moving to Towanda? (Buffalo, Amherst, Tonawanda: apartments, rental, houses)
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Hi everybody-
I've been reading this forum since I found out my boyfriend and I are moving to the Buffalo area(he's going to UB Law school). I figured Tonawanda seems to be on the outskirts of the city and somewhat cheap. What does everybody think, would you recommend living there? Is there a lot to do there? It's not that far from UB is it?
Thanks in Advance
Last edited by Bonnie2742; 05-31-2009 at 05:06 PM..
Start by pronouncing it correctly (its Tonawanda) This is something that you will have to learn rather quickly as there are a dozen crazy Native American names ; ) The town of Tonawanda is much better then the City of Tonawanda but both are decent. You will find most everything is in close proximity 10 to 15 min from everywhere. I live in the Elmwood Village and just bought a house in Tonawanda.
Good call on the spelling-I fixed that problem. Sounds like I better start studying some names so I don't make it obvious I'm not from the area. I figured it was pretty close to the city but happy to know its within a 20 min distance. I'm not much of a city girl and would much rather live on the outskirts. Congrats on the house.
There are several distinct sections of "The Tonawandas":
-First of all, you've got the "Town of Tonawanda," (pronounced "Tana Tanawanda" by its residents). This is a huge area between, roughly, Kenmore Ave, Niagara Falls Blvd and the 290. Typical 50s era American suburbia.
-Within the Town of Tonawanda is the "Village of Kenmore," which is a very desirable, relatively urban, first-ring suburb of Buffalo. Areas where you're not sure if you're in "Kenmore" or just "Tonawanda" are known as "Ken-Ton."
-North of the 290 is the "City of Tonawanda," little more run down but pretty similar to the Town of Tonawanda. Nice waterfront, too.
-North of Tonawanda creek is "North Tonawanda" (known as "N-T"), which is actually in Niagara County. This is more like a separate small town than the standard suburbia of the Town of Tonawanda.
Confused yet? All of these are good, safe places to live, and you'll find UB students in all 4 municipalities. The commute won't be bad from any place, although you will probably need a car. Some parts of the Town of Tonawanda (namely the eastern part of the area known as "Kenilworth") will afford a car-less commute to the UB Law School on North Campus. If you're within walking distance of South Campus, you can take the very frequent UB bus to North Campus, which lets you out just a few steps from O'Brian Hall.
Things to do? Think about moving to the city. If you're young and you don't have kids, you've got nothing to lose and the city is unquestionably more exciting than the suburbs and equally affordable. A lot of UB Law Students live in neighborhoods like Elmwood Village and Allentown, but if you want a more suburban-style city address, which is still exciting (and a quick commute) look at North Buffalo, around Hertel Ave. This is becoming a popular address for UB students. It's a good neighborhood. Not always distinguishable from nearby parts of Kenmore.
However, if you would rather stay in the suburbs, the most lively of part of the Tonawandas is unquestionably Kenmore, specifically around where Delaware Ave meets Delaware Rd. It's pretty walkable, some nice shops and restaurants. Movie theater and grocery store nearby. You'd also be close by to the University bar scene (around Main St and Winspear) the Hertel bar scene (around Colvin) and not too far from Elmwood nightlife (all south of Forest Ave).
I have also always liked N-T, it's a very comfortable place to live, although not terribly lively most of the year.
If minimizing your commute is most important (and you don't care as much about your surroundings) I know there are a bunch of rental properties in the northeastern part of the Town of Tonawanda (north of 290, between Colvin/425 and Niagara Falls Blvd).
Confused? Just a little- it doesn't help that I've never been anywhere remotely close to Buffalo. You just answered many questions. We are making a trip up in a month or so hopefully I will soon exactly what you are talking about.
We don't have kids and both are in our mid-twenties. We thought about moving to the actual city but we are not familiar with the area. We don't know the good parts, bad parts, roads, etc. Researching places online looks great; however the locations do not mean anything to us. We figured we would start on the outskirts and then eventually venture our way into the city once we are more familiar with it. Living in the city does sound desirable since from what I have read there are a lot of things to do there. It’s something neither of us has experienced and the idea is still sitting on the back burner.
Tonawanda seems like a place we would most feel comfortable, and your information has helped a lot and is much appreciated. Your knowledge of the roads, communities, bars scenes is the first useful information I have stumbled across. It will make next months visit a lot easier. Wherever we end up the Buffalo area sounds like a good area with many things to do there.
Last edited by Bonnie2742; 05-31-2009 at 06:12 PM..
Reason: http stuff
The UB law school is located entirely in the North Campus, which is right in Amherst, near I-290. He will probably never even go to the South Campus.
In light of that I would look at Amherst primarily for a house or apartment. There is plenty of student apartments very near to UB that are plenty affordable Amherst is generally considered to be the most desirable suburban community to live in, especially Williamsville.
Tonawanda is fine, no doubt, but I think that your boyfriend will appreciate not driving 20 minutes each morning, and only 5.
Here is where your boyfriend will be going to school, the map is focussed on the North Campus.
I was born in Kenmore, grew up in the town and moved to the city. My son is a student at UB. The drive to the North campus is 10-15 minutes depending on the time of day. As far as the town being "much better" than the city that's bologna. The city is older by about 40 years so the houses are older and generally more reasonably priced. Taxes are lower in the city. Plenty of rental properties too. There's also lots to do during the summer months with canal fest and concerts on the canal 3 nights a week. There are really no bad parts in the city or the town. Both are policed heavily. I think you'll like it here.
From researching the Buffalo area it seems like there is tons of stuff to do.
My boyfriend I assume would much rather drive 5 min away versus 20. Hopefully we will soon figure it out. Coming to an unfamiliar city you don't know what is "much better" or not, but everyone has been very helpful. Hopefully everyone in Buffalo is as helpful.
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