Buffalo + NO JOBS = BYE (New York, Rochester: apartments, condos, lenders)

[smalltownusa]

[quote=Wendy22;2194895]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

That's a load of baloney, and you know it. People say the same thing about the career opportunities available here in Scranton, but I know scores of folks who are earning comfortable middle-class salaries. Everyone in my subdivision who has a college degree is earning at least $40,000. Our area's median household income is $52,500. One of my friends here on campus was just offered a starting salary as an accountant at a local firm making $40,000 plus generous benefits. My own parents earn $75,000 combined. My sister and brother-in-law earn $85,000 combined. My uncle earns $65,000 per year. If Scranton is supposedly more economically depressed than Buffalo, then it stands to reason that YOUR area's college graduates must be doing much better than ours are. If you can't find a high-paying position, did you ever consider the fact that your poor grammar and negative attitude could be turn-offs to potential employers? Someone who is well-spoken, well-written, and generally upbeat about life in general tend to succeed more in life.

Who said Scranton is more depressed then Buffalo ?
Does Scranton have 2 control boards ?
Buffalo is the 2nd poorest city in US and closing in fast on Detriot.
Go to any Wegmans in WNY, 1/2 the people their have MBA's

They do? All the people I know that work at Wegmans are either entry workers who have moved up over the years or young kids taking advantage of it's great college tuition perk...move to AZ but don't fabricate stories to support your reasons why. And here's a twist: I have family members who have lived in Scottsdale for 3 decades who RAN from there back to NY due to the downfall it's experiencing in response to the unprecedented numbers of "you's" who have flocked out there......and they love being back

[smalltownusa]

Originally Posted by NYGirl1216

Please, if you hate Buffalo so much, just move to a city where you will be happy! It just seems so childish and silly to spend so much time complaining about WNY, just find you're "utopian city" - that does not exist! I left WNY last year in search of a better job and to escape the winters. But, I still have respect for Buffalo. I have no reason to bash the city.

And you're better for it....some people apparently have more time on their hands than is necessary hence the hack-fest on the Buffalo region ensues.....

[iloveupstateny]

No, I know 3 people who have MBA's and stock shelves at Wegmans. Eek!

[UpstaterInBklyn]

I wonder what generation this whole "WNY job/life/moving issue" affects the most? I guess I'd have to say it would be 30-somethings but maybe that is because that is what I am. We are trying to 'establish" ourselves, I don't think a lot of jobs were available about 8 yrs ago in the area....because my whole high school class is not living in NY anymore. When you are 20+ a city like Charlotte or Phoenix and cheap living rocks. Any 40 somethings or older have a perspective on this?

I'm a 40-something with perspective on this. My wife and I left Buffalo about 16 months ago.

In the summer of 06, we both were simultaneously unemployed in Buffalo, and concluded pretty quickly that we had to leave if we were to salvage our careers.

I'll call it a "mid-career crisis". I had plenty of management experience and was looking for a kind of position that would allow me to at least make a lateral move, but ideally a "diagonal" move into technology product management, instead of something lateral like project management. My wife was a tour planner.

Buffalo is a such a small city with only a limited number of possible employers for both of us, we needed to transplant ourselves into an environment with more opportunity for real growth. It is said that networking is the best way to find a new job and we quickly "burned out" our professional networks in WNY. (how many times can you contact your colleagues and ask them if they know of any new opportunities?).

Anyway, we moved to NYC and very quickly re-established our careers and have found our "dream jobs". We truly enjoy living here and feel that we have expanded our personal horizons a great deal. When you live in a large, world-class city, lots of things in Buffalo start to look very "smalltown-ish". There are aspects of living here that are negative, of course, primarily the insane cost of living and commuting hassles, but we greatly increased our incomes and are actually living a little more comfortably than we did in WNY.

I also know that if I get laid off again, I'm in an environment where an equivalent job would be pretty easy to find, especially given that I now have "NYC experience", which employers down here place a value on.

I feel that if we had stayed in Buffalo and accepted whatever meager offerings might have eventually come our way, we probably would have been stuck in a permanent state of under-employment.

I can't see ever going back, even though WNY is our home, where we lived all our lives and where our families still live. Even if by some miracle the "dream job" opportunity came up in WNY, my biggest fear is what happens if that one goes away? Do we rent the U-Haul all over again when we're even older?

[iloveupstateny]

Originally Posted by UpstaterInBklyn

I'm a 40-something with perspective on this. My wife and I left Buffalo about 16 months ago.

In the summer of 06, we both were simultaneously unemployed in Buffalo, and concluded pretty quickly that we had to leave if we were to salvage our careers.

I'll call it a "mid-career crisis". I had plenty of management experience and was looking for a kind of position that would allow me to at least make a lateral move, but ideally a "diagonal" move into technology product management, instead of something lateral like project management. My wife was a tour planner.

Buffalo is a such a small city with only a limited number of possible employers for both of us, we needed to transplant ourselves into an environment with more opportunity for real growth. It is said that networking is the best way to find a new job and we quickly "burned out" our professional networks in WNY. (how many times can you contact your colleagues and ask them if they know of any new opportunities?).

Anyway, we moved to NYC and very quickly re-established our careers and have found our "dream jobs". We truly enjoy living here and feel that we have expanded our personal horizons a great deal. When you live in a large, world-class city, lots of things in Buffalo start to look very "smalltown-ish". There are aspects of living here that are negative, of course, primarily the insane cost of living and commuting hassles, but we greatly increased our incomes and are actually living a little more comfortably than we did in WNY.

I also know that if I get laid off again, I'm in an environment where an equivalent job would be pretty easy to find, especially given that I now have "NYC experience", which employers down here place a value on.

I feel that if we had stayed in Buffalo and accepted whatever meager offerings might have eventually come our way, we probably would have been stuck in a permanent state of under-employment.

I can't see ever going back, even though WNY is our home, where we lived all our lives and where our families still live. Even if by some miracle the "dream job" opportunity came up in WNY, my biggest fear is what happens if that one goes away? Do we rent the U-Haul all over again when we're even older?

Thanks for sharing. I really appreciate intelligent discussion such as this, and not bashing one another like some people do on here and say rude comments like "don't let the door hit you on the way out". Because the people that take that route are likely EMPLOYED and making a good living in NY.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by itSmellsBAD

Union pipefitters make over $30 an hour in AZ plus full pension and benefits. Lots of high paying work and Intel is expanding.

WRONG. I Live in Scottsdale, AZ. You want to know the truth? PM me and I'll tell you. I don't think I have to spit on Phoenix at every opportunity, but let me tell you, it's not all that great. And NO there are NOT many high paying jobs as you state. And NO the IT/tech industry is NOT doing well here.
I love living in Scottsdale, but that's because I bought before it got too expensive and we have money.
Try living in Phoenix without money - unfortunately, most people cannot afford to live here anymore. And 4 out of 5 are leaving within 5 years of moving here. FACT.
Fine, we have new buildings - which are constructed poorly and have numerous problems. And even some of our OLD buldings have been redone on the outside to make them look new. But let me tell you - go inside one of those. The underbelly of Phoenix is undesirable. The entire west valley and most of the east valley is all poor white trash or illegals. Things may look shiny new on the outside, but the people inside are uneducated, dirty, dishonest, and just plain gross. Oh, and they want to be left alone. Good luck in the friends department.
Unless you have a lot of money, living here is not as easy as it seems.
Vacationing here is a different story - but don't do it in Dec- Jan because it's very cold. This is the desert, it's dry and dry air can be biting cold.
Try reading the papers in Phoenix online - it's not so rosy anymore. Our schools are the nation's worst. Our colleges are the laughing stock of the nation, our IT/tech industry never really took off. No Fortune 500 or even Fortune 1000 companies want to locate here because living here is not an easy adjustment. We may not have high taxes, but food is limited (variety), gas, electric, cars, insurance, school bills, etc. are more expensive. You will be nickel and dimed to death. It all adds up to the same amount except - it sucks here for families. This is NOT a family friendly place. There is NOTHING to do here for kids to teens.
Even retirees are moving away - they are afraid for their lives!
Now, if you are white trashy or illeagal, you will fit in fine. But don't expect to be welcomed in Scottsdale, we don't want you here and we will let you know it. Scottsdale is a WHOLE other world from Phoenix. If you cannot afford to live in Scottsdale - better be packing a gun, because you will need it. The only safe place to live in the Phoenix area IS Scottsdale, but unless you can afford 500K for a home, you are S-O-L.
Phoenix is quickly falling apart and our illegal situation is just getting worse everyday. Some parts of Phoenix are now 75%-100% Hispanic and many schools speak ONLY Spanish.
Oh yeah, Phoenix has turned into a "real" treat.
Have fun!

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by itSmellsBAD

Just stating a fact. Union Pipefitters make over $30 an hour plus pension and benfits added on top of that. Intel is expanding in AZ. Refinery is being built. Power plants are being built.

In Buffalo, we have to BRIBE Bass Pro with $60,000,000 dollars to build a retail outfit that will provide minimum wage jobs and they STILL CAN"T GET THEM TO BUILD IT! We can't even put a bridge over the Niagara River after over TEN YEARS of bickering! Time to move on. I'm leaving and never looking back. The grass is greener everywhere when compared to WNY.

That's an idiotic statement. What do you think Phoenix does to get companies to build here? We pay THEM! Except what we bring into the area are retail jobs and call centers. We have few if any unions here - this is a RIGHT TO WORK STATE.
No, refineries are NOT being built. Jez, get your facts straight. Wishful thinking can only get you so far.
I'm not saying the job outlook is any better in Buffalo, because clearly it is not. And the inner city/east side of Buffalo is a terrible slum area. And I agree, there are way too many people living on welfare in Buffalo. Government is a sham. But, please, for you own sake, really do the numbers before picking up and leaving NY for the Southwest. And the heat here is truly unbearable.
Now, if you are 19-23 years old, you will have fun here, but it's no place to try to start a career. I don't mean to rain on your parade, but seriously, people who do not live in Phoenix, have the wrong image of it. Yes, Scottsdale is GORGEOUS - but it's the nicest part of town and everyone is rich and we have a billion golf courses, resorts and high end shopping. Phoenix is NOT like that at all.
NO ONE from Scottsdale goes into Phoenix unless we have to. I'm just trying to get that across to you. I have met thousands of people who have moved here only to find out it was much more difficult, expensive and hotter than they thought. 4 out of 5 people actually leave here within 5 years of moving here. Our population is no longer growing at a rapid pace (thank god) but that is because when the real estate industry fell, the rest of Phoenix fell with it too.
The economy is NOT well balanced here - in fact, Phoenix is very much like Buffalo in that it put all it's eggs into one basket (Buffalo - Steel, Phoenix - construction) and now that the housing industry has fallen here, many people are finding themselves out of work. It's like Buffalo in the 70's all over again. It's a frickin' nightmare.

[Peter B]

Phoenix, Glendale, and the rest of southern Arizona is nothing more than a sandbox which will not have any drinking water w/in 15yrs. Who in their right mind would move there?

[VegasRocks]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

WRONG. I Live in Scottsdale, AZ. You want to know the truth? PM me and I'll tell you. I don't think I have to spit on Phoenix at every opportunity, but let me tell you, it's not all that great. And NO there are NOT many high paying jobs as you state. And NO the IT/tech industry is NOT doing well here.
I love living in Scottsdale, but that's because I bought before it got too expensive and we have money.
Try living in Phoenix without money - unfortunately, most people cannot afford to live here anymore. And 4 out of 5 are leaving within 5 years of moving here. FACT.
Fine, we have new buildings - which are constructed poorly and have numerous problems. And even some of our OLD buldings have been redone on the outside to make them look new. But let me tell you - go inside one of those. The underbelly of Phoenix is undesirable. The entire west valley and most of the east valley is all poor white trash or illegals. Things may look shiny new on the outside, but the people inside are uneducated, dirty, dishonest, and just plain gross. Oh, and they want to be left alone. Good luck in the friends department.
Unless you have a lot of money, living here is not as easy as it seems.
Vacationing here is a different story - but don't do it in Dec- Jan because it's very cold. This is the desert, it's dry and dry air can be biting cold.
Try reading the papers in Phoenix online - it's not so rosy anymore. Our schools are the nation's worst. Our colleges are the laughing stock of the nation, our IT/tech industry never really took off. No Fortune 500 or even Fortune 1000 companies want to locate here because living here is not an easy adjustment. We may not have high taxes, but food is limited (variety), gas, electric, cars, insurance, school bills, etc. are more expensive. You will be nickel and dimed to death. It all adds up to the same amount except - it sucks here for families. This is NOT a family friendly place. There is NOTHING to do here for kids to teens.
Even retirees are moving away - they are afraid for their lives!
Now, if you are white trashy or illeagal, you will fit in fine. But don't expect to be welcomed in Scottsdale, we don't want you here and we will let you know it. Scottsdale is a WHOLE other world from Phoenix. If you cannot afford to live in Scottsdale - better be packing a gun, because you will need it. The only safe place to live in the Phoenix area IS Scottsdale, but unless you can afford 500K for a home, you are S-O-L.
Phoenix is quickly falling apart and our illegal situation is just getting worse everyday. Some parts of Phoenix are now 75%-100% Hispanic and many schools speak ONLY Spanish.
Oh yeah, Phoenix has turned into a "real" treat.
Have fun!

What ever !
Arizona has 2nd highest job growth. Nevada is the 1st

National companies continue to locate operations
to Metro Phoenix adding their energy to one of the nation's
most diverse regional economies. Over 150 of the Fortune 500
companies maintain a presence in Metro Phoenix.

The region has worked hard and sucessfully to become a
maganet for companies in six caterories
High-Technology
Bioscience
Business services
Software
Tourism and Transportation
Distribution

Heres a sample of some of them.

Intel Corp. has already over 10,000 employees and their investing
$3 billion and adding over 1,000 jobs
Raytheon Defense Electronics has over 10,000 employees
Honeywell Aerospace has over 10,000 employees
JP Morgan Chase & Co has 10,000 employees
Wells Fargo has over 12,000 employees and investing 33 million
adding 1,800 jobs and Wells Fargo Mortgage Services
is building 10 million facility which will create 600 jobs

Phoenix also attracts industries searching for warm,
dry climate that won't interfere with their distrbution networks,
telecommunications systems or administrative operations.

Other companies announcing new or expanded Metro Phoenix
Operations.

Boeing is building a new plant in Mesa AZ
that will produce combat helicopters (next generation Apache)
Boeing was awarded 1.2 Billion contract by the US Gov.
That will create 5,000 jobs

Amazon.com
Google
Discover Card
GE
American Express
Embraer
Capital Group
Pay Pal Inc.
Flexible Technologies
Mortgage Lenders Network
US Airways

[Genghis]

This is such a crock, the Phoenix area continues to grow by like 4 percent a year, the construction stalled because they built too much even for this kind of growth. Rest assured, there are many industries booming in Arizona. Go to Buffalo, everything is stagnant. But they are doing a lot of construction. End result will be a lot of empty buildings. The worst that can happen in Phoenix is that it will take a few years for the population to catch up with the construction. Big deal. In Buffalo you have buildings that have been empty since the 70's all over the place. Main Street is deserted half the time. Believe me, Phoenix is not going to end out like Barfalo in the foreseeable future.

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

That's an idiotic statement. What do you think Phoenix does to get companies to build here? We pay THEM! Except what we bring into the area are retail jobs and call centers. We have few if any unions here - this is a RIGHT TO WORK STATE.
No, refineries are NOT being built. Jez, get your facts straight. Wishful thinking can only get you so far.
I'm not saying the job outlook is any better in Buffalo, because clearly it is not. And the inner city/east side of Buffalo is a terrible slum area. And I agree, there are way too many people living on welfare in Buffalo. Government is a sham. But, please, for you own sake, really do the numbers before picking up and leaving NY for the Southwest. And the heat here is truly unbearable.
Now, if you are 19-23 years old, you will have fun here, but it's no place to try to start a career. I don't mean to rain on your parade, but seriously, people who do not live in Phoenix, have the wrong image of it. Yes, Scottsdale is GORGEOUS - but it's the nicest part of town and everyone is rich and we have a billion golf courses, resorts and high end shopping. Phoenix is NOT like that at all.
NO ONE from Scottsdale goes into Phoenix unless we have to. I'm just trying to get that across to you. I have met thousands of people who have moved here only to find out it was much more difficult, expensive and hotter than they thought. 4 out of 5 people actually leave here within 5 years of moving here. Our population is no longer growing at a rapid pace (thank god) but that is because when the real estate industry fell, the rest of Phoenix fell with it too.
The economy is NOT well balanced here - in fact, Phoenix is very much like Buffalo in that it put all it's eggs into one basket (Buffalo - Steel, Phoenix - construction) and now that the housing industry has fallen here, many people are finding themselves out of work. It's like Buffalo in the 70's all over again. It's a frickin' nightmare.