Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
FYI, the average on this poll as of right now is 2.23 stars... I know that it's not what the regulars here want to believe, but perception is reality. This is what the majority of folks think of our terrible city (2 stars makes it terrible right?)
Some will undoubtedly say that the poll was influenced by people from outside the area, or that people didn't think about the cost of living here (nonsense).
I gave Buffalo 1 star. I truly cannot stand this place.
Buffalo is the dead end of the rest of the world. Don't make me explain myself because I could talk your ear off about Buffalo's problems for the rest of the day.
WE HAD TO GET A DONATION OF TOILET PAPER BECAUSE OUR OWN GOVERNMENT COULDN'T AFFORD TO WIPE IT'S OWN REAREND!!! >.<
I wouldn't have any problems I have now if I didn't live in Buffalo. Government, People ... everything, everyone sucks and this is the worst place to live in the entire United States. City of Good Neighbors my rearend, change that to the City of People who Don't Give a Darn about Anyone but Themselves + Money and make it their life's duty to wake you up at 4AM every single day for the rest of your life.
If you are thinking about moving here; save yourself the trouble and kill yourself. You are much better off.
No decent city transportation, no jobs AT ALL for a pay range between 8 and 15 dollars, a very secluded society that keeps to themselves and pretends everythings great by being so nice when they regularly act like jerks every other chance they get, and if that wasn't bad enough, our politicians don't even SHOW UP!!!
DO NOT COME HERE.
AND BTW, Democrats DID mess this place up, it wasn't the republicans. The county exec we have now is a GODSEND, thank GOD for the Republican Party. NY Democrats aren't worth their bodyweight in water.
And don't even get me started on the cops.
Just wondering, who were these Democrats that ruined the area, by themselves?
Honestly I Think Buffalo is Amazing ! I've lived in Buffalo all my life , so what we have our problems every city has some negative features . The People in buffalo are great , the foods decent and the sports teams are amazing . Even if they don't win every game there is the Sabres and Bills make me proud to be a fan of them . Not everyones perfect and if you think you are then theres something wrong with you . Buffalo is a city that can be fixed easily we just need people to step up and help ! I'd give Buffalo a 5 ! I wouldn't live any wheres else , i'm a true Buffalo Fan and proud to be it . So what if the winters are long , you can surive and who cares if the summers are to hot ( its better then being cold ) . The City of Buffalo does its best to make the people who live here happy !
This is an old thread...the average is 2.33, so rounded it came out to be 2 stars. 48% of the voters rated the city 3 stars or higher. 36% rated the city as 3 stars, 31% rated the city as 1 star.
I put a time limit on the poll for a reason. If you want different data, I would wait until at least August and make a new thread with the exact same options. I think I used either a one month, or a three month time limit. That way you can tell if the trend is rising or falling, year over year.
I rate Buffalo a negative 1 star. Its very racist, what other city you know of where black's live in one section (East side), Spanish live's in another section (west side) and whites in another (South Buffalo).
The media is very Bias. Buffalo is not the city of good people. Its like living in a Southern city back in the 1960's. If you are someone other than African American or Spanish, Buffalo and Western New York is the best place to live on Earth. I lived in Hampton Roads VA. about a year ago and granted that area is not the best best to live, but I would put Hampton roads over Buffalo any day. I do plan on leaving in a few months.
I rate Buffalo a negative 1 star. Its very racist, what other city you know of where black's live in one section (East side), Spanish live's in another section (west side) and whites in another (South Buffalo).
The media is very Bias. Buffalo is not the city of good people. Its like living in a Southern city back in the 1960's. If you are someone other than African American or Spanish, Buffalo and Western New York is the best place to live on Earth. I lived in Hampton Roads VA. about a year ago and granted that area is not the best best to live, but I would put Hampton roads over Buffalo any day. I do plan on leaving in a few months.
Many and all of those sections of town have some variance in terms of who lives there. There are white people that live all over Buffalo, same with Blacks and even Hispanics. It's called enclaves or areas of concentration.
Many and all of those sections of town have some variance in terms of who lives there. There are white people that live all over Buffalo, same with Blacks and even Hispanics. It's called enclaves or areas of concentration.
I'm sure the Hampton Roads area has it's certain neighborhoods in terms of who is concentrated where as well.
Well said CK. Almost every US city from Chicago east & DC north is set up with ethnic neighborhoods just like Buffalo. Even places like Atlanta, LA, Dallas & Houston have areas that are like this.
I would rate it a 3.5. 3 doesn't do it justice but 4 is too optimistic (okay okay so it's not really an option, poll me as a 3 if you must!).
Plus Side: Amazingly diverse & delicious selection of cuisine from all different parts of the world at every conceivable price - food is a hallmark of the city and our restaurants are plastered all over shows on Food Network and other national media sources. Huge art community with everything from a nationally recognized museum down to free shows in people's attics. A multitude of large colleges (including UB, which literally attracts people from all over the world, and Buffalo State which has nationally recognized art education and art restoration programs). A beautiful park system and other forms of free entertainment (Thursday in the Square, waterfront, etc.). Fairly sizable music scene and a varied night life at a low cost with bars open ‘til 4 am (rock stars brag about how much they love doing concerts here because of our party scene). Some of the cheapest rent and housing prices in the country, even though there are significantly more economically depressed areas. Extremely high percentage of independently owned businesses from hardware stores to ice cream parlors that make their own chocolate. Friendlier neighbors than a lot of places I've lived, including suburbs around Buffalo where the people who live next door don't even want to say hello when you pass on the sidewalk. Awesome downtown library and incredible architecture in almost any area. Most neighborhoods' layouts, and the overall topography, are very walker friendly. If you can't find that 60k a year job that will get you a hummer and a flat screen tv in every room you can still live extremely comfortably on a 25k a year one (these aren't hard to come by if you are willing to not have a "dream job" or do "what you went to school for," it happens to like 65% of college graduates including me - deal with it). On that note I've lived here in an area w a good reputation, on my own, making 11k a year and still shopped, partied and had all the bills paid because I don’t try to live like Mtv cribs or keep up with “the Jones.” You can’t do that in virtually any other city of this size, let alone a bigger one. Large and very active gay community – voted by some important magazine whose name I no longer remember as the “second best gay community” after San Francisco, which is of course subjective but I still feel honored we were mentioned. Taxes and utilities aren’t the cheapest in the country but they are by far not the highest and the general low price for basic needs – food, shelter, clothing, etc – more than balances it out. I live in half of a two family house and pay around $150 for gas, electric and water. Great proximity to the beautiful upstate New York landscape – Niagara Falls, Watkins Glenn, Allegany State Park, etc. - and not a bad drive to cities like Toronto, Montreal, Rochester (also not as bad as everyone claims) and Pittsburgh. Even NYC and Boston are less than half a day’s drive away. Overall metropolitan options without cosmopolitan snootiness or prices - if you are "bored" here that's probably because YOU ARE BORING and have very simplistic interests (or you’re like me and spent all your money in our awesome array of thrift stores!).
Minus: Despite being racially and ethnically diverse, as well as welcoming a huge influx of immigrants every year from Somalia, Myanmar, etc. Buffalo is very segregated - among the top 20 cities in the country for this actually. As a white person I have to say the amount of racism here is astounding from other white people – I constantly hear Caucasians trying to blame all the city’s troubles on the non-white population. They forget things like over 40% of the ppl on welfare are white or that white flight due to racism and other shallow motivations helped screw the city. Actually I’ve noticed a lot of racism here in general from all sides – the city is big enough to have racial and ethnic enclaves but small-town enough to not have a lot of cultural diffusion between those groups. I’m not trying to say everyone here is a racist! I know lots of people in what are termed mixed relationships, with diverse groups of friends, etc. It’s just a personal disappointment that I see almost as much racism here as in the backwards, almost all white redneck town I went to high school in. Too many out of state home/land owners vultured Buffalo during it's worst period and now leave their properties unmaintained, lowering the value of homes for working class people nearby in areas like Black Rock and the West Side. The suburbs want ZILCH to do with the city - a lot, not all, of the suburban people want to work, party and posture here but then universally dis the city and pretend like it’s decline has nothing to do with their communities (even though history has taught us that the impoverished urban elements will move out to first ring suburbs, eventually giving them the same “problems” as the city and as those suburbs decline those elements will expand into outer ring suburbs – run as far as you can suburbanites, you will never find a place that is the 1950’s). Gentrification in areas like Allentown, that aren't always statistically safer, drive up housing without providing any real quality of life advantages other than it being a "hip area.” Resources are poured into these areas and traditionally affluent neighborhoods while non-"hip" parts of the city (often filled with struggling lower middle class people who do all those things you don't want to do yourself - fix your roof, cook your burgers, mow your lawns and in return are sneared at for not having what you have) are ignored. Crappy mass transit - puny subway, unreliable bus system. Higher crime rate than state and national average, but any crime map of the city will tell you that certain really bad areas super-inflate the statistics. I'm a 5'2" female who until recently took the bus and walked everywhere and I have never had anyone even attempt to mug or assault me ('cause it's supposed to be so scary here oooOOOoooOOO!!!!) in nearly a decade of living in Buffalo. I even left my apt door ajar on accident, like a fool, a few years ago and came home to my apt totally safe and sound, untouched. If you aren't involved in drugs, don't hang out with complete scum (you know the type who rob you while you're at work then come over the next day and say "heard you got robbed" - Chris Rock) and don't generally do stupid things like walk the streets at 2 am with gold jewelry and $300 shoes on you're generally okay. Do innocent, good people become victims of crime on occasion? Yes and it sucks. Does this happen everywhere, even small quaint farming towns or one of the "safest cities in the country," Amherst? Also yes.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
