Syracuse, New York

History

The Syracuse area was first seen by Europeans when French missionaries came to the area in the 1600s. A group of Jesuit priests, soldiers, and coureurs des bois (including Pierre Esprit Radisson) set up a mission, known as Saint Marie Among the Iroquois or Ste. Marie de Gannentaha, on the northeast shore of Onondaga Lake at the invitation of the Onondaga Nation, one of the five constituent members of the Iroquois confederacy.

The mission was short lived, as the Mohawk Nation hinted to the Onondaga that they should sever their ties to the French, or the Onondaga's guests would suffer some horrible fate. The men in the mission caught wind of this and left under cover of a cold night in March. Their entire stay was less than two years. The remains of the mission have been located underneath a restaurant in nearby Liverpool, NY. There is now a living history museum in Liverpool that recreates the mission.

After the Revolutionary War, more settlers came to the area, mostly to trade with the Onondaga Nation. Ephraim Webster left the Continental Army to settle in the area in 1784, and Asa Danforth, another revolutionary war hero, arrived afterward. Salt was discovered in several swamps in Syracuse, which brought more settlers to the area, and eventually gave the city the nickname "Salt City".

The original settlement went through several name changes until 1824, first being called Webster's Landing (1786), then Bogardus Corners (1796), Milan (1809), South Salina (1812), Cossits’ Corners (1814), and Corinth (1817). The U.S. Postal Service rejected the name Corinth upon its application for a post office, stating there was already a post office by this name in New York. Due to similarities such as a salt industry and a neighboring village named Salina, the name Syracuse was chosen, after Syracuse, Italy.

In 1825, the Village of Syracuse was officially incorporated. Five years later, the Erie Canal, which ran through the village, was completed. In 1848, Syracuse merged with nearby Salina to become the City of Syracuse. The opening of the canal caused a steep increase in the sale of salt, not simply due to the improved and lower cost of transportation, but because the canal caused New York farms to change from wheat to pork, and curing pork required salt. As salt production climbed, the processing became increasingly mechanized, and local industry became more generalized; population grew to 5,000 by 1850, from 250 in 1820, making it the twelfth largest city in the Union.

As Syracuse grew in wealth and sophistication, it became a hot spot for the growing abolitionist movement. On October 1, 1851, a freed slave known only as Jerry was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Law. The anti-slavery Liberty Party was holding its state convention in the city, and when word of the arrest spread, several hundred abolitionists broke into the city jail and freed Jerry. The event came to be known as the Jerry Rescue. During the Civil War, Syracuse was also a stop on the Underground Railroad.

The salt industry declined after the Civil War, but a new manufacturing industry arose in its place. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, numerous businesses and stores were established, including the Franklin Automobile Company, which produced the first air-cooled engine in the world, and the Craftsman Workshops, the center of Gustav Stickley's handmade furniture empire.

Syracuse University was chartered in 1870 as a Methodist-Episcopal institution; it has grown from a few classrooms located in downtown Syracuse into a major research institution.

World War II sparked significant industrial expansion in the area: specialty steel, fasteners, custom machining. After the war, the Big Three auto companies had major operations in the area, Syracuse was headquarters for Carrier Air Conditioning and Crouse-Hinds traffic signal manufacturing, and General Electric had its main television manufacturing plant at Electronics Parkway in Syracuse.

Many of Syracuse's landmark buildings were demolished in the 1950s and 1960s, and several new museums and government buildings were built. Syracuse's population peaked at 221,000 in 1950. In the 1980s, many immigrants from Africa and Central America moved to Syracuse, under the auspices of several religious charities. However, these new Syracusans could not make up for the flow of residents out of Syracuse to either its suburbs or out of state due to job loss.

The manufacturing industry in Syracuse began to falter in the 1970s. Many small businesses failed during this time, which contributed to an already increasing unemployment rate. General Electric moved its manufacturing operations to Singapore. Carrier Corporation moved its headquarters out of Syracuse. Nevertheless, the Syracuse metropolitan area population has remained stable, even growing by 2.5 percent since 1970.

Geography and climate

Geography

Syracuse is located at 43°2'49" North, 76°8'40" West (43.046899, -76.144423)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 66.4 km² (25.6 mi²). 65.0 km² (25.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.15% water, with the major water body being Onondaga Lake.

The city is seen as the northeast gateway to the Finger Lakes Region. The city has many vibrant neighborhoods which were originally various villages that joined the city over the years. Although the central part of Syracuse is flat, many of its neighborhoods are located on small hills such as University Hill and Tipperary Hill. Land to the north of Syracuse is generally flat while land to the south is hilly.

Major parks in the area include Burnet Park on Tipperary Hill, Upper Onondaga Park and Lower Onondaga Park which is connected to Kirk Park in Strathmore, and Thornden Park between the University Hill and Westcott neighborhoods. Burnet Park is home to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo and the first public golf course in the United States (1901). Also worth mentioning is Schiller Park in the Near Northeast neighborhood, and Sunnycrest Park in Eastwood.

About 27 percent of Syracuse's land area is covered by 890,000 trees — a higher percentage than in Albany, Rochester or Buffalo. This is despite the Labor Day Storm of 1998, a derecho which destroyed approximately 30,000 trees. The sugar maple accounts for 14.2 percent of Syracuse's trees, followed by the Northern white cedar (9.8 percent) and the European buckthorn (6.8 percent). The most common street tree is the Norway maple (24.3 percent) followed by the honeylocust (9.3 percent). The densest tree cover in Syracuse is in the two Valley neighborhoods, with 46.6 percent of their land covered by trees. The lowest tree cover percentage is found downtown, which consists of only 4.6 percent trees.

Climate

Syracuse is known for its snowfall. With 115.6 inches (293.6 cm) average ^[1], the Syracuse metro area receives more snow on average than any other large city in the United States^[2]. Research has even shown that Syracuse is the snowiest large city in the world^[3]. Syracuse continually wins the Golden Snowball Award, among Upstate cities. It's record so far is 199 inches

Syracuse's hottest month is historically July, with an average high temperature of 82 °F (28 °C), while its coldest month is historically January, with an average high temperature of 31 °F (-0.4 °C).

One notable blizzard in recent history was the Blizzard of 1993, during which 42.9 inches (109 cm) fell on the city within 48 hours, with 35.6 inches (90.4 cm) falling within the first 24 hours. Syracuse received more snow than any other city in the country during this storm, which shattered a total of eight local records, including most the snow in a single snowstorm^[4].

Syracuse's summers have also recently broken records. The summers of 2005 and 2002 were, respectively, the hottest and second-hottest summers on record^[5].

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 147,306 people, 59,482 households, and 30,335 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.8/km² (5,871.0/mi²). There were 68,192 housing units at an average density of 1,049.4/km² (2,717.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.26% White, 25.35% African American, 1.13% Native American, 3.37% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.23% from other races, and 3.61% from two or more races. 5.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Syracuse has historically enjoyed a relatively diverse ethnic population, including sizable Italian-American, Polish-American and Irish-American communities. More recently, the city has seen a growing Latino population, and is also a resettlement center for refugees from Bosnia, Sudan (the "Lost Boys") as well as Somali Bantu refugees.

There were 59,482 households out of which 30.46% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 12.65% were married couples living together, 14.84% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.58% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 16.8% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $33,026. Males had a median income of $30,312 versus $23,997 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,168. 27.3% of the population and 21.7% of families were below the poverty line. 35.1% of those under the age of 18 and 12.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Economy

Syracuse's economy has faced challenges over the past decades as industrial jobs have left the area. The number of local and state government jobs also have been declining for several years. Syracuse's top employers are now primarily in education and in the service industry. University Hill is Syracuse's fastest growing neighborhood, fueled by expansions by Syracuse University and Upstate Medical University, as well as dozens of small medical office complexes.

Top employers

The top employers in the Syracuse region and the size of their workforce, as of January 1, 2005:

• Syracuse University: 7,201
• State University of New York Upstate Medical University: 6,150
• National Grid: 5,173
• Wegmans Food Markets: 4,685
• Oneida Nation and Oneida Nation Enterprises: 4,245
• Penn Traffic Company: 4,000
• Magna International: 3,400
• St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center: 3,364
• Verizon Communications: 2,700
• Lockheed Martin Corp.: 2,200
• Loretto: 2,122

(source: Syracuse Post Standard)

The Canadian Magna International bought the New Process Gear Division of New Venture Gear, saving it from being shut down by Daimler-Chrysler. Several smaller companies in the area continue to add a small number of jobs. In June 2004 the Bank of New York announced it would bring up to 800 jobs to Downtown Syracuse. In August it was reported that the job growth rate of the area was 1.4%. In October Lockheed Martin announced it would add up to 300 electrical, mechanical, and software engineering positions by 2007. In January 2005, AXA, which recently purchased MONY, announced it was bringing 300 more jobs downtown, and Sutherland Global Services said it would add 125. Other companies that continue to grow in the area include Welch Allyn, Anaren, and Sensis Corporation. Today the Syracuse area has no extremely large employers, but rather many smaller ones, which provides for a certain amount of stability. Additionally, eight of the area's top eleven employers are in education or the service industry, which tend to be much more stable than the manufacturing industry.

The Syracuse area's unemployment rate of 4.9 percent is comparable to the national one of 4.8 (November, 2005). Throughout 2005, the area continued to gain jobs over the previous year's figures. All sectors but government and manufacturing grew, the latter of which reversed its trend in November by slightly growing, adding 200 positions^[6].

Neighborhoods

The City of Syracuse officially recognizes 26 neighborhoods within its boundaries. Some of these have small neighborhoods inside of them. In addition, Syracuse also owns and operates Syracuse Hancock International Airport, located on the territory of four towns north of the city.

Syracuse's neighborhoods reflect the historically diverse ethnic makeup of its population. Traditionally, German- and Italian-Americans settled on its northside; Polish- and Irish-Americans on its westside; Jewish-Americans on the eastside; and African-Americans on its southside.

Brighton Downtown Armory Square Hanover Square Elmwood Eastwood Far Westside Tipperary Hill

Lakefront Lincoln Park Meadowbrook Near Eastside Near Northeast Little Italy Near Westside North Valley

Northside Outer Comstock Salt Springs Sedgwick Skytop (South Campus) Skunk City South Valley Southwest

Strathmore University Hill Marshall Street University Neighborhood Westcott Westside Washington Square

Colleges and universities

Syracuse's major research university, and its largest employer, is Syracuse University, located on University Hill. It had an enrollment of 18,247 students (12,268 undergraduates, 5,979 graduates and law students) in the fall of 2004.

Surrounding Syracuse University are two State University (SUNY) schools, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and SUNY Upstate Medical University.

Also in Syracuse are Le Moyne College on the city's eastern border, and Onondaga Community College, which has its main campus in the city's Elmwood neighborhood, along with two smaller campuses downtown and in Liverpool. A branch of SUNY's Empire State College is located in downtown Syracuse, along with a campus of the nationwide Bryant & Stratton College.

Other colleges and universities in the area include Cornell University and Ithaca College in Ithaca, Hamilton College in Clinton, Oswego State University in Oswego, SUNY Cortland in Cortland, Morrisville State College in Morrisville, Colgate University in Hamiliton, Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, New York, Wells College in Aurora, and both Utica College and SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica.

Arts and culture

Syracuse is home to the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO), founded in 1961. The SSO has 75 musicians and is under direction of Daniel Hege. The orchestra performs over 200 concerts annually for an audience of over 250,000.

The Syracuse Opera Company is a professional opera company that generally performs three pieces each season. It was founded in 1963 as the Opera Chorus of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and became independent in 1973. During the 2005/2006 season it will perform Tosca, HMS Pinafore, and The Marriage of Figaro. In addition to its full performances, there are also several free outdoor concerts annually in Armory Square, Thornden Park, and elsewhere. The company has an annual budget of $1 million and is the only professional opera company in Upstate New York.

Syracuse Stage, with its many world premieres and productions that have moved to Broadway, creates often experimental and creative theater. The venue was designed by its most famous former artistic director Arthur Storch. Offering eight plays during its 31st Season (2005-2006), it is now in its tenth season under current artistic director Robert Moss.

The Everson Museum of Art which opened in 1968 in a building designed by I.M. Pei, features one of the most extensive pottery collections in the United States along with works of American art, dating from the 18th century to the present. This collection includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, photography, and video.

The Redhouse is Syracuse's newest venture into professional theatre. Opened in 2004, The Redhouse is a small theatre. Housed in a converted hotel, this theatre not only performs pieces of stage work, but also holds performances by national recording artists, as well as screening independent films.

Transportation

Public transportation

Syracuse is served by the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority, or CNYRTA. The CNYRTA administers a bus service called CENTRO which runs more than a hundred bus lines around Syracuse and into its suburbs, as well as to outlying metropolitan area cities such as Auburn, Fulton, and Oswego. CENTRO one-way fare is still $1, with an additional 25¢ charge for travel to and from the outermost suburbs, generally more than 5-6 miles from downtown. Further trips have additional fare zones. The CENTRO service is free for Syracuse University Students within a specified zone on display of a valid SUID card.

OnTrack is the Syracuse commuter train line. The line runs from Colvin Street on the city's South Side via Syracuse University and Armory Square to the Carousel Center. Financing was finally approved in April 2004 to build a bridge over Park Street that would allow OnTrack to reach the William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center, Regional Market, and Alliance Bank Stadium. This service sees roughly 60 riders a day^[7] and is used mostly by Syracuse University students. OnTrack was launched in 1994, and has experienced periods of growth and decline. As of December 2005, the Park Street Bridge has not been built. A direct link to the transportation center might profit the line as a result of passengers arriving without cars. OnTrack's already-completed platform is adjacent to Amtrak's.

The Pyramid Companies have also proposed a monorail linking the university to the airport via downtown, their proposed DestiNY Resort, the transportation center, and their proposed DestiNY Technology Park. The cost of such a line has been estimated at $750 million.

Local millionaire Tom McDonald has also proposed a gondola lift system, called Salt City Aerial Transit (S.C.A.T.), to link the university to the transportation center using a similar route. The first segment from SU to Downtown has been estimated to cost $5 million, which McDonald plans to raise the money himself. Due to the perceived low operating costs, the system could run continuously.

Commute

According to the 2000 Census, this is how people aged 16 and over commute to work:

• 65.9% drive alone
• 13.7% carpool
• 10.1% walk
• 6.8% use public busses (CENTRO)
• 0.6% bike
• 0.2% use a taxicab
• 0.013% use elevated rail (OnTrack)

Rail

The city lies on Amtrak's Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited, and Maple Leaf lines.

The Empire Service runs several times daily from Niagara Falls to New York Penn Station, with major stops in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany along the way.

The Lake Shore Limited connects Syracuse to the same cities as above (except Niagara Falls), but continues westward from Buffalo to Chicago via Cleveland and Toledo. This train completes one roundtrip daily.

Also completing one roundtrip a day, the Maple Leaf follows the path of the Empire Service train, but continues to Toronto.

Amtrak's station is part of the William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center.

Bus

Greyhound Lines and Trailways provide long-distance bus service. Both also use the William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center in the north of the city.

Air service

Syracuse is served by the Syracuse Hancock International Airport in nearby Salina, near Mattydale. The airport is served by 17 airlines (9 major), which provide non-stop flights to destinations as far away as Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as several daily flights to other important airline hubs and business centers such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC. Six cargo carriers also serve the airport.

Roads

Interstate 81 (Canada to Knoxville) runs north-south through Syracuse, and provides access to Canada, Pennsylvania and points south. Its downtown portion is extremely narrow, only consisting of four lanes and essentially no onramps. It forms a physical and psychological border between downtown and University Hill, an issue both Syracuse University and local politicians are trying to address.

Interstate 90 (Seattle to Boston), also known as the New York State Thruway runs east-west, just north of the city. It provides access to Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, and the north-south (Interstate 87) part of the Thruway which leads to New York City.

Interstate 690 runs east-west through the city, and provides access to Interstate 90 the thruway toll road, as well as to Syracuse's northwestern and eastern suburbs. A spur off I-690 directly west of the city, NY-695, provides freeway access to the southwestern suburbs. It meets Interstate 81 in downtown Syracuse in a highly-complex and incomplete intersection. Most of its routing through the city directly replaced elevated rail lines, a fact quite notable by the city's former main rail terminal, where the freeway spans the width between the terminal and its outermost platform. In 1981 artist Duke Epolito erected sculptures of "passengers" on the far platform. The piece is entitled "Waiting for a Night Train."

Interstate 481 forms an eastern loop around the city and continues to the northwest as NY-481 to Fulton and Oswego, on the shore of Lake Ontario.

U.S. Highway 11 (Canada to New Orleans) passes through Syracuse, including downtown, and it follows the route of Salina and State Streets.

U.S. Highway 20 (Boston to Newport, Oregon) passes south of Syracuse.

Government

Executive

The city is headed by an elected mayor who is limited to two four-year terms. The incumbent is former Syracuse Common Council President Matthew Driscoll, who first assumed the position in 2001 after the former mayor, Roy Bernardi, resigned upon his appointment by President George W. Bush to a position in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. After serving the remaining term, Driscoll was re-elected that year, and again in 2005.

Legislative

The legislative branch of Syracuse is the Syracuse Common Council. It consists of a president and nine members.

Judicial

The Onondaga County Supreme and County Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction for Syracuse. It is also the administrative court for the Fifth District of the New York State Unified Court System. Judges for these courts are elected at-large.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York also has its chambers in Syracuse.

Media

Newspapers

Syracuse has one major daily morning newspaper, The Syracuse Post-Standard. Up until 2001, Syracuse also had an evening paper, The Syracuse Herald-Journal. Besides a Syracuse/Onondaga County edition, The Post-Standard publishes three additional editions: Cayuga, Madison, and Oswego for the other three counties of the metropolitan area, plus an additional edition on Sundays. It has six news bureaus throughout Central New York, as well as one in Albany (state capital) and Washington, DC.

Before the merger with the evening paper, the Post-Standard was named, among the "10 best newspapers in America with a circulation of under 100,000" by Al Neuharth of USA Today (run by a competing organization). Since the merger, circulation has increased to over 120,000. Even outside of its four-county delivery area, the paper is available in many convenience stores and supermarkets from the Canadian to the Pennsylvanian border. The newspaper partly caters to this audience as well, covering many stories from the Ithaca, Utica, and Watertown areas. Since opening a new printing press in 2002, the paper calls itself "America's Most Colorful Newspaper," as almost every page contains color. The Post-Standard partners with Syracuse.com to provide its content online.

The Daily Orange, the newspaper of Syracuse University and SUNY ESF students, is read by over 20,000 people daily, and is widely distributed in the University Hill neighborhood and Armory Square.

There is also a weekly free newspaper that focuses on events in Syracuse, The Syracuse New Times.

There are other popular free newspapers, including Eagle Newspaper's downtown edition, the City Eagle, and Table Hopping, which focuses on the restaurant and entertainment scene.

Television

Syracuse has eight broadcast television stations:

NBC: WSTM 3 CBS: WTVH 5 ABC: WSYR 9 UPN (Will become The CW): WSTQ 6/14

PBS: WCNY 24 WB: WNYS 43 I: WSPX 56 FOX: WSYT 68

Syracuse's cable television provider is Time Warner Cable, which, as a part of its regular and digital offerings, provides a 24-hour local news channel (News 10 Now), local sports channel, public access channel, and an additional PBS channel.

Dish Network and DirectTV also provide local satellite television subscribers with local broadcast stations.

Religion

Buddhism: Buddhism has its presence in Syracuse with the Zen Center of Syracuse on the Seneca Turnpike; as well as a center on Park Street, on the city's north side.

Christianity: Syracuse has two cathedrals, the Episcopalian St. Paul's Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Both are home to their respective dioceses, the Diocese of Central New York (Episcopalian) and the Diocese of Syracuse (Roman Catholic). Syracuse is also home to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Roman Catholic). In addition there are dozens of churches in Syracuse of nearly every Christian denomination, including Jehovah's Witness, Christian Science, and Metaphysical Christian. Complete List

Eckankar: The ECK Center of Central New York provides service for Syracuse-area Eckankar believers.

Hinduism: Hindu houses of worship include the Hindu Mandir of Central New York in Syracuse, and the Sikh Foundation of Syracuse, in Liverpool.

Islam: Islam also has a presence in Syracuse, with the Islamic Society of Central New York Mosque on Comstock Avenue and Muhammad's Study Group on West Kennedy Street.

Judaism: There are several Jewish synagogues in Syracuse, including the Temple Society of Concord Temple Beth El, and Temple Adath Yeshurun.

Unitarian Universalism: There are two Unitarian Universalist churches in Syracuse.

A complete list of Syracuse's Houses of Worship

Sports

Main article: Sports in Syracuse

Professional

• Syracuse SkyChiefs (International League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays) Stadium: Alliance Bank Stadium
• Syracuse Crunch (American Hockey League affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets) Arena: War Memorial at Oncenter
• Syracuse Soldiers (American Indoor Football League) Arena: War Memorial at Oncenter

Syracuse was once home to the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. Known as the Syracuse Nationals (1946-1963), they played seventeen seasons in Syracuse, and even won the NBA championship in 1955. The NBA's 24-second clock was invented in, and first came into use in Syracuse. In March 2005 the city dedicated a monument to this fact. It is a 125% scaled model of the original shot clock used.

College

• Syracuse University Orange (Division I-A) Stadium: Carrier Dome
• Le Moyne College Dolphins (Division II)

List of famous Syracusans

Born or brought up in the city of Syracuse:

• Will Allen - New York Giants cornerback
• Jeff Altman - comedian
• Jimmy Cavallo - saxophonist ("Do the Hucklebuck")
• Rory Cochrane - actor
• Mark Copani - professional wrestler (born in Amman, Jordan)
• Tom Cruise - actor
• Earth Crisis - straight edge hardcore punk band
• Rick Cua - bassist, producer
• Robert F. Engle - Winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Economics
• Joe English - drummer, producer
• Walter Farley - author of The Black Stallion
• Bobcat Goldthwait - actor, comedian
• Grace Jones - model, actress, singer (born in Kingston, Jamaica)
• Tom Kenny - comedian, voice of SpongeBob SquarePants
• Dorsey Levens - NFL running back
• Phil Markert - radio personality, actor, entertainer
• Terry McAuliffe - former Democratic National Committee chairman
• Darin Morgan - screenwriter
• Jonathan Murray - reality TV producer, Bunim/Murray Productions
• Richard Neer - longtime DJ for WNEW-FM and sports-talk host on WFAN
• James Nachtwey - photojournalist
• Mike Rotunda - professional wrestler, best known as Irwin R. Schyster
• Martin Sargent - Former TV personality and host on Tech TV (born in Spencerport and Attended SU).
• Martin Sexton - musician, singer, songwriter
• Tony Trischka - banjoist, composer
• Jimmy Van Heusen - composer
• Frank Whaley - actor
• Jeremy Harris - musician/rapper ("JHarris")
• Charles Knighton - photographer/recorder of Goodwill Games

Born or brought up in the Syracuse metropolitan area:

• Frank Baum, author of the Wizard of Oz books (Chittenango)
• Joey Belladonna - lead singer of Anthrax (Oswego)
• Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (Fayetteville; born in Caldwell, N.J.)
• Ronnie James Dio - musician (Cortland)
• Richard Gere - actor (North Syracuse; born in Philadelphia)
• Tim Green - former NFL linebacker, FOX NFL commentator (Liverpool)
• Dave Mirra - professional BMX rider (Chittenango)
• Rod Serling - writer, actor (Binghamton)
• John Walsh - talk show host (Auburn)

Others with ties to the Syracuse area:

• The Baldwin brothers: Alec, Billy, Daniel, and Steven Baldwin - actors (mother, Carol, lives in Camillus; born in Massapequa, New York)
• Steve Wynn - Las Vegas casino tycoon (attended Manlius Military Academy, now Manlius Pebble Hill School; grew up in Utica, New York and Las Vegas)
• Michael Crook- The controversial blogger lived in the Syracuse area for several years.

Attended Syracuse University:

• Marv Albert - sportscaster
• Carmelo Anthony - small forward for the Denver Nuggets, led SU to 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
• Joseph Biden - U.S. Senator from Delaware, 1988 Democratic presidential candidate
• Jim Boeheim - Syracuse men's basketball head coach
• Jim Brown - former NFL runningback
• Felix Cavaliere - musician, The Young Rascals
• Joe Castiglione - sportscaster
• Dick Clark - TV personality, former American Bandstand host
• Derrick Coleman - forward for the Detroit Pistons
• Bob Costas - sportscaster
• Maya Deren - filmmaker
• Taye Diggs - actor
• Donato Giancola - fantasy artist
• Gary Gait - lacrosse legend
• Ted Koppel - ABC's Nightline anchor
• Joseph S. Kozlowski, portrait artist.
• Donovan McNabb - quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Lou Reed - former frontman of The Velvet Underground, singer, guitarist
• Mike Rotunda - professional wrestler, best known as Irwin R. Schyster
• Lexington Steele - porn star
• Dick Stockton - sportscaster
• Donna Shalala - President of the University of Miami, Florida
• Mike Tirico - sportscaster
• Vanessa Williams - former Miss America, singer, actress
• Pete Yorn - singer, guitarist

See Syracuse University for more

Syracuse in film and television

• Big Daddy (Feature film, 1999) - Several mentions; Adam Sandler's character attended school at Syracuse University and wears various Syracuse sweatshirts and T-shirts.
• Blue Chips (Feature film, 1994) - Syracuse University men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim has a small speaking part.
• The Bone Collector (Feature film, 1999) - A character makes reference to Denzel Washington's character's past work in Syracuse.
• The Chris Isaak Show (Television) - Chris Isaak's publicist, Yola Gaylen (played by Kristin Dattilo), mentions that she has a degree from Syracuse University.
• Drive Me Crazy (Feature film, 1999) - Uses Carousel Center for a mall scene.
• Enemy of the State (Feature film, 1999) - Congressman Sam Albert, a character who is murdered in the film's opening scenes, is mentioned as being from Syracuse.
• For Love of the Game (Feature film, 1999) - Kelly Preston's character is from Syracuse.
• Freak Talks About Sex (also known as Blowin' Smoke) (Feature film, 1999) - Filmed in Syracuse; life in Syracuse is part of the plot.
• Highlander (Feature film, 1986) - Connor MacLeod's modern namesake was born in Syracuse.
• The Jerk (Feature film, 1979) - When Navin (Steve Martin) asks his carnie friends to name an emotion, one of them says "Syracuse." (This scene appears in the version edited for television, but not in the theatrical or DVD version.)
• Lady in White (Feature film, 1988) - Opening sequence filmed in Syracuse Hancock International Airport; the rest of the film was shot on location in Lyons, NY and on the southern coast of Lake Ontario.
• My Name is Earl (Television) - Syracuse is mentioned as the place where Buffalo wings do *not* come from.
• Slap Shot (Feature film, 1976) - One of the hockey teams is from Syracuse and parts of movie were filmed there.
• Snow Day (Feature film, 2000) - Syracuse is portrayed as a small village with high snowfall. The film was filmed in Edmonton and Calgary.
• Superman: The Movie (Feature film, 1978) - The train scene featuring Otis in the film's beginning features Syracuse as one of the announced stops that a train is making.
• Tootsie (Feature film, 1982) - Mentioned as locale where character Michael Dorsey {Dustin Hoffman) has done some acting work. A theater in Syracuse is depicted as a rustic wooden structure.
• The X-Files (Television) - Several mentions, visited by characters on more than one occasion.

Sites of interest

• Armory Square
• Columbus Bakery
• Rosamond Gifford Zoo
• The Carousel Center
• Dinosaur BBQ
• Little Italy
• Marshall Street
• Tipperary Hill
• Westcott Street
• Middle Ages Brewing Company
• Everson Museum of Art
• Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology
• Erie Canal Museum
• The Salt Museum (located in Liverpool,New York suburb just north of Syracuse

Events

• New York State Fair (24 August to 4 September 2006)
• nice n easy Grocery Shoppes Present 93Q/Coors Light Balloon Fest
• Oktoberfest
• CNY JazzFest
• Empire State Brewing and Music Festival
• Syracuse Winterfest

References

1. ↑  "Snowfall - Average Total In Inches", NOAA, 23 June 2004
2. ↑  Cappella, Chris: "Answers: 10 snowiest 'cities' aren't all in New York", USA Today, 3 October 2003
3. ↑  Kirst, Sean: "We won't buckle under the Snowbelt's blows", Post-Standard, 14 March 2005
4. ↑  Staff Reports: "A Storm for the records - Blizzard of 1993 brought 42.9 inches", Post-Standard, 31 December 2003
5. ↑  Weiner, Mark: "Season soard into record - Warmest summer may affect our winter", Post-Standard, 22 September 2005
6. ↑  Moriarty, Rick: "Private Sector Adds Jobs", Post-Standard, 16 December 2005
7. ↑  Smith, Kristin: "OnTrack is lacking passengers in Syracuse" News 10 Now, 24 May 2004

External links

• www.syracuse.ny.us - Syracuse city website
• Syracuse.com - News site affiliated with The Post-Standard
  • Syracuse.com's guide for Syracuse visitors and entertainment
• Syracuse Then And Now (Historical Site)
• Collection of Central NY photos from davidmetraux.com
• German Immigrant Ancestors in Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York (Historical)

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