Quote:
Originally Posted by sumunownguy
I have an opportunity for an 18 month stint in Buffalo. I own my home in Omaha, so i would be renting while in Buffalo. My prospective employer is downtown, i have a few questions that I hope some of you kind people can help me with;
With a budget of 1500-1600, are there quality rentals downtown? Would like to have garage parking and 1-2 bedrooms.
I would possibly be interested in living in a low crime area away from downtown if the commute is not bad. What can I expect for a commute from any area that fits my criteria, i.e. low crime, safe garage, 1-2 beds.
What are the roads like? I spend a lot of time on motorcycles, bad roads are a big pain in the ***.
I have read here about the governmental control issues, and I will not be staying, so that is of no concern to me, I think. What are the income taxes like? Any other local taxes I should know about?
Can a private citizen own firearms in Buffalo?
If there are any other tidbits of info you feel would help me, please feel free to comment.
Thanks everyone for any feedback.
|
You can easily find an 3 bedroom, let alone 1-2 anywhere in western new york in that price range. There are several luxury loft apartments located near downtown. I'm not sure if they have garages though.
If you want a low crime area, I would look at North Buffalo, near Hertel or Parkside. There is a converted church near parkside that is really nice, or if you want to live closer to the action, I would drive around the Hertel area and look for signs. A lot of the landlords don't advertise online in that area.
If you want to live further out in the suburbs, parts of Tonawanda are close the thruway and you can downtown in about 15-20 minutes. South Buffalo is considered safe, but it's kind of trashy and gross. West Seneca isn't bad and you can also get downtown pretty quick. Of course they're suburbs, so they're boring.
The tax thing is blown out of proportion. Unless you own a luxury home, the property taxes won't be a big deal when you factor in the low rents. It's not like the tax rates raise the cost of living to a level that would make it comparable to a higher cost city. State income tax is higher than average, but you can deduct that from your federal taxes. The sales tax was somewhere near 9% when I left. Here's some info on state income taxes:
State Taxes: New York | Bankrate.com
The roads are pretty rough shape. Because of our winters, roads get damaged quite a bit. In fact, it's the one of the highest expenses for local government. However, I see a lot of bikers in the summer months, so you should be fine. Roads definitely get more maintenance in the suburbs than in the city.
A private citizen can own firearms, that is protected under the 2nd amendment. However, there is no carry law unless you have a license, and you have to be registered as a security officer. Certain places, like Amherst, have a law that makes it illegal to discharge a firearm anywhere in the town limits. So they get around the 2nd amendment that way.
The SAFE act has made certain types of "assault" weapons a felony to sell and you can't have magazine with more than 10 rounds. If you already own when you can register it with the state police, but there is a sunset on doing so. They also have stricter background checks and mental health checks involved in purchasing a gun. A basic hunting rifle or shotgun shouldn't be an issue though.
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.
