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Meet Rashida Vassell, MD
Dr. Rashida Vassell and her family left New York City and relocated to the Southern Finger Lakes in 2016 after being recruited by a local hospital in the area.
Outside of knowing about the existence of Binghamton, Ithaca, and Rochester, the Finger Lakes region was not a place they knew much about. “My husband, a lifelong NYCer, and I imagined we would be dropped in the middle of a cornfield,” she laughed. “We were concerned about the drastic change from urban to rural, including the lack of diversity. What excited us the most was the prospect of green spaces for raising our children and purchasing a home within our budget.”
Nevertheless, relocating was extremely difficult for Rashida and her family. “Moving away from friends, family, and established business – my husband owned and operated a successful restaurant/bakery – was more of a challenge than initially anticipated,” she admitted. “Juggling those responsibilities from a distance in addition to caring for our growing family was anything but easy.”
While some things have remained the same for them, such as the changing seasons, some other things, such as how much they have been embraced by the community, are different from big city culture. “We’ve been given the opportunity to grow and endeavor to live our best lives,” she said.
She added, “Slowly developing relationships with what we now affectionately call ‘the village’ was a godsend. We knew that spending the time to foster meaningful local relationships was going to be our ticket to feeling like we belonged and could thrive.”
And though Rashida admits it hasn’t been smooth sailing by any stretch of the imagination, she has found the cost of living here to be far better than in the beloved city they left behind. “Being able to have open spaces, no traffic congestion – has led to a better quality of life. We were able to make investments in ourselves and our family that otherwise would not be possible.” She continued, “Living here has also allowed us to grow our real estate portfolio. Corning is this hidden gem that has been very good to us personally and professionally.”
Today, Dr. Vassell is the Founder and owner of Safahla Medical, a concierge medical practice with a focus on skincare, lifestyle medicine, and cutaneous surgery located in Corning, NY.
Together with her husband they own vacation rental properties in the Corning area.
An average day for the family includes getting up early to exercise before getting their girls, ages 10 and 7, up and ready for school. “I usually do drop-offs and my husband and I then take on the day to attend to our careers and businesses,” Rashida said. “School pick-up and extracurricular activities are usually done by my husband. We close out our evenings with homework and dinner.”
The family also enjoys spending time outdoors as the weather allows, hiking nature trails, and having dinner on their neighborhood’s main street. “In the summers we enjoy exploring lake life and apple picking is a must in the fall. We enjoy having gatherings with friends at each other’s homes. We have come to love activities on the lake. Throughout the year we will stay at a lake house one weekend at a time. It’s an entirely new experience for our family and something we love sharing with our daughters.”
For those who might be thinking of relocating to the area, Rashida stated. “If you are ready for a change of pace, looking to make a 180 lifestyle change, raise a family, have a better cost of living, and have an open mind, look no further.” She added, “Winters are hard, but the other three seasons make it so worth it. Do not expect the Finger Lakes to be comparable to living in a major metropolitan area, it is not. But the region has its own appeal and for the right family, at the right inflection point in their life, it can afford them a lifestyle they could never have imagined.”
She concluded by saying, “Visit at any point during the spring, summer, or fall and you’ll see what makes this area so compelling: its connection to nature. The natural wonder of the Finger Lakes area isn’t something that has to be sought or driven to, it’s all-encompassing. We as a family have come to appreciate just how valuable that is.”
Thank you, Rashida, for sharing your story! Read more SoFLX stories to learn about life, work, and play in the Southern Finger Lakes.
