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I will be moving to the Buffalo area from New England in the next couple of months. We looked at a house for rent in Kenmore on Mang Ave, across from Mang park. I had never been to Buffalo before visiting just this week. I really enjoyed the city, but I have to be entirely honest: my first glimpse of the area, other than the thruway, was Military Rd, and it left me a little bit unsettled about the location of the home which sits between Military and Elmwood.
Being a city, it only makes sense that Buffalo would have some safe areas and some unsafe areas. I'm looking for some good honest info about safety in Kenmore, specifically around Mang ave. I asked a few locals while I was in town, and nobody seemed to have much to say about the area.
I recommend using SpotCrime Crime Map to research crime in the area. Compare the Mang Park location to other locations you know well in order to get an idea of how safe the Kenmore area is. You could also compare the Kenmore location to towns known for their safety and see how the new place stacks up.
My 2 cents, since I'm familiar with the area, having lived on a nearby Kenmore street myself, also between Elmwood and Military. I always considered that area, which would include Mang and Mang Park, to be quite safe. The usual precautions are of course necessary like in any area, i.e. lock your doors, leave a light or two on, ask a neighbor to keep an eye on things when you're on vacation, etc. The Village of Kenmore has it's own police department to look after all 1.8 or so square miles, and crime is low enough that if you do need to call them, hopefully a rarity, their response is close to immediate. In fact the police station is about 0.5 mile from Mang/Military and one block from Mang/Elmwood. One disclaimer: I have been gone from that area going on 10 years now, and though I can assure you we didn't move because of concerns about deteriorating neighborhood safety, I can only assume the safety level, whatever it is, is about the same. Perhaps current residents can clue you in on the situation nowadays.
I am a little curious why you found nearby Military Road unsettling. Being mostly commercial/industrial in that area it's not exactly take-your-breath away beautiful, but at the same time it's not dumpy, rundown, gritty, or some of the other negative adjectives I can think of, in my view anyway. Mang is still a residential street, so unless your house is right at the corner of Military I wouldn't think proximity would be an issue. Good luck, whatever you decide.
I live in Kenmore. Previously, I lived on the northern part of the West Side (not considered a 'safe' area but we had no problems and I liked the neighborhood there).
Kenmore is easily the safest town/suburb/neighborhood in the country (Kenmore is not technically Buffalo). Kenmore consists of one square mile. It's a very tiny area and since it has high taxes, it can afford to pay for it's own police and public maintenance. As a result, the ratio of police to residents is very high, and these are not residents who generally get the cops called on them, so the police are free to patrol and patrol and patrol.
Since Kenmore pays for it's own plowing in the winter, there is also a significant difference in how the Kenmore streets are plowed after a snow vs. Buffalo streets. Not even comparable. Here in Kenmore the streets are cleared the minute the snow stopped while anything south of Kenmore Ave can be undriveable for days.
Kenmore residents work really hard to create a real community feeling. This is the kind of place I'd feel safe walking around alone at 3 am as a woman, if that gives you any sense of how safe it is!
You can't go wrong with the Mang Ave area or anywhere at all in Kenmore.
If you give more details about what you are looking for, I can give some suggestions for other areas to check out. There are some great (and safe) neighborhoods in Buffalo and the surrounding suburbs, and other areas I'd recommend avoiding.
For instance:
-are you looking to rent vs. buy (of course you'll be renting when you first arrive, but what's the big picture?)
-general price range (for rent/to buy)
-how important is walkability/public transportation vs. being car dependent
-do you have kids/concerned about good school districts
-do you prefer being closer to the 'city' or to have more space (yard, bigger living space, etc)
-where will you be working/what kind of commute are you looking for
Thank you everyone for your replies, I found them very helpful. Kenmore is sounding like a good spot for us.
The house itself that we looked at is perfect for us. We have a fenced in yard, landlords who are OK with us owning a pit bull type dog (which was hard to find!), plenty of room, and the park right across the street. From what I'm now hearing, the neighborhood sounds nice as well so I think we will likely move forward on signing a lease there.
Thank you everyone for your replies, I found them very helpful. Kenmore is sounding like a good spot for us.
The house itself that we looked at is perfect for us. We have a fenced in yard, landlords who are OK with us owning a pit bull type dog (which was hard to find!), plenty of room, and the park right across the street. From what I'm now hearing, the neighborhood sounds nice as well so I think we will likely move forward on signing a lease there.
Sounds perfect! So glad you were able to find a place with a fenced yard for the pooch!!
Just jumping on the bandwagon, my father lives on Hinman between Elmwood and Military. While I agree in general that Kenmore is a safe place to live, I wouldnt leave valuables out in plain view in your car as people have had them stolen out of their vehicle while it sits at the curb. Certainly a rare occurence and I wouldnt want that to negatively affect your decision/view, but just something to be aware of.
I wouldnt leave valuables out in plain view in your car as people have had them stolen out of their vehicle while it sits at the curb. Certainly a rare occurence and I wouldnt want that to negatively affect your decision/view, but just something to be aware of.
I find this to be shocking; Kenmore feels like the kind of place where you don't have to be too concerned about locking doors at night or car doors in general. I guess no place is 100% free of every kind of minor crime, but I doubt anywhere comes as close as Kenmore!
One big bonus of Kenmore? Excellent police. You could just drop in to the Police Station ( on Elmwood, I think) and ask them about your safety questions.
Also, make sure you have off the street parking -- Kenmore has a well enforced "no parking" during winter (generally about mid Oct to Mid April here.). Find out the parking rules.
I grew up in Kenmore. On the whole, it is very safe with plenty of police coverage. When you call the police on something, they arrive within a couple minutes. Excellent response time!
I do remember petty crime can be an issue. Theft of small things (bicycles left out, items left in car, etc). However, that can be avoided with reasonable precautions, just like any other community.
I would not hesitate to live on Mang across from the park!
PS, Militarty Road is not representative of life in Kenmore. It is just a large street with remnants of the area's industrial past. Definately looks a lot better these days with the grain elevator gone too! (I grew up in part on Tremont, which is about 4 blocks up (let me think, Mang, then Victoria, Westgate, Wabash, then Tremont if memory serves me).
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