The Real Buffalo
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5/30/2012
I'm reviewing this as a 28 year old man who has been a Buffalo born and bred resident and lived here all my life. I will try to be as unbiased and helpful as possible. The food/restaurant selection and quality is really second to none in the entire country, (except maybe Chicago). The architecture here is phenomenal. Want to live in a palatial mansion for around 500,000? You can do it here in one of our distinct Delaware or Elmwood districts. But for a far shorter price, say around 75k, you can get a solid home in very good shape in a nice neighborhood. Far, far less depending on the area as well. Some homes around our UB south Campus sell in the 40-50k range and with that of course comes a drunken college crowd. The seasons are as follows. Hot summers for around 80 days. Cold winters with little sunshine, (except for 2012, unseasonably warm). Global warming perhaps?? Bring your Vitamin D for December through March to not fall into the winter blues. Short Spring and Fall but nonetheless, four seasons. Plenty of things to do related to performing arts within the city. Cross into Canada within 5 minutes of downtown Buffalo and Toronto within an 1.5hr. Close to Pa and Oh. If you want an easy escape to half the country's population within a day of driving, Buffalo is a gateway city. Great education with colleges and universities here. Good museums, very walkable, though I walk everywhere so I'm used to it. Easy to get to suburbs and pricier, but worth it in areas such as Williamsville, Clarence, Amherst. Beloved Buffalo Bills are a constant disappointment but entertaining enough. Sabres are a good hockey team to cheer on with a nice cold beer and chicken wings. Minor league baseball, college hoops and the like. Violent crime can be rampant. If you already come from a pretty tough place, you should be okay if you mind your business in certain parts of town and be wise after 9. The "Chippewa Strip" consists of a dozen or so clubs that represent Buffalo's safest night scene. Diverse city for sure but some racial tension can be felt and the city is basically divided into 4 parts. East Side, mostly black, South Buffalo, mostly white, North Buffalo, an Italian area but very diverse with all races. The West Side, mostly Hispanic but a ton of foreigners and refugees live there as well. Riverside could be considered a fifth side of town but is basically a "sub-district" encompassing part of N Buffalo, the westside and the back yard of Kenmore, ( a small village essentially still connected to Buffalo and not always distinguished as separate from the city). Elmwood Village is our trendy, artsy, cool scene. Dog walkers, hooka smokers, eclectic types, cafe lovers, you'll have a field day on Elmwood. Delaware Park is a great places to stay fit in the summer. Buy a house outside the city such as in West Seneca or perhaps Cheektowaga for a little better quality of a home and safety. The dating scene is what you make it. Diverse age groups and you can always find singles partying at the very least. Our downtown is a snore. Not much to do AT ALL down there except eat at select places or watch the ugly people at the Greyhound station. Public transportation is decent, you don't need a car but would likely want to have one, but you can get around. Light rail that just travels up Main St., mostly underground. Not complex at all like in other major cities. Big waste of money for the city. Often called, "The train that goes nowhere." We're close to Niagara Falls, which I call Pothole City. Niagara Falls is a wasteland essentially and the only reason to go there is to look at the Canadian side of the Falls with visitors. You cannot compare NF to Buffalo at all, there just close to each other, that's all. Overall, I'd say for cheap housing, great food, consistent theater and concerts, festivals year round and easy access to a lot of the country, Buffalo is a great choice. I've been considering moving to the northwest, (Portland), but will likely live here for as long as I can while traveling all over and knowing I have a place that I'm renting for 650/mo everything included in a good neighborhood. If you fear crime that is above average, looking for a thriving business community or jobs galore, want to be surrounded by in your face entertainment all day, this may not be the place for you. Democratic city for sure, especially in the last couple of decades. The jobs do suck as with the rest of the country, but if you have a small home based business that brings you in around 3k a month net like I do, you can live good, even with a family. If you're young and want to save up, it's a good middle of the road area. If your're nearing retirement, I honestly don't see anything for you here unless you like easy access to lakes. Buffalo is a charming city where most people are willing to help you out. Many neighbors will still shovel snow for you or walk down the block with a snowblower to clear the sidewalks. For kids under 18, it can be a decent place to raise them. So much opportunity for the city, so many empty promises. I look forward to what the next decade brings, likely the same as the last decade but it's my city. p.s., We don't take well to outsiders talking disrespectfully about our city, or for Buffaloninas to talk trash to outsiders and give us a bad name. You have to be from here or have lived here at least 10-15, (preferably 20 years+, lol)to be overly critical.
Global | Buffalo, NY