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Thinking about moving to Buffalo... I don't mind the snow or cold, but I HATE shoveling my driveway when having to pull my car out. Do you have to shovel your driveway frequently before leaving for work? Or is the snowfall usually only a few inches at a time in winter, so you can pull out easily? Enlighten me on how winter and shoveling work in Buffalo...
On average, I'd say there's maybe 20 times a year where you'll have to shovel (or snowblow?) your driveway. Maybe do it the night before so you don't have to scramble to clear the driveway right before getting in your car and heading to work?
YMMV depending on where in the area you live - for instance, West Seneca gets more snow than, say, Wheatfield.
If you live in a place with a Homeowners' Association, shoveling may be included in the fees you pay. However, HOAs aren't nearly as common in the buffalo area as here in northern VA.
On average, I'd say there's maybe 20 times a year where you'll have to shovel (or snowblow?) your driveway. Maybe do it the night before so you don't have to scramble to clear the driveway right before getting in your car and heading to work?
YMMV depending on where in the area you live - for instance, West Seneca gets more snow than, say, Wheatfield.
If you live in a place with a Homeowners' Association, shoveling may be included in the fees you pay. However, HOAs aren't nearly as common in the buffalo area as here in northern VA.
Also depends on your driveway itself. Narrow driveway between houses may result in less snow due to wind, or more snow drifting in some areas. Variation can be zero to tens of inches on the same driveway in the same storm. You can also skip shoveling for low snow but your tread tracks will build up and turn to ice over time.
If you hate shoveling set up a contract with a plowing service. They are plentiful in the area.
If you hate shoveling, then you probably should look for homes in:
the city of Buffalo that are north of downtown and west of Main Street;
the northern suburbs of Kenmore, Tonawanda, North Tonawanda, Wheatfield;
the suburb of Amherst, including Williamsville, and west.
You should probably avoid homes in:
the city of Buffalo that are south of downtown;
any of the southern suburbs such as Lackawana, West Seneca, Orchard Park, Hamburg;
any community identified with "the Southtowns".
The eastern suburbs like Cheektowaga and Lancaster tend to have parts that get much more snow than other parts, so those are harder to identify. Generally, the areas south of the airport tend to get snowed on more frequently that those areas to the north.
If you get an AWD vehicle like a Subaru, you are rarely going to need to shovel your driveway before work. If you hire a snowplower, then you won't have to shovel when you get home, either. If you're cheap like me and prefer to do your own snow clearing, invest in a snowblower. Then you don't have to shovel very much at all.
If you hate shoveling your driveway, Buffalo is just not the region to move to. We generally get a few significant falls a year that require shoveling. We also get stretches where you just get that inch or two, but we also may go weeks before going above freezing, and that couple inches day after day piles up requiring shoveling too.
This year, who knows if we will shovel -- barring a blizzard in Jan, Feb, or March!
I live in the eastern suburbs/edge of rural ( we back up to a working farm) and we got the 7 feet of "Snowvember" in 2014. Since we hire a plow service, we just stayed in ( not even the street was plowed) and the plow guy came with a high lift on the 5th day. This was a monstrously weird event.
Usually, we'd get less than knee high snows in snowy winters. That meant snow-blowing for half an hour to an hour for a double drive that is close to 100 feet long before leaving for work. After our mid 50s, we hired a guy to plow. Best money we've ever spent. Plus, you will find most people ( at least where we live) will help others out.
BTW, have a shovel and a few snow-brushes in the car and a pair of boots and some clothes for emergencies. If you never use them, fine. If you need them, you have them.
But winter isn't really a big deal here -- unless you get a once or twice in a lifetime storm like last year (or 1977). FWIW, I am not from Buffalo. I have just lived here over 46 years. My hubby is born and bred here.
You may have to shovel EVERYDAY if the city plow packs snow onto the end of your driveway causing an ice mound. But at least it's only October through February.
I lived in Buffalo for 21 years. Generally, it just depends how the winters pan out. As others have stated the north towns generally get less snow than the south towns.
You may have to shovel EVERYDAY if the city plow packs snow onto the end of your driveway causing an ice mound. But at least it's only October through February.
October? Really? The Buffalo area seldom gets more than flurries or a dusting even in late October. More often than not even in the Southtowns or further south and east in "Ski Country" we seldom get all that much snow until about mid-November. Usually, the ground isn't frozen yet and public works/parks departments are still planting trees.
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