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First off, I would just like to say hello to everyone. This site is an exceptional resource to voice one's opinions and thoughts about the cities we love (or visa versa).
My wife and I left Buffalo last year to seek employment in Las Vegas. Her and I both spent a year looking and looking for jobs in our respective career fields and were unable to find what we were looking for that payed enough to live on. I graduated with my Masters in Education Summa *** Laude, was part of honor societies and had many extra curricular activities under my belt but couldnt land a job because I did not have enough experience (subbing, etc.) Fair enough. I went to a job fair and was offered positions throughout the country, but really wanted to go to Las Vegas (I've been there multiple times and loved it). I'm happy to say, even in these tough economic times, my wife and I both enjoy well paying jobs and were fortunate enough to by a 2,400 sq. ft. brand new house in a gated community in Henderson, Nevada.
Currently, I am back in town in Buffalo to attend a wedding. Here are some of my positives/negatives that I would like to talk about.
Negatives:
1. Amount of time it takes to get something built:
I dont know how many times I druled at an artists rendering of a buiding that was to never be built. The NFTA waterfront, the skyscraper near the Statler Building, the Peace Bridge. Its ironic when these million, even billion dollar plans are displayed and nothing comes of them. Why? Money. Noone has the available resources to produce them. And as for the Peace Bridge, what an absolute joke and shame. How long does it really take? The interest groups in this area seem to ruin any sort of 'progress.' To not build a bridge because of fear of killing migratory birds (something yet to be proven) is just unthinkable.
2. Niagara Falls
There is nothing to do in a city that is visited annually by ten million visitors. Now think about that. That many people stroll the streets of NF and development cant get built? Things seemed to go down for that city once they decided to use urban renewal to tool the entire downtown and industry began to move away from our shores. My wife and I would enjoy the park on our side but would always spend our money in Canada. The city needs to be more pedestrian friendly. Little shops, little restaurants, little attractions should dot the streets so people will actually walk around. Thinking huge is not always the answer, i.e. Rainbow Mall. Just looking at that thing makes me not understand why these brilliant developers not want build businesses on the street level. The turtle, the huge glass souveneir shop, the mall, even the failed Wintergarden are all examples of things that shouldnt have been done.
3. Governments/interest groups
There is a sizeable amount of corruption in governments in WNY, especially Niagara Falls. Interest groups bicker over everything, from casinos, bridges, inland grain silos demolished for casinos, you name it. Now I agree everyone has an opinion and a voice, and yes, I think people should be heard. BUT, this also makes any sort of development so difficult to occur. There has to be some sort of compromise versus the constant lawsuits that seem to stop any sort of development. Not everything can be saved...sometimes if you want to make an omelette, you gotta break some eggs.
I cant even count the many times I would drive back from work and listen to Sandy Beach on the am radio. He's a great radio personality that brought up so many issues that affect the people in this city. Unfortunately, the great majority of us do not have the $$ or the power to ever be able to make a GREAT change to this area.
Now for the good.
The schools here are exceptional. Education is the key to our future and the schools really prepare the children of this area for the real world. The only thing I would change is making the education system county wide to cut administrative costs. There is no reason why school districts have to be town specific.
The parks. One thing I absolutely miss is the beautiful parks in this area. Niawanda Park, Delaware, Glenn Falls, Stiglmeyer (or however you spell it), Niagara Falls, Devils Hole, I can go on and on. The parks are so beautiful here and I've enjoyed so much time in them.
Elmwood Ave, Chippewa, Webster Street in N. Tonawanda, New Hertel Ave, North Buffalo are all beautiful places. Take the example of Elmwood Ave and put it in downtown Niagara Falls. See the people walking around, going into little shops, dining outside near the sidewalk. Build off of that.
The people. I love the people in Buffalo. So many are friendly. Las Vegas is a city of fences and walls. I barely know my next door neighbor.
I know I've said a lot already. Did I ever want to leave this city? Actually, no. With all of its faults, Buffalo was never really a horrible place to live. Frustrating, yes. I remember traveling to Toronto with my family when I was younger and questioning why Buffalo never looked like that. Well, I've just come to realize that maybe Buffalo was never MEANT to look like Toronto. While it did have progress as the 6th biggest city in the country at the beginning of the 20th century, it didnt evolve when the times changed and industry began to leave.
Would I ever come back to Buffalo? Las Vegas is not without its own problems but my wife and I truly enjoy it there (at least so far). We've made friends, love the weather, the low taxes. But who knows, that might all change.
Change. The one word not easily found in the Buffalo dictionary.
Thank you all for your time. Looking forward to future chats down the road....
The one thing you must worry about in Las Vegas other than rising crime is water. You are in the middle of a dry desert and even though Las Vegas seems to be well supplied right now by the Colorado River, if the city grows any faster and bigger, more water will have to be imported thus making it very expensive. That might make you and like residents want to move back to places like Buffalo soon enough.
Very very true. Looking at how far the levels of Lake Mead have fallen, its going to be very scary what they plan on doing in the future to feed the water need of the valley. Definitely one of the biggest issues of concern for Las Vegas' future.
Well said, but the positives and negatives could go on forever. Where I am, there are friendly neighbors. In fact, I would go so far as to say just as friendly as in Buffalo (this could be explained by the fact that 5 or 6 households over 3 streets are from the Buffalo area--a little weird, but nice on Sundays). The most glaring positive is the abundance of non-chain restaurants. Everywhere I go here is either a chain, or just flat out not good (5-6 exceptions). I can think off of the top of my head about 25 or so LOCAL restaurants in WNY that were quality. The most glaring negative, the lack of high paying jobs. I am not saying they don't exist, I am saying they are hard to come by.
Like you, I didn't necessarily WANT to leave, but I am glad that I did.
By the way...DEAD ON about Niagara Falls. Couldn't have said that better myself...
Come to think of it...maybe they're all friendly because I'm the one with the Direct TV NFL Sunday Ticket...hmmm
Who posted about the lack of water in las vegas. You can buy whatever you want if you have enough money. There are plenty of single family homes in las vegas that use a TON of water to create green grass, plants, etc..
The crime is not too much of an issue. If you have a good gated community, then you have a guard at the front gate, who does not let anyone in without prior authorization. This is VERY common in las vegas, henderson, etc..
I'd bet that the city of Buffalo is right up there with Las Vegas in Murder's per capita, or crimes committed.
Actually, Buffalo has more crime per capita than Las Vegas, however, the violent crime rate is lower in Vegas, but property crime rates are higher there. Likely due to the availability of handguns, which has been proven to lower violent crimes like murder, rape, and assault; especially murder and rape, since the aggressor is likely to be too worried to commit the crime out of fear of being killed by an armed victim.
However, crimes like larceny and theft increase because criminals that would have been murdering substitute their crimes for "less risky" ones, where they can get away before the crime is even noticed.
Consider this fact, in Canada and the UK nearly 1/2 of burglaries are "hot burglaries" where the burglar breaks in while the homeowner is sleeping, or in another room. In the US less than 5% are this type, largely because of guns.
So you cannot attribute the lower crime rate in Las Vegas to "better people," "less minorities," or "better social programs." (Not that anyone has, yet). You can attribute it, nearly solely to Nevada's well designed gun laws, which do not have in NYS yet, and will likely not have for a VERY long time.
If you want less crime in this area, you need to increase the amount of guns. It sounds counterintuitive, but it has literally worked everywhere. If you want a good sociology book on the subject read "More Guns, Less Crime." I have just finished, and it was by far the best gun book I have ever read.
Buffalo ought to implement moderate gun laws, and the crime rate would be one less reason for people to leave Buffalo.
First off, I would just like to say hello to everyone. This site is an exceptional resource to voice one's opinions and thoughts about the cities we love (or visa versa).
My wife and I left Buffalo last year to seek employment in Las Vegas. Her and I both spent a year looking and looking for jobs in our respective career fields and were unable to find what we were looking for that payed enough to live on. I graduated with my Masters in Education Summa *** Laude, was part of honor societies and had many extra curricular activities under my belt but couldnt land a job because I did not have enough experience (subbing, etc.) Fair enough. I went to a job fair and was offered positions throughout the country, but really wanted to go to Las Vegas (I've been there multiple times and loved it). I'm happy to say, even in these tough economic times, my wife and I both enjoy well paying jobs and were fortunate enough to by a 2,400 sq. ft. brand new house in a gated community in Henderson, Nevada.
Currently, I am back in town in Buffalo to attend a wedding. Here are some of my positives/negatives that I would like to talk about.
Negatives:
1. Amount of time it takes to get something built:
I dont know how many times I druled at an artists rendering of a buiding that was to never be built. The NFTA waterfront, the skyscraper near the Statler Building, the Peace Bridge. Its ironic when these million, even billion dollar plans are displayed and nothing comes of them. Why? Money. Noone has the available resources to produce them. And as for the Peace Bridge, what an absolute joke and shame. How long does it really take? The interest groups in this area seem to ruin any sort of 'progress.' To not build a bridge because of fear of killing migratory birds (something yet to be proven) is just unthinkable.
2. Niagara Falls
There is nothing to do in a city that is visited annually by ten million visitors. Now think about that. That many people stroll the streets of NF and development cant get built? Things seemed to go down for that city once they decided to use urban renewal to tool the entire downtown and industry began to move away from our shores. My wife and I would enjoy the park on our side but would always spend our money in Canada. The city needs to be more pedestrian friendly. Little shops, little restaurants, little attractions should dot the streets so people will actually walk around. Thinking huge is not always the answer, i.e. Rainbow Mall. Just looking at that thing makes me not understand why these brilliant developers not want build businesses on the street level. The turtle, the huge glass souveneir shop, the mall, even the failed Wintergarden are all examples of things that shouldnt have been done.
3. Governments/interest groups
There is a sizeable amount of corruption in governments in WNY, especially Niagara Falls. Interest groups bicker over everything, from casinos, bridges, inland grain silos demolished for casinos, you name it. Now I agree everyone has an opinion and a voice, and yes, I think people should be heard. BUT, this also makes any sort of development so difficult to occur. There has to be some sort of compromise versus the constant lawsuits that seem to stop any sort of development. Not everything can be saved...sometimes if you want to make an omelette, you gotta break some eggs.
I cant even count the many times I would drive back from work and listen to Sandy Beach on the am radio. He's a great radio personality that brought up so many issues that affect the people in this city. Unfortunately, the great majority of us do not have the $$ or the power to ever be able to make a GREAT change to this area.
Now for the good.
The schools here are exceptional. Education is the key to our future and the schools really prepare the children of this area for the real world. The only thing I would change is making the education system county wide to cut administrative costs. There is no reason why school districts have to be town specific.
The parks. One thing I absolutely miss is the beautiful parks in this area. Niawanda Park, Delaware, Glenn Falls, Stiglmeyer (or however you spell it), Niagara Falls, Devils Hole, I can go on and on. The parks are so beautiful here and I've enjoyed so much time in them.
Elmwood Ave, Chippewa, Webster Street in N. Tonawanda, New Hertel Ave, North Buffalo are all beautiful places. Take the example of Elmwood Ave and put it in downtown Niagara Falls. See the people walking around, going into little shops, dining outside near the sidewalk. Build off of that.
The people. I love the people in Buffalo. So many are friendly. Las Vegas is a city of fences and walls. I barely know my next door neighbor.
I know I've said a lot already. Did I ever want to leave this city? Actually, no. With all of its faults, Buffalo was never really a horrible place to live. Frustrating, yes. I remember traveling to Toronto with my family when I was younger and questioning why Buffalo never looked like that. Well, I've just come to realize that maybe Buffalo was never MEANT to look like Toronto. While it did have progress as the 6th biggest city in the country at the beginning of the 20th century, it didnt evolve when the times changed and industry began to leave.
Would I ever come back to Buffalo? Las Vegas is not without its own problems but my wife and I truly enjoy it there (at least so far). We've made friends, love the weather, the low taxes. But who knows, that might all change.
Change. The one word not easily found in the Buffalo dictionary.
Thank you all for your time. Looking forward to future chats down the road....
Lots of good points in this post especially about Niagara Falls and the inability of this area to develop anything.
Good luck in vegas, I always thought about what it would be like living there and I regret not trying it.
Playing poker and betting on NHL hockey are two of my favorite past times, and that would be the place for it.
Although the heat is something I don't think I could tolerate very well, especially if I ever needed to work in it.
Actually, Buffalo has more crime per capita than Las Vegas, however, the violent crime rate is lower in Vegas, but property crime rates are higher there. Likely due to the availability of handguns, which has been proven to lower violent crimes like murder, rape, and assault; especially murder and rape, since the aggressor is likely to be too worried to commit the crime out of fear of being killed by an armed victim.
However, crimes like larceny and theft increase because criminals that would have been murdering substitute their crimes for "less risky" ones, where they can get away before the crime is even noticed.
Consider this fact, in Canada and the UK nearly 1/2 of burglaries are "hot burglaries" where the burglar breaks in while the homeowner is sleeping, or in another room. In the US less than 5% are this type, largely because of guns.
So you cannot attribute the lower crime rate in Las Vegas to "better people," "less minorities," or "better social programs." (Not that anyone has, yet). You can attribute it, nearly solely to Nevada's well designed gun laws, which do not have in NYS yet, and will likely not have for a VERY long time.
If you want less crime in this area, you need to increase the amount of guns. It sounds counterintuitive, but it has literally worked everywhere. If you want a good sociology book on the subject read "More Guns, Less Crime." I have just finished, and it was by far the best gun book I have ever read.
Buffalo ought to implement moderate gun laws, and the crime rate would be one less reason for people to leave Buffalo.
Anyway, some tables.
That is a huge disparity Buffalo vs Vegas in nearly every category.
The Vegas crime index shows a steady increase and I wonder if that correlates to an influx of illegals.
That is a huge disparity Buffalo vs Vegas in nearly every category.
The Vegas crime index shows a steady increase and I wonder if that correlates to an influx of illegals.
Could just be too much growth. People follow the boom towns, and when they aren't immediately successful, they steal cars.
One thing to notice is that you are twice as likely to be murdered in Buffalo as in LV. I guess murderers just like to go after people who have been denied their constitutional right to keep and bear arms. I mean, if you were out to murder someone, who you pick the guy who you know doesn't have a gun, or the guy who you know carries his pistol everywhere he goes?
The facts speak for themselves. Gun control kills.
We need to encourage more gun ownership in Buffalo, so as to decrease the murder rate. At this pace everyone who doesn't move out of Buffalo because they want to, will end up murdered, because of the Liberal Democrats propensity for gun control.
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