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I would have to say it is so/so. There areas that are really nice (North Buffalo, Elmwood Village, Some south Buffalo [would have to say best is Elmwood Village]).
But then we have our bang for the weather, which is insanly cold and snowy in the winter and insanly hot in the summer. Also, we have some areas that aren't as good as the rest, for example some areas in the East Side (and I live on the east side, so I can say what I want).
But, overall, it is a great place to live.
Do you all think that Buffalo's reputation is mainly based on the quality of life there or the weather? Because some view Chicago as extremely cold in the winter or windy, but they still admit it has a lot of entertainment.
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.
No, Buffalo is no longer a major city. There is no doubt about that issue. So, it was the 8th, years ago??When I was growing up there, it was the 16th largest city. It was a time when the other parts of the country were not fully developed. This is all nonsense about the talk of what should be considered a metro area--it adds nothing to the discussion.
I believe that Western New York reputation is undeserved because it is a good place to live. Unfortunately, a region is effected so much by the major city. Buffalo, has decayed in so many areas that it now deserves a bad reputation and is destroying the view of the good benefits of living in WNY. Weather is not the issue; many cities with bad weather have good reputations--as in Minneapolis and Chicago.
Buffalo should stop all this nonsense of competing as a major city with support of these major sport teams and other trappings. It should try to be a well run, clean and safe smaller city in an a beautiful, less populated, area that offers many amenities. A less crowded area with a nice small city can be a great place to live.
You loud boosters help give the city the reputation of a poor uneducated city, which is does not deserve. It gives the idea that the region does not welcome creative people. Constantly screaming The Bills this, and The Bills that, drives away many of they types of people who do not want to live in a city that is perceived so narrow in the culture; yet it is not. In addition, these stupid projects like Bass Pro and the Casino add to a bad reputation of a city that is going to the bottom of the barrel for development. So, many of you people are part of the problem. The trouble is these types of people do not leave; they dig deeper in their hole, thinking that football is god's manna from heaven. Well, perhaps, when the Bills leave and all the other sports team also go to richer victims, then the "rats" will follow the "Piper" out the area; and the city will develop better social and monetary policies.
Livecontent
Last edited by livecontent; 05-25-2009 at 01:35 PM..
im from toronto and think buffalo is alright which isnt an option. It doesnt seem ghetto and its barely even rundown...its just emptyish. The actual downtown is nice, and has some good buildings. Compared to pittsburgh though its booring (but pittsburgh was much bigger).
As someone who is planning a possible move to Buffalo, I find myself in the position of defending the region and all it has to offer to many people here in New England, many of who have never set foot in Western New York.
It has always made me wonder why so many people write off Buffalo as a snow covered wasteland with absolutely no culture. When I start to explain to them about the low cost of living, the low cost of real estate, neighborhoods like Elmwood Village and suburbs like Williamsville, they seem to take notice a bit, but I still wonder if I'm getting through to them. I think it's in the nature of New Englanders anyway, to be provincial, and to think that noplace could possibly be home to them, other than where the currently live, or somewhere within ten miles.
I agree with those however that think that Buffalo should market itself as a medium sized city. Because of population and industy losses, Buffalo could never compete on the same playing field as Chicago or New York, but it shouldn't have to. There are many other cities around Buffalo's size that don't offer half of what Buffalo has to offer. And there is something else about Buffalo that I've noticed that even "major" cities don't have: a true sense of civic pride, and a people that really care about the community and about each other.
A LOT of people living in big cities dealing with overcrowding, traffic, and insanely expensive real estate literally dream about living in a place like WNY with affordable housing, less traffic and a slower pace.
Places like Richmond and Raleigh (which are about the same size as Buffalo BTW) are growing because they market themselves as medium sized cites offering good quality of life that is affordable. Many folks here in NYC move to places like this for these reasons. They move there to GET AWAY from "the big city" and enjoy life. Pretending to be a "big city" actually works against Buffalo. Many people here in NYC actually dream about moving Upstate and buying a big 4BR house in a nice quiet community for a fraction of what a small condo costs here, but know they can't because of the lack of jobs Upstate.
Think about this: Most people around the country would say Buffalo has more in common with Detroit than a place like Columbus Ohio. Detroit is a "big city" but it is a mess and has a terrible reputation. Columbus is a medium sized city with a pretty good reputation for quality-of-life. Shouldn't Buffalo strive to be perceived as more like Columbus than Detroit?
Oh yeah - Detroit has had a very good hockey team for years. Evidence of what a minuscule effect pro sports has on a city's reputation.
If Buffalo had a decent job market, and focused on quality-of-life issues and marketed itself well, there would be a lot of in-migration from people in larger cities.
I am not sure Buffalo's overall reputation is deserved, but it does seem to be a product of the past 30 years. People see Buffalo as a city/area in decline that gets some harsh weather in the winter. It's hard to argue either. The area has been shrinking with a lot of industry loss, job loss, an population loss. We also get some harsh winter weather. Basically, the reputation is that of a dying rustbelt city, much like the national reputation is for Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Toledo, etc.
Like Buffalo, all those cities have a lot of positives. Other than the confusing roads, I think Pittsburgh is terrific. We talk about culture here, but they have a lot too with various museums and such, architecture, etc. Cleveland has made some strides with the resurgence of the Flats, the Rock and Roll hall of fame... even as bad as Detroit is, there is a lot of history to take in. The Ford Museum is full of all kinds of culture and history, and not just with the Auto Industry.
Still, the national perception of all these cities are places that have seen their day come and go. That is a long standing perception too, and not one that will easily be broken no matter what the reality is.
Its deserved because of its history, but the present is messed up. Yes other cities are dying but i feel that Buffalo will go on the upswing again. When? idk, but i think it'll happen.
eb222....did you really say that Buffalo is insanely hot in the summer? Which Buffalo are you talking about? Isn't Buffalo one of the only cities in America to have never reached 100 degrees? (interestingly enough, Rochester has gotten over 100 numerous times). Nowhere in Upstate NY would I call summer weather " insanely hot". Maybe a couple of days out of the summer....but certainly nothing like the crazy hot summer's you'll find in most of the rest of the country
Yeah Buffalo i believe has actually gotten snow in june July and August. But like a loooooooong time ago though. I think.
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