Oswego, NY

    Oswego, NY. Oswego is a small city that lies right beside Lake Ontario in the Upstate NY region. It contains lots of shopping inside the city with lots of places to have a great meal, meet great people, and enjoy the entertainment within the city limits. The history is quite unique, and the atmosphere alone makes this city one of my favorites yet one of my worst.   

    I was born in the city of Oswego back in 1965. Much of my time growing up was spent here in Oswego. My ancestors came down from Massachusetts and settle along the waters of upstate NY, where my ancestors owned a large farm just outside the city, in the town of Scriba. I attended Oswego State College and have enjoyed many of the shops, restaurants, and pubs in the city.

    Scriba which lies on the southern end of the city of Oswego has a fire station and a Park. Scriba Park is a small entertainment area, which is engulfed with trees which span all around the small pond that lies in the center of the park. A sandy beach lies on one half of the small pond. It is a small, quant area were families are welcome to come and enjoy. Under the great trees that cover most of the park area are scattered picnic tables with small hibachi type grills that set on steel posts about waist high so you can cook up a nice picnic with the family.  There is a nature trail that winds around the whole pond to enjoy quiet walks in the woods that surround the pond. 

    Inside the city of Oswego holds some nice stores to shop at. You don’t need to go very far if you live in and around the outskirts of Oswego. A couple of older meat markets still sit snuggled around the in skirts of the city, which you can go in and speak with the butcher. There are plenty of great little restaurants to eat at, and bars to visit and talk with the city people who are all more than willing to talk to you about their home and the activities that are going on in the city.   

    With Oswego Speedway settled right dab snug in the inner city of Oswego you can count on weekly races during the racing season and people from all around the United States gathering to make the best of this racetrack.  The racetrack is in memory of Jimmy Shampine (1941 –1982) who was a lifetime resident of Clay, NY and one of the most successful super modified car drivers and dirt track modified stocks to race on the Oswego Speedway track. The racetrack is one of the biggest events in the season. This is one of the best-known racetracks in Upstate NY from at least as far back as 1969.   

    The Oswego Hospital has been around since 1881 when a group of community members who gathered for the soul purpose of putting together a hospital for the small city. This hospital is not only the place I was born, but I also worked as a nurse in the hospital back in the 1980's. Today Oswego Hospital has grown into a much stronger hospital for this small city of residents it cares for.    

    As you pass through the city on each side you will find a great span of trees and large hillsides with green rich colored grasses. The countryside is breathtaking in its beauty, feeling almost majestic with all of the wilderness around you.   

    With Oswego State College located on the outskirts of Oswego heading North, the City itself can get a little congested while college is in session. During the summer months when college is out and there isn’t a big celebration going on somewhere in the city, which is a good many a time, then the city can become quite calm in nature. Houses are old along the waters and the port is a great place to watch the ships and boats come and go. 

You can also enjoy the Harborfest which is celebrated each year in the month of August. There are fireworks and bands, food and people from all over come to visit the Harborfest. I have never been to harborfest because the amount of people who visit the city for that event is so overcome with people. During this time of year, it is a very difficult time to travel through this city.  

    The Lake Ontario forte is a wonderful place to visit during the summer months. Forte Ontario lies along the edge of Lake Ontario and holds a grand history of its own. This was the point that the city which greeted the French ships coming in for trade in supplies. The forte built in 1727, was ordered by the governor of Oswego for the purpose as a weigh station for the French traders. 

    Off the shore of Lake Ontario in the city of Oswego is a light house that you can walk to if you are willing to walk out onto the break wall during good weather. Oswego River runs through the city and runs to the outskirts headed east to the next small-town of Fulton, NY and continues to run westward.      

    Unfortunately, the distance to any other city around there is quite a way away. Oswego stands off all by itself along the waters.  The wind whips so hard off that lake in the wintertime it makes you wish you were anywhere else but there.   

    You either have to have a job in the city or plan on traveling in the worst of winters to someplace much further away due to the solitude of the city. I both love and hate the city of Oswego. It can hold some great memories, but to live there would be to live in the solitude of the city itself.   

    Oswego, NY can be a great place to visit. You can always find something to do. If you like lots of snow and blowing wind, then it would be a great place to live. Winters are harsh and the snow can become overwhelming at times. The landscape around the city is beautiful, full of large hills and great countryside scenery. Then you have the solitude of the city itself. Oswego is a love, hate experience for me.