The Bayberry community has come a long way since its inception in 1956.
The first planned community in Central New York, Bayberry, located between Route 57 and Morgan Road, was originally constructed to house workers at the General Electric, Carrier and Chrysler plants in Syracuse and to give them easy access to businesses and amenities like grocery stores, restaurants and churches.
Now, many younger families are enjoying those same amenities meant for local workers more than 50 years ago, but it’s just as focused on community as it always was.
A neighborhood in the true sense of the word, the community of 1500 homes provides numerous amenities for its residents, including holiday parades and activities, easy access to stores and businesses, a Neighborhood Watch program and outdoor concerts, among numerous other activities. Its kids attend Morgan Road and Elmcrest Elementary schools, Liverpool Middle School and Liverpool High School, and the neighborhood is Home to the Liverpool Central School District Office (former Craven Crawford Elementary). Bayberry is also home to churches, businesses and a green area maintained by the town.
Bayberry Community Association President Debbie Magaro-Dolan said she and her husband were happy to find a home in the neighborhood.
“I grew up in Liverpool, and when we were looking for a place to live, we wanted to stay close,” Magaro-Dolan said. “It’s a great community, and there’s a lot close by — the city of Syracuse, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes. As for Bayberry specifically, there are a lot of great qualities that made us want to buy a house here. It’s good, quality housing, the BCA keeps things nice, there are good schools — it’s just a really great place.”
Indeed, the BCA is a great draw for many neighborhood residents. Bayberry is one of just a few local communities that still has a homeowners’ association, and Magaro-Dolan said the BCA does everything it can to promote a neighborhood atmosphere.
“We do focus a lot on families,” she said. “We have a Halloween parade and a visit from Santa every year. We have a snow sculpture contest. But we’re starting to focus on the social connections for adults, too — we’re going to have a bowling night and some other things.”
Everything the BCA does, Magaro-Dolan said, from neighborhood events to encouraging neighbors to maintain their homes, is focused on making Bayberry a true community.
“We want you to know your neighbors,” she said. “We want to have everybody be happy in their homes and happy to be here.”
For more information about Bayberry, check out the Bayberry Community Association’s Web site at bayberrycommunity.org.
This story was published in the monthly Clay Insider, an Eagle Newspaper publication ran by Star-Review Editor Farah Jadran Pike.
