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I actually sort of agree at least a bit with almost everyone who has posted. Buffalo residents are all over the map with this.
You have the following types of haters:
a) People from here who make no effort to take advantage of what the city has to offer, or have super narrow interests (beer, tv, done) who think it's boring.
b) People from here who love their hometown but are super bogged down with the negatives (crime, poverty, etc) and have become bitter and lost hope.
c) People from here who only know the outside world based on tv and think everywhere is perfect except here; they don't realize other cities have many of the same issues or may lack our amenities (grass is greener syndrome).
d) People from bigger cities who can only look at what Buffalo doesn't have compared to where they are from.
e) People with Hollywood expectations of life - Buffalo is not polished, has litter and vacancy problems, etc. Some people see this and judge everything about the city solely based on that; anywhere that doesn't look like downtown Williamsville is "a dump," "ghetto" etc to these folks.
Then you see the following types of "pro" Buffalo people -
a) "I love it 'cause I'm from here" folks who don't really need a reason to like it; it's their hometown, end of story. These folks often will get aggressive if anything negative is brought up, even if its justified - this is the guy threatening to beat your face in if you say the Bills suck. You can appreciate their spunk, but they aren't great at converting people to Buffalove.
b) Those who embrace what the city has to offer and take an active role in finding stuff to do - these folks see the city for what it is, its diversity of activities, food, etc.
c) Those who only hang out/live in the "best" areas and have zero exposure to what 80% of Buffalo and its lower-middle class suburbs are actually going through - these folks see things through rose colored glasses because they just avoid dealing with non-perfect, non-hip areas. These are the folks who deny racism, extreme poverty, ignorant behavior, etc are real problems because the small circles they travel in offer only the crème de la crème of people, housing and businesses.
d) Neighborhood activists and community group members who see negativity as a waste of time and want to put out positive energy.
There aren't a lot of people who see Buffalo for what it really is - some good, some bad, fun as it is but still needing work, with a good standard of living but things that could definitely be improved (education system, better job opportunities, more dedicated home owners, etc). It's a very polarizing issue that is often drawn along lines of class - people with resources living in nice areas with access to transportation and funds for recreation tend to universally think it's great. People that feel life has shat on them tend to think the opposite and Buffalo has a LOT of people down and out for a variety of reasons.
What else could I say?
I have lived in the metro area my whole life. I do not love everything about Buffalo. However, I would be depressed to leave too.
Really, Buffalo over the years has become the national butt of jokes, which colors people's opinion from outside the area. People do not know the facts, other than the economy has not been good here, it snows, and the Bills stink. So they pass judgement.
I know it's not perfect. There is no perfect city in the country. Each with advantages and disadvantages. Buffalo offers SO much to appreciate, which I do appreciate, so I think it is great (even if it's not great for everyone!).
Some day ,the city of light is going to shine again!
You either love Buffalo or hate it. My husband was born here and lived on the East Side his entire life. He was no fan of industrial areas and crowded homes. I came for college and loved it. However, at that time, Chippewa was winos and somewhat unsafe... so, it has changed int eh past 43 years I've been here. We wanted land; we compromised and got a small house on land outside the city. We did, however, work our entire lives in the city and were in it quite a bit otherwise.
I have pride in the city, and while some renovated areas shine like jewels, it makes me sad to see some "lost" areas that crumble.
Buffalo has a long way to go for all to be proud of it.
I've lived in New York City my entire life and most of those negative views Buffalonians have are prevalent things here. There's crime and poverty. Yeah, NYC is always building and it's modern, but it has no soul. Most working class people like me can't afford to live here.The city is over crowded, people here are loud and rude and the rents are too high.
My employer has offices in Buffalo and I seriously want to transfer there. Like I said, I'm working class, about $23,000 a year. Does anyone know. the safest, quietest, least expensive diverse neighborhoods? with good public transit, of course.
One of the biggest problems in the City of Buffalo is Erie County's anti city mentality. Namely, anti mass transit. These suburbanites are under the delusion if you don't extend the LRRT (Light Rail Rapid Transit) out to the suburbs, that will keep the undesirables in the city. I hate to clue them in, but many do have cars and there are a few bus routes that extend out past the city line. They believe subways are all like NYC; undesirable. When you have 4 or 5 cars in the driveway, who needs alternate transit anyway?
The majority of bus routes (the ones that are left) are in the city. if you don't have a car or access to one, you will be far better off on or near a major bus route. Major streets such as Main, Delaware, Hertel, Elmwood, Amherst, W. Ferry, W. Utica and the associated streets intersecting and in the vicinity would be the best choices.
North Buffalo and the West Side I would suggest a starting place to look. Of course it depends on where you would be working. (I never liked transferring between bus routes and it's much worse now with reductions in service that it was 40 years ago). The quickest way to get to know different areas is to get yourself a map of the ciyt and get a copy of Google earth for your computer (a real computer, not some toy, so called smart phone) and explore the areas that way. You will be surprised with how much you can really see from the air.
I have lived here all my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. There have been major changes happening in the city especially in the past 5+ years. And I'm not talking about football either.
OP, where are the offices in Buffalo? Downtown or suburban? If they are not in the City of Buffalo you will likely need a car or you will have to bike as public transportation outside of Buffalo is essentially nonexistent.
Both, but unfortunately, there are more out in suburbia (of course). Buses outside the city is not "nonexistant", just very poor depending on how far out you are going.
There has been a program to make the city more 'bike friendly' which is a help for bikers (non motorized). Just the opposite elsewhere.
Buffalo suburbanites regularly berate the city of Buffalo and try to distance themselves from it. It's sickening, and a great reason to leave this area.
In the NYC area, there is a phenomenon opposite to this. People living 1.5-2hrs away from the city center proudly (although controversially) state they are "from NYC".
A simple question. I read about so many people who berate/disparage the Metro Buffalo area. Do Metro Buffalo & Suburban residents also think that Buffalo is an undesireable "loser" Metro City. I'm from Syracuse but I think that Buffalo is an okay city in spite of the depressed National economy which is currently affecting many of our cities across the country. Do you have/show "civic pride" for your home city of Metro Buffalo? Are you "pro" or "anti" Metro Buffalo/Suburbs area??
I think that Buffalo has some good colleges. You have some nice buildings and pleasant downtown area. You have a lot of events-festivals-live music throughout the year. Arts & culture. A major league football team. A great waterfront marina area. A second small-boat, large-marina on the Niagara River. Good quality of life. A good Metro area to raise a family. Affordable home buying prices compared with the whole country. And a lot of other good qualities.
I think that Syracuse & Rochester & Buffalo are the best Upstate New York State large cities.
good for you..cheers
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