Favorite thing about Buffalo

[ExiledInIllinois]

6 hours ago, Mr Info said:

I respectfully disagree. This link ranks property tax by state. I live in VA which has less than half the rate of NY. When people are retired and on a fixed income that savings can be significant. I am not retired yet but certainly appreciate the tax savings. And I do not feel I lack for services. 

https://taxfoundation.org/how-high-are-property-taxes-your-state/

 

Okay then... Then escape for warmer weather.  It costs a lot to maintain a northern existence.  Roads don't plow & salt, patch potholes themselves... Etc...

 

People on fixed incomes should move somewhere where lifestyle is easier.

Edited April 3, 2018 by ExiledInIllinois

[ExiledInIllinois]

2 hours ago, Marv's Neighbor said:

IF taxes are bad, you have the option of moving!  Buffalo lost out on jobs because the aged factories were too old and inefficient to update.  Now they are gone, and the sites are mostly EPA super fund sites.  Now we have the automation component in manufacturing, so whatever is built does not have a need for the large unskilled work forces.  The opening of the St Lawrence Seaway in the late 50's sealed Buffalo's fate as far as jobs were concerned.

 

I have lived in: New York, Virginia, Washington State, Texas and Illinois.  Two of those states, Texas & Washington have no State Income Tax.  Despite that, they have many other tax options that roughly replace whatever the imagined savings would be for no income tax.

 

I assure you that I want nothing for free!  BUT the high tax states are the most inefficient when it comes to managing tax resources.   Today's BUF News has a front page headline about Erie County Welfare fraud.  Gee, you think??

 

Right now, the state of Rhode Island is advertising a $10,000 incentive to get families to move there because they fear they will lose one of their two seats in the US House of Representatives.  When I left NY in 1970, NYS had 45 seats in Congress.  Now it's in the mid 20's, but NYS still can't figure it out!.

The super fund sites here are breeding bald eagles and invasive species... Industry humming along with a lot few workers through automation.

 

Location is everything, natural resources eveything.  Without that, one is bypassed.

 

BFLo is a great bedroom community... But what do they have offer in natural resources, geographic location that will pay the bills.  Some of what they offer, costs, NOT makes money.  Hence... The taxes.

 

I love BFLo for what it... But what does it bring to table that economy can use with regard to it's location, natural resources?

 

Cheap power (Falls) is a thing of the past.  Tech bypassed that natural proximity advantage BFLo had.

 

BFLo is a great tucked away bedroom community.  Gonna pay the bills with something... And that is Your taxes.  Natural resources and location can't pay the bills.  It's not a market center.  Toronto is.  NYC is.  What does BFLo have to offer that the economy can take from the earth to offset the taxes?

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2018 by ExiledInIllinois

[Delete This Account]

there is a raw honesty to this town which i hope never fades with gentrification.

people don't so much live in Buffalo, they breath it from what i've gathered over my 19 years here.

 

it's what my hometown of Windsor, Ontario, was like back when i was growing up, before the ever-prevalent suburbanization and homoginization finally set in, with a shoppers drug mart/boston pizza/tim horton's plaza popping up on every fourth of fifth corner.

 

it used to be that Windsor was unique to southern Ontario because it looked more to Detroit and the blue-collar auto industry, that played a function in why it was different from London, Ontario, or Kingston, or Brampton, for that matter. now, when i visit, what was once Windsor is but a pale shadow of itself, no different than Markham or Oakville, really, just a dot on the map.

 

Buffalo still possesses that uniqueness with the bars and restaurants it has to offer, as well as the resiliency of its people. it's so different than so many other places I've lived or visited. the only thing that comes close is maybe New Orleans, a place that was allowed to grow and develop its own culture, be it with food (Cajun or wing inspired) and neighborhoods preserved.

 

i'm romanticizing a little bit here, sure. don't care.

 

this comes to me as i learned of one of Buffalo's institutions closing a few months back. Checkers. a fine bar on Hertel.

it reminded me of what Buffalo is. i hope it's not a sign of what Buffalo is to become.

 

jw

[ExiledInIllinois]

2 hours ago, Gordio said:

 

 

The argument there though is at least if you are paying for overpriced property you are building equity & will get that back when you go to sell.  Taxes are a sunken cost.  I bought my house in 2001, paid $210M for it.  Houses in my neighborhood are selling for around $250M maybe a bit more for the bigger houses.  My point is if I would of bought a house in California for say $350M or so back in 2001, I am sure that house would be worth double that in their market today.   I pay 7,600 in taxes. 

 

I generally like living here but the early springs get to me.  I love the summer/fall/late spring but perfect example today.  April 3rd & it is 38 degrees outside.  My son starts his baseball season next week for school.  They are up in Clarence so they have a turf field so they should be able to get it in, but highs next week are only going to be in the upper 40s.  More like late season football weather if you ask me. 

Don't really care about equity... Crap, I may give my house away.  That's not where I want to make money... I am indifferent to that.  If it makes money fine. I am here to live and raise a family.

 

I paid 150... Probably get just over the same or very best $200... I don't care if I even lose.  I am 50 and pay off the thing in a few years.  It's a place to live and grow a family. Not using it to make money off somebody else.  Plenty of places to sprawl here.  Land is cheap. Houses cheap. I want to build another, build another. I am kinda put in sticks, collar county.  Can have small town country or big city.

 

I will just move somewhere else and take my saved money, hopefully millions & buy somewhere else if I want to be in a new location.  One can travel anywhere they want.

 

It's called quality of life, raising family and doing things over that time... Not just being house rich.  Building a community.  Maybe that is too simple for people?

 

I am with you on weather.  Same here... But blessed with less snow and hotter summers, earlier springs, later falls.  We only average 35" a year.  All time Chicago record was 89" in 1970s... And they almost went catatonic here when we closed with 82" a few winters ago.  That's an average winter in BFLo.  Never had a 2' 24 hour snow here.  Heck, I think all-time 24 hour snow on this side of Lake is around 20".  At work, we've had fisherman, bassboaters, hunters, going out since February.  Very mild this winter BUT temps are lagging.  I actually like it cool though. Average snow... MAYBE +40"???  That stretch for 9 days in Feb was yucky... But people are spoiled babies here.  Dudes @ work werewere coming to blows in February when we had a few wimpy 9 days with snow... At most +20" in that stretch... I was telling them to calm down and get out an plow.  They were panicking, "Where do we put the snow."   I am like: "Settle down Snowflakes!"  In Feburary... People were boating a week later!

 

Check out these mild historical snow totals:

 

https://www.weather.gov/lot/Chicago_seasonal_snow

[Marv's Neighbor]

34 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

The super fund sites here are breeding bald eagles and invasive species... Industry humming along with a lot few workers through automation.

 

Location is everything, natural resources eveything.  Without that, one is bypassed.

 

BFLo is a great bedroom community... But what do they have offer in natural resources, geographic location that will pay the bills.  Some of what they offer, costs, NOT makes money.  Hence... The taxes.

 

I love BFLo for what it... But what does it bring to table that economy can use with regard to it's location, natural resources?

 

Cheap power (Falls) is a thing of the past.  Tech bypassed that natural proximity advantage BFLo had.

 

BFLo is a great tucked away bedroom community.  Gonna pay the bills with something... And that is Your taxes.  Natural resources and location can't pay the bills.  It's not a market center.  Toronto is.  NYC is.  What does BFLo have to offer that the economy can take from the earth to offset the taxes?

 

 

 

So BUF went from an industrial city of 500,000 to a "bedroom community," in 50 years.  No doubt, Gov. Cuomo is trying to find a way tax the bald eagles too!

 

It's the economy, or lack of a sustainable economic base that determines futures, not wildlife counts.    It's time for the bedroom to wake up!  The state has lost significant population, and by that I mean, all of NYS outside of NYC & LI.  I laugh every time I see those stupid adds about NY being "open for business."  What a hoot!  Come to NY and they'll "give you the business!"

 

Milwaukee, Chicago & Cleveland have vibrant waterfront properties and BUF has bald eagles??  So, I love BUF, because it's home BUT just not a reasonable place to live anymore.

[The Poojer]

Philly has Eagles and they seem to be a major contributor to the local economy for several months a year 

 

2 minutes ago, Marv's Neighbor said:

So BUF went from an industrial city of 500,000 to a "bedroom community," in 50 years.  No doubt, Gov. Cuomo is trying to find a way tax the bald eagles too!

 

It's the economy, or lack of a sustainable economic base that determines futures, not wildlife counts.    It's time for the bedroom to wake up!  The state has lost significant population, and by that I mean, all of NYS outside of NYC & LI.  I laugh every time I see those stupid adds about NY being "open for business."  What a hoot!  Come to NY and they'll "give you the business!"

 

Milwaukee, Chicago & Cleveland have vibrant waterfront properties and BUF has bald eagles??  So, I love BUF, because it's home BUT just not a reasonable place to live anymore.

[ExiledInIllinois]

9 minutes ago, Marv's Neighbor said:

So BUF went from an industrial city of 500,000 to a "bedroom community," in 50 years.  No doubt, Gov. Cuomo is trying to find a way tax the bald eagles too!

 

It's the economy, or lack of a sustainable economic base that determines futures, not wildlife counts.    It's time for the bedroom to wake up!  The state has lost significant population, and by that I mean, all of NYS outside of NYC & LI.  I laugh every time I see those stupid adds about NY being "open for business."  What a hoot!  Come to NY and they'll "give you the business!"

 

Milwaukee, Chicago & Cleveland have vibrant waterfront properties and BUF has bald eagles??  So, I love BUF, because it's home BUT just not a reasonable place to live anymore.

Bald eagles living in SuperFund  sites here in Illinois... And industry still going.  I am moving bulk commodities, steel, petrol Chem, etc...

 

Buffalo is a dead end waterfront.  It goes nowhere.  Not much transportational appeal.  Like "Radiator Springs"  It's waterfront bypassed. Useless to a point for transportation systems...

 

Buffalo dropped out of the top 150 ports.  Milwaukee, Cleveland, Chicago are still on list.  The three Chicago ports all rank.  Chicago in 50.  Heck, out of the way Great Lakes ports rank higher that Buffalo.  As a port, Buffalo is a dead end.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2018 by ExiledInIllinois

[TheElectricCompany]

Speaking as who has lived 1800 miles away for years, it's the nostalgia of Buffalo that I love the most. 

 

The food? It's fine, but not particularly refined or fresh. 

The outdoor activities? Pretty good on the water, meh on the land based activities. 

The people? Like anywhere, there are good people and !@#$s. 

 

The real joy of Buff, is that for better or worse, things haven't really changed much in a while. In a world of change, it is a constant. 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

3 hours ago, teef said:

i don't know if i'm willing to call it a little more chump change.  my property taxes are gross, and i just received a letter in the mail that they some how determine that my house went up about 20 grand in value.  

I know, I know.  My property assessment went up too.  BUT I could have appealed to the township assessor last year.  Short fall with mortgage escrow.  $250 bucks month extra now or pay it all up at once.

 

The economy is doing well.  Our houses worth more, we know WHO to thank!  Should raise his Nielsen ratings...

 

Maybe I will give them an interest free surplus...  /devil 

Edited April 3, 2018 by ExiledInIllinois

[Buffaloed in Pa]

I don`t live their anymore. Winters suck. My old neighborhood is trash. Yeah still root for the Bills.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

'Favorite thing about Buffalo'

 

Bocce Pizza.  So I'm shallow.

[Marv's Neighbor]

1 hour ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Bald eagles living in SuperFund  sites here in Illinois... And industry still going.  I am moving bulk commodities, steel, petrol Chem, etc...

 

Buffalo is a dead end waterfront.  It goes nowhere.  Not much transportational appeal.  Like "Radiator Springs"  It's waterfront bypassed. Useless to a point for transportation systems...

 

Buffalo dropped out of the top 150 ports.  Milwaukee, Cleveland, Chicago are still on list.  The three Chicago ports all rank.  Chicago in 50.  Heck, out of the way Great Lakes ports rank higher that Buffalo.  As a port, Buffalo is a dead end.

 

 

Bald eagles in super fund sites?  Isn't that what caused all the crap 40 years ago?  Too much DDT was causing their eggs to be deformed.  So we banned DDT, a carcinogen, and now they love super fund sites?   They're not even endangered anymore.  You still can''t harm one, but they are no longer on the endangered list.

 

You're right about the BUF waterfront.  BUT, that's a situation where tax incentives should be introduced.  The port of Buffalo is mostly controlled by NFTA.  NFTA should be broken up, to separate the airports, transit and waterfront.  In BUF, none of those entities have any relationship to the other.  They're a political body who have outlived their usefulness. 

 

None of the NE US states have figured out tax incentives  except Rhode Island, and that's a temporary one time offer, to boost census numbers, to try to keep an endangered US House seat. 

 

So, permanently lower the taxes, and watch what happens!  People will come back.

[Buffalo_Gal]

2 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

The super fund sites here are breeding bald eagles and invasive species... Industry humming along with a lot few workers through automation.

 

Location is everything, natural resources eveything.  Without that, one is bypassed.

 

BFLo is a great bedroom community... But what do they have offer in natural resources, geographic location that will pay the bills.  Some of what they offer, costs, NOT makes money.  Hence... The taxes.

 

I love BFLo for what it... But what does it bring to table that economy can use with regard to it's location, natural resources?

 

Cheap power (Falls) is a thing of the past.  Tech bypassed that natural proximity advantage BFLo had.

 

BFLo is a great tucked away bedroom community.  Gonna pay the bills with something... And that is Your taxes.  Natural resources and location can't pay the bills.  It's not a market center.  Toronto is.  NYC is.  What does BFLo have to offer that the economy can take from the earth to offset the taxes?

 

 

 

5

That is not exactly true.  Our "lovely" politicians in Albany and Washington have been siphoning off the major commodity of WNY to help businesses in other areas of the state and country. (I looked for newer articles, but couldn't find them to explain the splits. This comes close but is not quite what I was searching for.)  The claim is that cheap electricity is responsible for generating nearly $33 billion in capital investments to the state’s economy. No word on how little is available for WNY itself. (Those numbers used to be easily available...but I couldn't find them.)

There is a "clean energy standard" in NYS that is aiming for 50% of the state's electricity comes from renewable energy sources by 2030. That would be wind and water. 

I do recall when my electric bill said "cheapest electricity in the united states" then it went to "cheapest in New York State" and then a good 20-25 years ago that went away.  It really frosts my cookies that the cheap power isn't used to benefit WNY directly first.

Edited April 3, 2018 by Buffalo_Gal

[ExiledInIllinois]

9 minutes ago, Marv's Neighbor said:

Bald eagles in super fund sites?  Isn't that what caused all the crap 40 years ago?  Too much DDT was causing their eggs to be deformed.  So we banned DDT, a carcinogen, and now they love super fund sites?   They're not even endangered anymore.  You still can''t harm one, but they are no longer on the endangered list.

 

You're right about the BUF waterfront.  BUT, that's a situation where tax incentives should be introduced.  The port of Buffalo is mostly controlled by NFTA.  NFTA should be broken up, to separate the airports, transit and waterfront.  In BUF, none of those entities have any relationship to the other.  They're a political body who have outlived their usefulness. 

 

None of the NE US states have figured out tax incentives  except Rhode Island, and that's a temporary one time offer, to boost census numbers, to try to keep an endangered US House seat. 

 

So, permanently lower the taxes, and watch what happens!  People will come back.

Now... We cleaned up the SuperFund sites... And do industry here cleaner.

 

Anyway, why you still can't touch them.

 

One of the oldest enviro laws on books:

 

1918.

 

"The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918(MBTA), codified at 16 U.S.C. §§ 703–712 (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1916 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birdsbetween the United States and Great Britain (acting on behalf of Canada)."

 

7 minutes ago, Buffalo_Gal said:

That is not exactly true.  Our "lovely" politicians in Albany and Washington have been siphoning off the major commodity of WNY to help businesses in other areas of the state and country. (I looked for newer articles, but couldn't find them to explain the splits. This comes close but is not quite what I was searching for.)  The claim is that cheap electricity is responsible for generating nearly $33 billion in capital investments to the state’s economy. No word on how little is available for WNY itself. (Those numbers used to be easily available...but I couldn't find them.)

There is a "clean energy standard" in NYS that is aiming for 50% of the state's electricity comes from renewable energy sources by 2030. That would be wind and water. 

I do recall when my electric bill said "cheapest electricity in the united states" then it went to "cheapest in New York State" and then a good 20-25 years ago that went away.  It really frosts my cookies that the cheap power isn't used to benefit WNY directly first.

I agree!

 

Modern electrical motors, tech, has made power transportation cheap.  They "steal"

it and send it to markets in Toronto and NYC.

 

Buffalo and Chicago were the two biggest ports and cities on Lakes till Seaway, power generating modernization... Now it is Chicago and Toronto.

 

Buffalo was hung out to dry, thrown under bus.

Edited April 3, 2018 by ExiledInIllinois

[CountDorkula]

Wife and I struggle with moving back constantly. Family and friends are what we miss.

 

Weather and High taxes are a terrible burden.

 

Buffalo/NY is constantly rated as one of the worst places financially to live. Financially it does not make sense for us to do so, but emotion sometimes outweighs financial status.

 

It was again rated top of the charts on number of people moving out.

 

It's starts with one thing, and that is the corruption at the top. NYS showing up at the top of all the wrong lists. 

[Delete This Account]

well, this thread took a wrong turn, somewhere.

 

what i find odd is people referring to Buffalo as being a difficult financial burden.

as opposed to where?

that one could buy a house on the west side for as little as $40,000 some 10 years ago, and now sell it for $120,000 a financial burden?

is being able to get anywhere within 20 minutes and not get stuck in traffic a financial burden?

is being within an hour's flight or 3 hours drive from such larger and far more expensive metropolises as NYC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Toronto, to name a few, considered a burden?

that i can get the same standard of a high-end dinner at the nearby Left Bank or Hutch's as I can in Manhattan, for $40 maybe $50 more, not an advantage?

 

does paying $960 (including tip) to have my 50th birthday party with 45 guests a few years back at the Swannie (3-hour open bar, wings, beef on weck, pasta and salad) something that would be unheard of in most cities or towns?

 

just asking.

 

jw

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

14 minutes ago, john wawrow said:

well, this thread took a wrong turn, somewhere.

 

You've been here a while JW ... You should know better  

 

 

[The Poojer]

I went to the swannie last friday after going to Gene McCarthy's(no relation).  My Dad is a S. Buffalo native and he told me to go there.  I was kind of scared when i pulled into the place.  Walked in was pleasantly surprised.  Also gained more respect for my Dad who goes there everytime he goes back home

 

24 minutes ago, john wawrow said:

well, this thread took a wrong turn, somewhere.

 

what i find odd is people referring to Buffalo as being a difficult financial burden.

as opposed to where?

that one could buy a house on the west side for as little as $40,000 some 10 years ago, and now sell it for $120,000 a financial burden?

is being able to get anywhere within 20 minutes and not get stuck in traffic a financial burden?

is being within an hour's flight or 3 hours drive from such larger and far more expensive metropolises as NYC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Toronto, to name a few, considered a burden?

that i can get the same standard of a high-end dinner at the nearby Left Bank or Hutch's as I can in Manhattan, for $40 maybe $50 more, not an advantage?

 

does paying $960 (including tip) to have my 50th birthday party with 45 guests a few years back at the Swannie (3-hour open bar, wings, beef on weck, pasta and salad) something that would be unheard of in most cities or towns?

 

just asking.

 

jw

[teef]

2 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I know, I know.  My property assessment went up too.  BUT I could have appealed to the township assessor last year.  Short fall with mortgage escrow.  $250 bucks month extra now or pay it all up at once.

 

The economy is doing well.  Our houses worth more, we know WHO to thank!  Should raise his Nielsen ratings...

 

Maybe I will give them an interest free surplus...  /devil 

i'll appeal this year because there's zero reason this state takes from us what it does.  in monroe county, we have one of the highest tax rats in the country.  to give you an idea, my monthly tax payment is a bit more than my principal and interest combined.  that's why i pay more on principal.  we put a lot down on the house too.  it's mostly due to the schools, but there's no way this poorly run state can justify it to me.

[ExiledInIllinois]

7 minutes ago, teef said:

i'll appeal this year because there's zero reason this state takes from us what it does.  in monroe county, we have one of the highest tax rats in the country.  to give you an idea, my monthly tax payment is a bit more than my principal and interest combined.  that's why i pay more on principal.  we put a lot down on the house too.  it's mostly due to the schools, but there's no way this poorly run state can justify it to me.

Wow!  Really principle and int... Yuck!

 

EDIT:  You must have put a lot down.  J/K...

Edited April 3, 2018 by ExiledInIllinois