Right now due to the deployment cycle the rentals are very limited. When more units deploy it will be a much better market for renters. Unfortunately, and this is per my experience and an article published in the Watertown Times, renting anywhere right now is tough. Because the market has such few rentals, many landlords have jacked up their prices and let the properties become run down. This will change as folks deploy so if you have to live somewhere you don't want to be, try to get a short lease.
Google maps is very deceiving if you are trying to see how long it will take you to drive to post because most roads around post have a speeed limit of 55mph. On the map places like Sackets Harbor look far away but it's only another 10 minutes compared to a place on the southwest side of Watertown. You should consider investing an entire day and a tank and a half of gass just driving through carthage, watertown, sackets harbor, theresa, and phili to check the place out and see just how long it takes you to drive to post.
Watertown on the south side is beautiful, the neighborhoods south of the hospital and just west of thompson park are VERY nice. Drive around a neighborhood on the northwest side and you wont believe you are in the same town.
Black river is very nice and very close, it is more rural than watertown or carthage.
Carthage in my opinion is way over priced and a little run down considering the outragous taxes. The realtors in town tell me the school district is no better or worse. I don't know what the truth is.
The places north of post (Theresa, Phili) are small villages but they appear to be pretty nice.
Out by the lake (Sackets) is a very nice area with a little bit of night life.
I heard watertown and the surrounding area gets less snow than the places to the south (Loweville) because the show belt hits harder in the south. It snowed a few weeks go and I know for a fact Lowville got more snow than base. Apparently this is typical.
I live north of Lowville, it's about 25min to post (but I burn a lot of gas because it's about 20 miles). As soon as I can I am moving to the southeast side of watertown (somehwere on or near Thompson BLVD.) It is still going to take me 25min to get to post but I will only be driving 10 miles (traffic). Watertown is a large town I wouldn't call it a city.