bumblehead's Community Blog Back to bumblehead's blog

I’ve heard quite a bit of complaining regarding the state of Chenango County, and it got me to wonder. Are things here as bad as those complaining say they are?

One complaint I’ve heard repeatedly is that there needs to be higher paying jobs in the area; that the only new jobs that are brought into the area are in retail. That actually may be true. Lowes, Tractor Depot, Peebles, and Wal-Mart are all businesses that have opened up or expanded in the last 10 years or so, just to name a few. All these new stores are welcome additions to the community, and just make the area more appealing to those contemplating moving here. But these aren’t the only jobs that are being added to this area.

The truth is, if established businesses move, it’s more than likely due to financial reasons. They aren’t going to move to New York en masse where the taxes are higher than other parts of the country. Hoping for a new, established business to start operations here is about as likely as the Chenango County Fair having an opera singer perform. That doesn’t mean that we’re doomed to have only retail jobs here. There are many local businesses that are doing well, and are continuing to grow. Norwich Aero Products, Unison, Raymond Corporation, Norwich Pharmaceuticals, Preferred Mutual, Amphenol, Golden Artists, NBT, these are just a few of the businesses that are succeeding in the local area. Some have been established for quite some time, others are newer businesses that are just taking off. These companies don’t grow by leaps and bounds, but by the addition of 5-10 new positions here, 4 more positions there. These small gains aren’t newsworthy, but they are significant.

Another complaint I’ve heard is that there isn’t anything to do here. There isn’t an overabundance of shows, upscale bars to hang out at, or a wealth of fine dining facilities here, so in one sense that complaint has a ring of truth as well. Those that complain of this though miss out the allure of the area. There are plenty of trails here for hiking. There is an abundance of fishing spots throughout the county. If you are a hunter, there are few places in New York that can match Chenango County. On top of that, there are the annual events that one can go to. Greene has the craft fair and Labor Day Fair. New Berlin Has Youth Days. Sherburne has the Pageant of Bands. Norwich has the Blues Fest, Gus Macker, the Pumpkin Fest and the County Fair. There is also a beauty about this area that oftentimes goes unappreciated. Here is one of the only places I’ve ever stopped and noticed the stars, because they shone so brightly. And who doesn’t look forward to the fall foliage? When I was in the military I tried to explain what was appealing about where I grew up and came up with this description; here, a campfire is entertaining.

I grew up in this area and left when I was in my early 20’s, living out of the area for almost 10 years. The whole time I was gone, I always knew I was going to return to make this my home. This was the place I wanted to raise my family, without a doubt. The schools are small enough so that my kids will know most of their classmates and if they wanted to go out for a sport, they can actually make the team. Here, I can go for a walk here at night without fear. I also know that if anything happens to my home while I’m away, my neighbors will take action without a thought. These types of things aren’t measurable and won’t show up on any reports, but to me, they are invaluable. Because of this, I will reside here for many many years, and be quite content doing so.

5 comments on this topic:

odon11 says:

April 4th, 2008 at 5:46 pm

I feel the same way. I like it here. I've visited Chenango County all my life, when I was a kid my sisters and I always found fun things to do.

I chose to move here a few years ago knowing exactly what the area was like. After moving around the country, living in cities in the north, south, and west, I wanted to live here. The traffic and crime are minimal compared to other places.
My son has plenty to keep him busy. School sports, bowling or movies with his friends, fishing, swimming in the river, camping, riding 4 wheelers, or shooting paint balls in the woods, doesn't matter. He has fun without having to sit inside and play video games. He knows he can't get away with doing something wrong, almost everyone in town knows him and will tell me. This is a much safer place to raise kids, no drive by shootings every day to worry about.

My husband was in awe of the stars too, never saw that many while living in a city.

Can sleep at night without having to double deadbolt the doors or put burglar bars up on the doors and windows.

I like having a pharmacist who greets everyone by name. We're not just customers to him, we are all his neighbors.

It's nice to buy fresh veggies from a local farmers stand on the side of the road on the "honor system". There are honest people who put money in the can without stealing the veggies as well as the can of money!

There are a lot of things to love about living here if you take the time to look around, you'll find them.

middleoftheroad says:

April 7th, 2008 at 7:40 pm

It is easier to complain. It takes more muscles to smile than to frown, so people take the easy way out. I think most people would love to "stay home" their whole lives. There needs to be effort made in havingprivate sector jobs so people can stay home. Norwich was very unique for a small town in having a benovolent industry- for much of its early history. Endicott had EJ's and IBM. Utica had Revere and cutlery firms. Now we need to nurture ideas, because they could become the next aspirin, tabulating machine, or mass produced shoe. Life is what you make it, we all choose and all have control over our choices. Lets choose to be positive and find opportunity where others find negative. I for one would prefer to see few BMW's in CC. (BMW's equals *itchers, moaners and whiners.)
Enjoy the sunshine folks.

bumblehead says:

April 8th, 2008 at 11:53 am

The thing that inspired me to write this is actually this web site. It seems as though all anyone can ever do in 30 seconds and in the forum is gripe about how bad things are here. How it is we need this in the area, or the local government is inept, or some other thing to complain about. Granted, we have warts here, but what area of the country doesn't? Instead of griping about what we don't have, why not enjoy the things we do have, which in my eyes, quite a bit?

timwendi says:

April 9th, 2008 at 12:36 pm

I agree 100 per cent !!!!!!!

jeff says:

April 16th, 2008 at 7:44 pm

Keep in mind that '30 Seconds' is every likely the same 25 or 30 people posting over and over and over again. No data to back that up, but I can tell you when it was a phone line only, I recognized the same voices week after week. I always call '30 Seconds' "The Tyranny of the Minority."