Latest Migration Trend: Buffalo, NY

$795/month and hundreds if not thousands more in gas, car insurance and oil heaters. i'll stick it out here where there's decent mass transit, oil's included in my rent and i do not have to deal wth a car.

But, aside from work you can do from home (consulting, etc), I'd guess jobs might pay less, since the cost of living is less.

I just think it would be cold!

looks like most of them are either artist/creative types who can work at home. one person was from buffalo so she basically went back home.
the major industry in the buffalo area are collection agencies. there's no jobs there.
Albany winters were depressing enough for me.

yeah, it's good for now. But wait til the Niagara winters bite their asses. I once went to a party in Buffalo, My friend lost the keys to his house. we were left stranded outside for 20 minutes! My animal instincts kicked in and I wanted to dig a hole into the earth and crawl into it. It's fucking cold up there.

I lived in Buffalo for over 10 years. I used to say, while I was there, I hated Buffalo, but now that I'm living in NYC I kinda miss it. Buffalo does have its charms.

If the couple misses the excitement of NYC, there's always Toronto which is only an hour away from the border.

Steven, I agree entirely. Having just had our first child, we're looking to own and simply can't do it here. (Well, we could buy a 500 square foot apartment in a decent neighborhood or a shithole for that in a dangerous one.)

Not sure where we'll end up— definitely won't be Buffalo—but we (like thousands of other middle class families) can't afford to buy a place here. Who is? Europeans? The dollars is terrible right now, are folks coming from overseas and buying up these condos and whatnot? It's confusing.

Also, while Jersey is more affordable than here, the property taxes will kick you in your sphincter.

I think Jeffersonville is looking quite appealing. :]

Or Pittsburgh.

errrr (Well, we could buy a 500 square foot apartment in a decent neighborhood or a shithole for that in a dangerous one.) Should read:

(Well, we could buy a 500 square foot apartment for 650,000 in a decent neighborhood or a shithole for that in a dangerous one.)

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!
Buffalo/Rochester sucks.

If you can't afford New York and hate Jersey, you have *48* other states to choose from!

Philly
Charlotte
Atlanta
Chicago
Austin
Portland
Denver (or Boulder)
Any of the smaller towns/cities in Cali.

You have ALL of these and more and people choose freaking Buffalo?

It is VERY cold in Buffalo.

I was born and raised in Buffalo and lived there until I moved to Brooklyn in November.

It is only cold in the winter. It's right next to lake Erie, hence the wind and lake effect snow. But Spring and Summer in Buffalo are gorgeous.

Buffalo has some amazing food which is saying a lot, considering NYC is essentially the food capital of the world. I'm not saying it's better there, just that it's good. Buffalo has Mighty Taco, which is better than any tacos or burritos I have or will ever eat in my life.

It has some perks, no doubt. But I stand by my word that it's still a garbage dump. Economy has been dying for years, people are miserable (but then, many here are miserable). Plenty of good schools in Buffalo, plenty of jobs (more than you'd think).

As far as I know, the crime rate in Buffalo is worse than NYC though I'm sure the difference in population factors into that.

I go back to Buffalo to visit family, but never will I live there again. If you're going to move out of NYC, do yourself a favor and move out of New York State in total.

Even if they offered me free rent...

like the Goo Goo dolls.

Regardless of whether or not Buffalo is a good place to move (went to college in Central NY, so I'm biased), it's tough to move from the center of social activity to a city that's suburban by comparison. I'm not NYC's biggest fan, but I could never move from here to a "small" city.

Many commenters have noted that it's the "artist types" that are moving to Buffalo; but then go on to say how devoid of culture Buffalo is. If NYC is losing its artists to other cities (including Buffalo), where will its culture come from? Washington Mutual? Bank of America? Capital One?

im sorry i've been traveling to buffalo pretty frequently for work, and it's still a total dump. even the downtown area is totally gutted. travel down main street (where the tram runs) and you'll see how many empty or abandoned buildings there are in the so called business district.

the only half decent neighborhood i would consider is Amherst.

i can't complain about their airport though, so small, never any delays!

I did my four years in Amherst and if you're going to live in Buffalo be prepared for it to snow every single day from Mid-October to late March. Sometimes for only five minutes a day, but every day for around five months, and sometimes 12 inches a day for several days in a row. The news reports up there barely even mention any snow less than 8 inches. The most I saw was around 36 inches at once, and yes, the city did shut down for a week. At that point in my life I didn't mind, but I didn't have to shovel either.

Amherst on the other hand is the safest city in America for several years running. Duff's has the best wings in the world. Wegman's is a great supermarket. Canada's a short drive away. People are nice and you can still go to a Bills game without owning season tickets. Just realize that you're moving to suburbia, unless you're going to the depressed city center.

I grew up in Syracuse and Ithaca and I think the two are much more interesting places than Buffalo (and MUCH closer to New York at that). They are both ass cold and snowy in the winter and the crime in Syracuse is high and the economy low, but the rent is cheap, there are a lot of interesting people (especially in Ithaca), a fairly vibrant arts and music scene and the scenery is beautiful. All that being said, would I move back? Ithaca: maybe someday, if a job brought me there. Syracuse: I've had enough.

Anyone who only knows Main street and Amherst doesn't get it. Go through the Victorian Houses on the west side, go through Elmwood, get a drink downtown. Odds are, if you're a lame person you'll have a bad time in whatever city you're in. I love New York, and I love Buffalo. They're insanely different, but it's hard to knock what's special about Buffalo, it has something New York lost a while ago; easier living for artist.

More like Bust a Flow.

I did part of my residency there. It wasn't bad. Yet, I think most of the small cities upstate leave a lot to be desired.

I think it's funny when people start saying terrible things about the cities in upstate, new york, especially when they only recently arrived in New York City from some piece of S town in the midwest. What a perfect way to express ignorance!

I love upstate new york. With the exception of Albany, I would not want to live in a major city there. I would rather live out in the country, perhaps around the Finger Lakes, a remote area in the Catskills, or the Adirondacks.

I'm just guy who grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island and I know that Upstate is great. However its small cities will suck the life out of you. I spent five years going to school in the foothills of the Adirondacks and then Buffalo. It was amazing and if I had the chance to go back and live, I would. But I'm talking about Buffalo. Upstate's small cities leave much to be desired.

Have any of you been to Utica? I'm sure it would give you yuppies nightmares. The one thing about Utica is that it does have exceptional Italian food. It's the Bensonhurst of Upstate.

39: Utica is bad, but Elmira is the worst!

The hot wings from Duffs are good, but my favorite are the Honey Mustard from Elmos.

Buffalo lost half of its jobs and population during the last forty years. The city went through a lot of difficult changes as it downsized and adjusted to its new reality. There are a lot of people trying to rebuild Buffalo. They do not need your snarky criticism.

Too cold? Hardly. Please leave if you can't deal with it. Don't come back.

Like Amherst? The only place you like is a faceless bland suburb. How sad is that?

I'm here for school, but leaving in a few mths, and I can't wait to finally leave this rotten, mediocre, imbecile-laden town. Didn't zumba pants originate from here too? That's all the locals ever do is spend their time defending Buffalo; & they hate you if you suggest anything that's not Buffalo-ish. Buffalo is a black hole that tries to lure & suck people in, having them drown in the worst depression imaginable. I agree with the quote:
"To commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant." UB sucks too-- It's in the middle of nowhere, the student population is either redneck locals or from new jersey (who are all obsessed with ugg boots), and pretentious graduate students makeup for more than half of the undergraduate teaching, gypping [serious] students of their education.

The only good thing that ever came out of Buffalo is Vincent Gallo, and I', pretty sure he hates Buffalo too.

All of you that hate Buffalo, have know idea what you are talking about. First off where is the "redneck" thing coming from. Who knows the definition of a redneck: Redneck refers to a stereotype of usually rural, Caucasian (i.e. white) people of lower socio-economic status in the United States and Canada. Originally limited to the Appalachians, and later the South, the Ozarks, the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, this stereotype is now widespread throughout North America.

Hmm... now lets look at that, rural, yeah uhm pretty sure Buffalo is the 2nd largest city in New York state and the 46th largest in the country... "lower socio-economic status" yeah again nothing to do with Buffalo. Ever here of Roswell Park Cancer Institute look it up, oh and I guess all those companies that have corporate operations out of Buffalo don't see any reason to stay.

Why does everyone think there is no jobs in Buffalo? So you are telling me that all the waterfront renovations that have been completed and the many more to come don't need employees (and before someone says something stupid they are already aproved and funded). Or the 125 schools (that is just buffalo not the burbs) don't need teachers and staff, the medical researches don't need scientics and doctors.

Snow, are you serious? I would rather deal with snow then a hurricane, eathquake, tornado whatever mother nature can throw. Snow is the worst we get... next time one of you are in Buffalo on vacation a business trip in the winter and it snowed over night go to one of the many parks in buffalo and tell me it isnt beautiful.

If you can not find something to do in Buffalo you aren't looking. There are over 50 art galleries/museums, parks everywhere, great food. Buffalo has pro teams in the NFL, NHL, NLL, IL. Professional golf courses. Skiing snowboarding, fishing, ice skating, concerts, broadway shows (yes, broadway not copies).

So if Buffalo is so horrible why does Men's Health rank it #39 to raise a family, maybe because City Honors School is ranked 11th in the nation, maybe it is all the things to do. AmericanStyle magazine ranked Buffalo number one on its list of Top 25 Arts Destinations. The Buffalo Niagara region has been ranked by a national health care information company as the nation’s best market for the value of hospital care.

So you tell me Buffalo is going down the drain, there is no jobs, uncultured, and has way to much snow and I will tell you, sir you are a moron. And if you still hate Buffalo then don't go there, it will keep Buffalo a happier place.

I lived in Buffalo my entire life, until I turned 18 and do you know why that is? Because I joined the USMC. I have been a lot of places, seen a lot of countries. There is know where like Buffalo. I get out in less then a year, I have already bought my 2500 sq.ft. home in a great neighborhood and am paying 1/3 of what you are paying for your one room studio. But don't worry I will keep protecting my country for the next several months so all of you can talk shit about a city that you have no clue about.