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^Only thing I would change is economy, Syracuse and Rochester are essentially a wash in terms of average annual income and Syracuse is slightly more affordable. However, Buffalo is slightly more affordable than Syracuse.
Food is pretty much even across the board, but each have their own dishes/area foods.
What makes Buffalo appealing is that its location/proximity to more people across the border in Canada. With a region of 9.3 million nearby, that makes it tough to beat.
With this said, for those not familiar with these cities, all 3 are only within a couple of hours or so(2 & 20 tops) from each other(about 150 miles from Buffalo to Syracuse, with Rochester in between(hour or so from Buffalo and hour and 15-20 from Syracuse)). There are about 3 million + people between the 3 areas.
I will say that for someone from Western Washington, you may notice familiar aspects like big time apple and dairy production near these cities. Plenty of lakes, rain, your share of cloudiness in certain seasons, plenty hills(Syracuse is closer to legitimate mountains in the Adirondacks within an hour and a half), a Native American presence especially around Buffalo and Syracuse, wineries, proximity to Canada, etc.
Some other extras, Buffalo has pro sports and a 4 am last call; Syracuse has major college sports, the biggest shopping center in NY State(8th in the country) & the state fair and Rochester has a couple of city beaches and the highest educational attainment of the 3, among some other things.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 05-13-2021 at 02:43 PM..
Forgot to mention that out of the 3, Syracuse is closest to NYC(about 4 hour drive) and other major Northeastern cities. Ottawa is 3 hours and Montreal is about 4 hours away in terms of Canadian cities.
Also, if you are into skiing, all of them have ski areas nearby, with about 6 within minutes of Syracuse.
Grew up near Rochester, lots of family in Syracuse and went to college in Buffalo. I think they're all pretty solid smaller cities, but I would rank them Buffalo>Rochester>Syracuse. Buffalo is on lake Erie with nice views, near Niagara falls and Toronto, nice park system and has light rail, which is kind of impressive for a small city. Also has some decent music venues, food and art scene. Also nice housing, lots of Frank Lloyd Wright inspired stuff. The new canal district is pretty nice and I hope it continues to grow. Rochester is fun too, good music , probably due to Eastman school, and the falls area is pretty nice. It's also pretty much on lake Ontario, just a bit off for whatever reason. Somehow it always felt the classier of the three, but I'm not sure why. Syracuse has some areas that have gotten pretty nice lately, but I think it has further to go than the other two. Some pretty buildings downtown and interesting neighborhoods around the city. the state fair was always fun too.
None of them have stand out economies, but Rochester used to have Kodak and xerox, so maybe it still has a little of that residual prosperity. I think Buffalo has the better weather; the winters are kind of brutal for all three, but Buffalo has this natural air conditioning going due to is location, so summers are really nice for the most part. All three have crime like every city but never got the sense it was very bad.
Last edited by skintreesnail; 05-13-2021 at 06:42 PM..
Rochester does get a reputation for being more white collar compared to the other 2.
I dare say that Syracuse, relatively speaking and in regular times, has the more active Downtown. All have their other neighborhoods with activity, with a range from lower income to old money.
Buffalo and Syracuse, with Rochester to a lesser degree, have taken in their share of refugees in the recent past. Buffalo’s West Side and Syracuse’s North Side are neck and neck for a couple of the most culturally diverse urban areas in NY outside of NYC because of this.
All have a range of suburbs, with most being solidly middle class, with some being upper middle class. Pittsford outside of Rochester is the most affluent of the bunch, due to being a landing spot for higher ups at major companies in the area.
In extremely simplistic and generalized terms, Buffalo offers the best city living, Rochester is best for suburban living and Syracuse is best for attending college.
In extremely simplistic and generalized terms, Buffalo offers the best city living, Rochester is best for suburban living and Syracuse is best for attending college.
Pretty much, but there is some crossover.
I’d say in terms of getting into the country, all are good, but Syracuse due to having the Onondaga Nation and only a small suburb to the south, allows for quick access. For instance, this is literally about a mile south of the city line to the south west of the suburb(Nedrow) and on the way to the Onondaga Nation: https://goo.gl/maps/HHbRNge83L8HaqqJ9
Something I want to mention about weather, as the OP seems to be interested in the topic. Most of the high snowfall totals you see for Buffalo and Syracuse are related to parts of these metros that downwind from Lake Erie south of Buffalo and Lake Ontario north of Syracuse. Those portions of both metros get the highest snowfall totals on average, while the areas away from these portions get less snowfall on average. You may get a little more south of Syracuse due to higher elevations and the area can get the tail end of Nor’easters. https://media.istockphoto.com/photos...UGmDp3cJ5OmSU=
An example of this, is the Niagara County portion of the Buffalo metro to the north may get between 50-70 inches of snow on average, which is lower than the metro average. So, that is something to consider.
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