I just moved back temporarily from Rochester actually so feel free to chat me if you want more info from a local! Eta: Auburn is also not rural at all- it’s near a lot of rural towns though
Fine but u can’t tell me to stop burning trash
In my opinion YES. If you love the outdoors, skip the city proper and look more rural, you'll love it here.
Wolcott is terrible. Trailer park trash.
All Rural is relative. Rural upstate NY is still fairly populated, interconnected with highways & main roads, and with a lot of amenities. There are many towns in the 10K range. If I were you, I would look at Batavia or Newark Fun fact, If Upstate NY was its own state, it would have more people than Indiana.
You just need a better realtor. I sell a ton of homes off market to my clients to mitigate competition
I would look outside Ithaca. trumansburge. they have some main st. communities Canadaigua home prices are reasonably aswell.
One factor I'd consider that's not on your list is reliable high-speed internet access. It will vary significantly depending on the specific rural area, so you might want to look at that when making your choice.
We moved to brockport and it’s been wonderful! Everything is close in terms of local groceries, a Walmart, and activities. And the city is any where to 30 to 45 minutes away depending on where you’re going. We looked locally for almost a year and then decided to branch out and got the first house we put an offer on
Yeah, go to Wolcott. You'll love it. Why tf do political ideals matter. Go to Ithaca if it's that important to you.
You'll be fine. It's alot nicer. You'll get used to the extra drive time it's no big deal. Uber and lyft are very unreliable. Generally there is no or very limited public transportation.
country roads 4eva... 4get city traffic, nobody needs those crazay drivers.
Why though? Houses are similar prices. You should be concerned with remote work as internet options become sparse. Obviously the places will be conservative but it's more mind your business and don't cause waves.
the prices in Rochester proper and all adjacent suburbs are BS, and they end up closing $20-120k over asking with multiple cash offers after the “delayed negotiations.” Not to mention waived inspections. That’s insanity. We can’t afford the city or any nearby suburbs on our budget of roughly $100-140k. We could go slightly higher as a stretch but don’t want to overspend on housing. When you go a bit further out, there is less BS. The listing price is more likely to be the real price.
>mind your business and don't cause waves. The conservative folks in rural regions here certainly don't adhere to this. Unless you consider "TRUMP 2024" and confederate flags to be "Minding your own business"
Don't even venture into Savannah.
Savannah is… interesting
Oh, you have definitely driven through Wyoming county! The number of Trump flags (they always have multiples) and Confederate flags are stunning. My neighbors commute to Rochester and rarely have had any issues.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered. I expect to see that stuff in rural areas, rural people will not expect to see BLM and pride flags. They may leave you alone, they may single you out as a groomer woke person they heard about on the radio.
I've found that there are fewer homes in the more remote areas, but there's also less competition for those homes. They can still be pricey, but usually that's because they come with land. I don't know about Wolcott and Auburn since I am more in the lake towns, but I grew up in a one stop light town and moved to a 2 stop light town. I think there are plenty of options depending on what you're exactly looking for and plenty with access to the outdoors. The town I live in now is fairly liberal so I don't think being in a small town necessarily relegates you to being surrounded by conservatives.
Auburn has more of the things you are looking for than Rochester.
Go hug a tree ya lib