Affordable Living In Amherst? Winter Commute From South West/East (New York: apartment, rentals)

[Leon Russelled]

I'll be starting a new job with my company October 3rd. My job will be located in Amherst just south of University at Buffalo.


I haven't been able to find anything in my budget that has vacancy in Amherst. Everything I did find was no vacancy or terrible reviews.


Any suggestions on more affordable cities near Amherst that would be a quick and easy commute to my job? My rent budget is $700-$850 (give or take on either end). I'd like to live in a nice suburb or even a village/rural setting.

I've searched Clarence, Williamsville, Depew which look great, but I had the same issue as Amherst.


Unable to find anything in Amherst that works for my budget...I've been looking in East Aurora and Orchard Park. From what I've found online both places are safe, clean and even a little bit of a rural small town feel; and it looks like the commute would be 20-30 minutes according to Google maps.


My only concern with these locations is.... what is this drive like in the winter? With the lake affect, which of these get the hardest winter and is the worst for winter driving? I'm experienced driving in the winter, but want to make it as easy as possible on myself.


Does anyone have any local websites to look for rentals? Maybe I can find something local to rent that isn't listed on the big apartment websites.


Thank you in advance for any input.

[bmd69]

The roads will be salted and clean most of the time. I know I lived there in east aurora and commuted into buffalo

[ckhthankgod]

Did you look into Kenmore or Lancaster?

[TanLegs]

Originally Posted by bmd69

The roads will be salted and clean most of the time. I know I lived there in east aurora and commuted into buffalo

Your lucky if they plow the main streets, the secondary & side streets won't see a plow for a days

[genoobie]

I don't think 750-850 puts you in the Amherst range. Kenmore might be in that budget or maybe Tonawanda, Kenmore has something of a village feel and Tonawanda is mostly suburban feel. There are some places in Buffalo at that price range and they would be a short commute (some university heights area) but that is definitely more urban. You wouldn't want to go as far south as Orchard Park or East Aurora, that's a bit of a haul on a daily basis, especially because the southtowns get pretty slammed in the winter.

[bmd69]

Originally Posted by TanLegs

Your lucky if they plow the main streets, the secondary & side streets won't see a plow for a days

Maybe where you live

[bmd69]

Originally Posted by genoobie

I don't think 750-850 puts you in the Amherst range. Kenmore might be in that budget or maybe Tonawanda, Kenmore has something of a village feel and Tonawanda is mostly suburban feel. There are some places in Buffalo at that price range and they would be a short commute (some university heights area) but that is definitely more urban. You wouldn't want to go as far south as Orchard Park or East Aurora, that's a bit of a haul on a daily basis, especially because the southtowns get pretty slammed in the winter.

I drove in everyday from EA. Please. And I hated the white stuff

[MichelleLC]

Kenmore, Town of Tonawanda. Possibly Buffalo area around The south campus, though I hear different things about the neighborhood.

[cjoseph]

I live in far Southern Erie County, and my honest advice is avoid the southern two tiers of towns in Erie county like the plague if you hate snow. If you love snow, then it is paradise. Sardinia, Concord, Holland, Boston, Colden, Eden, Evans, Collins, North Collins, and Brant routinely get slammed by snow much more often than the metro area. Plus, the steeper terrain compounds the problem. There have been days I can't get up some of the hills in winter. The southtowns immediately south of Buffalo (Hamburg, Orchard Park, Aurora, Wales, Marilla, Elma, West Seneca, and Lackawanna get a ton of snow as well, but it more routinely hits slightly farther south. Most lake effect storms spare areas North of the Thruway. I would recommend Lewiston in Niagara county, which is a quaint village on the Niagara River. Williamsville is pricey, but a great place to live if you can afford it. If you want to venture into the Southtowns, the villages of Hamburg, Orchard Park, and East Aurora are all vibrant and within a 35 minute commute to Amherst. That being said, anywhere you live in Western New York, you will get plenty of snow.

[ckhthankgod]

What about Lockport, OP? It is within a reasonable commute and it is a small, walkable city that gets less snowfall on average.