Alfred, NY

[diksha kini]

I got an accept at Alfred for Fall 2012.

Could anybody help me out with where to live off campus (in an apt or so).

Also Iv heard its a small town so what all do i have to look out for while moving in?

[KAM13]

I'm considering attending Alfred University (for MA in School Counseling) and would like to know a little bit about Alfred, NY if anyone has any info. Where are the good areas to find an apartment? How is the public transit? Weather? How affordable is it to live there? Are people friendly? What are some fun things to do there? I appreciate any info you can give me!! Thanks!!! =)

 

[xypathos]

If you’re wanting housing near the university, there’s plenty of apartment units in the village. There’s public transit but it’s very limited - Alfred is a quite small place and you’re two hours from a real city.

Weather wise, winters here can suck quite a bit but Spring and Fall are amazing. People tend to be very nice but they don’t look to get attached to students.

[KAM13]

Thanks so much! I figure the weather would be like that. I went to school in Syracuse (it snows there from November to April) but wanted to double check.  How much is an average one bed/studio apartment? None of the websites have prices which is a little annoying. 

[xypathos]

Yea, rental property owners just about everywhere are notorious about making rent prices available on their websites.

That said, if you're living walking distance to campus - 800/month for a one bedroom, closer to 650 or so for a studio. Some rental owners offer all inclusive pricing (internet, cable, heat, etc) but that's hit or miss.

I presently live in Syracuse while my partner finishes her PhD, small world!

[fortsibut]

On 1/23/2018 at 6:54 PM, KAM13 said:

I'm considering attending Alfred University (for MA in School Counseling) and would like to know a little bit about Alfred, NY if anyone has any info. Where are the good areas to find an apartment? How is the public transit? Weather? How affordable is it to live there? Are people friendly? What are some fun things to do there? I appreciate any info you can give me!! Thanks!!! =)

 

I lived in Allegany county from my freshman year of high school off and on until 2014 and attended Alfred State College for three semesters from 2013-2014 before transferring to finish up undergrad and go to grad school, so I'll answer what I can.  Everything xypathos said is pretty much on point, although I commuted to Alfred from elsewhere in the county so I don't have any idea what rent prices are in town and can't confirm that.  Also I've only been on Alfred U's campus a number of times, so I won't be able to answer many questions about that either.

About the weather:  I was on campus for 2 winters, and both were pretty cold.  Alfred's a bit sheltered due to its location in the valley, but you still get some wind blowing down through there that can be brutal.  A lot of snow which which affects the accessibility of activities outside of town, more on that later.  I'm used to New York winters so my time in Alfred didn't faze me, although some of my commutes in were kind of rough when it got a bit blizzardy.

The town:  the people are great, there are some really awesome restaurants downtown (shout out to the Collegiate aka the Jet and their awesome gyros, and Teracotta is excellent as well), and the main street has the awesome small town thing going for it.  Google is a bit misleading if you look up fast food; the Taco Bell is actually on Alfred State campus and while you can eat there for cash and anyone is welcome, it's not necessarily as immediately accessible to Alfred U students.  I've heard good things about "The Rogue Carrot" grocery story although from what I understand it's a little on the pricey side.  Hot Dog Day in the spring ("May the dogs be ever in your favor!") is a fun intercampus event that meets down on Main Street, has lots of hot dogs for sale (as the name indicates!), and has a street fair with some art/craft/etc. vendors.  I'm not sure about public transit; Alfred State had a shuttle running to downtown from time to time and I'm sure Alfred U has the same, but everything's really walkable although it would probably be pretty annoying to carry bags of groceries back to campus during the winter. 

The area:  unless you're going to immerse yourself in work from the day you arrive til the day you leave, you're probably going to want to bring a car or quickly make friends with people who have them.  Alfred U has a cool library and ceramics museum and such, but the town itself just doesn't have endless entertainment options.  Alfred has 3 bars, but they're usually packed with partying undergrads and kind of "divey."  Hornell is the closest big town and has a movie theater, restaurants, etc. and it's about 20-25 minutes away depending on the weather.  Wellsville is about the same distance and has a great small town downtown as well with a 2 screen movie theater that's really old; the town also has some great restaurants (Texas Hot, L'Italia, Beef Haus, etc.) and a bowling alley.  Swain ski resort is about 35 minutes away if you enjoy skiing or snowboarding.  It doesn't boast amazing slopes or anything but it's a fun place to hit up once or twice a winter.  Letchworth State Park is just under an hour away and it's an incredibly beautiful place with three waterfalls, tons of trails along the gorge, and camping.

I'd be happy to answer more questions if you have them, either about the town or area.  Even though the program that I was in at ASC wasn't ideal and I ended up transferring, I really enjoyed my time in Alfred and enjoy going back from time to time if I'm visiting my parents and have the smallest excuse to do so.  Good luck in your program selection!

Edited January 25, 2018 by fortsibut
Punctuation fail!