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I could be wrong here but I think Buffalo schools are run by the state and they don't pay school taxes. So the math may work in Buffalo. Anywhere else except one place, maybe Rochester, add a couple grand.
The interest vs taxes argument only works on people that plan to have a mortgage forever. For most people it's just 10-20 years of interest. Taxes are forever.
Not exactly. Buffalo gets one taxes annually and what they pay in taxes to fund the school is in it. The tax is absurdly low compared to any burb. Hence, people in the city think its a great deal.
In any case, in the city people still pay a tax beyond a mortgage just like you do in a burb -- only we get Town & County in Feb and school in Oct..... I'm still paying long after a mortgage, but I still think it is worth it for the town
Buffalo native, and I've moved around the whole country. Couple places in NYS. Midwest. Mountain West. Mid-Atlantic South. Last place we lived was Virginia. We tried to settle, but ended up taking a HUGE salary hit to move back to the mountain west. Denver, CO. Its the place to be. Denver metro is expected to grow by 2x in the next decade. Not humid. No bugs. Very vibrant. One of the highest concentrations of 20-30s educated folks. HUGE source of in-migration. A place where everyone is from somewhere else and most people have chosen to be here. Its the bees knees.
HUGE Buffalo transplant community. I went to small Catholic High School. I know its anecdotal, but so far I've run into my high school classmates more often in Denver, than back in Buffalo when I'm visiting. Honestly it seems like every other person is from Buffalo or Chicago. Ran into a dude a JPs (Hamburg), saw him in Denver 2 months later.
I won't sell you any further, you can look up all the stuff yourself. In my humble opinion, way better than the south, and much more friendly to WNY sensibilities.
Don't think too long, this place will be full soon and I'm never leaving! Get a UHaul and meet me at LoDos for the Bills and Sabres games.
Buffalo native, and I've moved around the whole country. Couple places in NYS. Midwest. Mountain West. Mid-Atlantic South. Last place we lived was Virginia. We tried to settle, but ended up taking a HUGE salary hit to move back to the mountain west. Denver, CO. Its the place to be. Denver metro is expected to grow by 2x in the next decade. Not humid. No bugs. Very vibrant. One of the highest concentrations of 20-30s educated folks. HUGE source of in-migration. A place where everyone is from somewhere else and most people have chosen to be here. Its the bees knees.
HUGE Buffalo transplant community. I went to small Catholic High School. I know its anecdotal, but so far I've run into my high school classmates more often in Denver, than back in Buffalo when I'm visiting. Honestly it seems like every other person is from Buffalo or Chicago. Ran into a dude a JPs (Hamburg), saw him in Denver 2 months later.
I won't sell you any further, you can look up all the stuff yourself. In my humble opinion, way better than the south, and much more friendly to WNY sensibilities.
Don't think too long, this place will be full soon and I'm never leaving! Get a UHaul and meet me at LoDos for the Bills and Sabres games.
The problem with the West is that there's really not enough water for the growing urban populations. Essentially, people have settled in great numbers where there's not enough water. California is okay for now despite the drought because they have decades worth of infrastructure, but Nevada (Las Vegas) and all of Arizona are on the very edge. Colorado's Front Range, where most of the state's population resides gets most of its water from the Western Slope where the snow falls. Even further east, the cities on the Plains like El Paso, Dallas, KC, Omaha, etc are sucking up their aquifiers at alarming rates.
Colorado may be okay for a few decades but "the good life" there is probably unsustainable long term without drastic water conservation measures.
Uncle Sam always gets his, no matter where you live. In NC/SC, you have food taxes, annual car taxes, and they are trying to pass a tax based on the # of miles you drive on the roads here. Also, teachers are paid one of the lowest wages in the country, and i can assure you, you get what you pay for.
The problem with the West is that there's really not enough water for the growing urban populations. Essentially, people have settled in great numbers where there's not enough water. California is okay for now despite the drought because they have decades worth of infrastructure, but Nevada (Las Vegas) and all of Arizona are on the very edge. Colorado's Front Range, where most of the state's population resides gets most of its water from the Western Slope where the snow falls. Even further east, the cities on the Plains like El Paso, Dallas, KC, Omaha, etc are sucking up their aquifiers at alarming rates.
Colorado may be okay for a few decades but "the good life" there is probably unsustainable long term without drastic water conservation measures.
How long you plan on living for? It's hard to plan for the apocalypse.
Who said anything about California , the post reguarded Colarado , and my sarcasim was in reguards to " Colorado will be ok for a few decades" . People like to insert what they want.
The problem with the West is that there's really not enough water for the growing urban populations. Essentially, people have settled in great numbers where there's not enough water. California is okay for now despite the drought because they have decades worth of infrastructure, but Nevada (Las Vegas) and all of Arizona are on the very edge. Colorado's Front Range, where most of the state's population resides gets most of its water from the Western Slope where the snow falls. Even further east, the cities on the Plains like El Paso, Dallas, KC, Omaha, etc are sucking up their aquifiers at alarming rates.
Colorado may be okay for a few decades but "the good life" there is probably unsustainable long term without drastic water conservation measures.
Yes, water is an issue in parts of the rapidly growing west.
I, of course, may be a bit biased, but I consider the Denver/Boulder metro area quite different from the "sunbelt" West (Phoenix, Las Vegas, Houston, etc.)
While the front range area has DEFINITELY had a problem with poorly sustainable sprawl, it has been on a pretty drastic reverse since the 80s. Municipal planning is now very anti-sprawl and forward looking. The metro area is expect to grow past 3 million by 2030, growing at about 1.5% a year and the dept. of transportation has been very public again building new highways (which as you can imagine doesn't fly very well with the suburban communities).
In terms of water, the situation in the Denver/Boulder is somewhat unique. Almost all the water comes from mountain runoff, so we are not beholden to "someone else's" water. Over 80% of the water is used for farming on the eastern plains, the population boom actually doesn't cut into it that much. Despite this the front range water authorities have been incredibly forward looking and have a very aggressive campaign to curtail water use.
Although your point is well taken, many metro areas in the drier parts of the country are walking down a dangerous path. The residential/commercial water use in states like Arizona are as short sighted and foolish as their infrastructure planning. The farming use in California is similar although ultimately easy to solve (farm somewhere else, tomatoes are easier to move than people).
I think this is one of the reasons the front range is so desirable. Almost all the new population growth is going to be supported by infill, transportation and natural resources are currently being organized in anticipation of adding another million in the next 10-20 year.
Now whether all that water won't be used by craft brewers, I can't say. But that's a different problem.
How long you plan on living for? It's hard to plan for the apocalypse.
Somebody in his/her early thirties today would be in his/her early sixties in three decades.
Somebody in his/her twenties today would be in his/her seventies in five decades.
Most people who move to an entirely different area of the country for other reasons than a job transfer/offer generally do so because they plan on moving to that region long term. Water shortages can seriously impact utility costs and taxes. Water impacts quality of life.
If you are looking for a place to live, you have to take things like that into consideration. If you buy a house in Henderson, NV next year and 5 years later the Las Vegas area institutes draconian water rationing because Lake Mead is in danger of drying up, what does that do to your quality of life and your property values?
That's not outside the realm of possibility in some parts of the desert Southwest.
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