Last year, Syracuse and Rochester were ranked near the top of the country's strongest housing markets (Syracuse was #2 nationally and Rochester was #15) by Forbes. This year, Rochester and Syracuse scored #3 and #4 nationally respectively on Forbes' list of best places to raise a family, with Albany and Buffalo also finishing in the top ten in the U.S. Syracuse also placed high on Forbes' list of "best bang for the buck" cities last year (#15 nationally). Does green have anything to do with it? Hard to say, but Upstate cities scored high for affordability, quality of life, low crime and access to educational opportunities.
The conclusion: It's looking like a good time to invest in Upstate NY.
