Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You asked about making friends. I have seen people say they've had a hard time making friends here. Some areas you have people who have lived in the area their whole lives and outsiders coming in don't have the same collective memory of places and events. It can seem like they aren't friendly. But getting to know people you will usually learn they are warm and genuine.
You asked about making friends. I have seen people say they've had a hard time making friends here. Some areas you have people who have lived in the area their whole lives and outsiders coming in don't have the same collective memory of places and events. It can seem like they aren't friendly. But getting to know people you will usually learn they are warm and genuine.
I would agree with Marc on this one. Some idiots up here insist that WNY supports downstate...
Avoid these mental midgets and you'll do okay. The best way to meet people imo is to find your style of music, or better yet if you play an instrument, try and find a band to practice with. Buffalo has a decent music scene and that's one way to meet people with similar minds.
If you want to blow her mind Buffalo's got some decent architecture. As far as food goes, I think it is a bit pricey but maybe Oliver's or Daniels (a bit south of the city). Not too much to eat downtown. Chippewa has the Chocolate Bar which is not too bad. Spot is OK too. There's a few restaurants on Elmwood and I personally like Pho 99 for Vietnamese.
I know quite a few transplants from NYC in Buffalo (including my Brooklyn-born wife). It's definitely a different lifestyle, but I think living in the city you can find ways to retain the things you like about living in a bigger city (or at least smaller scaled versions of those things).
As a New Yorker, Londoner, or European in general, you will probably be disappointed with Buffalo's public transportation system. It is perpetually in a state of financial instability, and is mainly used by people with no other options rather than by the public at large. I suppose this is true in just about every US city except the largest, most cosmopolitan ones. That said, I think there are positive signs that the culture here is slowly changing in this respect, and of course if gas prices continue to rise, more and more middle-class people will find it worthwhile to take the bus instead of driving everywhere. There is a somewhat inchoate but passionate bicycle culture here that is really just starting to achieve some real improvements in bicycle infrastructure (but nothing like the protected bicycles lanes like on Prospect Park West yet).
I expect you will also miss the sheer choice of walkable urban neighborhoods here. In Buffalo there are generally about three neighborhoods that I would consider to have healthy commercial streets. The Elmwood Village area is one, Allentown to the south of that is the second, and the North Park neighborhood (in North Buffalo around Hertel Avenue) in the third. Allentown probably feels the most like Brooklyn, but is slightly edgier than the other two in terms of crime and safety. North Park is a "streetcar suburb" but still with a very walkable business district.
There are other business strips throughout the city, but mostly in dodgier neighborhoods with lots of vacancies.
There is definitely great access to NYC from the Buffalo airport. I am personally pessimistic on the long term prospects of cheap air travel, but by the time it becomes a problem, you might well find something great in Buffalo to support yourself.
There are several groups for new mothers in Buffalo. There are several stay-at-home mom's and working mom's groups, La Leche League meetings, etc.
Most of the new friends I have made have been through various citizen groups and organizations, etc. There is sort of a running joke in Buffalo about the "two degrees of separation" thing. People with similar interests do tend to move in the same circles, so I always seem to be expanding my circle of acquaintances through introductions by mutual friends. I guess it does create a certain "small town" feel, but I like that it is easy to meet new people when you probably already know someone who knows them!
The snow is rarely more than a nuisance in the city. Plowing is not really that great in the city, especially on side streets, but you don't need special tires or anything if you drive a bit conservatively. And it barely snowed this winter at all, so who knows.
Regarding taxes, I don't really think about them much. They are higher on a percentage basis than other places, but the cost of property is so low that it evens out. Taxes in the city are considerably lower than in most suburban towns and villages.
Best of luck with your decision, and I hope your visit is a pleasure for you!
Both my wife and I are Catholic. It would definitely help to be in a fitting neighborhood but it falls behind other criteria such as safety, quality of housing, local shopping and more importantly, schools.
Schools are always tricky in an urban district, pretty much anywhere in the US. There are a handful of schools in the Buffalo Public Schools district that are generally considered desirable (although different people may have different desires in a school). Catholic schools might be an option for you? There are several Catholic high schools, and a couple of secular private schools.
Quote:
I have a question regarding the housing stock: there will be no brownstones, granted, and I don't really mind. But most of the housing stock seems to be wooden frame houses. The level of maintenance needed for that kind of property is kind of a put-off for me. Is there a reason why there aren't more brick houses? Or am I just looking in the wrong place?
For brick houses, you generally want to look at the older sections of the city: Allentown, West Village, Lower West Side, etc. Some of these neighborhoods are somewhat iffy, sometimes on a block by block basis. I think I would recommend a newcomer to live in one of the "usual suggestions" first, until they really get the lay of the land. But there are some absolutely beautiful houses in some of those neighborhoods, and very inexpensive.
Would parts of South Buffalo possibly work too? I ask because the OP's wife is Irish and it may have some walkable areas that they may like. Here's information on that area of town for the OP: Greater South Buffalo Chamber of Commerce
I think South Buffalo would work very well CK, not sure why it hasn't been brought up yet. Nice safe, walkable neighborhood with better housing prices than Elmwood & Allentown (and no hipsters).
My favorites are Elmwood, Allentown, and Amherst (a nice suburb). If you want things close enough to walk, choose something around Delaware Park to Allentown. Buffalo city wise is hit or miss in a lot of areas its hard to gauge if the area is going to be shifty unless you visit it. i have seen some pretty bad areas followed by some great areas. It really depends.
I live in NYC now, Forest Hills Queens, so I get the expensive thing and the kid thing. We would move back to Buffalo if it wasn't for the bad job market there. There is this fallacy that living in Buffalo is cheap. To get a good place in the city its about 800 dollars then you have to have a car (or two) and then insurance and gas and repairs. In NYC you pay the 1400-2000 rent and then 104 for the monthly and you are set. With Buffalo getting paid so low it sometimes evens out. The winters aren't that bad. It actually helps because you get snow training. Anywhere else you go is nothing compared and you know how to handle yourself in a big snow storm.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
