Info on Buffalo (Tonawanda, Lancaster, Depew: housing, rent, travel)

[city boy 105]

I'll bet that the movie Bruce Almighty was a big success for Buffalo.I'll bet that the only wealthy people who live in Buffalo work at the HSBC building.

[aka_mouse]

Originally Posted by city boy 105

I'll bet that the only wealthy people who live in Buffalo work at the HSBC building.

Mid level office workers arn't that wealthy

[Mmonique]

Originally Posted by Smiths101

Hi,

I hope this time I am posting in the right place.

Although I have heard about the high property taxes etc. But I love north east. Never been to that part of NY but would love to explore "Buffalo area". If I work at the Uni. at Buffalo, what areas would be affordable (housing around $ 300 K) with good middle & high schools? I have heard about Amherst, Williamsville? Any other suggestions?
What is gas and electricity bill during summer and winter for lets say 3000 sq ft house.
What is the avarage commute time to work from these places?
Can I find a relatively newer house in that region?

Your answers will be appreciated.

Thanks!

I have read several exhaustive pages of back & forth on this supposed information highway. Luckily, I can read between the lines. Oh wait. I really can't. I assume adults are responding to your request for assistance. Or at least that was until the infighting began. Ultimately, we want the same thing, I expect. That a person was assisted. It shouldn't have taken several pages (a good % of which was fighting) to get to the helping portion of the thread. If there is truth in the bashing, there is truth. If there is truth in the praise, there is truth. Where ever the truth lies, let's not bash each other. And, honesty is the best policy. I never understood why people say, "The truth hurts." No it doesn't. It's good to know. All I'm saying is let's not attack each other. The two quarrelers both seem to be strong enough communicators to talk about their individual perceptions of what's good and bad in buffalo. We appreciate both sides. I considered moving to buffalo. The personal property tax on the vehicle was a good one. When I first moved to NC, they sent me a personal property tax bill on my vehicle for $375. I wasn't budgeted for that hit. I vowed they'd never do it again. They also had a HUT at $150...called it a highway utility tax.
Moving to Buffalo or Niagara shortly. And, I'm appreciative that you all are actively responding to the inquiries of possible newbies like Smiths101 and myself. One of you perceived the other was bashing and lashed out. I really need truth, not propaganda. I wouldn't be eating tacos (lol). I prefer to cook my own food. I'm looking for cost of living decrease to hopefully not work just to pay bills. I don't have grand aspirations of heading a company, etc. I'd like to work, pay less, save more. Then, retire to an Island somewhere. Too much to ask? Can't get there until I can save.

[Mmonique]

By the way, the links being provided are helpful. Thank you. Newbies need those things. A 4am call is better than Seattle's 1:30 am call. But, that is a personal preference.
Heating costs, cost of gas, electricity, taxes, a damn good real estate agent to help me find an area that is SAFE, but not so costly, all critical info for survival and determining if I can afford Buffalo or Niagara Falls. I assume I'll need snow tires. Give me stuff I'll need to know and help me out here. Please. I'm doing research as fast as I can, but I have a short window and I am glad to see you people here. I'm going to move to Buffalo or Niagara Falls either way for the next two years because the love of my life life is on the other side of the border and I can see him often. Thank you all!

[Mmonique]

Originally Posted by ruthere04976

My fiance and I are moving from Maine to the Buffalo area - he's been transferred. I have a 12 year old daughter entering Jr. High and I"m a nursing student. We are outdoor enthusiasts who are used to living 10 min from town (pop 22,000), out in the woods on a country road. I hate city life - I'm terrified of crowds and congestion. I love small town living - contra dances, safe schools and space. Any suggestions on where we might took to live?

Smiths101,
Checkout the responses to the post above "Help I'm Moving to Buffalo" I believe is the topic. Saw some location posts there. Maybe these guys can add info on the locations being recommended there. Look for other posts here that are similar to ours. People are most helpful.

[Alpharetta123]

Originally Posted by aka_mouse

Time for a clue check... the US as a country has no future if we are just going keep piling our entire population into whatever hotspot (meaning nothing more than "low taxes") is happening at the moment (i.e. Charlotte, Raleigh, Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc etc) Thats the only reason the "research triangle" even exists.. Its was a planned relocation of 'silicon valley' to the low tax sun belt, and nothing more. It was not a product of that region, where 'silicon valley' and the Bay Area was a product of its locale (Tons of education and lots of High tech/aerospace/engineering/military based firms) .

You can already see it in Atlanta. Now the place is turning into a dump, high crime, job loss and too much sprawl to even attempt any real urban infrastructure. Charlotte ain't gonna be much further. I been there, its nothing but suburban housing sprawl and strip malls (and the grinding traffic that goes with it). Other cities that boomed were L.A. post war, and in FL, Miami and Orlando... how nice are those cities to live in nowadays?

Las Vegas is just ridiculous.. wildly out of control growth.. enjoy riding that boom cause the bust is gonna be that much nastier. Phoenix, like Vegas, is a metropolis that boomed in the middle of a friggen desert.. yeah, thats a good idea. As these desert megacities start noticing thier aquifers falling (they already are).. what are they gonna do? Bring in caravans of tankers full of water daily? Not gonna happen.

Are we as a country gonna let the entire NE with the exception of places like NYC and Boston rot away? What about the (tens of) millions who all live in these cities in the rust belt? What? We should all move? Or is our nation just going to abandon us (Im sure they will , look at N.O.) Id really like to hear your explaination on where you think this is all going.

How many cities have you visited? Have you ever been to Vegas, and Atlanta? How long did you visit other cities? Just curious. Personally, I don't feel qualified to pass judgement on a particular city until I've lived there for a substantial period. I can form a brief opinion based on what I see, but certaintly not an educated opinion.

Atlanta's a big city and far from being a dump! The entire city is not crime infested, and the current Mayor will forever be known as "The Sewer Mayor" for doing a lot to repair the integrity of the infrastructure.
There's Buckhead (a major project going on now will result in a Rodeo-Drive type district), Morningside, Druid Hills, Powder Springs, Paces Ferry, and many parts of the city that are very nice, affluent areas...including parts of SW Atlanta. The old train yards have been turned into Atlantic Station, which consists of lofts, apartments, homes, and businesses with it's own zip-code.(nice but pricy)

If Atlanta is a dump; why do sports and entertainment celebrities choose to make it their home? There's lots of old money in Atlanta as well, just like there is in parts of Buffalo.

I love the mild winters here. Springtime explodes in March with azaleas, forsythias, wisteria, followed closely by dogwoods and other flowering trees. And I do love Georgia pines.
There's crime here... like any other American city. Traffic sucks, but one should try to live close to work. Air quality not that good because of the constant population growth, building, and increase in traffic. Pollen is bad. Live here long enough and you will develop allergies.

But I like it here. It's a pretty place. Weather's nice, if you can handle the hot summers, and many people tend to have a progressive attitude.
I've lived in Atlanta for over twenty years, and still don't feel 100% qualified to pass judgement on the city because I still haven't seen all of it.

I grew up in Buffalo, but have not been there since the mid-90's. It's not a place I'd care to move back to because I simply don't like snow.
The last time I visited Buffalo, I did experience a "You Can't Go Home Again" sort of sadness because I remember Buffalo when it was really, really booming.
Many of my favorite places were gone or boarded up. I have to admit the urban decay of what was once thriving, lovely neighborhoods was very depressing.

But I cannot be too harsh on a city that was once my home.

Remembering with fondness:
The Christmas window at AM&A'S
Freddie's Donuts
Rich's Dairy
White Tower
Your Host
Swiss Chalet
Chin's Islander
Pine Grill, Little Harlem, Johnny's Golden Gloves, and Revilot Lounge
Mike's Subs on Main&Chippewa
Broadway Fillmore District and 998 Broadway
Iriquois Brewery...with the gigantic statue of the Indian out front
Ted's Hot Dog's... at Lasalle Park (There was also one at the foot of the Peace Bridge)
Ice Skating at Humbolt Park
Easter Egg hunts at Delaware Park
Westie (Westminster House on Adams Street)
The original downtown library.
Erie Basin Marina
Picnics at Beaver Island Park
Taking the bus to Crystal Beach
The wonderful old movie theaters (Plaza on William, Broadway, Lafayette Theater, Loew's Teck, Shea's Buffalo)
Bocce's Pizza
Garden of Sweets, Parkside Candies
Sears on Main & Jefferson(with the lovely cafeteria)
Stransky's Hardware Store
Allentown Art Festival
Central Terminal(one of the most beautiful Art-Deco buildings in America.... what happened???)
A beautiful Cathedral on almost every corner
The 'Horse in the Window' on Broadway/Genesee Street.

If you get a chance visit Karl R. Josker's Photo gallery of Buffalo.

Buffalo Photo Gallery by Karl R. Josker at pbase.com

[aka_mouse]

Originally Posted by Alpharetta123

Personally, I don't feel qualified to pass judgement on a particular city until I've lived there for a substantial period. I can form a brief opinion based on what I see, but certaintly not an educated opinion.

Sure, but I can decide its somewhere I don't really want to live. I been to Charlotte, I know lots of people down there. I could conceivably see myself getting sucked down there to live for a period of time... But I know Ill ike it up here better. Heres what the sunbelt has to offer - jobs and you can buy a decent to big-sized house in some sub-development/sprawl somewhere. And thats great, and thats why tons and tons of people move there. I understand that.. its just not what I'm interested in. I live in the suburbs of Buffalo, in the village of Hamburg at my parents place.. but as disintersted as I am in my own old neighborhood -- it comes with the caveat that a lot of the suburbs around Buffalo where formally old smaller towns.. they still have that cohesiveness at thier centers. We have heavy sprawl all over upstate, even these small towns are sprawling -- but at least in practice its just been filling in the in-between areas. The Buffalo-Niagara metro is a heavily sprawled area of about 1.2 million people and the traffic and all the BS isnt as fierce as you see in other places.

Originally Posted by Alpharetta123

Atlanta's a big city. The entire city is not crime infested. There's Buckhead, Morningside, Druid Hills, Powder Springs, Paces Ferry, and many parts of the city that are very nice, affluent areas...including parts of SW Atlanta.
I love the mild winters here. Springtime explodes in March with azaleas, forsythias, wisteria, followed closely by dogwoods and other flowering trees. And I do love Georgia pines.
I've lived in Atlanta for over twenty years, and don't feel 100% qualified to pass judgement on the city because I still haven't seen all of it.

I don't even remember mentioning crime... I was talking about Traffic. For all the cities I mentioned. When you have a vital downtown core thats all offices and businesses that people work in, but not much residential, and you have huge areas of low-density suburban sprawl outside of it -- all that ends up with is horribly snarled traffic heading in and out everyday. The worst part is that there is no fix for it. Look at the big dig in Boston. More road capacity makes the problem worse. It just allows MORE people to contribute to the problem. Any capacity you add will be filled. It exacerbates the very problem its trying to combat.

I have an aunt in LA (Glendale) she drives 7 miles to work everyday and it takes her 45+ minutes to do so. My old job was 7 miles away it took me 10-15 minutes to get there. 5 if I was in a hurry. Time is way important than money.. I know people who have moved away to other parts of the country and have hour and a half commutes everyday... and the second they walk in the front door of thier home they are living the same middle class livestyle as you could have anywhere with an average job.

[Alpharetta123]

Originally Posted by aka_mouse

Sure, but I can decide its somewhere I don't really want to live. .

This is true. But I try not to trash any one's city, or section of country they choose to live. I used to work at what is now HSBC center.... and after dealing with the blizzard of '77 and holding onto ropes to get inside of the building at the foot of Main, I decided that I'd outgrown Buffalo's cold weather. I was born in the south, but raised in the north. I just decided to return to my roots...

Originally Posted by aka_mouse

Heres what the sunbelt has to offer - jobs and you can buy a decent to big-sized house in some sub-development/sprawl somewhere. And thats great, and thats why tons and tons of people move there. I understand that.. its just not what I'm interested in. I live in the suburbs of Buffalo, in the village of Hamburg at my parents place.. but as disintersted as I am in my own old neighborhood -- it comes with the caveat that a lot of the suburbs around Buffalo where formally old smaller towns.

Actually, metro-Atlanta is that way too. Each of those places have their own legislation, mayors, etc. There is a lot of suburban sprawl here, but I still like it better than Buffalo. (even though Bflo is still special to me). The suburban areas around here still have its perks. In spite of the sprawl, somehow, the builders manage to maintain the greenspace. We have a greenways project which is a series of beautiful walking, biking wooded trails which will connect each suburb and eventually end in Tennessee. Public transpo leaves something to be desired, but is still accessible with the rapid transit steadily stretching out.

Originally Posted by aka_mouse

When you have a vital downtown core thats all offices and businesses that people work in, but not much residential, and you have huge areas of low-density suburban sprawl outside of it -- all that ends up with is horribly snarled traffic heading in and out everyday.

A huge potion of businesses here are outside of the city. Suburban office parks.

Originally Posted by aka_mouse

The worst part is that there is no fix for it. Look at the big dig in Boston. More road capacity makes the problem worse. It just allows MORE people to contribute to the problem. Any capacity you add will be filled. It exacerbates the very problem its trying to combat..

True. Atl. is discussing an outer perimeter.... more freeways. Didn't say it was perfect here. ...but ya know... to each his own. I avoided all of that because I worked two miles from home. I moved closer after tiring of a 40 mile commute each way.

Another note: I've actually experienced more integration and diversity here than I did in all my 25 years of living in Buffalo. I'd never even seen an integrated church (other than Catholic) until I moved out of Buffalo. Plenty of them here; even if the majority of them are mega-churches.

[aka_mouse]

Originally Posted by Alpharetta123

Public transpo leaves something to be desired, but is still accessible with the rapid transit steadily stretching out.

Yeah, all the southern cities are now retro-actively trying to bring mass transit out to their sprawling burbs... the problem is - they might serve some neighborhoods but ultimately its going to fail. Suburbia and Urban mass transit are two utterly incompatible systems. Completely diametrically opposed right down to the fundamentals.. namely suburbia's low density and large footprint. Too costly and serves too few no matter how you work it.

Same reason they don't run cable TV (or whatever) out to the very rural zones. Run a service dozens of miles to serve a few customers -- or in a city -- run it one block and serve hundreds of customers. Its a simple economic choice.

Originally Posted by Alpharetta123

A huge potion of businesses here are outside of the city. Suburban office parks.

We already did this in Buffalo (among many other rust belt cities), it makes Donut-cities, white powdery burbs w/a hollow city center. At best its a band-aid solution.

Im not worried...
Any type of true energy or resource crisis ends this American way of life instantly, overnight. Then its time to get back to fundamentals. How to build cities and how to deploy ourselves in the landscape.

[Alpharetta123]

Originally Posted by aka_mouse

Yeah, all the southern cities are now retro-actively trying to bring mass transit out to their sprawling burbs... the problem is - they might serve some neighborhoods but ultimately its going to fail. Suburbia and Urban mass transit are two utterly incompatible systems. Completely diametrically opposed right down to the fundamentals.. namely suburbia's low density and large footprint. Too costly and serves too few no matter how you work it.

Same reason they don't run cable TV (or whatever) out to the very rural zones. Run a service dozens of miles to serve a few customers -- or in a city -- run it one block and serve hundreds of customers. Its a simple economic choice.

I don't think you can compare Buffalo's suburban office parks and transit system to metro-Atlanta's. Office parks were in existence here when I first arrived, in the 80's. Atlanta's downtown area still has major business hubs as well.
MARTA might serve the majority of Fulton county, but that county stretches from below the airport to North Fulton, which is quite a distance. Metro-Atlanta consists of five counties (last time I checked), some which have their own transit systems, but still connect to MARTA.
The rail lines have grown and added more connections since I moved here, as well as the bus-lines and Park-Ride stations which connect to the rails. Atlanta's transit system might leave much to be desired in comaprison to places like NYC, but it's no chump system. MARTA ain't going nowhere. ...and neither are the suburban areas it serves.

No offense to my former home, but I've wondered what the purpose or need for a rail service there.....even a light one like Bflo's? I wasn't that impressed with it. How much ground does this train it really cover? I used to 'walk' from UB to my home on the lower East side with no problem. Buffalo's not that big.

What cableTV services are in WNY? As far as I know, we have Comcast and Adelphia(which I think has been sold), which serves a very wide area, including rural areas. Then there's the new AT&T which now owns Bellsouth and Direct TV.

Originally Posted by aka_mouse

Then its time to get back to fundamentals. How to build cities and how to deploy ourselves in the landscape.

I agree with you there. One issue I hold with so much contracting and building is pushing poor wildlife out of its natural habitat. When I moved to this area, it was rural with two lane roads. No so ten-twelve years later.
I'm really a small town sort of person, and would like to relocate to a small populated area...but still below the Mason-Dixon Line.