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Why should I move since I'm not the one who's unhappy about how "much government control" is in my life? I like it here just fine, especially since I don't equate smoking, drinking or owning a gun with "freedom".
For the record, Buffalo is NOT on the verge of bankruptcy. It is of the few major cities in the country right now that has a consistently balanced budget, actually, including its pension obligations. It makes for a stable business climate, which is why there is so much construction, especially downtown.
But, to the OP: Buffalo also has a low cost-of-living (I believe it is the fourth cheapest housing market in the country) and it is very easy to go into the city for shows and restaurants. Buffalo has the biggest Broadway series outside NYC, for example. There is little to no traffic except during rush hour, so it is a 20 minute drive to anywhere unless you live in East Amherst or other far northeast suburbs, where traffic can be a problem. If you move here, even though you have $500k to spend, I wouldn't do that. That would get you a brand new house in a subdivision in Clarence, which is an ultra-conservative but somewhat trendy suburb, but otherwise than that, it would be very hard to spend that much money here. If I were you, I would spend less ($150k gets you a well-kept 3-4 bedroom house in most areas of the metro area) and end up with a slightly older home in one of the suburban villages or one the city's nicer neighborhoods and use the extra money to live well and perhaps put your kids in private schools, if you desire.
Also, the cold winters/snow thing is kind of oversold. Compared to NC, it DOES get cold and winters are long, but for the last few years anyway, it hasn't really snowed that much. Maybe a couple of 12" storms and a lot of flurries. Nothing like the 3 foot snowfalls they like to show on TV to represent Buffalo. And, to make up for it, we have the most AMAZING summers. Endless days in the 70s and 80s. Perfect sidewalk cafe weather.
-If you buy in a snow belt, you get snow. Some places have very little. It really isn't so cold. Go on NOAA and look at charts for heat/cold, for rain/snow, etc. The NOAA station is at the airport.
-Summer are wonderful, just a few really hot and humid spells. For the record, Buffalo has NEVER hit 100.
-We have 4 true seasons. I actually saw some trees starting to turn this week in Tillman Swamp (Clarence)
- I lived over 20 miles from work; my husband and I carpooled for almost 30 years and it took about 30 min., unless severe snow or roadwork.
-There is a 3BR1.5Ba ranch with a Florida room (with a fireplace/woodstove) for sale on my block built in about 1960, one owner . Well kept up, most people would redo kitchens and baths, but at under $140K it is a steal on acreage. You can get big 4 br 2.5 baths lots of places built in the 70s-90s for way under your limit.
-Get a school DISTRICT map. On my road, there are 4 districts. You can also be in 3 towns and 2 villages and go to the district. Don't trust realtors.
- Find out town codes. If you like a house, go see the building dept. and find out if it is flood zone, if there are problems, etc.
-Check a neighborhood by driving around when school buses start ( you get an idea of # of kids and if parents go to work or stay home) and at dusk/start of dark - you see the activity .
I'm here 44 years from the NYC/LI area. I came, I stayed, I married a local and raised my kids here. We are blessed to be in a nice quiet area with neighbors who don't move... Lots of areas are kid of transient. If you see lots of double homes, you have some transiency, if only from renters.
It takes investigation and time to pick what is right. If you want 100% perfect and move in ready? You will pay top dollar. If you want to put your mark on a home, houses are really reasonable.
I'll second ladm and BuffaloTransplant, and add a few notes.
The snowiest areas of the immediate Buffalo metro (within 20-25 miles of downtown) is the south and southeast of the city. These would be suburbs like West Seneca, Lancaster, Hamburg, and Orchard Park. The areas that tend to get the least snow are North Buffalo and the suburbs directly north of the city: Kenmore, Tonawanda, and North Tonawanda.
That said, you need to understand that Buffalo's infamous snowstorms are primarily "lake effect snow" produced by strong winds blowing across the relatively warm water of an unfrozen Lake Erie and dumping that snow on the relatively cold land to the east or northeast of the lake. Since most persistent winds come from the west or northwest in the winter, it's the areas south of the city that get the most snow. Only when the winds come from the southwest will Buffalo and the northern suburbs get pummeled with lake effect snow. Generally, the areas closet to the lake shores get dumped on the most while the areas further inland get less.
Another aspect of lake effect snow to keep in mind is that it tends to form narrow bands of snow only a few miles wide. These will move as the winds shift, but they don't necessarily move over the entire area and they don't deposit the snow evenly. It's possible to be in Kenmore or Tonawanda and get just a dusting of snow overnight while most of Hamburg gets a foot of snow. The next day, that might be reversed.
If you are into the urban life style, you can find wonderful housing on Buffalo's West Side and in North Buffalo, almost all of it well under your $500k budget (there are some very expensive homes on a few streets like Nottingham Terrace, Lincoln Parkway, etc). Here's a link to a post I have in another thread on this forum: Buffalo pix (scroll down until you get to the first post with photos) that gives you a small hint of the kinds of housing/neighborhoods found on Buffalo's West Side.
If you live in Buffalo, you would probably want to send your kids to private schools since the public schools are very uneven in quality and getting into the best ones is very chancy (ie, you mostly have to be lucky or have political connections). A couple of reasonably priced k-8 private schools are Nardin Academy and the Catholic Academy of West Buffalo. Both are affiliated with the Catholic diocese but both are very welcoming to non-Catholic students. Buffalo's population is about 50% Roman Catholic (at least nominally), and at one time had an extensive network of Catholic schools from elementary through high school and into college, so some of the best private educational institutions in the city are affiliated with the Catholic Church. For high schools, this would include Canisius (boys) and Nardin Academy (Nardin is co-ed for k-8, girls only for 9-12). The premier non-sectarian private schools in the Buffalo are Elmwood Franklin for k-8 and Nichols for high school.
Thanks for the pictures Linda_D, the homes were beautiful! We talked about looking at neighborhoods in the city, we love the old historic homes and would be willing to put our kids into private schools, but our concern is the number of kids in the neighborhood. I know that the suburbs have lots of kids, but what about in the city? What type of activities are nearby for the kids regarding sports teams, dance, etc...
Hello, there are beautiful homes in North Buffalo, Amherst by Daemen College, & Clarence. You are lucky you have plenty of cash to work with. If you need a Realtor, try Tim Domansky of Hunt Realty; he helped me purchase my first home recently in Kaisertown. There are also lovely homes & good schools in Lancaster & West Seneca. Good Luck to you!
I need to amend that 9/08 post I made. The ranch on my block sold already. It was up for less than a week!
[[There is a 3BR1.5Ba ranch with a Florida room (with a fireplace/woodstove) for sale on my block built in about 1960, one owner . Well kept up, most people would redo kitchens and baths, but at under $140K it is a steal on acreage.]]
The city neighborhood I live in has 12 kids on this block alone, not including my 3. There are lots of areas that have kids. The neighbors are friendly but it will take a few years to get "settled" so to speak. Yes, public schools can be hit or miss so you may want to have a backup private school plan and I live on a street that is all doubles but there is actually very little transiency because it is a nice neighborhood. I, myself, live in a double. The suburbs have kids but I rarely see them outside. Distances are relatively large and traffic is faster so many things outside the immediate metro area involve driving. I more or less concur with what the above posters said. Some on the board would have you believe the way you shop for a house is to look in the Business First "ratings" of schools which is nothing more than a catalog of who does well on standardized assessments (aka, a guide to the "wealth" of an area). Personally, I would find areas that I liked and seemed convenient and then look at the total budgets of each area. Don't forget to factor in all costs, including taxes, insurance, drive-time, etc.
Ignorant, clueless liberals like you are exactly why Buffalo, and NY as a whole are in the position they are in. If you want soo much government control in your life, go to China or Cuba.
If you don't like it, you are free to leave. Don't crap up the OP's thread.
For the OP, Buffalo is a wonderful metro-area to raise a family.
On your income, you can buy a house in East Amherst or Clarence. They are extremely good public school systems. The commute into Buffalo is never more than 30 minutes or so even in rush hour, so living in the suburbs isn't a big deal.
Compared to North Carolina, you will pay more in taxes and the politics certainly will be more liberal. However, Buffalo is a very welcoming town. It isn't called "The City of Good Neighbors" for nothing.
Winter isn't that bad. You will get used to it. I actually prefer the climate here because the summers are a lot more comfortable than what you would see in Carolina. Summers here average 65% sunshine (greatest on the east coast), low 80s, and only moderate humidity.
Canada is fun. The Greater Toronto area is a 1.5 hour drive (off-peak travel time), not including border crossing. It is a fun city to get away to. Everyone in Buffalo has been to Toronto, and everyone in Toronto has shopped in Buffalo or flown out of Buffalo. The "Golden Horseshoe" unofficially includes Buffalo, which boasts a population of 9 million.
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