Buffalo vs shreveport (New Orleans, Bossier City, Clarence: section 8, violent crime, tenants)

[cynthia1999]

We have to make a decision on a new job both similar- one is in Shrevepot and the other is in buffalo, NY, Does anyone have any experience with these two locations? Thanks!

[SBCmetroguy]

Only Shreveport ... never been to Buffalo! I could tell you all about Shreveport, but I have no idea how they compare. Sorry!

[hindsight2020]

My roomate in officer training was from Syracuse and went to school in Buffalo. I've visited Buffalo once, but what he said checks with the general outlook I got as a tourist (which perhaps isn't much). At any rate, I would say they are similar in some respects yet diametrically opposed in others.

The biggest difference is the weather and culture. Southern city in a poor state or lake-effect ridden city in a somewhat economically depressed part of New England. Your pick. Depending on your line of work, weather might affect your livelihood. The winter in Buffalo is no joke. Biggest complaint is the number of overcast days (i.e. no sunlight, i.e. winter blues) and of course the amount of snowfall, which is substantial due to lake effect. Shreveport is humid and rather hot in the summers, but has no appreciable winter, snowfall is non-existent and accumulation is not on the vocabulary here. So if you 'miss' winters, particularly the New england kind, Buffalo is your place. We hate any form of winter, hence why we love living down here. Number of sunny days far exceeds that of Buffalo, and precipitation is sub-tropical at times, meaning it is mainly strong but quick followed by no kidding daylight, versus northern fronts in Buffalo that tend to be low pressure systems that hang out forever (hence the lack of sunny days). Summers in Buffalo are also hot and humid (to a lesser extent) but shorter than Shreveport so that is also to consider. It is safe to say that your lifestyle will be substantially different whether you live in Shreveport or Buffalo, that is how contrasting the weather is between the two.

Cost of living in Buffalo is lower than other areas of New England, particularly those common suspects like NYC or Boston and company. That said, Shreveport has a lower cost of living than Buffalo. It would be safe to say that even with a lower salary offer in Shreveport, you'd end up making more down here after you normalize for cost of living and taxes.

Now for the similarities. Crime is not good in Shreveport, and it's not any better in Buffalo. A quick browsing of the Louisiana forum and you'll find that people consider Shreveport to be a "block by block" affair...meaning you can't stay in one block of the town and say "this area is good" because all it takes is for you to drive a couple blocks in any direction and the scene changes, sometimes dramatically. It is a nuisance to not be able to generally label areas as safe or not, but it is what it is. Shreveport has Bossier City adjoining to the east of the river, and they are the same metro area for all practical purposes. There has been white flight into the suburbs of Bossier City, and we could debate the merits of such dynamics, but as it pertains to this thread, that's the racial trend here. If you go to Buffalo, you'll hear the EXACT same complaint in this regard, "block to block". So I don't think you have any appreciable comparative advantage between the two regarding crime, and both leave something to be desired. We accept the crime in shreveport for the economic and cultural reasons that define the place and use our common sense and stay out of areas where violent crime would be a possibility. Petty crime is the biggest nuisance even in nice areas, in my experience it has been a little more frequent than sporadic, so we manage. My roomate from OTS shares a little more dramatic of an experience since he worked part-time at an area hospital in Buffalo, and relates the frequency of stabbings, shootings and general crime in Buffalo; I'm sure if I worked at LSUS here I would be of a similar mind when it comes to Shreveport. So that's crime.

I can't speak of the schools in Buffalo, and I don't have kids, but from what I hear the schools in Shreveport are not good, but some are great (the magnet program..which is basically a charter school, competitive-based entrance..and connection-based entrance according to some in town..but I don't have a dog in that fight), bossier city schools are similar although most argue they are better.

So in the end it comes down to the lifestyle choices you wish for yourself. Both cities will effectively make you adapt to the weather and that will define your lifestyle so choose accordingly. Crime is a wash (though not the best) as I said and school-wise I can't say. good luck

[cynthia1999]

Thanks, SBC13metroguy and hindsigh2020.

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by cynthia1999

Thanks, SBC13metroguy and hindsigh2020.

Hey where did the 13 come from? lol

Anyway, I did absolutely nothing to help you so don't thank me. I WISH I could have, but afvter hindsight's post ... no one can top that. Great post, hindsight!!

[notasmoker]

Hi, there- My perspective is that I spent half of my life in Louisiana (born & raised in New Orleans, which I realize is different from Shreveport) and am spending the next half in Rochester (Western NY, an hour away from Buffalo). Western NY is NOT really considered "New England." It is very near Niagara Falls & Ontario, Canada (easy drive to Toronto). Compared to Rochester, Buffalo is considered more "blue collar." I have well-educated inlaws who live there (Clarence) & like it a lot. I think your happiness quotient in comparing Shreveport vs. Buffalo would depend on where you are from & what you are used to. NY state has high taxes (property, gas, sales, income, etc.), but better public schools & public services than Louisiana, in my experience. The weather is manageable because the municipalities are prepared for it. But if you really hate cold weather, western NY is not for you. Likewise, if you really hate heat & humidity & flying cockroaches like I do, Louisiana is not for you. Summers, falls & what little spring time we have are all very nice. I would not say people are smarter up here than they are in Louisiana but perhaps better educated. Although there is some racial tension in western NY, there is much more in Louisiana. You should try to spend some time in both locales & go with your instincts. I live here because I work in public education & the education system- and pay- in NY state is infinitely better than in Louisiana (I worked in the LA public school system too). Good luck!

[hindsight2020]

Well, about racism in NY........Granted, my roomate was also white, but we both agreed that to attribute more racism to the south from a northener's perspective is a bit disingenuous, primarily due to race density. "New England" racism exists, the only difference is that its apparent prevalence is shadowed under the fact that there are considerably less black people in western NY than in any Southeastern city. So I would not offer "tokenism" as an effective solution to dealing with race issues. It is also relevant to point out that racism in New England hinges on economic status as a function of race, whereas in the South race has been traditionally a social currency. That is to say white new englanders are more tolerant to interacial relationships so long as economically the white person is well-off (rich black) whereas in the south no amount of money will appease their opposition. My best friend is from Boston, and of Haitian decent, so he is my source document on that. BTW his formal education is sociology and works in the Boston area, so that's as "up his alley" as it gets. He always chuckles at people from Maine, always arguing there's hardly any racism there. Yeah,[he argues] that's because there's NO black people there. I've found this to be true to an extent in the Midwest (Indiana) where I pursued graduate studies; there was an air of easiness when it came to race relations, easiness that I admit do not enjoy down here in Louisiana, but it dawns on me in hindsight that the only reason that was the case is that there were really no black people to speak of, on a race density measure. So by that measure I can't say people in Indiana are not racist; as documented by an increase in distaste from the local populace by the migration of previous section 8 tenants in southeast Chicago (Cabrini Green and the like) who've been displaced by the city's attempt at gentrifying the place, and effectively priced them out of the area, to cities of NW Indiana.

The point I wanted to make with that observation is that I wouldn't be spring loaded to offer up Buffalo as an alternative to Shreveport under the reasoning of "less racial tensions". Let's be fair and call a spade a spade. Let's be genuine and say Buffalo has less black people, therefore less racial tensions, not 'Buffalo has less racial tensions, and gee ain't it nice coincidence we also happen to have less black people', that just fails in logic.

As to Buffalo and New England, I don't know what the specifics are of western NY and what comes to people's mind about the term NE that they like to dissasociate themselves from, but taxes are high (quacks like a duck), weather is New Englander (walks like a duck) and Buffalo ain't Ohio, which actually holds an argument for trying to claim Midwestern status, so NE will have to do, Canada hasn't claimed them yet. TC

[notasmoker]

All good points!

[Alpharetta123]

Originally Posted by hindsight2020

Well, about racism in NY........Granted, my roomate was also white, but we both agreed that to attribute more racism to the south from a northener's perspective is a bit disingenuous, primarily due to race density. "New England" racism exists, the only difference is that its apparent prevalence is shadowed under the fact that there are considerably less black people in western NY than in any Southeastern city. So I would not offer "tokenism" as an effective solution to dealing with race issues. It is also relevant to point out that racism in New England hinges on economic status as a function of race, whereas in the South race has been traditionally a social currency. That is to say white new englanders are more tolerant to interacial relationships so long as economically the white person is well-off (rich black) whereas in the south no amount of money will appease their opposition. My best friend is from Boston, and of Haitian decent, so he is my source document on that. BTW his formal education is sociology and works in the Boston area, so that's as "up his alley" as it gets. He always chuckles at people from Maine, always arguing there's hardly any racism there. Yeah,[he argues] that's because there's NO black people there. I've found this to be true to an extent in the Midwest (Indiana) where I pursued graduate studies; there was an air of easiness when it came to race relations, easiness that I admit do not enjoy down here in Louisiana, but it dawns on me in hindsight that the only reason that was the case is that there were really no black people to speak of, on a race density measure. So by that measure I can't say people in Indiana are not racist; as documented by an increase in distaste from the local populace by the migration of previous section 8 tenants in southeast Chicago (Cabrini Green and the like) who've been displaced by the city's attempt at gentrifying the place, and effectively priced them out of the area, to cities of NW Indiana.

The point I wanted to make with that observation is that I wouldn't be spring loaded to offer up Buffalo as an alternative to Shreveport under the reasoning of "less racial tensions". Let's be fair and call a spade a spade. Let's be genuine and say Buffalo has less black people, therefore less racial tensions, not 'Buffalo has less racial tensions, and gee ain't it nice coincidence we also happen to have less black people', that just fails in logic.

As to Buffalo and New England, I don't know what the specifics are of western NY and what comes to people's mind about the term NE that they like to dissasociate themselves from, but taxes are high (quacks like a duck), weather is New Englander (walks like a duck) and Buffalo ain't Ohio, which actually holds an argument for trying to claim Midwestern status, so NE will have to do, Canada hasn't claimed them yet. TC

Huh?
I grew up in Buffalo. Lived there for 25 years.
Buffalo= New England? This is the first time I've ever heard that. It's definitely Western New York; on the Canadian border. You'll have to argue that point with Buffalo's residents. At least a seven hour drive from New York City. Approximately 54% White, 37% African American.
As far as tolerance to IR unions, the southern area I live in is no different from the New England you speak of. Upper-income communities are quite tolerant of IR relationships where I live. In the land of the McMansion, where I reside, the only color the neighbors care about around here is $$green$$.

[alligatorboy]

I haven't been to either of these places, but I would say Shreveport would be my pick. All I can about Buffalo is that hope you like snow, because they have A LOT of that up there(64-128 inches a year). Needless to say, winter isn't for wimps.
From what I have heard, Shreveport has very mild weather, with their average lows in the 30s or 40s. Snow is rare in Louisiana, which is probably true of Shreveport, too. According to Weather Almanac, a measurable snowfall only occurs once every other year, and they may go years without a measurable snowfall.