The constant talk of "brain drain" and Central New York's failing economy has to pose the question, who would want to live in Syracuse?Well, Kyle Corea would, as well as Merike Treier and Lindsay Wickham, but Doc Good is a hard sell.
"The taxes are too high, and the cost of living is too high. For what you get, for the energy you put into it, we're getting short-changed," said Good, owner of Doc's Little Gem Diner.
While that might be the common consensus among many locals, there are young professionals who are investing a little more in Syracuse than just their faith.
What to do?
"It's almost like a blank slate here," Corea said,"there's a lot of room for innovation."
Corea is the co-owner of Funk -N- Waffles, and a Rochester native. After he and his partner, Adam Gold of New Jersey, placed in an annual business plan competition through the Whitman School of Management, at Syracuse University, they decided to make Syracuse their permanent home.
"You have to stay positive, and you have to take a risk and invest in Syracuse," said Corea.
Treier works with the Downtown Committee of Syracuse and also decided to relocate here from Rochester.
"We have so much more happening here in Downtown Syracuse, it's just not publicisized," said Treier, "between 1990 and 2000 census data, downtown showed a 46 percent increase, which is unheard of."
With more than half of the Syracuse population under the age of 35, investing for a younger crowd is money well spent.
Investments
According to the Downtown Committee, there are plans to invest about 200 million dollars in renovations to entice more young professionals to stay in Salt City.
"Within the past 18 months, there have been over 200 apartments built actually in downtown and a lot of people don't see that because its taking place within existing buildings," said Treier.
The rehabilitations to the Wilson Building, Mizpah Towers and the recently completed Amos Building are just some of the new investments.
Another local program dedicated to energizing the Syracuse community is 40 Below. It's a group of young professionals that gets people involved with community projects. Recently, by volunteering man power, 40 Below helped Syracuse save approximately 70 thousand dollars in building renovations.
Future Plans
Lindsay Wickham is the Events Coordinator for the Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprise Department at SU. She has lived in Syracuse her entire life, and plans to continue working here.
"If people want to make the region economically sufficient and they want to stay in Syracuse, then they'll find a way and they'll do it through entrepreneurship," said Wickham.
While the distant future is still unpredictable, the Greater Syracuse Economic Growth Council estimates the population will stabilize within the next five years.
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