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Anyone know anything about Rome, NY

Cherryblossoms07Cherryblossoms07 member
in Upstate NY Babies

Hello!  My name is Michelle and I am a mother of two little ones.  My family currently lives in FL and we just found out that my DH is going to be relocated to Rome for his job.  I am thrilled to be moving to upstate NY.  I cannot wait to experience seasons again and I have always heard that upstate NY is gorgeous. 

I was wondering if any of you know anything about Rome or the surrounding area.  I have tried to research the town on-line and I am getting a little discouraged.  In the couple hours of research I have done I have found sites telling me that the schools are rated poorly (however the city of Rome does state that the schools are highly rated on their website), there are abandoned neighborhoods, and there are a ton of houses for sale (we were hoping to rent since we are relocated every few years but rentals appear to be few and very far between).  The impression I am getting from the information I am seeing on-line is that the economic situation is not very good in Rome.  Is this accurate?  I don't want to purchase a house in Rome if we will have troubles unloading it in a few years.  Do you have any information you could offer about the schools?  Do you feel we would be better off looking for housing in Utica or other surrounding cities and have DH commute? 

Any information you have about the area will be greatly appreciated, as we know very little about the area!

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Re: Anyone know anything about Rome, NY

  • prncsstpprncsstp

    Im not completely familiar with the area, but I would suggest checking out the following nearby communities:

    • New Hartford
    • Whitestown/Whitesboro
    • Hamilton

    These are all very nice areas, IMO with very good schools, I believe. These communities will hopefully leave you more optimistic about moving to the area!

    If your DH doesnt mind a commute (45min-1 hr), try some of the eastern Syracuse suburbs: Cazenovia, Fayetteville, Manlius, Dewitt, Jamesville

     Upstate NY is a great place to live! Welcome, we are a great board as well.

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  • faith194faith194
    I worked and lived in Rome. We moved the next school year, because we did not like where we lived. We moved to Canastota, and the commute was super easy!
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  • jessica6283jessica6283

    Rome is an old Air Force base town. At one point in time, they had one of the largest Air Force bases in the Northeast. However, in the 90s, it was shut down, so alot of the military families that supported the area left. I live in Syracuse suburbs (about 45 min west of Rome, as I live on the west side of the suburbs) but I have been to Rome a few times before for trainings and such, I don't know as I would live in Rome. There are some nice areas that are a short commute that would be nicer/ better schools.

    I'm in no way pushing my services (nest gods), however, I am a a real estate agent in the area, and if you would like help at least like help on what areas to look at, let me know, I can try to help you out. I also have some feedback about the market in this area. Just PM me.

     I do second Canastota being a good area, also Bridgeport may work for you.

    Anyway, PM me if you need more help/have any questions about the area. I'm a transplant myself, and we really like it here.

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  • Court0026Court0026 member

    Hey!  I live in the Utica-area and work for Rome City School District (on leave, but worked there for a few years).  We live in the Whitesboro district and are 15-20 minutes from our workplaces.  DH works on base for a contracting company.  What does your DH do? 

    We are currently looking to move, but love the area we live in now.  I would stay away from Rome and Utica school districts, but a lot of the suburbs are nice.  I think the elementary schools in Rome are great, but I would not send my kids to the high school.  A personal choice.  Most of my teacher friends live there and send their kids.  

    I could go on and on about whatever you need to know, but I am in a rush right now.  Please PM or page me with other questions.  

    O 10.08 & MJ 6.10
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  • Court0026Court0026 member
    Me again.  If your DH relocates frequently and your kids are young, I would definitely consider renting in Rome.  The other Rome issue is the high taxes.  Elementary schools and renting should be good :)  The only other thing is that you are 30ish minutes from the mall and your variety of shopping opportunities aren't great.  Just things to think about.  There are GORGEOUS parts of Rome. 
    O 10.08 & MJ 6.10
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  • Cherryblossoms07Cherryblossoms07 member

    Thank you all for the information!  You have given us a lot of options and information to consider.  I am sure I will be contacting some of you as we start narrowing down our search.

     Court0026 -- DH is an engineer with the Air Force.  

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  • TinyPinkBugTinyPinkBug member
    I'm from a small town not far from Rome, Rome was the the closest ANYTHING from where I grew up!  Jessica is right, Griffis used to be a large base (relatively speaking to the north-east) but closed in the mid-late 90s.  Nothing moved in to support the loss of jobs, as a result there is a lot of abandoned everything.  I don't think Rome is a bad area, but I also think it totally depends on what you want out of a home/community.  If I were to move to the area for my DH to be at Griffis, I would probably move to Holland Patant.  It is a very small, rural town with a strong sense of community.  But if you prefer the convenience of suburbia, you would probably be better someplace like New York Mills or Whitesboro.  If I were you, I wouldn't buy right away.  I would rent someplace right in Rome, especially with your kids at least a yr from el. school.  Plus I wouldn't feel super confident that your DH would be stationed there for the long term.  There are a lot of changes going on with whos running what (my DH is an airport engineer who does work there).  The Air Force's return to Griffis is a pretty recent thing.
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  • johnson617johnson617 member
    A little late to the thread, but I currently live in Rome and have for the past 5 years. We do not yet have kids, expecting our first in May. We will however move out of Rome before he would start school. My husband also works on the base for a government contract company and I work for the local BOCES so I am familiar with most of the schools. I agree with most of the PPs. Rome elementary schools are decent, but the surrounding areas have better reputations. Rome has some very nice, established neighborhoods while other areas are abandoned (old military housing areas for example). Rome has some nice things about it and then there are things that drive me nuts, but that can happen anywhere. I would consider what some of the other posters suggested and consider renting for a bit until you find the location you'd rather settle into. Rome isn't horrible but it isn't for everyone (even me 50% of the time!) If you want any other info feel free to message me!
    Married July 17, 2009
    Parker Ellwood born May 11, 2012
    Baby #2 Due March 9, 2015


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