The Far Westside neighborhood of Syracuse, New York had its start when the Village of Geddes was annexed into the city in 1866. It saw subsequent growth spurred by immigrants, particularly the Irish who settled in the area. Landmarks that can be found in this neighborhood include Tipperary Hill, the St. Patrick's Church Complex, Rosamund Gifford Zoo, and an upside-down traffic signal.
The boundaries of this neighborhood start at the corner of Erie Blvd. and Willis Ave., Erie Blvd south to West Genesee St., West Genesee St. east to West Lowell St., end West Lowell St through Burnet Park to South Wilber Ave., South Wilber Ave. south to Grand Ave., Grande Ave. west to South Avery St., South Avery St. north to Salisbury Rd., Salisbury Rd. west to South Orchard Rd., South Orchard Rd. north to Genesee St., Genesee St. east to Charles Ave., Charles Ave. north to Milton Ave., and Milton Ave. east to Willis Ave.
History
edit
Annexation
editWhen the Village of Geddes joined the city of Syracuse on May 20th in 1886, Major John P. Burnet, who owned a large farm on Tipperary Hill, gave a large hilltop plot of land to Syracuse now known as Burnet Park with the condition that the city spend $6,000 to build roads and plant trees in this new city park. Burnet was satisfied with the city's efforts, and thus, in 1887, gave the city an additional plot of land, known as the Oak Grove, which is still full of oak trees, on the corner of South Avery Avenue and Whittier Avenue[1].
Irish heritage
editArriving to Central New York beginning in the 1820s, Irish immigrants began working in the salt industry and settled around the Onondaga Lake.[2]
The St. Patrick’s Church Complex, located on North Lowell Avenue, was founded in 1870. Several of the first parishioners who arrived in 1825 came to work on the Erie Canal, which led to their settlement in Tipperary Hill[3]. The first mass to be celebrated at the Tipperary Hill location was on July 31, 1870 by Reverend Hugh Shields. In may of 1926, the new parish of St. Brigid's was established by Bishop Daniel Curley with the goal of lessening the burden of St. Patrick's parish. The property was located on the corner of Willis Avenue and Herkimer Street, but was eventually torn down or moved.
Economy
editThe Far Westside was once a neighborhood that appealed to blue collar workers, as the location is in close proximity to the Crucible steel factory[2]. It was once an industrial center that manufactured numerous types of goods[4]. In the decade between 2002 and 2012, the Far Westside was reported to have doubled their poverty rate.[2] As of 2012, there were seven neighborhoods in Syracuse that had poverty rates higher than the Far Westside. At Porter Elementary, 86% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch.[2]
Landmarks
editTipperary Hill
edit
The Far Westside includes Tipperary Hill, an Irish neighborhood that is known for its upside-down traffic signal. The order of the lights is reversed to reflect the colors of the Irish flag. Additionally, Burnet Park and the Rosamond Gifford Zoo are within its limits. The Westcott Reservoir is also within its limits.
The St. Patrick’s Church Complex was sanctioned with St. Brigid in the summer of 2012 and was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places[3].
Murals
editApproved by the city's public art commission, a mural is featured on the side of Eva's European Sweets, which sits near the corner of Milton Avenue and Avery Avenue in the Far Westside. The mural includes "a woman inspired by the restaurant's namesake owner, and will commemorate the Polish restaurant's upcoming 25th anniversary."[5]
Community outreach
editGere Block building
editIn 2021, plans were announced to develop a historic Erie Canal warehouse, located at 1970 W. Fayette St[6]. It was announced that the building would house a food market, an education center, and a co-working space[7]. The proposed development has an estimated cost of $6.1 million[7]. Currently, the building is listed as GereBlock Lounge, a co-working space that people are able to buy access to, either through membership packages, single-day rates, or event booking[8].
Demographics
editAs of the 2010 census, 6,680 people lived in the Far Westside (source). 85.6% are White, 4.2% Hispanic, 5.5% Black, 0.1% Asian, 4.0% mixed, and 0.6% other.[9]
The median household income in the Far Westside is $39.4 thousand. The 95th percentile of household income is $115.7 thousand and the 20th percentile household income is $18.5 thousand. Out of the 26 neighborhoods that make up Syracuse, New York, the Far West Side has the 12th highest median household income (source).[9]
42.8% of households in the Far West Side are one-person households, 20.3% are married households, 18.3% are other non-family households, 13.6% are single female households, and 5.0% are single male households. 83.2% of households do not have children under the age of 18 while 15.3% do have children under the age of 18.[9]
67.7% of people between the ages of 25 and 64 are employed in the Far West Side and 4.4% of this population is unemployed.[9]
Among people 25 and older in the Far West Side, 46.5% received a high school diploma, 42.0% received a higher degree, and 11.5% have no high school diploma. The median earning for those over the age of 25 with a graduate degree is $49.4 thousand, over the age of 25 with a bachelor's degree is $38.9 thousand, over the age of 25 with a high school diploma is $23.3 thousand, and over the age of 25 with no high school diploma is $12.3 thousand.[9]
Crime
editFar Westside falls within the 15th percentile for safety, indicating that it is safer than 85% of neighborhoods but less safe than 15% of them. This neighborhood has been given a crime rating grade of D-, meaning that they have a higher average crime rate compared to other locations in the United States. The crime rate is 25.23 per 1,000 residents annually. Residents typically regard the western part of the neighborhood as the safest area.[10]
Different crime rates (per 1,000 people) in this neighborhood are: assault (1.25), robbery (0.43), rape (0.33), murder (0.02), theft (1.83), vehicle theft (0.17), burglary (1.15), arson (0.02), kidnapping (0.07), drug crimes (12.62), vandalism (6.05), identity theft (1.29), and animal cruelty (0.01).[10] When only looking at the crime rate, the Far Westside neighborhood is safer than both the New York state and national average.[10]
References
edit- ^ jcroyle@syracuse.com, Johnathan Croyle | (2016-03-04). "5 things you may not know about Burnet Park's history". syracuse. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ^ a b c d "Tipp Hill". City Blocks: Syracuse.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Cite error: The named reference ":3" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b "History - St. Patrick's & St. Brigid's Parish". www.stpatricksandstbrigids.org. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ^ Pagano, Joey (1 September 2023). "Westside". Syracuse Post Standard. p. 18. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Meluch, Rebecca (12 May 2022). "See three new, huge murals coming soon to some prominent Syracuse buildings". The Post Standard. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "The former Erie Canal warehouse was once a commercial hub in the center of what was then the village of Geddes". syracuse. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ a b rmoriarty@syracuse.com, Rick Moriarty | (2021-05-29). "Food co-op and 'brain education center' planned for once-bustling Erie Canal-era block in Syracuse". syracuse. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ "GereBlock Lounge". www.gereblocklounge.com. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ a b c d e "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas". statisticalatlas.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ^ a b c "The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Far Westside, Syracuse, NY: Crime Maps and Statistics". CrimeGrade.