Captain...I grew up in Elmira and went to St Casimir's and St Patrick's before Notre Dame HS where I graduated from in 1978. The Elmira then was a thriving place compared to what it is now with welfare,guns, drugs and urban decay. Its dam shame.
....I'm lucky enough to have a good job in Elmira and live in Horseheads now.
....It's still a beautiful area with some nice people if you can get a decent job and live in the right part of Chemung County. We have the Sabres AA minor league team in the ECHL and a great performing arts center where I'm seeing "the Producers" in three weeks. Of course the Finger Lakes are near and WGI.
....I'm not sure if there is a solution anymore. Gas drilling was seen as a Godsend by many and that didn't happen so back to square one.
Mike