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I grew up in Buffalo. Buffalo and NYC most definitely have something in common: same state, state government, SUNY access including downstate students at UB and Buff State (and vice versa), Buffalo cheers for the Yankees, watch MSG network, and Buffalo has many residents originally from NYC (such as thousands of Puerto Rican residents).Yes Buffalo culturally has more in common with other Great Lakes cities, but geographically as part of NY State it is in the Northeat in my opinion. Comparably, Erie should also be considered in the Northeast, along with Pittsburgh.
Call Buffalo Midwestern if you like, but almost no one refers to any part of NYS as anything other than Northeastern, regardless of culture.
Outside of common terms like "Pop" for Soda, which I heard when I was going to college in MI, I agree. They would say "Gym shoes" instead of Sneakers too.
Yankees and Knicks yes, but that is only because Buffalo has no major league team in those sports.
Sports wise, most go for Bills, Sabres, Yankees, Knicks, Syracuse Orange.
I went to school in the Northeast and experienced minor culture shock. Buffalo is in no way Northeastern. It is certainly closer culturally to the cities mentioned.
Yankees and Knicks yes, but that is only because Buffalo has no major league team in those sports.
Sports wise, most go for Bills, Sabres, Yankees, Knicks, Syracuse Orange.
I went to school in the Northeast and experienced minor culture shock. Buffalo is in no way Northeastern. It is certainly closer culturally to the cities mentioned.
The OP's question was Do you Buffalo people consider yourselves to be in the Northeast US or the Midwest US?
Key word: "IN the Northeast"
I don't think anyone here can disagree that we are geographically in the northeast. I will agree that this area shares much with Cleve/Det/Chi in terms of accent and some of the mid-west sensibilities, slower paced, etc.
The sports team angle is interesting though. If we identify more with the mid-west why don't we adopt their baseball teams in lieu of MLB in WNY? Almost all baseball fans here seem to be Yankees fans. Is that simply because of their success and not because we identify with them being in NY? We're much closer to Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and Toronto, but I rarely see any Indians, Pirates or Blue Jays fans here... Same with basketball (minus Pitt since they have no NBA)
Interesting discussion, regardless.
The OP's question was Do you Buffalo people consider yourselves to be in the Northeast US or the Midwest US?
Key word: "IN the Northeast"
I don't think anyone here can disagree that we are geographically in the northeast. I will agree that this area shares much with Cleve/Det/Chi in terms of accent and some of the mid-west sensibilities, slower paced, etc.
Geographically, we could say northeast... but we also are in quite a different climate zone than the East Coast "Northeast". NYC / NJ / Boston / Philadelphia have much more humid tropical-like weather. Buffalo's weather is quite unique.. it is a blend between a humid inland continental with a huge maritime influence from the Lakes. Our temps are moderated with low diurnal variance, but we are still significantly cooler than NYC. A good rule of thumb is to follow weather in Michigan and Chicago. It moves to Buffalo within 24-36 hours and either warms or cools as it passes over the Lakes en route. This is especially seen in late winter, where all of our post-Lake Erie freeze snow storms come from that area.
Also, as I've said before... we are closer to Cleveland and even Columbus than Albany and NYC respectively. Cleveland geographically is in the "Northeast" section of the country by latitude / longitude, but isn't considered the "Northeast" at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigD_JT_14221
The sports team angle is interesting though. If we identify more with the mid-west why don't we adopt their baseball teams in lieu of MLB in WNY? Almost all baseball fans here seem to be Yankees fans. Is that simply because of their success and not because we identify with them being in NY? We're much closer to Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and Toronto, but I rarely see any Indians, Pirates or Blue Jays fans here... Same with basketball (minus Pitt since they have no NBA)
Interesting discussion, regardless.
Mostly because of rivalries I would say. Buffalo has a hockey rivalry with Toronto. We have somewhat of a football rivalry with Cleveland and the NY teams. The most interesting was the Bills courting Toronto. Silly move, because Torontonians don't like the Bills. Ontario Bills fans are from Hamilton eastward and they go to the games anyway.
I came from the NY area over 45 years ago. I do NOT consider myself midwestern by an way, shape or form. I consider myself Buffalonian. We are - truthfully - somewhere in the middle, drawing from each.
Consider the people who settled each area. If you go back far enough, you get New Englanders coming to farm in the early 1800s - certainly northeastern ( my husband's family among them). In the late part of the 19th and early part of 20th, you got varied Europeans. It was a big cultural change. Read the old records: it goes from mostly British names to adding German and French ( many here before anyone else) to adding the Polish/Slavs and and Irish and Italians... and so it goes now, with more new immigrants. A city is the people who make it. Most of the early settlers have moved on - my husband has family spread from PA to ID. Buffalo has mixed and melded.... we, as an area, gave our people to the midwest as New England originally gave its people to NY.
Forget the "names/labels" of a location. Look at the people.
I have lived in New England (MA and RI) and in the Midwest (IL) before moving to WNY and Buffalo is very midwestern to me. Geographically I would classify Buffalo as Northeast USA but living here definitely feels more Midwest.
Buffalo is most definitely East Coast....it's like a slice of NYC in the western part of NY. It's in NY State-so obviously it has a strong East Coast influence. People here can be rather abrasive, impatient and rude-typical of New Yorkers.
Having lived and traveled through Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana I can say the Buffalo has far more in common with NYC and Newark (maybe even Boston) than Minneapolis, Chicago, Indianapolis, or Omaha, NE. Midwestern folks are FAR more laid back and easy going-much friendlier too.
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