Buffalo - one of the nation's fastest dying Cities. (by Forbes) (New York: lofts, how much)
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while I can certainly understand your point about community, you may want to consider that your community is bleeding you dry:
Paid any closing costs lately? Buffalo's mortgage closing costs are third-highest in a nationwide survey : Latest Local News : The Buffalo News (broken link)
Buffalo has the third-highest mortgage closing costs among 55 cities in all 50 states and Washington, D.C, according to a survey by Bankrate.com.
I shudder to think what happens when you factor in property taxes (A $200K home is taxed at more than $8200/year - http://www.ecidany.com/tax_calculator_results.asp (broken link))
while I can certainly understand your point about community, you may want to consider that your community is bleeding you dry:
Paid any closing costs lately? Buffalo's mortgage closing costs are third-highest in a nationwide survey : Latest Local News : The Buffalo News (broken link)
Buffalo has the third-highest mortgage closing costs among 55 cities in all 50 states and Washington, D.C, according to a survey by Bankrate.com.
I shudder to think what happens when you factor in property taxes (A $200K home is taxed at more than $8200/year - http://www.ecidany.com/tax_calculator_results.asp (broken link))
Well, if you can find a cheaper place to live and a great community atmosphere with a good average income better than Buffalo's, okay. But Buffalo is my home and I would'nt trade it for the world
Did Forbes consider the surburbs with Buffalo as well.
No. Just the city it'self. Buffalo Suburbs are not ying - in fact some are booming - like Clarence/Amherst/Williamsville, etc. That wouldn't make sense if they included Buffalo's suburbs in that rating for Buffalo.
The major problem in Buffalo is the inner city and rentals w/absentee landlords... it attracts trash... much used to be all middle class and now has turned since the 1960s ( my husband was born on E. Ferry and lived on E. Deleven until he got an apt. in the 1960s, His parents lived on Garner & then Elmwood [when the rich lived on Ashland and streets abutting Delaware Park],his grandmother on Goodyear and g-grandmother in the Fruit Belt and on Genesee near the city... at the time, all were good working class areas... but neither he nor I go near them now, except the Elmwood area one.
Consider urban sprawl for absentee landlords and the trash that moves in ( of any group) and you get the areas which rate Buffalo in the pits. My husband says the city deteriorated and went to garbage when they built the 33 expressway which essentially divided political areas and the sell off was on the " inner ring". You can easily kill a city like that. It affected all areas as expressways cut neighborhoods in pieces. Did you know you used to be able to rent a horse at the stable on Amherst at Lincoln Pkwy.in the 1950s and ride on the Olmstead parkways to the Botanical Gardens? We had friends who remember doing it as young kids. Put in the expys. and no more...In the 1950s, people built in Tonawanda ( still w/buses)& in the 60s, you had the first large "flight" -- people moved of N. Buffalo to Williamsville in the Klein/N. Forest area.( few buses) All depleted the city of people with good jobs. Keep public transist limited so the people from the city don't go outward for jobs.So, what do you get? Lower income and a downturn in the city. Now, people are renovating in the core of the city; it weon't be revitalized until the core build outward... somewhat like the Elmwood area ( which was trash in the 1960s). Until you truly trash the inner city, and build safe areas which are not income subsidized for sale and are safe,this won't be a thriving area for middle class. ( and then where do the people from that area go?)You also then need a core of stores there. Going to Wegman's all the way up on Amherst isn't it. I came when there were 7 dept. stores in downtown.. no more. I don't even go there any more unless I have to. Malls have closed - anyone remember the AM&A's at Main and Kenmore or the nice plaza with it? Much classier than what it is now. Or Hengerers at Eggert and Bailey? Probably not. Good shopping, now gone. Drive people out as you close stores. Build strip plazas so old ones are emnpty and businesses are with a newer address ( best example is Sheridan Drive in Amherst)........
Face it people, sprawl has to stop before Buffalo can come back. It is starting, only it has a long way to go. I disagree with most of the Forbes article, only unless they added the burbs to the article, it wasn't going to be a positive.
Did Forbes consider the surburbs with Buffalo as well.
Its not fair to Buffalo to not put syr in Forbes.
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