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Maybe it's different in Buffalo and I haven't noticed. In Rochester I don't see any influence. The eastern area of the Rochester region reminds me more of new england suburbs and I haven't really seen that in Buffalo.
Places like Brighton, Fairport and Pittsford would come closest to Downstate/ New England style suburbs, but still it's no Fairfield or Westchester County.
Whatever you want to call it, I'd agree that Rochester's eastern suburbs are some of the nicest places to live upstate. Definitely a very high quality of life without a high price tag (compared to similar east coast areas). I lived in Webster for a short time and I really liked the area.
Maybe it's different in Buffalo and I haven't noticed. In Rochester I don't see any influence. The eastern area of the Rochester region reminds me more of new england suburbs and I haven't really seen that in Buffalo.
One thing I did notice in the Rochester area is the feeling amongst its residents that they are "better" than Buffalo.
The suburbs of Rochester are much nicer than Buffalo's, but I think the "City" of Buffalo blows away the "City" of Rochester. But that is for another thread.
Both places have the same nasally accent that Michael Moore has. Michael Moore is from Flint, Michigan (Midwest)
Being from the midwest and having visited Buffalo many times, as well as having spent time in places like NYC and Washington, I would definitely say that Buffalo is more like the upper midwest cities. Culturally, weather-wise, economically, and geographically (i.e., being located on the Great Lakes), Buffalo reminds me alot of Cleveland in particular. But both Buffalo and Cleveland also seem similar to cities like Detroit and Milwaukee (and also Pittsburgh for that matter). I see few similarities between Buffalo and places like NYC, Philly, Boston, and DC. I am not sure where that imaginary midwest/east dividing line is, but I would place Buffalo to the west of it.
I would agree that Buffalo and Cleveland are similar, though each certainly have their own unique architectural gems. Culturally though, Rochester is closest to Buffalo, and vice versa.
As to the placement of the so called imaginary midwest/east dividing line, it's not imaginary, it's the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
The single largest influence on what defines any region in America culturally is the dominant ethnic ancestry groups that have historically settled there......usually the largest ancestry group has the most influence on that region's culture. When looking at a map of the US....the area that most people would consider culturally "midwestern" is made up almost exclusively of counties where the largest ethnic group is German..this includes every county in the Western 1/3 of NYS. It is much more varied in the central/eastern parts of Upstate; meanwhile, downstate the largest ethnic group is predominantly Italian.
The single largest influence on what defines any region in America culturally is the dominant ethnic ancestry groups that have historically settled there......usually the largest ancestry group has the most influence on that region's culture. When looking at a map of the US....the area that most people would consider culturally "midwestern" is made up almost exclusively of counties where the largest ethnic group is German..this includes every county in the Western 1/3 of NYS. It is much more varied in the central/eastern parts of Upstate; meanwhile, downstate the largest ethnic group is predominantly Italian.
In places like Monroe county German and Italian are pretty much neck and neck with German a very small percentage ahead. But if you are out and about you can see the Italian influence everywhere. I don't really see a German influence, in Monroe county at least. That is what gives it more of a northeastern vibe. The Roch metro area has one of the highest Italian American populations both in numbers and per capita which keeps the culture more in line with the northeast.
I think WNY is a little Canadian, Mid-West and New England, if that makes any sense, and then in a way, is unique and has it's own thing going on. Not trying to be confusing by any means
In places like Monroe county German and Italian are pretty much neck and neck with German a very small percentage ahead. But if you are out and about you can see the Italian influence everywhere. I don't really see a German influence, in Monroe county at least. That is what gives it more of a northeastern vibe. The Roch metro area has one of the highest Italian American populations both in numbers and per capita which keeps the culture more in line with the northeast.
Yes, especially within city limits, and in the inner suburbs such as Irondequoit. I've seen the statistics saying that German is the largest, but I never really understood that living here.
What is Buffalo's ethnic makeup? From what I can tell, a lot of poles?
I'm in Rochester and one of the big things that makes it more in line with northeastern cities is the ethnic demographics with a high percentage of Puerto Ricans and Italians.
I'm from Chautauqua County (just south of Buffalo), and there are tons of Swedish and German people here, which is another reason why it is more Midwestern than Northeastern. There are also lots of Italians, but it seems to me that they are completely different from the Italians you see in the NYC area. There's quite a bit of Polish people in the Dunkirk area and also an unusually high number of Puerto Ricans.
Much ado about nothing. It is both. It is neither.
Newburgh is also not much like New York, nor is Scranton. I wouldn't expect Buffalo to be either. There are degrees of similarity, and as you move further out there will be less. It's important to note who the make-up of a city is, but also the time you're looking at. Buffalo is essentially a gateway city, and at certain times, like the 19th century, it had much closer affinity to New York City, populated by tens of thousands of New Yorkers. Today Buffalonians are no longer so overtly dependent on NYC for commerce and industry, a century as its own sphere of influence for the region brought it into its own, and its trajectory and manufacture followed a similar path to Cleveland and Detroit.
Buffalo is a northeast city, but near the border with the Midwest and sharing characteristics with other cities in the region west and east of it. It'll show some Midwest and even a few 'Canadian' characteristics when compared to other regions. I find its closest twin to be Hamilton, Ontario, sometimes called 'Steel Town' for the local industry. Buffalo also had a large steel industry, not so large as Pittsburgh's of course, and both cities industrial giants have seen better times. But the two city's both have a rivalry with their larger state/provincial neighbors (New York, Toronto), the two are less than an hour from each other, both die-hard sports fans, each with a major football and hockey team. Accents are similar though they have distinctions. I wouldn't say this makes Buffalo a Canadian city any more than Hamilton a Northeastern or Midwestern American. Just that you'll have such similarities with nearby cities, and Buffalo is as close to New York as it is to Fort Wayne, Indiana. There will be a lot of overlap in identity.
Personally I'd like to see a Canadian takeover of WNY.
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