Quote:
Originally Posted by tbertz
My husband just received an offer in Buffalo that is almost too good to pass up, however, just found out that there may be an opportunity in Charlotte also, but it's not as good. We have only been in Charlotte for 2 years, but here is what I love about Charlotte, it's very friendly here, laid back and it's a beautiful area with a low cost of living and tons of families. You can get into the city for shows and lots of events very easily. Our kids really like it here and they are our biggest dilemma about moving. What are the neighborhoods like in Buffalo compared to Charlotte? What about restaurants and activities? What do you miss about Buffalo that Charlotte does not have? Do you think we are crazy for leaving Charlotte to move to Buffalo?
It's a lot of questions and I really appreciate everyone's input in helping us get a better understanding of Buffalo.
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Tbertz if you haven't made a decision I would carefully consider your options. I apologize for the long post, but here is my take.
I've lived in Cincinnati, Washington D.C., NOVA, Chicago, Mobile AL, and now Buffalo. Buffalo does have a lot of positives like beautiful summers, two professional sports teams, great food and reasonable affordable housing. Plus your a stones throw from Toronto, the largest metropolitan area in Ontario, Canada. If your into outdoor activities you'll love this place as Lake Erie and Ontario are right on your door steps and the beautiful Finger lakes are just a few hours away.
The bad. Unlike some of the condescending posters here, I am not afraid to say it like it is. Be prepared for SUPER HIGH taxes. This area was once heavily industrialized but over the past 40 years most of that tax base has all but evaporated and the local county and city municipalities have had difficulty making ends meet and cutting back. As a result be prepared to get sucker punched with unbelievably high property taxes.
To give you some perspective, we live in Lockport and have an 1,800 square foot house which was built back in 1980. Our property taxes are 7,000 a year
and that includes a sizable exemption. This is nothing compared to some of the folks in Amherst and Williamsville, especially communities with new homes.
Coming from the Carolinas you might also notice how crazy our fuel prices are. They are WAY WAY higher than the national average. New York State is notorious for being a heavy handed liberal nanny state. They tax the snot out of everything here and you will feel it at the pump. Anyone that states otherwise is delusional and dishonest. Depending on your outlook, income and politics this may not be an issue, but just something to be aware of. Unfortunately for most of western NY the crony politics, over taxation, regulation and 5 straight decades of one party rule has chased many businesses and jobs out of state.
Now...As far as places to live, depends on what your looking for. Having lived in Lockport and East Amherst, I'll stick to the north towns. Amherst, Williamsville and Clarence are all great places to live and raise kids. They all feature great school districts and convenient shopping & restaurants. They're a bit suburbanish, but are easy commutes to Buffalo. Many wealthily Buffalonians live here.
Further north in Niagara County you have Pendleton, Wheatfield and Lockport. Pendleton and Wheatfield are also suburbs of buffalo and good communities to live and raise kids. They both have good school districts. They're a bit further away from buffalo and the I-290 (about 20 minutes) and not as conveniently located to shopping and restaurants. Their also more rural in nature. However, if you want a larger lot and cheaper newer housing this might be a better option than Amherst.
Further North and East at the terminus of the I-990 freeway is Lockport. This City was its own separate community long before the Buffalo bedroom communities of Amherst and Williamsville sprang up. Most of its history is tied to the Erie Canal dating back to the 1800's. Speaking from my own experiences its an okay place to live. Like many larger rust bucket cities it has lost most of its industrial base and is slowly fading away. The schools are okay in the town but the city schools are iffy. There are a few charming old streets, but there's not a heck of a lot to do here other than shopping in dollar stores.
Along the Niagara River just north of Buffalo are both Tonawanda's. Tonawanda borders the City of Buffalo. This community is home to quite a bit of heavy industry and pollution. The school district is not good and the neighborhoods are very rough, with quite a lot of subsidized housing. Just north of Tonawanda is... well North Tonawanda. Again this is an older community and features Korean War era housing, however the schools are quite a bit better and the community is definitely safer. There's also a nice little downtown area along the river that is on the rebound. A bit different from the other suburban communities to the east.
To the west along the I-190 across the Grand Island Bridge is Grand Island. This area has lots of BIG expensive homes, especially along the Niagara River. It's basically a playground for Buffalo executives who like a short commute to the city, but want to own there own boat and dock with great lake access. Grand Island is also home to a state park and good schools. Taxes are very high here as well.
Due north off Grand Island is Niagara Falls and the notorious love canal. Once you get used to the natural beauty of the falls themselves and visit the Canadian side a couple of times you quickly realize what a dump Niagara Falls, NY is. Once a great place to live it's now a wasteland of boarded up factories and run down subsidized housing. It's also heavily polluted, crime ridden and has a history of political grid lock that almost led to its bankruptcy this past summer.
Further north along the Robert Moses Parkway and the Queenston Lewiston Bridge to Canada is Lewiston. Lewiston is a quaint old little town that barely survived the war of 1812. It's small and features mostly older homes, with a baby boomer population. The downtown area has a nice main street with boutique shops and bars. There's also Art Park, which hosts concerts throughout the summer months. The schools are good as well, but like many of the bedroom communities in northern Niagara county, it's isolated and aging rapidly. Not exactly a hip place for the late 20's early 30's crowd.
This is my take on the north towns.
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Think carefully.
Buffalo has it's share of rich neighborhoods but I still wouldn't send my kids to BPS.
