What Happened To Syracuse New York?

The story of Syracuse…

References:
US Census

Encyclopedia AMERICANA,vol.26,1968

"Syracuse" by Daquella manera is marked with CC0 1.0.

Images:

"Greetings from Syracuse, New York - Large Letter Postcard" by Shook Photos is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

“Syracuse NY.jpg” by John Marino from Pittsburgh is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

[etahhcumosevahi]

Syracuse snow removal is elite level. The plows go in delta formations with close salt support. They’re the navy seals of snow removal.

[bluephoenix]

What keeps many forgotten places like Syracuse alive? Student loans.

... and that folks is why the, "junk" majors will never go away because it is not about getting a skilled education - only a few people major in the hard stuff - It is about keeping forgotten places like Syracuse alive.

[pcornwell]

I moved to the area recently. I think that it’s at a turning point. People who can work remotely are looking at the city and its environs and seeing a really vibrant place with lots of potential.

If you like festivals, seasons, town and suburbs where there is a sense of community. Amazing food, a rich sense of culture and a celebration of peoples roots - this place is great. The countryside is amazing - lakes, waterfalls, hills and mountains within easy reach.

It needs and is slowly undergoing rejuvenation. New industry is moving into the area - along with a growing realisation that remote workers can live anywhere - especially here where it’s VERY affordable - I think it’s best days are still to come.

[syramento]

I grew up in Syracuse but effectively moved away permanently when I enlisted in the Army in 1972. I always wanted to return to Syracuse but was never able to for economic reasons. I've now lived more than half of my adult life in California and expect to die here. Still, I miss my hometown and I remain a loyal fan of the Syracuse University Orange.

[genericwatcher]

I am from a LARGE family who was born in Syracuse, ALL my aunts, uncles, cousins have since moved to other states as the major employers closed. It WAS a great city and I will forever be grateful I got to experience it in the 70's and early 80's.

[emmetrobert]

Once freshwater shortages in other parts of the nation become an issue -- something that is already starting to happen -- you'll see the entire Great Lakes region rebound. The future is where the water is.

[retiredcolonel]

I attended graduate school (MBA, 95) at Syracuse. My wife and I enjoyed our 2 years here and found the area nice, even in the winter. If not for the winter, it would have been on my lists of possible retirement sites but I was born in the South and like to look at winter but not stay there. Thy have serious winters in Syracuse!

[racingbeats]

I live in Syracuse currently and have lived here my entire life (in my late 20's). I've traveled quite a bit and have been to many different areas of the country and really do think Syracuse has unique offerings. The grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side. I truly feel like one of Syracuse's biggest issues is videos like this lol. No shade to the maker of this video as nothing was historically innacurate it just paints a depressing picture imo. Lots of doom and gloom amoung mostly people who don't even live here. The older vocal crowd in the area complained of a lack of progress for years and now that substantial development is occurring they do what many elderly people do and fight the change. Fortunately, the local government is ingoring these emotional people and improving the city regardless.

I have a close-knit group of about 20 friends and not one of them works in the service industry anymore. In my opinion Syracuse is not some desolate area with no good jobs, in fact, decent jobs and a low cost of living is what has helped the close suburbs of Syracuse thrive. Syracuse University has definitely held the city together for many years but it's slowly becoming a true developing city and will hopefully not rely on the college as much in the future. The metro area of Syracuse has around 650, 000 people, many of these areas being relativly nice, low crime, good schools, and low cost of living. I was able to buy my first home at 26 which just would not have been possible in most areas of the country. My three bedroom house is only $1045 a month including taxes. Not many areas of the country left where that's possible. Yes...we get a lot of snow but the trade off is no natural disaters. Home owners insurance tends to be cheap here as a result which makes up for some of the home tax burden. We obviously will never have to worry about water either given that we're surrounded by the great lakes.

I've watched many areas of the city and surrounding suburbs develop over the years, especially in the last 5. I lived in the east side of the actual city for years and loved it! We're getting an insane 100 BILLION dollar investment from Micron for a fabrication plant here, the biggest project of it's kind in American history. This factory will directly employ about 8, 000-9000 people and the adjacent industry's that provide the plant with essentials is projected to create an additional 30, 000-40, 000 jobs in the coming years. Lots of new residential development in the area for the incoming population increase. Syracuse is getting a premium level aquarium as well. The highway infrastructure is getting a rebuild as well, although we're partially unsure what that's going to look like after many revisions. Lots of other smaller projects in the works. I'm generally a pessimistic person but I just don't understand a lot of the negativity aimed at Syracuse.

[hectorminator]

I moved to Syracuse 6 years ago. Grew up in Dutchess Co. something about a mid sized city seemed more appealing to me then the big Apple. I love living here. Close to the finger lakes and Adirondacks too.

[text]

I grew up in Syracuse and worked in Rome NY for the Air Force Research Lab. I had to leave in 2014. The writing was on the wall. Moved to Northern Virginia and I make way more than I ever did in NY. I’m so thankful I left.

[ppss.]

The countryside around Syracuse towards Smyrna is just so beautiful, top of the list in my book.

[calcobb]

Worked in Syracuse for over a decade in 70s and 80s...lived south in Tully, NY. Still fly into Syracuse once a year. Not the same city any longer but new industry is moving in. Always enjoyed Syracuse..especially the University's basketball team. Worked at Carrier and GE for a brief period. Good memories. Beautiful countryside south on I-81.

[thomasd]

Spent the first 24 years of my life there. Onondaga
County is absolutely gorgeous. It will always be "home"

[whalesong]

How interesting. I moved from Kansas to Phoenix, just north of Syracuse, in '80 with a job pre-arranged at a machine shop there. I worked only three days and then there was a lay-off, me included. I roamed the Syracuse area for the next 8 months looking for work and was totally disheartened with the labor and social climate of the area. I lived in Central Square much of this time and it was depressing. At that time, New Process Gear was doing fairly well but the GE operations were definitely taking the spirit of the area down.

[donchaput]

Grew up in the Utica, NY area (Syracuse Lite). It's a very pretty and scenic area with tons of interesting history. The job market in CNY is small and tough unless you know someone. Many leave and then end up coming back. I like upstate NY a lot, except for the 5-6 months of winter. I am hoping to become a sunbird someday and be there during the summer months rather than in Phoenix AZ

[upstatenybob]

I think it is also worth noting that there are two huge industries/employers building and setting up shop to open very soon in Syracuse that will likely have a huge impact on the city. One is Amazon with a major distribution and logistics center for the Northeast and the other is Micron, which is opening a huge plant that will have hundreds of very good paying jobs. Both of these projects are being built now and should open within the next year (if not sooner).

[stevefowler]

yep...when GE left it was the start of the slide. My Dad was a Radar Guidance Engineer with GE Aerospace and taught a class for ARMY trainers at Syracuse before being transferred to Huntsville, Al. and then to The Cape in '57. i was too young to remember but I have seen pictures of us as very young kids on a cabin down on the lake when Dad was working in Syracuse. Strangely, though I grew up in Cocoa Beach Florida (Beside the Cape) and worked my Engineering career around central Florida, I ended up marrying a girl who is from a nearby town (Rome, NY) just an hour from Syracuse....small world.

[raynash]

You didn't bring up Albany politics which is a Huge reason for it's decline.

The majority of population is in NYC which gets the most seats. Year after year of money being directed to NYC for growth led to Upstate cities to decline. Decades of neglect from Albany cause the population to flee. If it wasn't for major upstate colleges and universities, Upstate NY would be in much worse condition.

[celticmoon]

We have great jobs here 4 hospitals, Syracuse University Lemoyne college just to name a few. It's a great place to live.

[randomentertainment]

My brother goes to syracuse. It really has fallen apart. Its sad because the city used to be so vibrant. But it still has a subtle beauty and charm