Recently relocated to Olean looking to move to the Buffalo area (Amherst: apartments, renting)

[spedteacher1]

I recently relocated to Olean. My son is attending the YMCA in Olean and has been getting picked on and have had some not so nice comments made to him. Some called him a brown piece of poop and a little girl told him she doesn't like for brown people to touch her. (If you haven't figured out, I'm black.) My baby is only 6 (one of the younges kids there). The YMCA is not very diverse. I'm so upset with this situation I'm looking at moving to the Buffalo area. I'm willing to make the commute to Olean for work for the sake of my kids. Can anyone tell me what are some diverse areas in the Buffalo area?

[I'minformed2]

Unfortunatly, Buffalo isn't very diverse either....the City itself has a large black populaiton, but its mostly in the crime-ridden, run down East Side....The neighborhoods just west of downtown are supposed to be more diverse, and safer than the eastside....while the rest of the city, and all of the suburbs, is overwhelmingly white.

[aka_mouse]

Well Buffalo is 30% black
So it is diverse - I think segregated is more the word you were looking for.

I haven't been to Olean, specifically but I would imagine you'd be better off in or near any of the cities. Yeah, its NYS, but the southern Tier - you might as well be in Alabama.

[vukinjo]

Originally Posted by spedteacher1

I recently relocated to Olean. My son is attending the YMCA in Olean and has been getting picked on and have had some not so nice comments made to him. Some called him a brown piece of poop and a little girl told him she doesn't like for brown people to touch her. (If you haven't figured out, I'm black.) My baby is only 6 (one of the younges kids there). The YMCA is not very diverse. I'm so upset with this situation I'm looking at moving to the Buffalo area. I'm willing to make the commute to Olean for work for the sake of my kids. Can anyone tell me what are some diverse areas in the Buffalo area?

I am so sorry to hear that! Kids can be so cruel, it just breaks my heart. I grew up in Olean (couldn't wait to get out lol) and it seems the same people live there generation after generation and hasn't really diversified as much as other larger cities. Kids learn from their parents most of the time unfortunately.

I can tell you, the commute from Buffalo to Olean is not a fun one, especially in the winter. I have made many trips to and from the airport lol. Have you tried talking to some of the teachers? I know there aren't a lot of daycare/preschool choices, but have you looked into some local churches?

[Coraggio]

Originally Posted by spedteacher1

I recently relocated to Olean. My son is attending the YMCA in Olean and has been getting picked on and have had some not so nice comments made to him. Some called him a brown piece of poop and a little girl told him she doesn't like for brown people to touch her. (If you haven't figured out, I'm black.) My baby is only 6 (one of the younges kids there). The YMCA is not very diverse. I'm so upset with this situation I'm looking at moving to the Buffalo area. I'm willing to make the commute to Olean for work for the sake of my kids. Can anyone tell me what are some diverse areas in the Buffalo area?

That's really horrible, and I'm sorry to hear it. How awful that kids are still being raised to be so ignorant. :-(

Have you looked into any communities closer to Olean? Springville or Ellicottville? Salamanca? I can't think of any others off hand, but a drive between Olean and Buffalo would be tough to do every day. :-(

[WILWRadio]

I rented a home near Grant on West Delavan. That neighborhood, just west of Elmwood Ave. seemed to be ethnically mixed and I never heard of any racial issues while I was living there.

[BuffaloTransplant]

I am assuming you are working in Olean? That's how I am writing this, with my expericence from when my kids were in the lower grades:

With a little one, I would be very bothered if I was going to do that travel that distance and leave the child in Buffalo. In the even of a bad storm, it might be hard to get back....even with bad traffic, it is a longer time you are not home. Or, you could take your kids to Olean... not much of a change.

I would check the churches. Many churches have daycares and talking to a minister first or attending services there should give you an idea of the way they think. You might find things different.

If you are working in Buffalo - could work in Buffalo ( as in: you are flexible) - you might want to look around here.

[Port North]

Originally Posted by spedteacher1

I recently relocated to Olean. My son is attending the YMCA in Olean and has been getting picked on and have had some not so nice comments made to him. Some called him a brown piece of poop and a little girl told him she doesn't like for brown people to touch her. (If you haven't figured out, I'm black.) My baby is only 6 (one of the younges kids there). The YMCA is not very diverse. I'm so upset with this situation I'm looking at moving to the Buffalo area. I'm willing to make the commute to Olean for work for the sake of my kids. Can anyone tell me what are some diverse areas in the Buffalo area?

Sorry to hear about your situation.

Amherst will probably be a good place for you. It is probably the most cosmopolitan suburb in the Buffalo area. Both the Amherst and Sweet Home school districts are fairly diverse and have good test scores. The Cleveland Hill and Cheektowaga School districts in Cheektowaga are pretty diverse now too.

Areas in the city of Buffalo like the Elmwood Village and North Buffalo are also possibilities.

The long commute to Olean will be rough through in the winter.

[MomInNY]

was your situation resolved? I'm in Sala. my son is 5, he'd love a new friend. Please contact.

[east99soilda]

i'm gunna be striaght. *** olean and ne other white hillbilly ass towns in the middle of no were. Listen stay out of city schools or by age 7 he'll be a gang member lol. listenj go to city suburbs . west seneca were i go to high school.; theres black white latino chinese. hamburg and orchard park are richy white preps and so is east seneca. Cheektowaga is diverse white and black. just dont go so close to city lines. i live mineral springs and harlem. i see black and white. theres cheep desent apartments on harlem by mineral springs. which are currently renting.