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Auburn offers safe, affordable living that provides plenty of elbow room for your everyday personal and professional life, convenient shopping, delicious eateries and craft breweries, with great schools to boot. This vibrant micropolis is packed with warmth and downright good neighbors.
Auburn’s cost of living is
than the U.S. average.
Close proximity to
higher-ed & research institutions
Forbes ranks the city of Auburn as the
small city in the northeast to raise a family.
No matter the logistics, Auburn makes relocating easy with an ever-growing job market and a breezy family commute as the center radius between the triangle of Syracuse, Rochester, and Ithaca.
The City of Auburn is a micropolis that features historic, stable neighborhoods; excellent education opportunities; a dynamic downtown; a solid manufacturing base; an emerging arts and culture scene; and a full array of community services.
Housing in Auburn and the Syracuse Metro Region is among the most affordable in the nation. Our City is rich in history with links to such influential historical figures as Harriet Tubman, Louis Comfort Tiffany, William H. Seward, and Theodore Case to name a few. Many of Auburn’s landmarks and historic sites have been preserved and are located within the South Street National Historic District. The Historic Resources Review Board (HRRB) is responsible for preserving the City of Auburn’s historic buildings located within the District and several “Local Landmark Structures”. The Auburn Beautification Commission helps keep the City of Auburn a beautiful place to live, work, and play.
Downtown Auburn is experiencing a true renaissance. Over the last decade, the City has invested millions of dollars in its urban core for a variety of projects. These include extensive uniform streetscape enhancements, improvements to traffic circulation, building stabilization, facade improvements, creating interesting and inviting public spaces, and encouraging public art. Private sector investment downtown includes such transformational projects as the Auburn Public Theater and Logan Park Lofts. Additionally, several new restaurants and businesses have opened recently making Downtown Auburn a true destination.
Quality education & training opportunities are available to meet the needs of individuals and businesses in Auburn. Cayuga Community College (CCC) provides an affordable gateway to higher education, credit-free courses for leisure learning and specialized workforce training. Wells College is located on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, and it provides a unique experience to higher education. Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) provides vocational, special education, professional development, adult education and career training programs and services for a nine-district area within its new state-of-the-art LEED Silver certified facilities.
The Auburn School District provides an excellent educational program for over 4,850 full-time students, with additional numbers in night school and external programs. Outside the district, students are encouraged to pursue higher education with opportunities present in the surrounding areas of Rochester, Ithaca, and Syracuse.
Year-round programming is available in Auburn through a variety of venues to showcase the region’s creative talents and history. Organizations contributing to this growing scene include Auburn Public Theater, Auburn Players Community Theatre, New York Institute of Dance and Education, Schweinfurth Memorial Arts Center, Cayuga Museum, and the The REV Theatre Company to name a few! Major festivals include Founders Day, New York Dance Festival, TomatoFest, and Quilts=Art=Quilts.
The City of Auburn has a strong and diverse local manufacturing base with concentrations in specialty materials and advanced manufacturing processes. We build everything from custom leather dog collars to flawless metal rings, recycled plastic bottles to kayak storage systems! The City’s largest manufacturers include Currier Plastics, Hammond & Irving, Xylem, NUCOR Steel and 4-M Precision Stamping. Several businesses are located in Auburn’s Technology Park, an 80-acre industrial park at the north end of the City located just 15 minutes from Exit 40 on the NYS Thruway.
Comprehensive health and human services are in place to meet the needs of Auburn residents. Auburn Community Hospital (ACH) is located in the City and offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient services, including state-of-the-art medical, surgical, and rehabilitation technologies. The Hospital serves a population of approximately 80,000 and employs 800 employees and 229 medical-dental practitioners. The Human Services Coalition of Cayuga County is a network of service providers, public and private organizations, and individuals organized to address the needs of the greater-Auburn community through inter-agency coordination, information sharing and collaboration.
The City offers full-time Police and Fire Departments, curbside trash and recycling pickup, many neighborhood parks, recreation events, city sponsored summer concerts, and much more. Auburn’s economy is a healthy mix of manufacturing, service and retail industries. Employment opportunities can be found in advanced manufacturing (precision metalworking, plastics, and fiber optics), the medical industry, education, government, tourism and retail industries.
These initiatives include but are not limited to:
Area programs that further Auburn’s sustainable action:
Cayuga County Clean Energy Community Program
Cayuga County Public Utility Services Agency
Comprehensive Sustainability Energy and Development Plan
Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board Energy Management Program
Cayuga County PACE
Have a program that you want to bring to the community? Connect with our team here.
Auburn prides itself in its museums, theaters, and historical sites. Whether you’re looking to see a production, or be in one, Auburn has plenty to choose from.
Cayuga County is home to an active theater scene, with the Rev Theatre Company located in Emerson Park on Owasco Lake, Auburn Public Theater in the heart of downtown Auburn, and the Carriage House Theater at the Cayuga Museum. Each of these venues provide year-round activities, from comedy shows to statewide youth theater programs.
Auburn is saturated in historical sites, museums, and creative facilities. We recommend visiting our city’s welcome center, the Equal Rights Heritage Center, to jumpstart your exploration. From there, you can take a museum tour to see the Case Research Lab, Willard Memorial Chapel, or the homes of historical heroes like Harriet Tubman and William H. Seward.
Interested in the arts? Head to the Schweinfurth Memorial Arts Center or the Cayuga Museum of History and Art to view their most recent exhibits or attend a local production from our abundant theater locations. The Auburn Public Theater, the Rev Theatre Company, the New York Institute of Dance & Education, and the Auburn Players Community Theatre have year-round programming that brings the community together through the magic of performance.
The year-round offerings are ample, but during certain times of the year, you can also join the community for festival celebrations like Founders Day, New York Dance Festival, TomatoFest, and the Finger Lakes Musical Theater Festival.
North of Auburn near the shores of Lake Ontario, attendees of the Sterling Renaissance Festival enjoy performances from entertainers and artisans from all over the country on 15 different stages.
Celebrate Auburn’s History & Founders at this Annual Event.
The Festival is a two week experience with eight and a half hours of dance a day, with master classes in Modern, Ballet, Hip Hop, MT Afro Hip Hop, Reinforced Motor Function, McLeod Technique, African, and more.
Since its inception in 1985, TomatoFest has raised over $300,000 and collected more than 13,000 canned goods to help feed the hungry through donations to participating area food pantries.
Folks who live in Auburn, NY enjoy all that the Finger Lakes region has to offer in terms of natural beauty and outdoor activities. With Owasco Lake only a 10-minute drive from downtown, Auburnians can head to Emerson Park at the northern end of the lake to enjoy the green spaces, playgrounds, boat launches, dog parks, and more.
Many recreational opportunities are offered by the abundance of waterways in Cayuga County and the region, including the Finger Lakes, the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal, and wild trout streams. In fact, the county boasts more freshwater coastline than any other county in New York. Located along these scenic coastlines are marinas, fishing charters, campgrounds, golf courses and upscale lodging and dining locations.
If you move inland, you’ll find many additional recreational assets. Some of the highlights include scenic bike paths, hiking trails, bird sanctuaries, and cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails. Also visit the Sterling Nature Center located at the northeastern corner of Cayuga County or enjoy a collegiate baseball game at Falcon Park, cheering on the Auburn Doubledays.
Calling all foodies: Auburn is serving it up! We believe the best way to get to know a city is through the food and the 315 doesn’t disappoint. With its abundant flavor-packed local eateries, Auburn features a variety of cuisines and celebrates the joy of a good bite and sip spent together.
Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods offer a wide variety of local favorites, from charming cafés to award-winning fine dining. Grab a hot coffee on your way to work, stop in at a market for a lunch sammie, or reserve a table for a special occasion.
To see our list of must-have favorites, visit our blog or explore the full list of Auburn restaurants here.
Whether you’re looking for a bustling craft brewpub or an intimate wine tasting venue, Auburn has unique locations to raise your glass. You can visit the historic Civil War Armory building in the heart of downtown, which now hosts the famous Prison City Pub and Brewery, or enjoy a flight at Shep’s Brewing Company or Next Chapter Brewpub. Looking for something sweeter? Take in a beautiful drive while visiting any one (or two) of Cayuga County’s wineries, like CJS Vineyards, Heart & Hands, Long Point Winery, or Colloca, or explore the other 120+ wineries in the thriving FLX region, where nearly 90% of NYS’s wines are produced.
Markets and festivals take place when cuisine meets community! Connect with local farmers and creatives by visiting our seasonal Auburn Farmers Co-op Market on State Street happening on Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 7 am to 2 pm or heading to the Equal Rights Heritage Center to visit the TasteNY Market that features regional goods year-round. If you are interested in an annual celebration, Auburn also hosts the beloved Tomato Fest that raises money for the food pantries of Cayuga County.
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