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There is an interesting thread about Buffalo undeserved bad reputation, many people have chimed in either agreeing or disagreeing. Few people have actually talked about Buffalo's reputation, and I am interested in what people think of the Queen City.
So in this thread, what is Buffalo's reputation? Is that reputation deserved?
I am especially interested in people from outside of Buffalo, because they are ultimately who we need to attract to rebuild the city, and get people to come back. So please say if you are from Buffalo or not.
I won't post my opinion of Buffalo so as not to taint others' responses.
I moved to Buffalo (not a burb of, we live in the Parkside area), from Michigan a year ago in January. Before moving here I really didn't know much about the city. I did research on line; the forum here, Buffalo.com, Buffalorising.com etc... To be honest after reading so many negative posts on this forum I was a little apprehensive about our move. As the move came with a job offer after my husband was out of work for nearly 2 years we really couldn't afford to be picky.
I really had nothing to be worried about. We love this city. It is clean, has so many unique neighborhoods, great shopping districts, lovely parks, wonderful museums, good eateries and VERY friendly residents, I could name many more wonderful attributes. While it has it's faults, as every city does, I honestly don't understand why so many of Buffalo's residents feel so unfavorable towards this city.
If you really want to see a city that has absolutely no redeeming qualities, visit Detroit. I grew up in a neighborhood located only 3 miles from the city limits. Buffalo is truly a Queen compared to what Detroit has become. (Just Google the keywords "detroit ruins" and you will come up with several sites with photos of Detroit's decay... I will warn you... one of these sites are a "white power" type... just ignore the rhetoric and view the photos.)
While Buffalo is struggling to be sure and I don't claim to know all of it's troubles, however from what is visible to me is a city that is moving forward, and determined not to fall into the same state as so many of this country's once thriving centers.
It's a shame so many people have such a jaundiced view of this lovely city, but then I guess that just proves the old adage... The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."
To give a little background, I have lived in and around the Buffalo Metro area for most of my life. I have lived in Raleigh, NC and now live in Rochester.
Personnaly I think it has gained a bad reputation. Other than a few flaws, Buffalo does not rightfully deserve them.
Most of the negative comments that I hear about Buffalo usually include; weather, the economy, there is nothing to do. I will break it down.
First the weather really is a personal preference, you either like it or you don't. Either way, you can make the best of it by living within the city. There is more to do, there are paved sidewalks, and your needs and wants are close by.
Second, the economy. The proximity to Niagara Falls (cheap power), the border and a halfway point between the Great Lakes cities and NYC (railroad and waterway) gave the city its great importance. It was a great place to trade between major cities, and because the resources were already there or moving through it, Buffalo also grew its industry. One thing to note Buffalo has ALWAYS had high taxes. The government chose to open the St. Lawrence seaway, invest in roads/airports rathar than railroads and many industrial companies went overseas. Niagara Falls is not as important for power, you can set up a coal/nuclear power plant almost anywhere now. Buffalo grew into what it is today because of its location. Because most of the factors that led to the decline of the city were taken away, can you blame Buffalo for that?
Third, there is nothing to do/nothing going on. Honestly, in the entire time I lived in Buffalo, I cannot remember anything significant being built in Buffalo. I blame most of this on the huge decline through the 70's and 80's. Now the decline seems to be slowing, there are projects going on all over. The water front, highrises, courthouses and buildings getting remodeled. But what gets me is that even before the current projects, the city still has everything any other city offers, plus Niagara Falls.
I don't think Buffalo deserves it. Its the perception people have. Before the 50's/60's most people were actually patriotic and I think its because of the economic decline Buffalo had for so many years. The city had most of its economic advantages taken away, how hard do you think that is to recover from?
Buffalo definitely has a bad reputation in the media that it does not deserve. There are plenty of places that are far worse in the US. What Buffalo needs to do is market itself more. Its great to have secret jewels here and there but it is even better if more people knew about those jewels. If more people knew about the Elmwood Village, they would want to create another one and pretty soon much of the city would be thriving. I hope more people live and work in the downtown or else all the construction I hear about will go to waste. Don't mind Boston, newcomers are willing to shell out a fortune just to pay for a little hovel over here.
Can you believe it? I have had the hardest time finding a Rand Mcnally street map of Buffalo at Borders Bookstores here in Metro Boston. One sales associate even went so far as saying they only stock maps of "major" cities in their stores. As a non-Buffalonian I already had to take that with a spoonful of sugar, if I were a Buffalonian I would be really offended. So you see, there definitely needs to be more advertisement about the Buffalo-Niagara area. People just don't know enough about it.
In response to the book store only stocking maps for major cities...would Buffalo classify as a major city? I don't mean any disrespect, but I wouldn't call it that myself. I was always under the impression that a major city was 500k plus. Doesn't B-lo have under 300k? Just an observation.
What? Who the heck counts a city by just the city population anymore (Besides we only have 40 square miles, maybe count by city density instead!!!). You count it by its metro, and with Buffalo unfortunately in a position where is can't count parts of southeastern Ontario in the metro, the stats say less than what we really are. We still are a major city - no not like the 8th largest we were in 1900, but still we are a big league city and contribute a lot to international trade, thanks to our great geographical state.
According the latest Census estimates, the Buffalo-Niagara metro area is ranked #47 in population, so indeed it is hard to classify it is a "major city". Metros close to Buffalo in population (+/- 100,000) are Louisville, Richmond, Oklahoma City, Hartford, New Orleans, Birmingham, Salt Lake City, Raleigh, Rochester and Tuscon.
The 2010 census will probably put Buffalo at #50, because just behind Buffalo are Birmingham, Salt Lake City, and Raleigh, which are all growing. Coincidentally, Rochester will likely be #51, but if Buffalo shrinks faster than Rochester, then it is possible that Rochester will surpass Buffalo to become #50 and Buffalo would be #51.
Metro area size, however, is not the point. In fact, I've made the assertion that Buffalo should focus on being a medium-sized city with a high quality of life and not be concerned with maintaining a "big city" image by engaging in behavior like subsidizing pro sports teams.
Currently, Buffalo does offer a high quality lifestyle found in a medium-sized city. But if current trends continue, that will no longer be case.
One more thing - Southern Ontario really cannot be counted - even unofficially - as a part of the Buffalo metro area. The Census Bureau uses some pretty exact criteria to define metro areas based on commuting patterns and other daily economic activity such as patterns of regional distribution of goods. While there is some economic activity between the two regions, it is not sufficient to qualify as equivalent to a metro area. Southern Ontario is economically much more tied to Toronto than Buffalo.
This shows that Buffalo isn't in the top 30 metro areas. I made my prior comment in regards to a bookstore in Boston carrying a Buffalo map, not to cause a tissy-fit. How many different cities should they carry?
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