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Yes, but it is true. It is like the biggest irony in the world. And I really like my job too. I'd prefer not to reveal too much personal info, but if I told you what I did you'd understand. They don't hire much locally, so it doesn't really help the college grads in the area. But yes, my friends here think I'm all set. All I have to do is learn to enjoy snowboarding or ice fishing or igloo building or...
Intriging....if it pays well, plan your vacations when our weather is the most intolerable..... It's all about the compromise....now I'll ponder what job has you stuck in Buffalo...(as you can tell, this humid weather today has me inside more than I want to be today and way too much time on my hands....lol)
Hi! Thought I'd jump in since this looks like an active thread, and I'm trying to get info about Western NY as a prospective place to move as well!
The home prices in Western NY seem criminally low, lol! We spent all of our lives in Southern California but have lived in Boise, Idaho for the past 2 years. We weren't actually seeking out a place to move to, however since realizing there are multiple cities in the Midwest with home prices at unbelievably low prices, we are wondering if we shouldn't consider taking advantage of the opportunity.
We are in our 30's, and have children. We're now pretty used to the cold and snow, and even lived in MI for a year a long time ago, so we have had some experience with snowy winters.
Okay, somebody tell me the truth, please! In these cities where you can buy these unbelievably large and historical homes for like, $25k....what's the deal with that? I know there must be some crime in the cities, but is it really like, "scared to walk out the door" crime? None of the homes seem to have bars on the windows, or anything. I spent several years in the Los Angeles area, and most homes there (at least in the neighborhoods I lived in!) had bars on the windows, etc. It wasn't uncommon to see the S.W.A.T. team surrounding the Taco Bell on the corner, etc. We heard gunshots regularly...once even had a helicopter directly over our house shining the light in our yard, speaking through a megaphone telling us not to open our doors and windows, lol! Now, I didn't like that kind of crime, but I rarely actually felt that I was actually at risk for personal harm (the helicopter scene being an exception). It wasn't like gang members actually driving by shooting at our houses, or anything, though. I mean, THAT would have scared me. Our neighborhood was probably 50% hispanic, 49% black, and 1%white, lol! Despite the diversity, people were friendlier there than here in Boise, Idaho!
So, what's your opinion on these cities like Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, etc.? If we bought one of those fantastic huge and often beautiful homes at dirt cheap prices, are we endangering our lives??? What kind of crime are we talking here?
Because I mean, I don't personally require perfectly manicured suburb types of environments....I have that in Boise, and I swear, most of the time it's like being stuck in the original Stepford Wives movie!! Uggh! Although I am white, I'm not really looking for an all white community, although I'm not in a hurry to live among hoards of hispanic illegal immigrants, either. I can get that back in CA. I'd prefer my kids live in a much more integrated community than we are now in, though.
When I look up message forums for places like Youngstown, Ohio, or Altoona, PA...people are like, "I hear gunshots every night". And I'm wondering, "Okay. Are they shooting at YOUR house?" Because I can deal with hearing gunshots in the distance to get a 5 bedroom beautiful home for $18,000 bucks, truth be told.
Any input on any of these areas would be fantastic, THANK YOU!!!
So, what's your opinion on these cities like Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, etc.? If we bought one of those fantastic huge and often beautiful homes at dirt cheap prices, are we endangering our lives??? What kind of crime are we talking here?
Well the "$25k house" in the Buffalo area is defintely going to be ghetto UNLESS its a foreclosure.. then it could be anywhere. Actually let me rephrase that cause my firends uncle bought a house in South Buffalo for $15k cash.. and that was a decent neighborhood. Tho, crime was petty ... i.e. smashed car window and a missing radio overnight type of thing. If anything visit and see what you think, cause its otherwise its all talk. The only thing id add to that tho is, in SoCal you can some fierce neighborhoods that still look nice.. and Buffalo is the exact opposite, more often than not - almost everything looks run down, whether its really in the ghetto or not. South / North Buffalo being case in point.
Most of the shootings happen in the East and West side of Buffalo cause these are the poorest areas. Also parts of Lackawanna (first ward). Granted most of that stuff is personal problems/drug/gang stuff. The HSBC arena is technically in the first ward along with some luxury lofts. So its not like there is a high risk of getting car jacked driving through the East Side. Tho I definitely wouldnt want to live there (with exception, I may someday purchase a home near the Buffalo Central Terminal, and thats a pretty rough neighborhood, but Id wanna be near the BCT).
Edit:
Also Buffalo is pretty segregated, you really arnt going to be able to get around that one, unfortuantely. The East Side is black, with a small pocket of white people in Lovejoy district (poor, white, and racist generally)
West side is Hispanic/Latino whatever. South Buffalo is Irish / maybe a bit of a whitetrash vibe going with it. Lackawanna is Middle Eastern in some parts, Black in others, White in others. All the suburbs are overwhelmingly white.
The home prices in Western NY seem criminally low, lol! We spent all of our lives in Southern California but have lived in Boise, Idaho for the past 2 years.
<snip>
Okay, somebody tell me the truth, please! In these cities where you can buy these unbelievably large and historical homes for like, $25k....what's the deal with that? I know there must be some crime in the cities, but is it really like, "scared to walk out the door" crime?
Well, after living in Boise for two years anywhere except CA and NYC are going to seem cheap. Perspective.
IF you get a habitable $25K house in any of those cities you will indeed be living in some very bad neighborhoods.
As aka_mouse stated the East Side of Buffalo is disproportionately black. The West Side is much more diverse; black, white, hispanic, and many immigrants. You are unlikely to want any suburb except Amherst is you are looking for diversity.
Crime in Buffalo happens. It happens in every city, town and rural area in America. How much crime? I lived in North Buffalo for 40 years and never felt unsafe - ever. Walking, driving, etc. no problems. Some suburbanites make the crime out to be much more than it is - my ex-MIL used to tell the kids to lock the door of the car when they crossed the city line. And they lived six blocks over the city line in Kenmore. <shaking head>
To get into a very safe neighborhood in Buffalo, plan on spending approximately $100K for a home. Buffalo Niagara Homes.com - Buffalo New York Real Estate, Homes, Property, WNY is the local mls If you have kids and are looking to send them to the Buffalo public schools, I'd suggest some research and an application for the magnet schools. If you live in North Buffalo, school 81 is well regarded. Buffalo Public Schools
Rochester is somewhat more diverse and somewhat less segregated than Buffalo....but the same thing is true for that $25k house...its gonna be in a neighborhood you WONT' want to live in. However, I'm sure that coming from SoCal, a $125-$200k beutiful old victorian home in the city would be a pretty good bargain for you too....and in both Buffalo and Rochester that can be found in a safe family freindly neighborhood. In Rochester the Park Avenue area is relatively diverse (though still admitedly mostly white), and is very safe and beautiful.....most of the homes are from around the turn of the century and are priced in the upper 100-200k range. I'm less familiar with Buffalo, but I'd imagne it is the northside are of the city that is the same way. The most diverse neighborhood in the City of Rochester is probably the 19th ward in the city's southestern side right on the Erie Canal. There is an evenly dispersed mix of Whites, Blacks, Hispanics and even some Asians in that relatively safe and clean neighborhood...however it is surrounded on 3 sides by some crime-ridden and mostly black neighborhoods in the city, and just accross the canal is the overwhelmngly white suburb of Gates. (like Buffalo, all of the suburbs of Rochester are overwhelmingly white....the only somewhat diverse suburb would be Brighton, which you may want to consider because it also has older maintained housing stock, as well as EXCELLENT schools)
Well....I just found out we are going to Buffalo on thansgiving for a full week. Looking forward to it, love NC weather but I miss those snowstorms! Good thing its like playing with your nieces and nephews. Fun for a while then you give em back to the mother and go home. I am treating this week up there the same way, I'll enjoy the cold and hopefully snow, then when the week is up I can give the weather back to you guys for the rest of the winter
Ummm... not going to read all 6 pages of posts but I HOPE someone mentions the very high property taxes in New York! I moved away 2 years ago and have double the house and yard and pay less than half of what I was paying in a suburb of Buffalo!
Pippi333, if you're open to living outside the big city, and willing to look at some of the smaller towns between Rochester & Buffalo, along the Erie Canal and Lake Onterio, you'll see there are bargains to be had for those big victorian houses in many rural communities - Wilson, Lockport, Medina, Lyndonville, Albion, Brockport - to name a few. And they're all within an hour or less of either Buffalo or Rochester. The crime element wouldn't be an issue in these communities. A lack of jobs is the big problem. And many (most) of these old 'bargain' homes will need significant work. Many I've seen need new roofs, plumbing, electrical & upgrades to kitchens & baths - all expensive renos. But as a lover of old homes & historic communities, IMHO I think the investment is well worth it.
Thanks so much for the replies everybody. Darn, I was worried it was too good to be true! Darn, darn, darn!
I may still look into the more expensive homes, in the $100k and $125K range. However, I'm not sure it's worth dealing with the harsh winters when I could buy something most places in the country in the same range. I thought, paying less than $50k would make the trade off worth it.
These property taxes mentioned....can anyone give me an idea of what property taxes would be on a $125k home? (forgive my ignorance, I've only rented until now....property taxes are paid yearly, yes?).
Thanks again for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate it!
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And they lived six blocks over the city line in Kenmore. <shaking head> 
