charming historic village near Buffalo? (New York, Rochester: houses, restaurants, shops)

[hfiss]

Might be relocating from New England to Buffalo. What are the best small towns with old houses and some charm? Is there such a thing? I've seen a lot of these cute towns outside Syracuse and Rochester. So I'm hoping Buffalo is similar.

[jblake78728]

IMO East Aurora & Hamburg (as well as Orchard Park though their downtown area is much smaller & less busy than the other 2) are about the closest you will get to a New England town in the Buffalo metro area. All have small town charm with clean vintage looking downtown areas that remind me of towns in Vermont & New Hampshire. In the summer they are bustling with people in the shops & restaurants. Williamsville also kind of fits this category but it is also more expensive. Amherst is nice & full of charm but has a little more urban feel than the Southtowns.

[Canerican]

I don't think you'll find quintessential New England, like Vermont, Eastern New York, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts, there are little towns with nice old houses, but these tend to be a little hickish, very much unlike the small towns in Vermont or Southern Maine. You won't find the pastures or rolling hills that makes Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire so beautiful, but with some luck I think you can find some nice land and a nice area. I would honestly look north of the city at Olcott, or Sanborn, or else look south at Boston, East Collins, or Springville.

The immediate suburbs of Buffalo (Amherst, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, Hamburg), as well as the city are VERY midwestern, not New England at all. Buffalo doesn't have nice outdoor shopping districts like Saratoga Springs, Burlington, or Springfield does (which is a staple of NE). I think that you might find that the more Southern parts (Springville or Boston would remind you of Vermont)

Good luck, let us know how it goes.