Moving to Buffalo NY (Syracuse, Amherst: houses, rent, jobs)

[ross12]

Hey was wondering what areas in the city I want to stay away from for looking for a place to rent I have a family and a son thats four.

[buffalopc]

Originally Posted by ross12

Hey was wondering what areas in the city I want to stay away from for looking for a place to rent I have a family and a son thats four.

Are you sure you want to live IN the city? I ask because the areas that are family friendly there are few and far between. Just outside the city are suburbs, such as Kenmore and Tonawanda that are generally safe (certainly safer than many city areas) and your car insurance would be lower. If you have your heart set on the city, it really depends on what you want to spend and what you consider a "good" area. North Buffalo has some nice areas and great houses/apartments for rent. Get yourself a map too. The East and West sides are not as "friendly" as the North and South Buffalo isn't much better, but again, it really depends on what you consider safe.

[Genghis]

Actually I think there are parts of North Buffalo which are reasonably family-friendly. Low crime and pretty affordable. Stay away from anything east of Main or on the lower west side. South Buffalo isn't quite as bad but it's seen better days. The Elmwood-Delaware area is probably the nicest part of the city itself but it's going to cost more to live there. And as the previous poster said, the suburbs are generally family friendly and also many are quite affordable.

[Sabine]

Hi everyone...

even though this thread is old, I didn't want to open up a new one for the same question. We are in New Mexico right now and have realized that heat is not so much our thing.

My husband has lived in Buffalo NY before and so our next destination will be Buffalo NY.
Is there anyone here from the area that can update us a little on what is going on up there, how the weather has been (in terms of world climate change...) and what areas what would be safe for a family to live in? How is the job market?

Greetings from the New Mexican rain forest
Sabine

[buffalopc]

Hi Sabine!

I've lived here ten years (leaving because of a dismal employment market, although I do like the area itself) and have definitely seen changes in terms of not only temperature, but also the amount of significant snowfall each year. Mind you, we have the reputation for the snow capitol of the country, but in fact, Syracuse has that distinction, year after year. Aside from that, and aside from fluke storms like the one a few years back, we've had increasingly mild winters (in terms of snow, we do have a week or so of cold temps generally). Summers continue to be wonderful here, however, we are experiencing a bit more spikes in temps/humidity (90's, heat index around 100) in the July/Aug months. Hope this helps!

[FutureCop]

Stay away from the East and West sides. The South Side has some pretty good areas, but not great. North Buffalo is the best, around Delaware Park and Elmwood Avenue. You could always consider Kenmore, which is right outside North Buffalo and is basically the same. Old, tree-lined streets with restaurants and shops.

[dzine32]

I'm moving to Florida (help!) due to job prospects.......but this city is pretty nice depending on what you're used to. There's another post that explains things better. It's not clear if you want to live in the city or in a suburb.....commutes are pretty fast in all directions. Kenmore is a decent close suburb, Amherst too. Orchard Park (where i grew up) is decent....there's so many.

[buffalopc]

Originally Posted by dzine32

I'm moving to Florida (help!) due to job prospects.......but this city is pretty nice depending on what you're used to. There's another post that explains things better. It's not clear if you want to live in the city or in a suburb.....commutes are pretty fast in all directions. Kenmore is a decent close suburb, Amherst too. Orchard Park (where i grew up) is decent....there's so many.

Ditto! Its sad that people like the area, yet there aren't jobs to keep them there. I am in the midst of moving to FL too, lived in Kenmore for years. Orchard Park is nice too, but might be a commute, depending on where you work.

[Dr Funky]

Originally Posted by buffalopc

Are you sure you want to live IN the city? I ask because the areas that are family friendly there are few and far between. Just outside the city are suburbs, such as Kenmore and Tonawanda that are generally safe (certainly safer than many city areas) and your car insurance would be lower. If you have your heart set on the city, it really depends on what you want to spend and what you consider a "good" area. North Buffalo has some nice areas and great houses/apartments for rent. Get yourself a map too. The East and West sides are not as "friendly" as the North and South Buffalo isn't much better, but again, it really depends on what you consider safe.

North Buffalo is 1000 times safer than East Buffalo

[Relocating To Buffalo]

Went to D'Youville. Lived in Elmwood area and on West Side back in the late 1970s. Returning to Buffalo for first time since then. I remember getting around okay without a car. Will be working from home and am hoping to be able to do without a car. What do you think?