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Hello. I'm 18 years old and just graduated high school a couple weeks ago. I'm from New Jersey and have lived here my whole life. I like it here, but I am itchin' for something new (as many people my age are). I'm going to be attending community college for two years before transferring to a four year college or university. I'm thinking of going to one of the SUNY schools. I've been focusing on Binghamton, Syracuse, and Buffalo. Although Binghamton is a little too close to my hometown, so I'm leaning more towards Syracuse and Buffalo. My plan is to finish college in one of these cities and begin to build a new life (find a job, place to live, etc.) Of course this will be very difficult.
Obviously I will have to visit these places before making any decisions, but I was wondering what people thought of the Buffalo area. How is the city itself as far as entertainment, culture, dining, etc? (I don't go out very often, but having the option is nice). What about surrounding areas/suburbs?
I have a feeling there could be some decent opportunities and living in these rust belt cities. Just gotta find them. Or I'm just being naive. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!
Your questions are kind of general. I suppose it depends ultimately on what exactly you are looking for.
Buffalo is, in part, a good collegiate town. UB is the biggest SUNY university. We have a few high quality private schools, and some other public schools too. So no shortage there.
Entertainment, culture, dining. Depends on what you like. What kind of entertainment do you like? Unlike Syracuse or Binghamton, we have two major league sports teams. So if sports are your favorite entertainment, Buffalo is a win there. If your into more live shows, we have Shea's to provide some very high quality live theatre, plus a few other smaller venues, and the Buffalo Philarmonic Orchestra is excellent. Not sure how those appeal to a prospective college student, but it probably boils down to your interests. There is also the clubs on Chippewa for late night socializing and entertainment. Plus a couple suburban clubs.
Cluture we do well too. Buffalo has tons of summer festivals, from the Allentown Art Festival, to different ethnic themed festivals, and the Taste of Buffalo, there is plenty to do on the weekends.
For eats, if you can think of it we basically have it. If you have some cash to eat out, I cannot imagine going wanting here. IMO, we do Italian especially well, with tons of privately owned and run Italian restaurants that are absolutely fabulous. There is no shortage of good Chinese or Mexican places either. Plenty of local bar and grill, and family restaurants that serve excellent food.
The Suburbs are all generally nice, clean, and safe too.
Also an advantage is our proximity to other cities. Toronto is an hour and a half down the road, and I cannot imagine anyone ever being bored up there, no matter what their likes are. Tons to do in that excellent city. Cleveland is about 3 hours away, and has some interesting things too... Rock and Roll hall of fame for instance. Pittsburgh is about 3.5 hrs away, and has more attractions (Carnegie museums, Andy Worhol Museum, more pro sports, etc).
I think your biggest challenge would be finding a good career after college in the Buffalo area, and that would be very dependent on your field of study. Jobs are not overly abundant, the weather isn't for everyone, and Buffalo isn't a big city with the hustle and bustle of New York or Chicago, but it is a good community to be a part of.
So I guess it really depends what you want and am looking for.
Definitely Buffalo. You will find this place the best of all rust belt cities in the area. You will have a terrific college life in the Buffalo area. I wish you the best!
Entertainment, culture, dining. Depends on what you like. What kind of entertainment do you like? Unlike Syracuse or Binghamton, we have two major league sports teams. So if sports are your favorite entertainment, Buffalo is a win there. If your into more live shows, we have Shea's to provide some very high quality live theatre, plus a few other smaller venues, and the Buffalo Philarmonic Orchestra is excellent. Not sure how those appeal to a prospective college student, but it probably boils down to your interests. There is also the clubs on Chippewa for late night socializing and entertainment. Plus a couple suburban clubs.
I would probably take advantage of the sports scene. I'm more into watching baseball, but I saw that Buffalo has a Triple A team, so that would be good enough for me. It would be exciting to see a Bills game, just for the experience. But I'm not overly fanatic about sports. Just enjoy casually watching them. As for the other entertainment options you listed, I am definetly pleased to see that there's an orchestra in town.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Checkered24
Also an advantage is our proximity to other cities. Toronto is an hour and a half down the road, and I cannot imagine anyone ever being bored up there, no matter what their likes are. Tons to do in that excellent city. Cleveland is about 3 hours away, and has some interesting things too... Rock and Roll hall of fame for instance. Pittsburgh is about 3.5 hrs away, and has more attractions (Carnegie museums, Andy Worhol Museum, more pro sports, etc).
I didn't think of that. Plenty of options for day trips.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Checkered24
I think your biggest challenge would be finding a good career after college in the Buffalo area, and that would be very dependent on your field of study. Jobs are not overly abundant, the weather isn't for everyone, and Buffalo isn't a big city with the hustle and bustle of New York or Chicago, but it is a good community to be a part of.
So I guess it really depends what you want and am looking for.
I'm not sure what I want to do career wise, but I'm most likely going to go into teaching.
As for the weather, I'm fine with the snow and cold.
And I'm looking more for a mid-sized city and Buffalo seems like a decent choice. Not looking to live a crazy lifestyle.
Unfortunately teaching jobs are very few and far between. Right now I know a couple people who are looking for jobs. I personally wouldn't advise you to move here, it is expensive, and unless you have tons of money saved up, without a college education, a nice apartment in the city of Buffalo will not be possible (even less in Amherst).
I personally do prefer Syracuse, it's a lot cleaner, more jobs, not as much nightlife, but definitely still some. The Syracuse economy has been stronger than Buffalo's for many years, and will probably continue to make gains on Buffalo.
Stay away from Binghamton, that place is terrible. There is literally nothing to do there, and it is a total dump.
If you are looking for a place to settle down why not Pittsburgh? It is doing very well right now, and it's economy is actually growing, meaning that you might actually be able to find a job there when you graduate. I would only recommend Buffalo if you plan on going to school and moving away after. If you have no reason to move to Buffalo, don't.
Unfortunately teaching jobs are very few and far between. Right now I know a couple people who are looking for jobs. I personally wouldn't advise you to move here, it is expensive, and unless you have tons of money saved up, without a college education, a nice apartment in the city of Buffalo will not be possible (even less in Amherst).
Same story here in New Jersey. Although its more expensive here than there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Canerican
I personally do prefer Syracuse, it's a lot cleaner, more jobs, not as much nightlife, but definitely still some. The Syracuse economy has been stronger than Buffalo's for many years, and will probably continue to make gains on Buffalo.
Ultimately it'll be finding a job that will decide which city I move to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Canerican
If you are looking for a place to settle down why not Pittsburgh? It is doing very well right now, and it's economy is actually growing, meaning that you might actually be able to find a job there when you graduate. I would only recommend Buffalo if you plan on going to school and moving away after. If you have no reason to move to Buffalo, don't.
I'll have to look into Pittsburgh. Sounds like a pretty depressing situation in Buffalo. But thanks for the advice!
Unfortunately teaching jobs are very few and far between. Right now I know a couple people who are looking for jobs. I personally wouldn't advise you to move here, it is expensive, and unless you have tons of money saved up, without a college education, a nice apartment in the city of Buffalo will not be possible (even less in Amherst).
I personally do prefer Syracuse, it's a lot cleaner, more jobs, not as much nightlife, but definitely still some. The Syracuse economy has been stronger than Buffalo's for many years, and will probably continue to make gains on Buffalo.
Stay away from Binghamton, that place is terrible. There is literally nothing to do there, and it is a total dump.
If you are looking for a place to settle down why not Pittsburgh? It is doing very well right now, and it's economy is actually growing, meaning that you might actually be able to find a job there when you graduate. I would only recommend Buffalo if you plan on going to school and moving away after. If you have no reason to move to Buffalo, don't.
Just to defend Binghamton, it is one of the safest areas in the country, it does have a good sports scene for it's size(AA Baseball, AHL Hockey and Binghamton University Sports), it has affordable housing, SUNY Binghamton is growing and is probably the best SUNY University in terms of academics and the area is in a good location.
Pittsburgh wouldn't be bad either and it an underrated area as well.
Syracuse might be a good choice due to the fact it has a very underrated arts scene(opera, symphony, theatre for plays and decent music scene), an economy in transition from manufacturing to education and health care with some high tech engineering mixed in and it's in a good location for day trips as well. Housing is affordable too. While it doesn't have a SUNY school in the immediate area, Cortland and Oswego are both within 30 minutes and are great schools for those that want to get into education. Syracuse University and Le Moyne College are both private. So, to attend either one of those schools, it would cost more. Sports are pretty big here and you can check out SU Football, Basketball and Lacrosse, along with Syracuse Crunch Hockey(AHL) and Syracuse Chiefs AAA Baseball.
As for Buffalo, UB and Buff. State would both be good choices for someone that wants to get into education. UB is growing as well and Buff. State is in a great part of the city of Buffalo. There is plenty to do and has a lot to offer for it's size. There are plenty of private colleges in the city. So, there are plenty of students around too.
Another city you might want to take a look at is Albany, they have a good SUNY school there for teachers... If you don't mind some heat, and being a little towards the South Norfolk/Virginia Beach are doing very well right now. You can find a job in Buffalo, don't get me wrong, but a career is a little tougher.
I always tell my friends, when they ask why I am moving, that after graduating I only have one chance to CHOOSE where I live. I'm not tied down with a family or anything, so I want to get it right. My advice is to look into as many cities as you can, trust me, it can make the difference between being happy and being miserable.
Another city you might want to take a look at is Albany, they have a good SUNY school there for teachers... If you don't mind some heat, and being a little towards the South Norfolk/Virginia Beach are doing very well right now. You can find a job in Buffalo, don't get me wrong, but a career is a little tougher.
I always tell my friends, when they ask why I am moving, that after graduating I only have one chance to CHOOSE where I live. I'm not tied down with a family or anything, so I want to get it right. My advice is to look into as many cities as you can, trust me, it can make the difference between being happy and being miserable.
That part of VA is nice. I have a brother that lives in VA Beach and has been trying to get me to move down there for a while.
Pretty much any SUNY College is going to be good for education, but like others have said, the challenege will be landing a job after you graduate. It's not impossible, but you really have to look. Sometimes working in a non-trditional school like Hillside Children's center might be good if you have a special education focus. They have campuses in Auburn, Rochester, Varick(in the old Army Depot near Romulus) and I believe in Orchard Park, among some other locations: Results -- View (http://www.hillside.com/Join/list.asp - broken link)
Another city you might want to take a look at is Albany, they have a good SUNY school there for teachers... If you don't mind some heat, and being a little towards the South Norfolk/Virginia Beach are doing very well right now. You can find a job in Buffalo, don't get me wrong, but a career is a little tougher.
I am considering SUNY Albany for school although I'm not sure if I would want to live there. I don't think I could live in Virginia though. I hate the heat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Canerican
I always tell my friends, when they ask why I am moving, that after graduating I only have one chance to CHOOSE where I live. I'm not tied down with a family or anything, so I want to get it right. My advice is to look into as many cities as you can, trust me, it can make the difference between being happy and being miserable.
Absolutely. Great advice.
Most of my family lives in New Jersey, which is one thing that would make me hesitant to move. But I'd really like to try something different.
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