Finger Lakes Region of New York
 

I'll be moving down there from Maine for a new job, wondering what the area is like? It will be between Canandaigua and Penn Yan. Are people friendly? I've heard bad things regarding New York and gun rights- is this area ok with hunting and such? Anything to be aware of coming from New England? What's the weather like?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

The Finger Lakes region is great but there are a few bad points. Upstate NY'rs are great on average., different than the typical "downstate" mentality. The hunting and fishing is pretty ---- good. The weather is pretty good probably pretty similar to Maine, maybe not as wet? Ok now the bad. New York State politically is run by New York City progressives and liberals and has been for decades. As a result we are over taxed, over regulated, and our government still doesn't have enough money. Good jobs are scarce and many are under employed or unemployed. Unless of course you are in a field our glorious comrades in central planning aren't attacking at the moment.

I'd leave, but its my home and the geography is great. I'll keep fighting from inside instead of voting with my feet!

We live just south of Penn Yan. The Southern Tier and Finger Lakes is a beautiful region. The weather is changeable and it has been terribly rainy this spring, but the snowstorms are not as bad here as they are in Western, NY. Friendly people? I think people are people, so I don't really know how to judge mass friendliness. I know when we travel South I think, "Wow the waitresses here are nice."

Gun control depends on the county you will live in. I would imagine it is a bigger deal in the cities. DH hunts and I think the hunting here is good. In fact 13yo ds got his first turkey this morning.

I have always though the area around Penn Yan and Canandaigua as being quite nice. It is not as hilly as we are, but the rolling hills are pretty. Also there is a good bit of Mennonites living in that area with their large farms. Also you are not far from Victor which has lots of shopping, probably not your thing, but it is good to have available.

Taxes in NY can be high, but I think housing in this area is fairly reasonable, unless you plan on living on a lake.

Finger, you got that right about the government in NYS, they are killing us slowly. When are these people going to see that socialism and large governemnt don't work.

I am down in far end of Brooklyn, it is more like a small town where I live, not like the rest of the city.

From what I read about gun law in NYS they are not that strict. New YorK City on the other hand has the strictest and most intrussive gun laws in the whole country..that is what I read.

Honestly jeff, I would have a wait and see attitude about moving to NY, because if the liberals continue to have their way this state will not be fit to live in, and if not, then upstate would be a very nice place to live in, like it has had a long history of already being.


We are basicly bankrupt here, though albany doesnt want to come clean about it.
Taxes are high, like finger said, but not as high as New Jersey. In some places those high taxes actually get you decent services, but mostly the money just gets wasted on welfare and government pensions.

I like upstate NY. Hunting is good, better deer hunting than Maine IMO. Gun laws are the same for long guns as most anywhere...no registration just the federal check. Hand guns are a whole bee's nest that I won't kick.

People are the same as most rural places, some are very friendly, some not, some so-so. Jobs are scarce. Weather is similar to Maine. As far as all the 'government regulation' I don't really see it...government seemed more 'in my face' when living in Arizona. Nobody really bothers me from the government.

Taxes should be lower.

Kirk, I imagine that you guys dont get much in return for your taxes up there, so I agree they should be lower for you guys. What are the average taxes up there? Home owners in a modest one lot home down here in brooklyn might pay about $1500 a year.

You are right the government isnt too much in your face up there, but down here, forget about it, they are trouble, especially in Long Island where the taxes are through the roof. Bloomburg is a real problem in the city now, he is turning into a nanny who wants to micro manage the city and all it's people. Hopefully when he leaves we will get someone a little more relaxed.

Yeah, I hear what you are saying about the city, but the city is a whole different scenario than upstate, two totally different worlds.

IDK what the comparative tax rate is...each township is different and it all depends on the valuations and the rate. Its true that we dont get much for our money, there is no sanitation, all volunteer fire, all volunteer EMS, and police do little more than write tickets and bust drunk drivers.

Bloomburg is not the legal Mayor of NYC IMO because the law clearly sets a two term maximum. Bloomburg used his money and influence to break the law.

Kirk, you are right the upstate and down state are two different worlds. Hopefully down state will stop spreading upstate like it has been for the last 20 years. We dont need all that down state trash foiling the uper state. i have always prefered upstate and enjoyed camping up there when i was a kids. I have been considering moving to another state, but from what I hear from people on this site about other states, seriously I think they are in worse shape then us. I am considering moving upstate now, maybe to the catskils if it is still the way I recall it as a child up there.

Im glad that that is all the police HAVE to do here.

Our town has the best highway department of anywhere I have ever lived, they go out of their way to help you, they cleared my little rinky ---- road for me when we had that huge snowstorm so I could get home, (they were plowing the main road and saw me stopped and wondering how to get through the drifts, it took them a good 90 minutes to clear the drifts with the bucket loader) and then plowed my driveway for me. I havent had to use the fire dept or EMS thank god, so I dont know how they are

Shy are you way up north or in the west?

Im near Glens Falls/Lake George area

ok. Thanks Shy. I hear it is nice there.

There's plenty of trash up here too.

If yer from Maine I can understand how ya think New Yak is polite. You should come way south like deep south. Ya'd really be impressed with polite. Folks wave at ya here when they pass ya on the road especially in the country by neighbors. My neighbor down the road a mile stopped ta chat fer a minute. Yeah we got some rude folks to. Cost of living is much lower here too. I bought real butter today for 2.98 a pound, 10 pounds of taters for a buck, even had some real bakers in the bag. Ya gotta know where ta shop though.

As a former truck driver I never bought any groceries north of TN or east of IL. In 'Bama they even made soda with real sugar.

Ya couldn't get me ta move ta NY if it were de last place on de planet.

i know some folks in Lodi and Dundee...my sister's inlaws. lot's of snow, but they have a nice homestead and garden and hay the fields and such. seems like an awesome place to be in the summer, lol, but i live a bit further south. :-)

Yes, you sure do. :huh:

I find it friendly in the 'south' of the USA too.
But have to say, in our travels to NY we've NEVER met a rude person. We are in the Adirondacks every other summer, & most times drive back thru the Finger Lakes. Those towns are sooo 'mainstream' America, quaint, friendly, pretty, well-kept.

:happy: LOL.

There is nothing wrong with NY except the politicians; get rid of them and you will have gravy on your taters :) There aren't many jobs no matter where you go; and no the south isn't booming like they think they are; nobody is right now.

No but seriously, the hunting is great, fishing is great, people are very friendly around where I live, farming, an close knit communities. I live in Hamilton which is near the center of the state.

Where in the Adirondacks do you go?

I've never spent any real amount of time in the Finger Lakes Region, but I have spent quite a bit of time in the Southern Tier. I really like that area. I tried on two different occasions to work out arrangements to move there, but both times the opporunities closed up.

Too old and too poor to make the move now.

That's beautiful, somewhat rugged country.

Tom in TN

I'm in the Southern Tier of NY, east of where you're looking. Canandaigua is quite suburban in feel; the further south you go the more rural it is. The Naples/ Italy Valley area is especially beautiful-rolling hills, lots of state forest and the High Tor Wildlife management area. The area between the northern end of the finger lakes is flatter; good farmland.

The Finger Lakes region of NY is known as the "Wine Belt" of NYS. In my drinking days I spent many a weekend touring different wineries around those lakes, but that's another story.....
The area has a lot to offer in hunting, fishing, tourist spots, history, good people, etc. It also has it's problems of few jobs, shortage of _____ (money) be it a school district, local gov, or volunteer group, etc.
With that said - no matter where you live there is "good" and "bad" guess it's all in what you want from an area and how open you are in looking for what you want.

4th Lake. Old Forge, Inlet. Beautiful. DH's family's been going for over 100 yrs. G'parents lived in Little Falls.

The area is really beautiful, every season. Our milder summer days are wonderful, though it can get plenty hot & sticky. Fall is the best, and the whole Finger Lakes area just glows then :) This winter was long & cold, but it is worse over in the western corner of the state. There are not a lot of jobs available, so good for you. Canandaigua is a small city with a lot of "lake people", some "summer people", and housing spreading out, so the population there is somewhat striated. You want to check out some of the smaller towns before you decide where to rent or buy. Some are nice, some are run-down. Also, some places can end up being a long way away from others since you have to circle lakes to get there. I'm less than a half-hour from Canandaigua, btw. Sue

Was just out to Ithica last weekend, spent a night in Cortland. Son was checking out Ithica College. Both towns were busy places .
Nice area , similar in geography to Maine, farming seems popular still.

Well, like you said, each township is different in NY. We DO get a lot for our money where I live. Yeah taxes are high... I have to pay $3k a year and only live on a little 1400 ft cape on a quarter of an acre. But the taxes pay for a fantastic school system that attracts families, sanitation, police, and a very well-equipt fire department. The firemen themselves are all volunteer, but are extremely well-supported here. We have low crime, and the streets well-plowed during the winter.

It's a friendly town where people are fairly considerate and tend to hold the door open for others, wave at each other etc. Not everyone does this, but I don't see the rudeness and inconsideration I sometimes see in the city.

I kind of hate when people think you're from New York City when you say you're from New York State. Like you said, 2 completely different worlds.

As far as the Finger Lakes - most people around here would be envious. Gorgeous wine country, great fishing and the lakes provide lots of recreation while still managing to be peaceful. Neighbors hold a "Ring of Fire" around one of the lakes on the 4th of July, where everyone holds a bonfire and some shoot of fireworks. The town launched their offical fireworks from a boat.

Hi,
I have a different take on NY than many here. I think our state is progressive, thank goodness, and we value things like education and health care. In my small area of the southern Adirondacks, we have a health care network set up that will even take the poor people with no health insurance on a sliding scale. So my friend, who is unemployed, will pay $12 for a visit, while others with insurance pay more. I do a lot of dog rescue from the south, so I know of people without health care that couldn't get into their clinics for months, and had to go to the ER for simple things, or waited on line for 2 days to see the traveling doctors and dentists. A nightmare! I value good schools and available and affordable health care, and so do a majority of NYers, even upstate, which is much less progressive than downstate.

Upstate NY is friendly, but not really welcoming, unless you have lived there for 3 generations. There is a lot of racism and prejudice up here. When I came here, I regularly heard people talking about blacks using terrible names, and talking about all of the black people on welfare (even though I know majority are white) I thought I was on another planet. I lived in many places, but none so backward as a lot of upstate NY. I am lucky to live in a progressive little town, with a great cultural center that has concerts and plays and art, and nice restaurants and skiing. Most of upstate is not like this.
So, it depends on what you like, and where you land. Some places and people don't want taxes, and don't care about the schools and health care and whether their neighbors have heat, and some places do. Good luck, hope you like where you end up,
Nancy

Just wanted to say

"Hello, neighbor!"

I am going to throw in a cheer for WNY. Love that area. Great outdoor opportunities. If you get a chance, take a visit.

It is pretty country up there. We are about 50 miles below you in Pa. Weather has been very rainy this spring. You are only about 3 hours from Niagara Falls..could go for a day trip !! You aren't also too far from Ithacha, NY and Cornell University. Very nice town with a mix of people and farmer's markets during the summer. The lakes are beautiful so if you like fishing or boating you will enjoy this. I believe also that you aren't too far from the Bully Hill Winery in Hammonsport. There are many winery's along the Finger Lakes area that you will enjoy and a nice indoor "farmers" market with Amish foods and crafts in Dundee, NY called the Wind Mill. Darien Lake is a water park not too far from you also on the other side of Attica, NY. I think you will enjoy your time in this area. Best Wishes on your Home...

We lived in Rochester for a decade, and just moved back to where I grew up in Virginia. Yeah, we lived in the city, but we did a lot of stuff outside of the city and had friends in Penn Yan and Canandaigua. Fingerlakes is a pretty nice area, and it's very different from NYC and upstate--western New York is not upstate. It's its own place, and, as my husband points out, is "red state" New York. From what we learned from some of our mushroom-hunting friends, hunting is good and not heavily restricted. If you like wild goose you'll be in luck as Canada geese are a nuisance animal . . . I think during the right season you can take 9 a day or something ridiculous (someone correct me if I'm wrong--we never quite got started hunting because we hadn't made it out of the city yet). The land is lovely and absolutely wonderful for growing things, especially wine grapes--if you like wine, get someone to drive you around on a tasting tour. It's a little too easy to "taste" too much to drive . . .

Anyways . . . the market for land is pretty decent, too--you get a lot for your money, though taxes are relatively high. For instance, we had a really nice little house in the city of Rochester. When we were looking at land in Virginia, we found that we could pay the same mortgage per month down here for something that cost essentially twice as much as our place in Rochester. Had we stayed up there, though, we'd have been able to afford more land than we're going to end up with down here.

All in all, I wouldn't worry about being a homesteader-type in the Fingerlakes; there's a good mix of people there, really excellent land, and lots of cultural stuff that's very convenient to the rural places without really invading them. Penn Yan/Canadaigua area in particular is just really nice, and has some lovely small towns and beautiful land. Just don't try to buy right on the lakeshore!

The taxes do stink and the gov't is into EVERYTHING but my family has farmed in the same spot for 100+ years so I don't really plan on going any where. The hunting is very good around here, you won't get "trophy" deer very often around here but the are a few big ones and the deer are plentiful. Long guns are no problem but pistols are a different story. That is county by county, where I live it is a 60 to 90 day proccess, I am handing in my application tomorrow, the county where the farm is requires training classes more referances and there is a 12-15 month wait. People in the rural areas are pretty nice for the most part. We are starting to get more and more yuppies out here, they move to the country and then complain there are no street lights and public water. If you didn't mind the weather in Maine you will get along just fine here!