Dunkirk or Fredonia NY (New York, Buffalo: real estate, property taxes, apartment)

[giffman]

I was in Dunkirk last week visiting familiy. Aside from the new doughnut shop by the lake, I haven't seen much change. I'm not saying Dunkirk is a dangerous place just very very depressed. It's been going down hill ever since I can remember. For example, I spent most of my summers as a youth swimming at the JFK pool in Wright Park. It used to be a great place to hang out. Look at it now.

[itSmellsBAD]

I'll be heading down there next week. I'll post some photos of the trash on the streets, the spanish gangs of unemployed losers hanging out on the street corner dealing drugs and drinking malt liquor, the worst polluting coal fired power plant in the entire USA, the strip bars in Fredonia, the drunk college kids smoking pot and urinating right in front of the bars, etc. I suggest you pay this area a visit before you move here. As far as population growth, the only people moving into this area are those on Public Assistance. Pay us a visit and PM before you come here. I'll give you a tour of the area that no real estate agent (crook) would ever give you.

[oktaren]

Originally Posted by itSmellsBAD

I'll be heading down there next week. I'll post some photos of the trash on the streets, the spanish gangs of unemployed losers hanging out on the street corner dealing drugs and drinking malt liquor, the worst polluting coal fired power plant in the entire USA, the strip bars in Fredonia, the drunk college kids smoking pot and urinating right in front of the bars, etc. I suggest you pay this area a visit before you move here. As far as population growth, the only people moving into this area are those on Public Assistance. Pay us a visit and PM before you come here. I'll give you a tour of the area that no real estate agent (crook) would ever give you.

Haha, you are funny. i could post pictures of crap on any town or village you give me. It isn't hard. Honestly though, most people around the area are conservative in nature and would rather you do what you do and keep people away. They like the quaint innocence of the area. If everyone were like me and telling them it was a great place, a crapload of people may move there and it would be the next 'cranberry, pa'

So where is the perfect place you are living in? I'll go post some pictures of your crap too...

Also, I'm not a real estate agent. I'm a GIS analyst, a little different But thanks for the compliment.

[oktaren]

Originally Posted by giffman

I was in Dunkirk last week visiting familiy. Aside from the new doughnut shop by the lake, I haven't seen much change. I'm not saying Dunkirk is a dangerous place just very very depressed. It's been going down hill ever since I can remember. For example, I spent most of my summers as a youth swimming at the JFK pool in Wright Park. It used to be a great place to hang out. Look at it now.

Well, there is the Tim Hortons, there is also the groundbreaking of the new college-business incubator, there is the 2nd and Washington St factory building that is being converted to loft apartments. A walgreens just came in. A few more restaurants and businesses have come to vineyard drive, which is dunkirk, if you had forgotten.

Those are just the things I could think of off the top of my head, and this is all just in the past month or two. There is plenty more...

Also, what is wrong the wright park? its a very nice park. no one used the swimming pool anymore. It hadn't been used in years and years. They decided to change that part of the park into something the kids would actually use, a skatepark. Nothing wrong with change throughout the times. Might as well have something there that someone will use. I have never skateboarded in my life, but I can appreciate having things to do for the kids in the area. Most people would think this is a positive.

Oh there is also the boardwalk near the pier and the lake that will hold 8-12 seasonal businesses including water sport rentals.

[angelgal3176]

Obviously if you had once lived here, you don't live here anymore. It's true that Dunkirk is thought of as worse than Fredonia---but I'm more likely to drive down the street or even stay over night at a house there than I am in say Jamestown. And the hospital is there too, don't forget!

Fredonia only has ONE strip club, and it is NOT a bar---the reason, if you knew your facts, that it IS a strip club is because the owner opened it up in protest of NOT being able to get a liquor license!

Dunkirk is BEAUTIFUL. It has the lake and, yes MANY growing businesses. I've lived here my whole life, including a short stint in Dunkirk as a kid, and the only reason why we won't move to Dunkirk from Fredonia is because we don't want to take our daughter out of the school she's been in since kindergarten until we make our big move---a move I'm only making because we are going to relocate to where my husband is from. He's not from around here, but he seems quite happy with the area!!!

I'm sorry you have such negative memories of the area. I hope you're eventually able to see things around here in a different light, because you are giving people some really bad information!!!!!

Originally Posted by itSmellsBAD

I'll be heading down there next week. I'll post some photos of the trash on the streets, the spanish gangs of unemployed losers hanging out on the street corner dealing drugs and drinking malt liquor, the worst polluting coal fired power plant in the entire USA, the strip bars in Fredonia, the drunk college kids smoking pot and urinating right in front of the bars, etc. I suggest you pay this area a visit before you move here. As far as population growth, the only people moving into this area are those on Public Assistance. Pay us a visit and PM before you come here. I'll give you a tour of the area that no real estate agent (crook) would ever give you.

[jess**]

Originally Posted by itSmellsBAD

Fredonia is a college town right next to Dunkirk which is a ghetto. Spanish is the language you will need to learn in Dunkirk. Coal Fired power plant right on the lake that is one of the dirtiest in the entire USA. They were sued by the State of NY over pollution. Very old 1940's power plant that dominates the waterfront. It looks horrible. NRG owns it so do a google on NRG DUNKIRK POLLUTION.

Taxes in NY and Fredonia are like nothing you've ever seen in your life. The house sale prices are misleading as you will get killed in taxes. Fredonia is a college town with lots of bars and nice homes. Party town with all the problems that go with it. Dunkirk is right next to it and has trash all over the streets, Spanish gangs, drug dealers etc. Why you'd want to move here is beyond me. Everyone else is moving away except the illegals.

**For one dunkirk is not a GHETTO! I have lived in dunkirk and it is nothing like eveyone thinks it is. it does not have trash all over the streets, i know i used to walk them...and actually the drug dealers live in fredonia...thats where the dunkirk people go to for their dugs. The college kids do more drugs than anyone oculd think of. And people are moving away because they are sick of the small towns with nothing to do.

[jess**]

Originally Posted by angelgal3176

Obviously if you had once lived here, you don't live here anymore. It's true that Dunkirk is thought of as worse than Fredonia---but I'm more likely to drive down the street or even stay over night at a house there than I am in say Jamestown. And the hospital is there too, don't forget!

Fredonia only has ONE strip club, and it is NOT a bar---the reason, if you knew your facts, that it IS a strip club is because the owner opened it up in protest of NOT being able to get a liquor license!

Dunkirk is BEAUTIFUL. It has the lake and, yes MANY growing businesses. I've lived here my whole life, including a short stint in Dunkirk as a kid, and the only reason why we won't move to Dunkirk from Fredonia is because we don't want to take our daughter out of the school she's been in since kindergarten until we make our big move---a move I'm only making because we are going to relocate to where my husband is from. He's not from around here, but he seems quite happy with the area!!!

I'm sorry you have such negative memories of the area. I hope you're eventually able to see things around here in a different light, because you are giving people some really bad information!!!!!

thats silly, we all know that it is illegal to **** in public, the cops are always down town every night. we have a total of like 9 bars down there that people go to. and mostly they are older people going out to have a few with the couple... There is no trash on the streets...thats obsered. and its also illegal to drink in public. i think you should stop making things up because this is a very nice place to live!

[WILWRadio]

Dunkirk and Fredonia is not nearly as bad as a few of these people have made it out to be. Over the last few years I've spent a fair amount of time in that area doing hands on research of the place as a potential place to locate a small business (proprietorship) and to reside.

Dunkirk is a bit gritty and clearly a working class community but I don't recall seeing much garbage in the streets or marauding youth gangs on the streets at all hours of the day and night. Taxes are a bit high and the housing stock is old and yes, you will be able to buy a cheap house but you will have to spend a little money to fix it up. The coal fired power plant appears to be the biggest problem in the area. It does create a lot of pollution in the areas immediately surrounding it and this could present a problem for some people that have breathing problems. And yes, the local beach was rated as one of the dirtiest in the country.

But there are a number of positive aspects as well. People are pretty friendly or at least cordial. I don't think I've ever encountered a single rude or obnoxious person during my visits to the Dunkirk-Fredonia area. It seems to be small business friendly though more and more chains now seem to be moving into each city. There IS positive population growth in the area albeit not much. A Fredonia Village Councilman told me in the Fall of 2005 that Dunkirk had not seen a single Tax increase in nearly TEN YEARS! Certain fees had increased a bit in recent years but not a single new tax or tax increase had taken place up to that point in time for ten years.

The SUNY Fredonia campus invigorates the area and brings out of town money into the cities. It is close enough to drive to metro Buffalo for entertainment or even a better paying job (rough in the winter though) if you can't find what you need in the immediate area. Outdoor recreational opportunities exist on a year round basis. I love to fish, hike and camp and I am confident that anyone that likes the out of doors during all seasons will love Chautauqua County. And for single people, I suspect the college is a good place to meet other single people.

To be honest, the Dunkirk-Fredonia area would be my first choice as a place to live and start my business (out of the half dozen or more that I have researched over the last year) if it were not for the fact I will face some formidable competition from an existing media outlet that has a few decades up on me. That being said I am hoping to relocate to a community in central NY provided that I can find a suitable property in which to operate. Based upon past experiences there this is no easy task and may not come to pass. If that happens I think the odds are pretty good that I will give Dunkirk-Fredonia another look because even at this very moment I can find at least two properties in my price range that would be acceptable locations for my business. I'd just have to cross my fingers that I could find a niche for the type of business I'd like to start.

Synopsis. I think the Dunkirk-Fredonia area is a good choice and I believe you'll be happy there.

[CrissCT]

If you have kids I would definitely recommend Fredonia over Dunkirk but if not, both are decent, with Fredonia being a little bit nicer but that's just my opinion. Sheridan is a little more out in the country but close to both (again if you are looking at schools Sheridan residents are divided between Fredonia, Dunkirk and Silver Creek school districts - so just know before you buy). Sheridan typically has lower taxes too.

[Pragmaniac]

Hmmm, how does that ignore feature work? I've never used it. Let's give it a go... highlight and copy "itSmellsBAD" > My Settings > Buddy / Ignore Lists > paste "itSmellsBAD" into Ignore List field > click Save List. Hey, that was pretty easy. And things seem to smell much better around here too.

Back on topic (although it seems the original poster ran away a long time ago), Fredonia is a picturesque small town. SUNY Fredonia is a highly rated state college and is one of the top 10 or maybe even top 5 largest employers in Chautauqua County, and it is not going away. If small town living is your thing, Fredonia is worthy of consideration.

Dunkirk is very different from Fredonia. "Dunkirk/Fredonia" is often the term used to describe the area, but they are not "one". There is clearly evidence of blight in Dunkirk as you drive down Main St., Central Ave., or any other major street in Dunkirk. It has been this way for over 20 years. I don't know if it is turning around, or not. Regardless if it is, there is no denying it, drive through and you will see blight, right now, and it is not pretty.