Trying to move back to Buffalo and no luck finding a job (Akron: how much, purchases)

[Canerican]

Originally Posted by Soccitup

Hello xnyer, we are living in the DC area. Please, what do you mean by life has regressed?

I can take a stab at it. If you come back to WNY it will probably look pretty much as it did when you moved away.

While many cities have expanded, gotten new buildings, new businesses, and grown in population.

Buffalo has contracted, in a big way. The only major construction of the past 25 years was the M&T towers (an office park or a new courthouse are not "major").

Businesses have been leaving the area, because they can't succeed. You have to figure that with 5000 people leaving Erie County each year, that many businesses will just not be able to stay open.

People are leaving Buffalo left and right because they can't stand the idea of living in a town where NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS.

What major employers have come into Erie County, versus those who have left for good? The good jobs just aren't here. They have gone away, and aren't coming back. Now the blue collar jobs are trickling away, ostensibly to go down South, into a better business climate.

Truth be told, I don't like NoVa, but I can tell you that there are plenty of better towns. If you are feeling homesick, get a cottage, or go on vacation to WNY each year. I have a feeling that your homesickness will go away, and you will remember why you left.

I get a chance to talk to lots of people at my school who were born and raised in Buffalo, and their family lives here. I would say at less 3/4 are moving once they graduate.

I am far from a minority. Of all the people I talk to at my job, I would get that at least 1/4 of them are planning on leaving WNY by the time they retire.

You don't have to take my word for it, look at the census data. People are leaving faster here than in 99.7% of other cities in the nation.

***
Some posters will undoubtedly say "but good stuff is coming." They have been saying that for 35 years, and it hasn't. When the good things start happening, people will move back into WNY. Until you see growth, you would be better off staying away from the area.

I don't know you, and I have no reason to really care either way. But I am just so concerned that others might make the same mistake as I did, and move to WNY, and I honestly wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through the misery that is WNY.

[jblake78728]

Exactly what mistake did you make??? You come across as someone that moved here in search of some prestigious job only to find the best you could get was a position at McDonalds & now you are stuck here because you can't make enough money to move away ..... when we all know the reality of your situation is nowhere near that. You moved here when you were in high school & are currently attending college at UB. Realistically you're not even in the job market yet & you have no intention of staying one moment after you have completed your studies at UB ......... its not like you moved here when you where an adult that was married & had a family in search of this great life only to be seriously disappointed & eventual end up broke & homeless ........ but thats how you try to make it sound.

It's fine if you think that Buffalo is never going to be much of anything & it's also fine if you share your bad experiences with people who are thinking about relocating to the area ........... but for someone who moved here as a high schooler & is now, as a NY resident, getting a very good deal on a quality education, to say that they have made this huge mistake by moving here is utterly ridiculous.

Being that you are a legal immigrant to this country I would hope that you would have a decent amount of respect for the place that provided you with a very affordable & very good college education (even if you personally dislike the city, its politics or whatever) ........ but it really doesn't sound like you do.

[Canerican]

I actually have a good job. I am making $23,000 a year for part-time work. When I graduate I've been offered $51,000.

I'm not taking it. I don't care if I make less than that somewhere else. I would prefer make $40,000 and not have to live in Buffalo, than make $50k + in Buffalo.

***

I do have respect for UB, because it is a good school indeed, I just wish it wasn't in Buffalo. And being an immigrant, I am thankful for the opportunities that the US has given me. I am upset that Buffalo drags the mean downward.

[Soccitup]

Originally Posted by Canerican

I actually have a good job. I am making $23,000 a year for part-time work. When I graduate I've been offered $51,000.

I'm not taking it. I don't care if I make less than that somewhere else. I would prefer make $40,000 and not have to live in Buffalo, than make $50k + in Buffalo.

***

I do have respect for UB, because it is a good school indeed, I just wish it wasn't in Buffalo. And being an immigrant, I am thankful for the opportunities that the US has given me. I am upset that Buffalo drags the mean downward.

Immigrant? Where are you originally from?
As far as Buffalo, I did grow up here. And in truth I didn't want to leave for good. It just worked out that way. I left for my rotations in 2000 to do my internships in DC region. Well, I have visited pretty much several times per year (and the flights are always packed with ex-Buffalonians coming home to visit from DC). And, yes while it does not look like there are many new buildings I feel that Buffalo has a lot to offer. Mainly my family is here (and they all have great jobs and have been employed at them for a long time) and the other reasons are numerous. I think another attraction is the fact in DC the price of a decent house is $700,000-$800,000 whereas the same house in Buffalo (or surrounding suburbs) is about $150,000-200,000. I do know for my profession that I work in (can't speak for my husband because we do not know anyone in that field in Buffalo (Finance)) that my collegues make the same as I do in DC here in Buffalo.
I just think after living somewhere else for 10years and coming frequently to visit (so it won't be a shock what the place looks like) I have come to recognize the great qualities of Buffalo.

[Canerican]

Immigrant? Where are you originally from?

I'm from Canada, glad to be in the US.

I have friends that have a house in Fairfax, and it is crazy living there from the looks of it, not to mention traffic. I don't know how you do it! DC is a beautiful city, and the area is nice, but I could never move there just because of housing costs and the traffic.

There are places that have as much or more white collar jobs, very little traffic, and cost the same as Buffalo - Oklahoma City, Toledo, Tulsa, and El Paso come to mind (though I would never live in El Paso).

[Orwelleaut]

Originally Posted by Canerican

Well, jobs in finance are very few and far between. I have been watching the market since about January of 2008, and the jobs that pop up are down in no time, most are low level, paying about $30,000 a year.

You may be homesick and love Buffalo as many no doubt do, but the jobs just don't exist, if you have to move, I'd find a second choice in a growing city similar to Buffalo, perhaps Toledo, or even Columbus.

When you couple the fact that there are 500 graduates coming out of UB each year in finance, with the fact that most banks have moved their good jobs down south, it makes for a terrible market, sadly.

Best of luck with your search, I hope that you find happiness wherever you live.

I definitely agree with Ohio as a good alternative to Western NY. Not far away, and a much better economy. Columbus is a growing area, and Akron/Canton is also doing well. Lower taxes and cheap to live in, but more opportunities to make some money and build a career. You also have lots of nice lakes for fishing/boating/swimming, Lake Erie, and nice hills in the Eastern part of the state. The government is also less intrusive than NY/PA, doesn't try to run your life as much. No inspections for your car to pass, and you can swim at state park beaches when the lifeguard is not on duty, and swim until it gets dark this time of year.

[jblake78728]

Originally Posted by Orwelleaut

I definitely agree with Ohio as a good alternative to Western NY. Not far away, and a much better economy. Columbus is a growing area, and Akron/Canton is also doing well. Lower taxes and cheap to live in, but more opportunities to make some money and build a career. You also have lots of nice lakes for fishing/boating/swimming, Lake Erie, and nice hills in the Eastern part of the state. The government is also less intrusive than NY/PA, doesn't try to run your life as much. No inspections for your car to pass, and you can swim at state park beaches when the lifeguard is not on duty, and swim until it gets dark this time of year.

I agree Columbus is a good growing city that presents decent opportunities in spite of these tough economic times. The problem is that he goes from thread to thread trying to convince people interested in Buffalo that better opportunities exists in Toledo, Dayton & Cleveland. Based on the latest unemployment figures alone this is completely ridiculous ...........

July '09 Unemployment rates
Buffalo 8.6%
Erie County 8.4&
(both are improvements over June '09' rate)
Dayton 11.2
Toledo 15.6
(both higher than June '09)
Cleveland's unemployment seems to be recovering though it is still over half a point higher than Buffalo (9.3%).

http://www.bls.gov/xg_shells/ro5xg02.htm#msa

http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workfor...0_09prtbur.txt





You believe the state forcing you to have a safety inspection is intrusive? Personally, I think it is a matter of public safety & have absolutely no problem with it. I'd hate to live in a state that didn't care about its residents enough to make sure that every car on the road was safe.

[Canerican]

Yep, the state should never trust it's residents to be smart enough to take care of themselves.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Canerican

Yep, the state should never trust it's residents to be smart enough to take care of themselves.

It all depends on what the state wants. Why not do things to maintain the safety of it's residents? It seems like people only want to think of crime or safety in terms of inner city environments, but alcohol related vehicle incidents kill just about as many people as there are homcides in any given year. That's not counting the other vehicle accidents caused by other incidents that are against the law. So, it's all about protecting one's interests and how they go about it. Some places might not need inspections, while others might due to a multitude of factors like occupations, population density, cultural factors and so on.

[7 Wishes]

In response to various comments on this page:

Soccitup -- While the $700-800K houses are a crazy thing (and just like where I am in Westchester County downstate), there's a reason houses in Buffalo are so cheap. Where you are and I am there are just enough people who can actually pay those $700K prices vs. available land to shut out housing for everyone else. In Buffalo, there are plenty of houses that people won't pay 2c for. Even 5 years ago in the national "housing boom" I saw plenty of $100K houses go wanting up there. It's all how much people have vs. what they can pay and if no one has a job even a $100K house won't sell. Just ask the people of Detroit.

Canerican -- Speaking of Detroit, Toledo, are you kidding? From what I hear, it's basically a "little sister" of Detroit that essentially neighbors it. And Cleveland could be a little sister of Detroit or a big sister of Buffalo that moved away a small distance when it grew up (and Akron/Canton are essentially part of the Cleveland area in that sense). I know historically Columbus has had a good and growing economy and certainly TX and Oklahoma are not doing bad even now, but Toledo and Akron made me laugh.

And also, in this economy, unless you think you're just going to lose the job in a year or less, to give up $51K fresh out of college (and in an area as cheap as Buffalo, no less) is dumb. And it's not like you're even moving to the area sight unseen, it's a place you've lived in for several years. You think you're going to right away get $40K somewhere else? I know plenty of former 6-figure experienced people in all parts of the country who are about to run out of their unemployment benefits and contemplating Wal-Mart or McDonald's if they can get that even.

Back to Soccitup -- my knowledge of WNY is mostly through my sister as I am from downstate. She got a PhD at UB almost 20 years ago while her husband (who was from the area) was lucky enough to get a decent finance job at HSBC. Her husband (who she is divorced from) still works at HSBC, but is barely hanging on and doesn't know if he'll find an equivalent job in the area if he's ever let go. But I visit her enough to have seen what I describe about housing through the years and she has told me no matter how tempting, moving up there with no job just for the supposed big reduction in costs is a losing proposition and I'd probably end up working in Wal-Mart, if that.

I know if I had other family up there and grew up there I'd feel just like you, but this is the sad reality. The only reason my sister stays up there is she is lucky enough to be tenured. But good luck and I hope it works out for you.