The Near Westside is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Syracuse, New York, United States. In the early 1900s, many wealthy families, including the Mayor of Syracuse, lived in large homes along West Onondaga Street. A beautiful fountain with statues was located at Onondaga Circle, the junction of West Onondaga Street and Delaware Street. Streets like Delaware Street were lined with large elm trees and stately homes. [1]
Along the western border of the neighborhood, a multitude of factories employed local residents. These included Franklin Automobile Company, which produced luxury air-cooled cars from 1904 to 1934, and Lipe-Rollway Company, a manufacturer of gears. The main hub of industry started at South Geddes Street, not far from where George Fowler High School and City Hardware of Calley's United Appliance stand today. At the turn of the 19th century, typewriter factories, machinery factories and a large railroad yard along West Fayette Street provided jobs to the residents of the neighborhood.
Today, the Near Westside is home to Syracuse's growing Latino community, with high numbers of Puerto Rican and Cuban families. St Lucy's Catholic Church continues to serve the area and its growing Latino population, offering services for immigrants and refugees at the West Side Learning Center, [2] as well as hosting events such as Latino town hall meetings at the St Lucy's Auditorium. [3]
The area is described as one of America's poorest neighborhoods by United Way of Central New York, [4] with high levels of child poverty. [5] Fowler High School, located on the western end of the neighborhood, has a high percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch, among other topics of concern within the community.
The area is served by many non-profit organizations. Several organizations based in this neighborhood provide services for the Latino community, such as the Spanish Action League and Syracuse Area Latinos United against Disparities (SALUD) Inc.
A number of economic and residential development projects have also taken place in the neighborhood's SALT District, led by the Near Westside Initiative, a not-for-profit organization that leverages the resources of Syracuse University. [6] Branding itself as a distinct "neighborhood within a neighborhood", the SALT District [7] has adopted a colorful logo and brand identity of "Syracuse. Arts. Literacy. Technology." The acronym SALT is a reference to the salt production industry that led to Syracuse's nickname, "the Salt City". The Gifford Foundation, [8] Syracuse University's School of Architecture, Syracuse Center of Excellence, and Home HeadQuarters have also played key roles in the initiative.
To the far south of the neighborhood is Syracuse's newly-branded City-Gate Historic Neighborhood (2017). The West Onondaga Street Alliance (WOSA), with the support of Eric Mower & Associates and Cowley Advertising, have taken the initiative to reinvent and improve the neighborhood. The lack of interest in this historic neighborhood for several decades, and the increasing high concentration of poverty, have left the West Onondaga Street Corridor as nothing more than a conduit to reach other nearby neighborhoods. In 2015, the WOSA began to organize to change the direction of the corridor. Today, the City-Gate Historic Neighborhood is a beautiful, historic, and diverse neighborhood. Many business and development opportunities are available.
In 2015, the Everything Oz Museum, a 501c3 non-profit located in Chittenango, New York, purchased the Neal-Baum Mansion for the purpose of opening the nation's largest International Wizard of Oz Museum. L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, married his wife in this house. Baum was born in Chittenango, New York, a nearby suburb of Syracuse.
Syracuse is a city and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populated city and 13th-most populated municipality in the state of New York.
Chittenango is a village located in Madison County, New York, United States. The village is in the southern part of the Town of Sullivan. The population was 4,896 at the 2020 census. Chittenango is the birthplace of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Cicero is a town in northern Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 31,435. The name of the town was assigned by a clerk interested in the classics, honoring Cicero, a Roman statesman.
Clay is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 60,527, making it Syracuse's most populous suburb. The town was named after American attorney and statesman Henry Clay.
DeWitt is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,074. The town is named after major Moses DeWitt, a judge and soldier. An eastern suburb of Syracuse, DeWitt also is the site of most of the campus and all of the academic buildings of Le Moyne College.
Geddes is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,088.
Liverpool is a lakeside village in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,242. The name was adopted from the city of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. The village is on Onondaga Lake, in the western part of the town of Salina and is northwest of Syracuse, of which it is a suburb.
Salina is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 33,223. The name of the town is derived from the Latin word for "salt." Salina is a northern suburb of Syracuse.
Manlius is a village in Onondaga County, New York, United States, and a southeast suburb of Syracuse. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,662.
Manlius is a town to the east of Syracuse in Onondaga County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 33,712, making it the third largest suburb in metropolitan Syracuse. In 2005, the town was ranked 98th on CNN's list of Best Places to Live.
The Syracuse Far Westside is one of 26 neighborhoods recognized by the City of Syracuse, New York. Until this area joined the city in 1886 it was known as the Village of Geddes.
Meadowbrook is a Syracuse, New York neighborhood, located in the southeastern corner of the city. It corresponds to Onondaga County Census Tract 46. It is named after Meadow Brook, which runs through it and into Butternut Creek.
Southside is one of the 26 official neighborhoods in Syracuse, New York.
Westside is a Syracuse, New York neighborhood, directly west of Downtown Syracuse. It corresponds to Onondaga County Census Tracts 21 and 22. It is made up of three parts, near West side, far west side and the West side
New York State Route 173 (NY 173) is a state highway located in the Syracuse area of central New York in the United States. It takes a slightly bow-shaped route from NY 31 in the town of Van Buren to NY 5 in Chittenango, gently curving to the south of Downtown Syracuse in the center of its 30.59-mile (49.23 km) routing. Even so, NY 173 briefly enters the Syracuse city limits near where it intersects U.S. Route 11 (US 11). NY 173 passes through several suburbs of Syracuse, including Camillus, where it first meets NY 5, and Manlius, where it has a short overlap with NY 92.
The Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in central New York, anchored by the city of Syracuse. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 662,577. In the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 650,154.
Salt Springs is a Syracuse, New York neighborhood, located in the northeastern corner of the city. It corresponds to Onondaga County Census Tract xx.
The story of the city of Syracuse began with the land which was covered with swamps and bogs, and with a large forest surrounding a clear, freshwater lake located in the northeast corner of the Finger Lakes Region. The land around the present day city was originally the home of the Haudensaunee, or the Onondaga Nation. They were members of the Iroquois Confederacy, which spanned most of Upstate New York.
The Onondaga Creekwalk is a mostly paved, partly bricked, multi-use trail running 4.8 miles (7.7 km) in Syracuse, New York, which has so far seen more than three decades of planning, construction, and delays, starting in 1988. The trail is designed for bicyclists, skaters, and pedestrians to approximately parallel any desired portion of Onondaga Creek's run connecting Kirk Park on Syracuse's South Side, downstream through downtown at Armory Square, and then on to Onondaga Lake at the creek's ultimate mouth.
