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Old 05-31-2018, 10:00 AM
 
Location: Flahrida
6,275 posts, read 4,758,955 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod View Post
I'd say that Buffalo is affordable, in general, as its cost of living can be lower than many Southern areas of a similar size. I'd say that it has a stronger Canadian connection due to literally being able to cross a bridge, on foot if you want to, from the city of Buffalo into Canada(Fort Erie Ontario): https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9065...6!9m2!1b1!2i38
What bridge are you referring to? I passed over the Peace (Piece) Bridge Yesterday and there is NO pedestrian sidewalk. It has been closed since 2017 and will remain so until 2019 at least, people are shuttled across in vans. What is there to do in Fort Erie? The Fort and a few remaining Chinese restaurants. Most everything has closed due to needing a passport to cross and indeterminable bridge delays. When was the last time you crossed the bridge?
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Old 05-31-2018, 11:14 AM
 
91,948 posts, read 122,044,192 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thundarr457 View Post
What bridge are you referring to? I passed over the Peace (Piece) Bridge Yesterday and there is NO pedestrian sidewalk. It has been closed since 2017 and will remain so until 2019 at least, people are shuttled across in vans. What is there to do in Fort Erie? The Fort and a few remaining Chinese restaurants. Most everything has closed due to needing a passport to cross and indeterminable bridge delays. When was the last time you crossed the bridge?
You mean that Sidewalk Closed sign that you can see in the street view? My point is about the closer proximity to Canada for Buffalo, in comparison.

I also think most people that live close to Canada know that you need a passport or an enhanced driver’s license, unless you have neither and it is tough getting back across the border.

As for Fort Erie: Fort Erie, Ontario - Tourism
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Old 05-31-2018, 08:34 PM
 
Location: Flahrida
6,275 posts, read 4,758,955 times
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There is no sidewalk until 2019. Knowing and having those documents are 2 different things. There is nothing to do in Ft Erie, it died after the 9/11 inspired restrictions. We used to zip over to Ming Teh back in the day.

https://www.niagarathisweek.com/comm...e-restaurants/
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Old 06-01-2018, 07:20 AM
 
91,948 posts, read 122,044,192 times
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^Ok, that doesn’t negate the point that was initially made.

Individuals will decide if Fort Erie is worth it or not.

Anyway, given what has been mentioned in the thread, a very good case has been made for strongly considering the Buffalo opportunity. Hopefully, the OP will actually return to thread.
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Old 06-01-2018, 09:55 AM
 
Location: Flahrida
6,275 posts, read 4,758,955 times
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Ft Erie had 3 things, Bingo, the Racino and Chinese Restaurants. The Casino closed, Bingo is nowhere near as popular and the Chinese restaurants are nothing like their heyday. Ft Erie depended heavily on US business which has dried up since 9/11. We used to go to Ft Erie all the time, after 9/11 almost never. The huge bridge delays killed any interest we had. I lived in Buffalo and passed through Ft Erie 4x/week and I am very familiar with it. My dad was in a facility there for many years.

Last edited by Thundarr457; 06-01-2018 at 10:19 AM..
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Old 06-01-2018, 09:40 PM
 
91,948 posts, read 122,044,192 times
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In terms of the bar, this the location in Buffalo for NYS exam: https://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/bar-exam/

In terms of amusement parks, these are nearby: https://darienlake.com
Fantasy Island - Amusement Park, Grand Island New York (smaller, more old school)
Marineland Canada
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Old 06-08-2018, 02:22 PM
 
13 posts, read 16,049 times
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Buffalo vs Seattle
Your ages immediately scream Seattle. Buffalo's younger crowd is leaving in droves. Seattle is much more aligned with your age group. The number of things to do in the Seattle area is amazing. Seattle is a real city to Buffalo's small town feel. Before I moved back to Buffalo in 2005 I took my family on several trips to show them the area. My wife and daughter weren't thrilled. Making things worse on each trip the weather was not good. Buffalo in the rain in a new arrival's eyes is not good. Seattle on the other hand seems to look great in crappy weather or in great weather. Don't believe it when you hear how much it rains here. The great thing about the PNW is when the weather is nice there may be no prettier place in the country. There are some very pretty outlying areas around Buffalo too.



We lived in Amherst/Snyder&Williamsville. Extremely safe. As a teen I was downtown a lot and never thought twice. This last time around I was hesitant to let my daughter go to some of the venues she wanted to go. Seattle has its own problems. If your wondering around downtown it's extremely likely that you'll run into a homeless or tweaker asking you for money. Seattle seems to have the highest number of homeless around the country. That's exploded too since we lived here 20 years ago. I'm sure in part it's the moderate weather but the city officials can't help themselves. They think by offering benefits to homeless and tweakers that will solve the problem. Instead all they've done is attract more of the problem. If you're able to ignore that problem then Seattle is a thousand more times attractive than Buffalo.


Unfortunately, many people see Seattle as very attractive too. Jobs pay better, but things cost more, and traffic is horrendous. If you live outside of downtown and work downtown the drive in can take hours on a bad day, hours! Mass transit, what little there is can help. In Buffalo, you can be anywhere in 20 minutes. That's a quote. It holds up pretty well too. The Buffalo airport is extremely easy, but flights in and out are more expensive because it's Buffalo. Just kidding, it's because Buffalo must be a final stop. Seattle airport is efficient but if coming from north of the city that traffic problem can get in the way.



Housing, this really depends on your preferences. Buffalo, yes, houses are less expensive, much less, but the taxes there are outrageous. At the time we lived there the house we lived in was worth around $120K with an annual tax bill of $4800+. In defense of Buffalo, really Amherst, is that for that money they do provide some great service. The police made the area very safe. The schools are very good. The parks and pools are nice too. Oh yeah, on trash day you can put anything on the curb, anything. Here in the Seattle suburbs homes are pricey, very close, and all look alike. As far as taxes, the rates are low but the number is high because the homes assess at high values. Considering that Washington state doesn't have an income tax you'd think they'd try to rake you with property taxes. Oh yeah, New York state is in the top three as far as taxing ya! I mean in all ways. Another negative, I guess depending on your position, is that the homes in the Buffalo area hardly increase in value. Homes in our area have increased more quickly than most of the country if not the most. As an example, the Buffalo homes we lived in increased maybe 10K in the eight years we were there, not very much. Here our home is worth $200K more than we bought it for 5 years ago. We may have lucked out with our timing, but this will afford us the opportunity to move back east and buy outright land to build on. Oh BTW, we had two of the worst landlords we ever had in Buffalo. Crooks with a capital C.



Now let me touch on the people. When we lived in Buffalo, every time we had guests from out of town we were asked the same thing, why are these people so ugly? I don't know why they just are. Buffalo is supposed to be the city of neighbors and it may have been at one time, but even those I've asked about that who lived there all their lives have told me that's untrue. I still think in time of crisis I'd rather be in the Buffalo area, In Seattle, maybe because it's a more transient city or something else, it's a much more cold city as far as the people. They even have a term for it here, The PNW freeze. In Buffalo overall there seemed to be an edge to some folks. Having said that Buffalo is still held together more closely because religion plays a large part in most lives there, certainly more so than Seattle. Fish-fry Friday is everywhere in Buffalo. Large Catholic and Jewish populations there.



My biggest complaint about Seattle, the traffic. When we lived here years ago we would frequent downtown a lot. Nowadays you nearly have to put a gun to my head to make me drive downtown. The people here drive like they're stoned. The left lane is the camping lane. Rubber necking is a major culprit as far as traffic backups. Another is the lack of ability to merge. I don't know if it's passive-aggressive driving or whatever it's called, they don't merge, so backups entail. If it were not for the traffic my wife and I would stay here, forever. It's so pretty and there is so much to do. But the city that hooked us so many years ago is increasingly difficult to get in and out of. We tend to go north and east, and even to the peninsula, taking advantage of the wilderness around here. If nature is your thing don't even think twice. The PNW is by far the most beautiful. And that's all right in your backyard and easy to get to, maybe not as easy in tourist season.


My biggest complaint about Buffalo, the government. I mean that in several ways. I blame the local and state governments for the current state of affairs. If you drive down most any commercial street in Buffalo you'll see many businesses have closed and nothing has filled its spot. I think the area has way too many corrupt officials looking for their cut. For several years Buffalo worked on attracting some big businesses to improve the waterfront. They all fell through because the right palms weren't getting greased. That all makes for an unattractive area. Add in New York's knee-jerk reaction to shootings elsewhere and government overreach to me was enough reason to move. Oh another thing, you're an attorney, don't move there unless you are tops in your field. There is a glut of attorneys in the WNY area. Just saying.


Favorite thing about Buffalo, there are several. The weather in Buffalo gets a bad rap. Yes, the winter seems to go on forever. But come spring and then summer, followed by fall, are all season of great beautiful weather. Plus the fact Buffalo is not in any natural disaster plane, whereas in Seattle is always under threat from earthquakes. We've experienced minor as well as one really good earthquake while living here, and we're always under threat of the "big" one with any of the mountains around here. Another thing about Buffalo that brings a smile to my face is the food. While not as plentiful as the options here in Seattle, what they have there can be very good if you know where to look. Make reservations or plan to wait on weekends. The cost of living in Buffalo is nice too when compared to anywhere. Just an example, our water bill in Buffalo averaged about $65 every three months. Here we pay at least $120 every month, no matter if I use a drop or not. We've paid as high as $175 in the summer months when we hadn't had a drop of rain for 90 days straight and needed to water the grass.


My kid is about your age. She eventually ended up loving the Buffalo area. She kind of grew up there, graduated from UB. When we proposed moving back to Seattle she wasn't thrilled. That's changed since moving back and I think that it's fair to say she's happier here. She has fond memories of Buffalo but she'll never move back. Her eye is always on Manhattan. But Seattle is vibrant enough that I think even her deepest desire to move to NYC is quelled or quenched some. Brain fart can't think of the right word there.


Hopefully, I've touched on something that mattered to you. If not let me know what want me to hear about.

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Old 06-08-2018, 03:08 PM
 
91,948 posts, read 122,044,192 times
Reputation: 18130
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_monster View Post
Buffalo vs Seattle
Your ages immediately scream Seattle. Buffalo's younger crowd is leaving in droves. Seattle is much more aligned with your age group. The number of things to do in the Seattle area is amazing. Seattle is a real city to Buffalo's small town feel. Before I moved back to Buffalo in 2005 I took my family on several trips to show them the area. My wife and daughter weren't thrilled. Making things worse on each trip the weather was not good. Buffalo in the rain in a new arrival's eyes is not good. Seattle on the other hand seems to look great in crappy weather or in great weather. Don't believe it when you hear how much it rains here. The great thing about the PNW is when the weather is nice there may be no prettier place in the country. There are some very pretty outlying areas around Buffalo too.



We lived in Amherst/Snyder&Williamsville. Extremely safe. As a teen I was downtown a lot and never thought twice. This last time around I was hesitant to let my daughter go to some of the venues she wanted to go. Seattle has its own problems. If your wondering around downtown it's extremely likely that you'll run into a homeless or tweaker asking you for money. Seattle seems to have the highest number of homeless around the country. That's exploded too since we lived here 20 years ago. I'm sure in part it's the moderate weather but the city officials can't help themselves. They think by offering benefits to homeless and tweakers that will solve the problem. Instead all they've done is attract more of the problem. If you're able to ignore that problem then Seattle is a thousand more times attractive than Buffalo.


Unfortunately, many people see Seattle as very attractive too. Jobs pay better, but things cost more, and traffic is horrendous. If you live outside of downtown and work downtown the drive in can take hours on a bad day, hours! Mass transit, what little there is can help. In Buffalo, you can be anywhere in 20 minutes. That's a quote. It holds up pretty well too. The Buffalo airport is extremely easy, but flights in and out are more expensive because it's Buffalo. Just kidding, it's because Buffalo must be a final stop. Seattle airport is efficient but if coming from north of the city that traffic problem can get in the way.



Housing, this really depends on your preferences. Buffalo, yes, houses are less expensive, much less, but the taxes there are outrageous. At the time we lived there the house we lived in was worth around $120K with an annual tax bill of $4800+. In defense of Buffalo, really Amherst, is that for that money they do provide some great service. The police made the area very safe. The schools are very good. The parks and pools are nice too. Oh yeah, on trash day you can put anything on the curb, anything. Here in the Seattle suburbs homes are pricey, very close, and all look alike. As far as taxes, the rates are low but the number is high because the homes assess at high values. Considering that Washington state doesn't have an income tax you'd think they'd try to rake you with property taxes. Oh yeah, New York state is in the top three as far as taxing ya! I mean in all ways. Another negative, I guess depending on your position, is that the homes in the Buffalo area hardly increase in value. Homes in our area have increased more quickly than most of the country if not the most. As an example, the Buffalo homes we lived in increased maybe 10K in the eight years we were there, not very much. Here our home is worth $200K more than we bought it for 5 years ago. We may have lucked out with our timing, but this will afford us the opportunity to move back east and buy outright land to build on. Oh BTW, we had two of the worst landlords we ever had in Buffalo. Crooks with a capital C.



Now let me touch on the people. When we lived in Buffalo, every time we had guests from out of town we were asked the same thing, why are these people so ugly? I don't know why they just are. Buffalo is supposed to be the city of neighbors and it may have been at one time, but even those I've asked about that who lived there all their lives have told me that's untrue. I still think in time of crisis I'd rather be in the Buffalo area, In Seattle, maybe because it's a more transient city or something else, it's a much more cold city as far as the people. They even have a term for it here, The PNW freeze. In Buffalo overall there seemed to be an edge to some folks. Having said that Buffalo is still held together more closely because religion plays a large part in most lives there, certainly more so than Seattle. Fish-fry Friday is everywhere in Buffalo. Large Catholic and Jewish populations there.



My biggest complaint about Seattle, the traffic. When we lived here years ago we would frequent downtown a lot. Nowadays you nearly have to put a gun to my head to make me drive downtown. The people here drive like they're stoned. The left lane is the camping lane. Rubber necking is a major culprit as far as traffic backups. Another is the lack of ability to merge. I don't know if it's passive-aggressive driving or whatever it's called, they don't merge, so backups entail. If it were not for the traffic my wife and I would stay here, forever. It's so pretty and there is so much to do. But the city that hooked us so many years ago is increasingly difficult to get in and out of. We tend to go north and east, and even to the peninsula, taking advantage of the wilderness around here. If nature is your thing don't even think twice. The PNW is by far the most beautiful. And that's all right in your backyard and easy to get to, maybe not as easy in tourist season.


My biggest complaint about Buffalo, the government. I mean that in several ways. I blame the local and state governments for the current state of affairs. If you drive down most any commercial street in Buffalo you'll see many businesses have closed and nothing has filled its spot. I think the area has way too many corrupt officials looking for their cut. For several years Buffalo worked on attracting some big businesses to improve the waterfront. They all fell through because the right palms weren't getting greased. That all makes for an unattractive area. Add in New York's knee-jerk reaction to shootings elsewhere and government overreach to me was enough reason to move. Oh another thing, you're an attorney, don't move there unless you are tops in your field. There is a glut of attorneys in the WNY area. Just saying.


Favorite thing about Buffalo, there are several. The weather in Buffalo gets a bad rap. Yes, the winter seems to go on forever. But come spring and then summer, followed by fall, are all season of great beautiful weather. Plus the fact Buffalo is not in any natural disaster plane, whereas in Seattle is always under threat from earthquakes. We've experienced minor as well as one really good earthquake while living here, and we're always under threat of the "big" one with any of the mountains around here. Another thing about Buffalo that brings a smile to my face is the food. While not as plentiful as the options here in Seattle, what they have there can be very good if you know where to look. Make reservations or plan to wait on weekends. The cost of living in Buffalo is nice too when compared to anywhere. Just an example, our water bill in Buffalo averaged about $65 every three months. Here we pay at least $120 every month, no matter if I use a drop or not. We've paid as high as $175 in the summer months when we hadn't had a drop of rain for 90 days straight and needed to water the grass.


My kid is about your age. She eventually ended up loving the Buffalo area. She kind of grew up there, graduated from UB. When we proposed moving back to Seattle she wasn't thrilled. That's changed since moving back and I think that it's fair to say she's happier here. She has fond memories of Buffalo but she'll never move back. Her eye is always on Manhattan. But Seattle is vibrant enough that I think even her deepest desire to move to NYC is quelled or quenched some. Brain fart can't think of the right word there.


Hopefully, I've touched on something that mattered to you. If not let me know what want me to hear about.
Actually that isn’t true about young people leaving Buffalo: https://www.buffalorising.com/2017/0...ls-are-moving/

New ranking says Buffalo’s a good spot for millennials, mostly due to affordability – The Buffalo News

Study finds Buffalo succeeding in attracting millennials | WBFO


In terms of housing: https://www.nahb.org/-/media/Sites/N...3A67308305DC2F

Source: https://www.nahb.org/en/research/hou...ity-index.aspx
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Old 06-08-2018, 04:41 PM
 
13 posts, read 16,049 times
Reputation: 20
Just before we left there 5 years ago there was an article saying the opposite. So now that's changed? It's probably more of an attempt to save the area. Sure it's more affordable but as I said you're taxed heavily there. In another link I just saw a few minutes ago of the listing of the top 50 cities people were leaving, every other city you'd think of was listed, strangely Buffalo wasn't. Rochester, Syracuse, Cleveland, etc all listed in a list that always includes Buffalo. So again I'd find that recent change suspect and more of a advertisement campaign like the one NEw York state has done for the past several years trying to coax business back to the state. Other than the low cost of living I couldn't imagine any great attractions, fiscally any how. Pay in Buffalo doesn't scream come here.
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Old 06-08-2018, 04:48 PM
 
91,948 posts, read 122,044,192 times
Reputation: 18130
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_monster View Post
Just before we left there 5 years ago there was an article saying the opposite. So now that's changed? It's probably more of an attempt to save the area. Sure it's more affordable but as I said you're taxed heavily there. In another link I just saw a few minutes ago of the listing of the top 50 cities people were leaving, every other city you'd think of was listed, strangely Buffalo wasn't. Rochester, Syracuse, Cleveland, etc all listed in a list that always includes Buffalo. So again I'd find that recent change suspect and more of a advertisement campaign like the one NEw York state has done for the past several years trying to coax business back to the state. Other than the low cost of living I couldn't imagine any great attractions, fiscally any how. Pay in Buffalo doesn't scream come here.
It has been going on for a while and all of those cities/areas are not always lumped together in said lists. There has been a shift in terms of population losses and keep in mind that Buffalo is across the Niagara River from Canada’s largest population concentration. So, there is plenty in the surrounding area.
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