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That brings up another variable. Is it the city? Is it the metro? And in most metros there are some neighborhoods that are 2-3-10 X other neighborhoods.
I want to say it is the city. While there can be a big range, I would say the matter of scale comes into play for Buffalo. Meaning, it is lower at all levels in comparison to the other cities on the list(top 100 cities in the United States). Detroit and Cleveland, which are 1st and 2nd on the list, are similar.
It it for the city of Buffalo, or the Buffalo area? The article isn't clear about that.
The "average" house in the Buffalo area is also going to be older, and a bit smaller, than for peer cities elsewhere in the country. Whenever I see a study about how the "average cost of a house in the Buffalo area is $130,000", I think about what they money gets you -- a smaller ranch in Cheektowaga or Tonawanda that hasn't been updated since the 1970s. These are much older and smaller than what would be considered an average house by national standards. Considering all factors, the average house in the US was built in 1986, and has about 1,800 square feet of floor space. (I'm talking average *existing*, not average *new*.)
I've never seen a study that compared apples to apples -- a 34 year old, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, 1,800 square foot house in a middle class neighborhood, 2 car attached garage, paved driveway, kitchen and bathroom last updated in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Otherwise, Buffalo is always going to look like a bargain if they're comparing some "average" 2 BR / 1.5 BA Cape off George Urban Boulevard that was built in 1955 with an "average" 20 year old, 2,200 square foot house in suburban Charlotte.
It it for the city of Buffalo, or the Buffalo area? The article isn't clear about that.
The "average" house in the Buffalo area is also going to be older, and a bit smaller, than for peer cities elsewhere in the country. Whenever I see a study about how the "average cost of a house in the Buffalo area is $130,000", I think about what they money gets you -- a smaller ranch in Cheektowaga or Tonawanda that hasn't been updated since the 1970s. These are much older and smaller than what would be considered an average house by national standards. Considering all factors, the average house in the US was built in 1986, and has about 1,800 square feet of floor space. (I'm talking average *existing*, not average *new*.)
I've never seen a study that compared apples to apples -- a 34 year old, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, 1,800 square foot house in a middle class neighborhood, 2 car attached garage, paved driveway, kitchen and bathroom last updated in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Otherwise, Buffalo is always going to look like a bargain if they're comparing some "average" 2 BR / 1.5 BA Cape off George Urban Boulevard that was built in 1955 with an "average" 20 year old, 2,200 square foot house in suburban Charlotte.
It is for the city and I think they used price per square footage to come up with that figure.
From the study: "New York — both the city and the state — has always been a place of extremes, and this holds true in terms of how much square footage $250,000 can buy. For example, in Buffalo, where the median home size is 1,713 square feet, that amount can procure more than 4,000 feet of space. Conversely, in New York City’s famously pricey borough of Manhattan, the same amount would buy only 232 square feet."
Seems it wasn't too long ago they moved their offices to downtown. I'm sure tax incentives were involved. I think they expanded their plant in Derby around the same time
Last edited by JWRocks; 07-16-2020 at 11:26 AM..
Reason: spelling
The US is massive, and home to countless world class cities and mid range boom towns. Portland, Austin, Nashville, Denver, nyc, Boston, Chicago, LA, Miami. Imagine being able to pick up and move anywhere within this huge country and then deciding to voluntarily park yourself in Wichita, Kansas or Saginaw, Michigan or buffalo, NY. That seems like a tough ask for the average joe without extremely deep ties to the area.
I can count on one hand what I would consider to be world class cities in the US.
NY, LA, CHI, DC, and maybe SF and miami..
fringe cities would be austin, seattle, boston, maybe philly.
not disputing your reasoning, but rather your claim that the US has "countless" world class cities.
I agree that with all the options out there, a small city with brutal winters would not be at the top of most people's list.
Last edited by blahblahyoutoo; 07-24-2020 at 02:33 PM..
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