More Than You Know. Closer Than You Think.
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Chris Walters moved to the Southern Finger Lakes with his wife Anne 12 years ago, in 2012, from Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
Chris was born in Savannah, GA. His father was in the Coast Guard, so his family lived all across the US. His educational and professional journey would continue with him moving around the country and traveling overseas.
Chris graduated high school in Annapolis, MD. and went to college at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL; afterward, he spent a little over two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Georgia from 2003 to 2005. After the Peace Corps, he earned a master’s in International Educational Development from Columbia University. Then he went to work for IREX, an international nonprofit in Washington, DC, where he worked on international education programs. This is where he met Anne before moving back to Georgia to run the country office for the international nonprofit. He and Anne lived there for almost 4 years.
When the funding for Chris’ position ended, he and Anne were ready to move back to the States. “I had been applying to different jobs without success, and Anne was from Corning, so we moved in with her parents while we continued job searches,” Chris said. “We never intended to stay in Corning, but after two months of not getting a job, a friend forwarded a job announcement for a grants manager position.” He said it was a week after the deadline, but he submitted an application anyway and got called in for an interview. Anne decided to pursue a teaching career and started the certification process for teaching in New York. “I was offered the job, accepted it, and loved it. Anne became certified to teach in New York and got a teaching job, which pretty much solidified our stay.”
Anne is from Corning and grew up here. Her parents both grew up in Elmira. Chris, however, had only visited Corning a few times. But a visit during Thanksgiving exposed him to the holiday magic of the area, and it stuck with him. “I got to experience the magic of the holiday season. It was like stepping into a Hallmark Card,” he said. Before moving here, Chris had only been in Corning and along Route 352 to get a wedding haircut in Elmira. “I hadn’t seen anything else, so I didn’t have much reference for what it would be like.”
The biggest concern for him was the potential of how isolating it might feel and missing the joy of being in a walkable city. “We had lived in a large international capital, and before that, I’d lived in Washington, DC, and New York City,” Chris said. “Also, while living overseas, we traveled a lot, all over Europe, the Middle East, and East Africa, to close to nearly 30 different countries.” Needless to say, small-town living was going to be a big change.
But, Chris added, “While we didn’t know if this would be a temporary stay or more permanent, the idea of living in a small town for an extended period was really exciting. Growing up in a military family, I moved every few years, and the same occurred after college. It’s always been difficult to articulate where I’m from, so the idea that I could have a real place to call ‘home’ was alluring.”
In the end, Chris found that the sense of isolation never happened. He and his family have experienced everything there is to do in town and the region. “Yes, these things exist in different ways all over the world, but to have them in a single place is quite amazing when you look at the proximity of things to do,” Chris said, adding, “In very few places could you walk alongside waterfalls, pick up some wine at a vineyard, take a dip in a beautiful lake, and visit a historic town square all before lunchtime.” Chris also enjoys that, with less than a 4-hour drive, they have access to Canada, NYC, and major airports to go almost anywhere in the world. And he found that the things he enjoyed about living in a large, walkable city were easily replicable here. “And,” he said, “I’ve been able to pursue a photographic career which I never had before.”
Today, Chris is the Grants Manager and gallery Curator for the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes. This year, we’ll administer over 150 grants totaling more than $325,000—and after a year of work, I took over running our gallery.”
He is also a professional photographer whose work has been featured in various museum exhibits and campaigns. “My exhibition career grew and expanded, eventually getting to do solo exhibitions of my work and being represented by West End Gallery. Alongside this, I work for a variety of clients across the area doing a mixture of tourism, event, annual report, and artwork photography,” Chris said, adding, “More recently, I’ve received state grants that have allowed me to pursue more personal, portrait projects.”
Anne is a 3rd grade teacher in the Corning-Painted Post School District. They have two children, Tamriko, who is 10, and Sam, who is 6. The family lives in Corning, NY.
The Walters family enjoys making the most of the seasons here. “Summer brings lots of fruit picking, swimming, and ice cream eating,” Chris said. “We’ll travel around the area for a waterfall hike and visit any of the amazing local museums at our doorstep. Going to the Palace Theater in downtown Corning for movies is wonderful.” They also enjoy visiting nearby State Parks and around the country. “A stroll down Market Street to grab the chicken parmesan sub at Aniello’s makes everything easier.”
That access to so much is something Chris would want more people to know about. “All that saved time (in travel) adds up to an increase in the quality of life you can have here,” he said. “You might end up busier and have a fuller schedule, but instead of spending an hour each way commuting, those hours can be spent doing something much more impactful and meaningful, whether for yourself, your family, or something you want to do in the community.”
Chris says something he often hears from people when he tells them he lives in New York State is, “Oh, your taxes are high.” He stated, “It’s often said with a slight smugness like we’re getting a fast one pulled over us. The truth is, I can’t comment on what someone else’s taxes are like or what they get for them. But,” he added, “What I can comment on are the services we get for our taxes, the quality of life we’re able to have, and the educational opportunities our children have.”
Chris finds the move and living here to be worth it. “From a work/life aspect, having young kids who are doing different things, having my photographic pursuits, seeing my wife pursuing dance outside of teaching, and living in a small town like Corning makes it much simpler and easier to pursue. Within a 15-minute walking radius from our house, we can walk to work, get to school, stroll downtown, get to the dance studio, etc. In an hour, I can drop off my kids at school, swim at the YMCA, stop by the grocery store to get food for dinner, and be ready to work.” What a lovely life.
Thank you, Chris, for sharing your story! Read more SoFLX stories to learn about life, work, and play in the Southern Finger Lakes.
