Is it possible to live in Fort Erie and commute to Buffalo daily? (Niagara Falls: felony, home) - City-Data Forum

amazinmets73 · 06-11-2011, 11:07 AM

Due to work-related issues, it appears that I will have to move out of the United States and into Canada. I thought about moving to Toronto, but I had an idea. Is it a viable option to live in Fort Erie and still be able to travel to and from Buffalo whenever I please? For instance, say I want to go to downtown Buffalo and head to some nightclubs, and go home later in the evening, or catch a Bison's game, etc. Keep in mind that I will not be working in Buffalo, so it would be impossible for me to use that as reason for coming back and forth frequently.

Thanks in advance!

jblake78728 · 06-11-2011, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amazinmets73

Due to work-related issues, it appears that I will have to move out of the United States and into Canada. I thought about moving to Toronto, but I had an idea. Is it a viable option to live in Fort Erie and still be able to travel to and from Buffalo whenever I please? For instance, say I want to go to downtown Buffalo and head to some nightclubs, and go home later in the evening, or catch a Bison's game, etc. Keep in mind that I will not be working in Buffalo, so it would be impossible for me to use that as reason for coming back and forth frequently.

Thanks in advance!

As long as you're not a felon or anything like that its really no problem to cross. Occasionally you might get a random search but usually they'll ask you why you're going, when you're coming back & wave you through. How often you cross the border really isn't important or anything that would work against you or give them a reason to deny you. Get yourself a NEXUS card & it will save you a lot of headaches (and time) when crossing the Peace Bridge.

amazinmets73 · 06-11-2011, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jblake78728

As long as you're not a felon or anything like that its really no problem to cross. Occasionally you might get a random search but usually they'll ask you why you're going, when you're coming back & wave you through. How often you cross the border really isn't important or anything that would work against you or give them a reason to deny you. Get yourself a NEXUS card & it will save you a lot of headaches (and time) when crossing the Peace Bridge.

Sounds good! I've never been arrested, much less had a felony so that won't be an issue. So are there many people who commute back and forth daily?

amazinmets73 · 06-11-2011, 12:02 PM

Another question is what about the issue of moving to Canada in the first place? I'm an American citizen, and I will probably be there for at least a year. Will I have any issues with that?

jblake78728 · 06-11-2011, 02:29 PM

If you're not a Canadian citizen you can't just pick up & move to Canada. You have to apply & they may or may not approve you. Here is a link that will give you some info (you also may want to contact the Canadian Consulate here in Buffalo).

Emigrate to Canada: Canadian Visa Bureau

I have no idea if anyone crosses the border everyday for reasons other than work. I do know a lot of people in Southern Ontario come here to do a lot of their shopping & many of the Buffalo Sabres & Bills season ticket holders are from the area as well. You may find its just as easy to go to Hamilton or even Toronto for some things (Toronto's nightlife makes Buffalo look like Mayberry) as you can face some serious delays crossing the bridge sometimes (Ive seen as high as an hour wait before).

amazinmets73 · 06-11-2011, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jblake78728

If you're not a Canadian citizen you can't just pick up & move to Canada. You have to apply & they may or may not approve you. Here is a link that will give you some info (you also may want to contact the Canadian Consulate here in Buffalo).

Emigrate to Canada: Canadian Visa Bureau

I have no idea if anyone crosses the border everyday for reasons other than work. I do know a lot of people in Southern Ontario come here to do a lot of their shopping & many of the Buffalo Sabres & Bills season ticket holders are from the area as well. You may find its just as easy to go to Hamilton or even Toronto for some things (Toronto's nightlife makes Buffalo look like Mayberry) as you can face some serious delays crossing the bridge sometimes (Ive seen as high as an hour wait before).

Thanks for the link. Yes, Toronto's definitely an option, but if I want to go to Toronto for shopping, nightlife, etc, I'm going to live in the city or a close suburb, not commute an hour and a half to get there.

The reason I am considering the Niagara area of Ontario is because it is cheaper than Toronto, closer to NYC, which is where I'm from and plan to visit several times a year at the minimum. I've never been to Buffalo or Toronto, but I've heard from everyone that Buffalo is much less, err, 'metropolitan' than Toronto, but heck, I've lived in Des Moines, Iowa, so that's no real issue.

jblake78728 · 06-11-2011, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amazinmets73

Thanks for the link. Yes, Toronto's definitely an option, but if I want to go to Toronto for shopping, nightlife, etc, I'm going to live in the city or a close suburb, not commute an hour and a half to get there.

My point was it may take you an hour to get across the bridge at times which makes that hour & a half to TO seem not so bad.

amazinmets73 · 06-11-2011, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jblake78728

My point was it may take you an hour to get across the bridge at times which makes that hour & a half to TO seem not so bad.

Whoops! Very good point. I would make a point to try to cross the bridge at low traffic hours though. Would that help? Or are the delays mostly due to border control issues and not high traffic?

Port North · 06-17-2011, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amazinmets73

Whoops! Very good point. I would make a point to try to cross the bridge at low traffic hours though. Would that help? Or are the delays mostly due to border control issues and not high traffic?

The Whirlpool Bridge is for Nexus users only, so there is almost never a wait there. If you want to be close to that bridge you might want to live in Niagara Falls, Ont, St. Catherines, Ont, or if you can afford it Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

dv07dg · 06-20-2011, 10:47 PM

It isn't abnormal for residents of Fort Erie (Peace Bridge) Niagara Falls (Rainbow or Whirlpool Bridge) or Niagara-On-The-Lake (Queenston-Lewiston Bridge) to cross regularly- I live in Niagara Falls ON and I cross once or twice a week using either the Rainbow Bridge or the Peace Bridge to shop, buy gas, and ski at Holiday Valley in the winter. I never really wait in bad lineups, although it's a good idea to pay attention to the events and holidays going on on both sides of the bridge to predict the traffic. Still, even when it looks like there's a bit of a line, it rarely takes me more than fifteen minutes to cross the bridge.
I don't know if it's particularly common to find someone who crosses every day for work, but I can think of a few instances where I've heard of an American marrying a Canadian and moving over here but still commuting to their job in the States, for instance.
I think someone's already mentioned Nexus as an option for someone who goes over regularly- I used to have one and it was great, but I didn't end up renewing it when it expired because to use the Nexus line everyone in the vehicle has to have a card, and I usually go over with friends who don't. Still, if you are by yourself or with a carload of Nexus pass holders, you really feel like a VIP zipping through the queue! And the Whirlpool bridge is a great option- you have to have a Nexus and register your vehicle to use it, but you'll never wait in a lineup or be interrogated at any length regarding the nature of your visit. The only awkward part of that bridge is that it leads you to a kind of sketchy (from what I've seen) part of Niagara Falls on the American side.