In 1935 Syracuse formed a town board with Thomas J. Thurgood as the first president. The first services offered were beautification of the cemetery and the providing of culinary water. Syracuse became a third-class city on 13 September 1950. New community services were provided as needed: garbage dump and pickup, natural gas, sewer lines, and fire and police protection. As the city grew, services enlarged. The city boundary line did not extend below the bluff until recent years.

Tractors gradually replaced horses after World War II. Tomatoes, peas, and sugar beets were gradually phased out; but alfalfa, grain, corn, string beans, and onions still played an important role. Slowly, some agricultural land gave way to housing projects and businesses; zoning laws became a necessity.