Buffalo, New York
SperlingViews

What Recession? - 10/24/2008

I tend to laugh when I read about the recession that is hitting the United States. Buffalo has been in a recession since 1971 and no one seems to care. It is so bad that McDonalds and Burger King closed their respective downtown locations What does that tell you? The man in charge of Western New York Regional Planning at the University of Buffalo retired and move to Florida faster than you can say "Outta Here"![more...]

crime in buffalo - 10/8/2008

Buffalo is the 24th crime city according to 2007 morgan quinto city rankings while buffalo's suburb amherst is the 4th safest.[more...]

true true true - 10/4/2008

i live here but they (politicians) are the reason for the sweaty armpit review. it is done for greed alone and we as citizens don't realize it. it is far worse than that. DON'T i repeat DON'T move to buffalo if you love your family.[more...]

quality of life - 9/22/2008

Buffalo is a very boring and poor city. i would like to move somewhere alot more lively and where people have goals and are doing things with their lives[more...]

Weather - 7/5/2008

Buffalo weather is very hot for two months and then so-so the rest.[more...]

Left for a reason - 6/26/2008

I left Buffalo in 2004 and haven't looked back. The job market is poor and the hourly wage for jobs is pretty low. The only reason why I visit once a year is to see family that just can't afford to get out of there. If anyone has the opportunity to leave do it cause you will never regret it. [more...]

I don't want to live anywhere else - 6/1/2008

I'm shocked and amazed to read some of the other comments on this site. I don't even recognize the city they describe. Buffalo is great city, and a city with true heart and soul. It is a lively, vibrant, revititalizing city with terrific people, a good cost of living, and a powerful history. The weather is great with beautiful summers and winters that aren't nearly as cold, snowy, or long as others have described. It's even recently been named one of the top 15 U.S. cities for barbequeing, due to the favorable weather. It's also one of the top 10 cities in the United States for the arts, ahead of Boston and San Francisco. I have traveled the world and have CHOSEN Buffalo as my home. I encourage all who may read this to check out two local websites: buffalorising.com and Buffalo by Choice. The longer I live here, the more I learn about the Queen City/City of Lights/City of Good Neighbors, the more I love Buffalo.[more...]

America's Armpit - 5/13/2008

There is a reason why they call Buffalo "America's Armpit," because we are always moist. Snow in the winter, rain in the spring and humid during the summer. That body odor smell? That's the east side of the city. All jokes aside, Buffalo is a strange bird indeed. First off, there is really one two months mainly. There is 5 to 6 months of winter, 4 months of summer, and maybe 3-4 weeks of spring and fall. During the wintertime, even if you participate in winter sports it is incredibly boring. Summers in Buffalo is where we really stand out. Despite the claims from some that the zoo is anything special, all you have to do is wander over to the polar bears or lions to see how depressing it is. Otherwise there is much to do. We have a top notch arts community, and our music scene is right up there as well. Free music festivals that bring national acts, as well as local artists that help showcase other local talent. There are several outstanding heritage festivals, and the taste of buffalo and Erie county fair are among the tops of the country in their respective fields. The theatre district is fairly decent as well. The job market does stink as it is well documented, and you shouldn't expect to make a double digit hourly wage unless it is in our booming collections/customer service field. The housing is relatively affordable, mostly because if it wasn't nobody would have a place to live. Utilities can be costing, esp. your gas bill, and the taxes are among the highest rate in the country. Part of the reason is because the state government ignores the entire state except for New York City, and then tax the rest of the state like crazy to pay for it. The local government is so inept that Buffalo will never prosper economically because of things like taking 7 years to decide on the style of the peace bridge, or flat-out ignoring the woefully underused waterfront. They are so bad that a control board had to be created, and of course, that board cannot make up it's mind. The fans are passionate about their sports teams, as much as fair weather fans who switch allegiances for whatever team is currently winning can. Also Buffalo isn't a good place if you like to read, or get good medical care as they keep shutting down the libraries and hopsitals. In summary, buffalo is good if you've grown numb to the winters have family here that you are really close to.[more...]

weather - 5/3/2008

It gets harder each year with the cold and snow. If we are lucky, we get summer. It's tough when allergy seasons comes around. In the winter, it's really cold. The summer is too hot because of the humidity. Just can't win with Buffalo. LOL.[more...]

SUNY Buffalo - 4/15/2008

Hello. My name is May and I'm from NYC. Currently I'm a senior in high school, trying to decide where to go for college. SUNY Buffalo is one of choices, however I'm a bit skeptical about going there, especially since I heard there's heavy snow and it's extremely cold from October to May. I would like people to give me opinions or advice about SUNY Buffalo. I viewed pictures and saw that the campus is very nice and peaceful. However, I'm reluctant to go to SUNY Buffalo due to the long distance I would have to travel and the weather. Please give me advice. Thank you![more...]

saftey - 2/8/2008

it's not very safe[more...]

bad reputation - 1/26/2008

For anyone interested in buffalo, new york. We get a bad rap. Bad snow storms only happen once in a while. Our summers, I think are the best in the nation. Summer temperatures range from the sixties to the high eighties. Rarely, does it reach extreme highs.[more...]

No Better People! - 1/17/2008

I have lived in Buffalo my entire life. Even though I actually live in a suburb called North Tonawanda, it's so much easier saying "Buffalo". Buffalo is going through some very tough times! The city is poor, employment if horrible and the taxes are OUT of control... but the people are phenomenal! Don't forget the architecture!! It's something to behold! Walking downtown and seeing the gorgeous buildings and workmanship is great fun! I wish I had the answers for this city! The local government doesn't seem to help much. Let's not forget that we have some of the highest priced gasoline in the country! How can that be?? We are the only city in the entire State of New York that has intercity toll roads! (What??) And all of that toll $$ didn't stay in the area! It went into a General fund for the entire state! We fought to have two (of SEVEN) tolls removed and that actually happened. Funny thing is that now they want to add a 26% gas tax for road repairs. (WHAT???) We really seem to get the short end of the stick! I wish someone who knew how to run a city would come in here, wipe out all of the local gov't and start fresh. Governor Spitzer actually sounds as if he may have a plan to help our economy. Let's see if it REALLY goes into action. We have our fingers crossed![more...]

Like to drink? - 1/6/2008

I have lived in Buffalo for something like 8 years now. Our claim to fame? Chicken wings, and bars on every corner - literally, every corner. Jobs are few and far between, but luckily I scored a good one. The economy kind of sucks - but then again, with Canada so close and their dollar being as strong as it currently is, they are doing wonders for us.[more...]

Are you kidding me - 12/11/2007

With the decreasing population and increasing operational costs for the city, there is no hope for Buffalo. More and more people are leaving due to economic issues, high cost of living, poor real estate market, high crime, lack of significant environmental improvments, and high drug traffic. I've given Buffalo a fair shot in the last nine years, and I have to say its the best place to live for beggars, drugs, drinking, crime, and louthing. NY Times has even quoted it as being worst that New Orleans after the storm. Why anyone would move to Buffalo is a mistery. Unless you like paying higher than normal taxes. Hope this helps. [more...]

High Sales tax - 12/10/2007

Erie county sales tax is 9% not the 8.25% listed on Sperling's BestPlaces.[more...]

Buffalo, NY sells itself short. It is great place - 11/15/2007

Buffalo's inner suburbs afford easy access to the city and great places to live with open, tree-filled neighbourhoods and parks. You can even ride your bike (with burley attached and with care) to the city zoo, the art gallery and the upper reaches of the downtown area. The science museum and the aquarium are within easy driving distance, as are decent bike paths. I can walk, bike or run my kids to preschool or school and activities (swimming, music lessons, library, community center etc.) and the same goes for adult activities (yoga, fitness etc.). The city has a good philharmonic orchestra, chamber music, art gallery (a gem!), a decent sized and expanding zoo, a reasonable science museum for children and plenty of music of a broad range of genres. It has a fair amount to offer in terms of "multicultural offerings", for example quarterly or more frequent performances of Indian music and dance, an active tango community, even some good flamenco music etc. The weather gets a bad rap, mostly from the locals, who would rather grouse about the snow than go out and play in it. Fall winter and summer are great, spring is the only damper in terms of weather. I wouldn't call it a X-country skiers' paradise, but it is pretty good. One can often ski in the local golf courses within 5 minutes drive. Lots of flatwater paddling, for whitewater you have to drive at least 2 hours (no, the falls don't count). There is even good climbing on the Niagara Escarpment less than 2 hours from Buffalo, in Canada. Did I mention Canada and Toronto? The inner suburb schools are excellent, the neighbourhoods are "safe" (read that as you will), some are very very ethnically homogeneous, Buffalo is one of the most segregated cities in the US. The outer suburbs I consider cultural wastelands: lots of space, no trees, no sidewalks, few community offerings, you have to have your own playsets in your own yards since there are not that many public playgrounds, no public swimming lessons, long commutes to the city. You might like all this, it's just that if you don't, don't be surprised by it, it goes with the "low taxes" territory. Plenty of young families are living well in the city itself. As far as religion goes, the Center For Inquiry is headquartered in Amherst, and they are making efforts to have more community oriented programming. Down sides? The economy. You can't move here and expect to find a job, but if you have a portable job or are offered one here don't discount it. Also, alas, no big mountains nearby.[more...]

Buffalo, NY - 10/26/2007

Buffalo is great place to live. The city is large enough to have many cultural amenites. There are alot of colleges and univerisites so the population is diverse. It is a great place to raise kids. Lot's of things to do in the area. Downside is the declining population and not too many higher end jobs.[more...]

Brrrr - It's cold up here! - 8/19/2007

Buffalo is a very cold place to live. If you are love winters that last from November to May then this may be the place for you. There is a lot of snow as well - so if you like to ski this is a great place.[more...]

A GREAT place to live - 7/18/2007

Buffalo NY is an awesome place to live. I was away for 11 years and missed Buffalo an aweful lot. Buffalo has everything to offer: Close proximity to Toronto, Cleveland, Niagara Falls and the mountains for camping and hiking. Year round activities include: skiing, sledding, biking, camping, site-seeing, museums, casinos and much more. Our city offers a host of culturally diverse people and events throughout the year making it a great place to live and raise children ~ Which reminds me we also have a great variety of schools ranging from internationally recognized universities to private schools.[more...]