The Heart of New York State

Syracuse and its suburbs are located in the center of Upstate New York. The communities of Jamesville and DeWitt are just east of downtown Syracuse. A residential setting, it is home to a combined population of approximately 40,000. While adjacent to the city, it is also bordered by more rural and scenic areas to the south and east. The area offers a variety of housing options and diverse lifestyles not common to many other suburban areas. There is a tremendous amount of shopping, entertainment and services within and just a short drive from the area.

Fifty percent of the total population of the United States and Canada live within 750 miles of Syracuse. It’s not just a great place to work. In fact, the millennium edition of the Places Rated Almanac ranked Greater Syracuse 32nd out of 354 best places to live in the United States and Canada.

Syracuse, and its suburbs, ranked highly in the health care, transportation, low crime rate, recreation, cultural arts and education categories. According to the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, the high education ranking is due to the area’s support for its school districts, measured by the ration of number of pupils per classroom teacher, and the percent of funding that schools receive from local, rather than state and federal, sources.

Recreational activities and cultural events are plentiful all year round for every age group and interest in Central New York and all of Upstate.Waterways are plentiful for boating, fishing and all types of water sports. Mountains bring some of the best hiking and skiing in the Northeast.

From historically-hip Armory Square filled with micro-breweries, restaurants, galleries and boutiques to shopping at Carousel Center, Syracuse is the ideal host. Treasures such as Highland Forest and Beaver Lake Nature Center satisfy your outdoor tastes, where people of all ages learn to appreciate the beauty of our area in all four seasons.

The longest running state fair in the United States takes place right here in Syracuse, the heart of New York State, with over 860,000 in attendance yearly. The Great New York State Fair runs for ten days each summer. Featuring the best in agriculture, arts, Native American culture, national and local entertainment, midway rides and games, and – the best part – the food! The Fair offers a wide variety of culinary delights representing the cultural diversity of New York State.

Special events run all year round in Central New York. Cultural events like the Jazz Fest, Italia Fest and the Blues Festival bring downtown alive with music. Winterfest celebrates our winter weather with award winning snow and ice sculptures and chowder and chili cook-offs. Jamesville hosts the famous Coors Lite Balloon Fest every summer at Jamesville Beach, where some of the most imaginative hot-air balloons take flight each morning and afternoon to the music of national acts entertaining all ages.

If you like music – we’re playing your song. The Syracuse Symphony is rated one of America’s best. The Syracuse Opera and Syracuse Stage are just a couple of the many performing arts companies in the area. Concerts by national touring acts appear in a variety of venues from the 2,900 seat historic Landmark Theatre to the 50,000 seat Carrier dome, which is also the home of the Syracuse University Orangemen football, basketball and Lacrosse teams. The Syracuse Crunch hockey team hits the ice at the OnCenter War Memorial and the Skychiefs whack ‘em outta the park at the brand new P&C Stadium.

With no end to the entertainment options in sight, you can spend the whole day at the Burnet Park Zoo, one of the only zoos in North America to successfully breed Asian elephants! Over 900 animals make their home at the park with new arrivals coming daily.

The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology is a treat for the entire family. Home of the Bristol Omnitheatre, at the MOST every seat is a good one for IMAX productions. It features incredible sight and sound sensation presented on a six-story-high screen. MOST is also home to the Silverman Planetarium, the Galson Issues Theater, and many traveling exhibits. There are "please touch" exhibits, daily star watch programs, science-related art shows, and lively science demonstrations. Other museums in the area bring the history of our area to life. Sainte Marie Among the Iroquois is a re-creation of an original French Jesuit colonial settlement established in 1656. The county’s only living history site features authentically costumed interpreters who perform traditional craft demonstrations. The Onondaga Salt Museum illustrates the city’s salt industry from 1788 through 1926, when Syracuse earned the nickname The Salt City as the leading exporter of salt in the world. The nationally acclaimed Everson Museum of Art, designed by I.M. Pei, houses the nation’s most comprehensive display of American ceramics, as well as many traveling displays throughout the year.

Syracuse is renowned for its air passenger service, reliable public transportation, convenient interstate highway system, and low average commuting time. Options continue to grow with the $19 million William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center linking Amtrak trains, OnTrack rail-excursion shuttles, Centro, Greyhound, Syracuse and Oswego Motor Lines, Onondaga Coach and Trailways bus services, taxies and an airport shuttle. The Center is the first of its kind in the state, outside of New York City and one of the few centers nationally to link rail and intercity bus service.

Hancock International Airport sees more than 250 passenger flights arrive and depart daily from its terminals, which are home to six major airlines and three commuter lines.

No matter how you chose to travel to Syracuse, it is the place to work, live and enjoy life.

Facts About Syracuse, New York

The City of Syracuse is located in Onondaga County in the geographic center of New York State. The Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Cayuga, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego Counties.

Area:
Onondaga County……..784 square miles
Syracuse MSA…………..3,087 square miles
City of Syracuse…………26 square miles

Terrain: Rolling hills and flat plains

Altitude: 364 – 681 feet; Elevation: 410 feet

Climate: four seasons, continental mean average temperature

January ….. ..24 degrees
April ……….46 degrees
July ………..75 degrees
September….66 degrees

Annual average snowfall: 112 inches
Growing season: approximately 171 days
Annual rainfall: 36 inches

Population, 1998

City of Syracuse: 152,215
Onondaga County: 458,301
Syracuse MSA: 734,460

Median Age: 34.4

Per Capita Personal Income (1996)
Onondaga County………..$24,021
Syracuse MSA……………$22,253

Median Household Effective Buying Income (EBI) (1999)
City of Syracuse……………….$22,809
Onondaga County…………….$33,207
Syracuse MSA………………...$32,919
New York State……………….$37,327
United States………………….$35,377

Communications

Major Newspapers:
Daily a.m.: Post-Standard (circ. 87,000)
Daily p.m.: Herald-Journal (circ. 83,000)
Sunday: Herald-American (circ. 214,000)

Monthly Business Newspapers:
The Business Record
The Business Journal

19 AM and FM radio stations
4 standard commercial television stations
1 public broadcasting television station
1 cable television system

Education and Training

Public, Private and Parochial Education
There are 18 school districts in Onondaga County (17 Suburban, 1 City) with an enrollment of approximately 80,000 students. The districts are comprised of 78 elementary schools, 27 Middle Schools, and 20 High Schools.

Colleges and Universities
There are 44 private and state colleges with the Greater Syracuse Region, with a combined enrollment of over 215,000 students. In Onondaga County there are eight schools including Syracuse University , LeMoyne College, SUNY Health Science Center, the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Onondaga Community College, SUNY Empire State College, and Bryant & Stratton Business Institute.

Vocational Training
The five public vocational centers and 24 private Vocational and technical schools offer more than 80 courses of study in a wide variety of fields.

*All above information provided by the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, 12/99.