Move Back to Buffalo?

[Tcali]

It's funny. I'm in almost the extra opposite position as you. I just finished grad school here and I'm starting to look for my "career." I love it here and have a lot of friends, but since I grew up here, went to college in Rochester, & then grad school in Buffalo, I think for my own piece of mind, I'd like to get a way for a couple of years. It is harder to find single ladies past the age of 25 (my last 2 girlfriends were 20 and 40 ). Ultimately, I'd like to get away for 4 or 5 years then settle down back in WNY with a family because 1) you can actually by a house and 2) it is a great pacae to raise a family.

 

The funniest part is that I've been waiting for 3 years to finish school and move because I jsut had the itch and wanted to see other things. However, I really want to be here for this season and I just started "talking" to a girl who I kinda like. However in typical Buffalo sports fan fashion, I'll stay, get dumped by the girl, see the Bills miss the playoffs by a game, and never find a job in my field.

hehe

[gmac17]

It's funny. I'm in almost the extra opposite position as you. I just finished grad school here and I'm starting to look for my "career." I love it here and have a lot of friends, but since I grew up here, went to college in Rochester, & then grad school in Buffalo, I think for my own piece of mind, I'd like to get a way for a couple of years. It is harder to find single ladies past the age of 25 (my last 2 girlfriends were 20 and 40 devil.gif ). Ultimately, I'd like to get away for 4 or 5 years then settle down back in WNY with a family because 1) you can actually by a house and 2) it is a great pacae to raise a family.

 

The funniest part is that I've been waiting for 3 years to finish school and move because I jsut had the itch and wanted to see other things. However, I really want to be here for this season and I just started "talking" to a girl who I kinda like. However in typical Buffalo sports fan fashion, I'll stay, get dumped by the girl, see the Bills miss the playoffs by a game, and never find a job in my field. thumbsup.gif

 

Biscuit - please, please, please do yourself a favor and get out of Buffalo for a few years. You will NEVER regret being young and spending some time in NY, Boston, San Diego, Chicago or another nice big city. You can always go back to Buffalo, but you can't always pick up and move and experience life somewhere else - which quite honestly is an experience that everyone should have but that many in Buffalo do not.

[NishP]

Has anyone on here ever left Buffalo after college and then moved back? Does it work? Do you find yourself wanting to turn around and leave again? I'm thinking of moving back there this fall, but I'm not sure if I can. Are there any single girls in their late 20's/early 30's? Whenever I go home, it seems that the city is mostly college kids and full-blown adults and not so many people in between. Biggest things luring me back are Bills season tickets, family and the food, but is that enough? Any peronal testimonies would be appreciated...

 

im thinking about moving back aswell.....

[Chandler#81]

The weather reverses to become a big plus in the late spring, the summer, and the early fall. This is not merely subjective opinion but meterological fact.

 

Just as Alaska is called the land of the midnight sun simply because it is further north and gets more sunlight around June 21, So to with Buffalo as there is more raw sunlight here than in many Sunbelt cities approaching, during and after the Summer Solstice (for about 4-5 months of the year Buffalo is the sunniest city in the NE,

While Sunbelt climes like Fla, DC, NO and ATL are sweltering with the humidity and the temperature both striving for triple digits, it is a very rare day it hits 90 here, and often there ie air conditioning from the lake.

 

 

Buffalo gets dumped on by snow, but the added moisture also warms the temperature and single digits in Buffalo are rare.

 

Sorry D&C, but this is just silly and adds to the percieved fobias of WNYer's 'us against the world' menatlity. Virtually all of us here are from the area and we all know sunglasses are a rarely used accessory to our wardrobe. When Spring finally arrives, we all walk around like moles rubbing and sheilding our eyes from that rare, terrible floodlight disturbance in the sky. I'm in daily contact with family & friends there and a quick check of the area's current weather shows it's in the freakin' 40's there every morning! 40's!! In late June! Back in '95, there were 11 straight weekends of rain from late June into August, effectively wiping out the entire year! We moved to Fla the next Spring. We're all from there. We love it there. But the weather SUCKS!

[zazie]

Buffalo is an outstanding, great, great town.

 

Sadly, weather and dearth of jobs keep most away. If you are not a university professor...

 

I have never understood where the economic engine in Buffalo is.

 

But in terms of people, and natural beauty, Buffalo is unparreleled in the USA.

 

Wish I could live there again.

 

Gone since 1986, back every year for a couple days, very sentimental.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Sorry D&C, but this is just silly and adds to the percieved fobias of WNYer's 'us against the world' menatlity. Virtually all of us here are from the area and we all know sunglasses are a rarely used accessory to our wardrobe. When Spring finally arrives, we all walk around like moles rubbing and sheilding our eyes from that rare, terrible floodlight disturbance in the sky. I'm in daily contact with family & friends there and a quick check of the area's current weather shows it's in the freakin' 40's there every morning! 40's!! In late June! Back in '95, there were 11 straight weekends of rain from late June into August, effectively wiping out the entire year! We moved to Fla the next Spring. We're all from there. We love it there. But the weather SUCKS!

 

No way, I love the weather. I'll take snowy over sunny any day. All a matter of perception.

[Mr. WEO]

Sorry D&C, but this is just silly and adds to the percieved fobias of WNYer's 'us against the world' menatlity. Virtually all of us here are from the area and we all know sunglasses are a rarely used accessory to our wardrobe. When Spring finally arrives, we all walk around like moles rubbing and sheilding our eyes from that rare, terrible floodlight disturbance in the sky. I'm in daily contact with family & friends there and a quick check of the area's current weather shows it's in the freakin' 40's there every morning! 40's!! In late June! Back in '95, there were 11 straight weekends of rain from late June into August, effectively wiping out the entire year! We moved to Fla the next Spring. We're all from there. We love it there. But the weather SUCKS!

?

 

It's 60 at 7am in Rochester.

[bowery4]

I lived in Bflo for the 1st 33 years of my life and I loved the area but I moved to NYC which I loved dearly and still miss more, I feel after 13 years there, it was more my home town. I am an artist and needed to get away from Bflo because I needed to try the art world thing, i still miss that part of it.... after 13 years I moved to Seoul Korea for a year and a half then the last 2 and a half years I have lived in Bangkok. It is very different to be sure. I miss some things about home (family, food, Bills......) but I am richer for the experiences I have had.

One thing about Bflo I never realized til I moved was that it is the 2nd cloudiest city in the nation. That along with the winter was too much for me and now I am used to an average of 90 degrees all the time, I couldn't ever face the snow or chance of it for 5-6 months again. Rainy season can be a drain but it isn't a day long rain most days so it is not that bad.

I really would like a piece of sponge candy now though.

[roy875]

I grew up in Rochester, college in Binghamton, and back to rochester for 7 more years of med school and residency. By the time I was done I needed to get out. Jobs, housing, and $ (like 50% more) are MUCH better in SC. HOWEVER, the people down here are something else entirely. I can't believe there is such a difference in the overall education/awareness of the population. They don't even recycle down here unless throwing it in the woods counts, and the bible belt is called that for a reason (Ughh). I barely even date down here, and I am a single physician. ie. everyone thinks I should pull all kinds of tail. Thinking of moving if I don't meet someone compatable soon, but most likely west, not north.

That being said----I don't think one appreciates how cloudy it is in WNY until you move away. The "weather" does not boil down to cold or snow. It is all about the sunshine. The Spring and Fall down here is absolutely amazing for months..... Yes it is hot and sticky for july/august, but I'll take that over the clouds for oct-april in WNY. And "winter" consists of 1-2 storms year, which melts the next day, and days are 45-50 and sunny.

[Paup 1995MVP]

The weather reverses to become a big plus in the late spring, the summer, and the early fall. This is not merely subjective opinion but meterological fact.

 

Just as Alaska is called the land of the midnight sun simply because it is further north and gets more sunlight around June 21, So to with Buffalo as there is more raw sunlight here than in many Sunbelt cities approaching, during and after the Summer Solstice (for about 4-5 months of the year Buffalo is the sunniest city in the NE,

 

The real kicker though is that the huge Lake effect snows that come in the early winter (until the lake freezes over) is caused by the land and the water being able to evaporate as much. In the summer this temperature differential breaks up lighter cloud cover and not only do we get more sun but more of it gets through.

 

While Sunbelt climes like Fla, DC, NO and ATL are sweltering with the humidity and the temperature both striving for triple digits, it is a very rare day it hits 90 here, and often there ie air conditioning from the lake.

 

Having grown up in Chicago, the complaints about Buffalo weather mostly amuse me. The wind comes sweeping in off the planes to Chicago and in November the high temperature dropped below freesing and one would not see a temp above 32 for months. In January, here usually was a streak of a bout a week or so where the high temperature was zero (note this is the high for the day) and temperature was always in negative numbers for almost a week,

 

Buffalo gets dumped on by snow, but the added moisture also warms the temperature and single digits in Buffalo are rare.

 

The winter here is not pleasant. It generally seems to start early and crawls along to go late. However, I would trade the harsh weather of the Windy City (though actually it got that name from a Carl Sandburg poem about the local politicians) for Buffalo weather almost any day (accept 2 or 3 Lake Effect snow days.

Totally agree about the heat being brutal in the South. I live in Atlanta and it was 98 degrees yesterday afternoon and was still in the mid 80's around midnight with plenty of humidity. The air was just stifling like you were walking in a blast furnace. It should stay that hot for the next few days. It is not always THAT HOT, but there are many days like that well into September EVERY year. (I remember two summers ago when the temp guage in my car said 106 when I was driving on the highway-and my son had to start training camp for pee wee football in that heat!!)

 

That being said I went to middle school and high school in Buffalo from 76-83, than went to college in Michigan and than moved to Atl. in 87, so I have been away for a long time. My mother has stayed in Buffalo however. This past Feb. I took my three kids up to Buf. for a visit and just had a blast. The people were very friendly, and the charm and quaintness that the area still had was very cool. It still feels like a large small town. I just got a sense of pride in the community from everyone. It made me very proud to tell my kids this is where I grew up.

 

I doubt I would move back up there because I have a successful business in Atl. But I think that Buffalo has a lot of positives to it if you can get a good paying job there. And I will always consider it MY HOMETOWN!!! And to be quite honest, living in the heat is very overrated. I miss the cold of the winter.

[metzelaars_lives]

Sorry D&C, but this is just silly and adds to the percieved fobias of WNYer's 'us against the world' menatlity. Virtually all of us here are from the area and we all know sunglasses are a rarely used accessory to our wardrobe. When Spring finally arrives, we all walk around like moles rubbing and sheilding our eyes from that rare, terrible floodlight disturbance in the sky. I'm in daily contact with family & friends there and a quick check of the area's current weather shows it's in the freakin' 40's there every morning! 40's!! In late June! Back in '95, there were 11 straight weekends of rain from late June into August, effectively wiping out the entire year! We moved to Fla the next Spring. We're all from there. We love it there. But the weather SUCKS!

 

Yeah, I don't know about 40's in June, but anyway, I do agree with you that the people on here who are saying that Buffalo is a better overall place than places in the US that people actually move TO not from (like Buffalo) are being a little naive. For instance, I can safely say that Denver is "better" than Buffalo in almost every way imaginable. The bottom line though, is Buffalo will always be home regardless of how long I've lived here now. To pretend that the weather isn't that bad in Buffalo is really all relative. It's not like Siberia, but out here it's sunny every day, if you're planning a weekend excursion in the mountains, a) you really don't even have to worry about it raining and b) you don't even need bug spray! I will agree with another guy though, that there's something about the country outside of Buffalo that is very authentic and I miss very much. Whenever I go home in the summer, me and my buddies play golf out in Akron and the green grass, the sounds and smells of the country- you can't find that out here.

[BuffaloBill]

Seems like there are a couple of themes running through this thread:

 

Positives:

Genuine People

The Bills and Sabres (of course)

Food

 

Negatives:

Weather

Lack of jobs

Taxes

 

Too bad the politicians can't see that they have a pretty powerful influence on two of the negatives. The weather is what it is - either you can live with it or you can't. Jobs and taxes though are artificial barriers.

[mrags]

As far as moving back, I have real estate listings emailed to me every day. My wife and I, also a Buffalonian, will probably retire in Western New York in some beautiful country property. Like many of you have expressed, I get more averse to the winters as I get older. We'll probably try to snowbird away from Bflo during the cold months. I'll make the most of my time away and look forward to the day that I can move back and enjoy WNY as a retiree.

 

I think your wife would have something to say about the weather and moving back. LOL

[dundy249]

I have lived in a lot of places around the country and like the rest can only give you my advice. I moved away from buffalo when I was young and in 99 made the move back. I moved from Baltimore back to B-LO at the time. I love the Bills season tickets and being close to my parents but after some time realized is that all worth it?

 

The weather sucks...really sucks and I noticed that the city is just dirty compared to other...I left in 2003 and can honestly say I will never move back. I live in southern Florida now and enjoy every day of warm sunshine and clean beaches.

[mrags]

Well put. Everybody knows how I feel about Buffalo. The only other place I ever lived was Syracuse for 4 years of college so I am really not an expert about other places to live. My big complaint here is the weather & but with saying this the weather is not as bad as people that do not even live here make it out to be. I have been golfing since the middle of march & we really did not get any snow here since early feb. I mean it is frustrating when it is the middle of May & the high still is only low 60s but what are you going to do. I like it here & do not buy into the notion that there are alot more things to do in other cities & all we have are "chicken wings & the bills". My sister lived in NYC for 10 years & just moved back. She could not be happier. Taxes are high & it sucks but with that being said the affordable housing makes up for it imo. I realize the taxes do not add value to your house & you would rather be putting towards your property but if your going to live in your house the rest of your life what is the difference. You mentioned 300K for a 1,300 sq ft house. When I hear this that just blows my mind. Here $300K gets you a 3,000 sq ft house in a subdivision in the suburbs.

 

Not to mention that Buffalo's food is without a doubt better than any place ive ever been. Sure there are places everywhere that have great food. But even the quick junk food is amazing here. Jims Steak Out, Mighty Taco, Just about any local pizza place, obviously wings, theres just too many to name.

 

To anyone moving here for the first time, or considering moving back. Buffalo is just genuine. You will never find a place in this country that people are as down to earth as they are here. Tailgating at Ralph Wilson Stadium to me defines what Buffalo is. Every time I get there at 8am just to see a line of cars waiting to get in it gives me goosebumps. I wouldnt trade those times for anything.

 

Your right about the housing market thats for sure. I used to tell freinds in Vegas that I could buy their house in Buffalo for 80K, but it would have 2 acres of land with it. One of the times when I came back I took some pics of 300K houses for sale in Amherst and showed them to my freinds and they crapped their pants and wondered why I ever left in the first place. It was hard for them to realize that you dont make nearly as much here. I had bartenders and servers that worked for me that made over 80K a year. That is just insane no matter how you look at it.

 

I do however feel it is necessary to get out and see what is out there. It also makes you appreciate the area and what you had more. Of course Id like to get those 2 years back here with my freinds and family. At the same time I wouldnt have traded my time away for anything.

[mrags]

I'm from Buffalo!. We eat chicken wings, not buffalo wings. Jack Kemp is

 

a quarterback, not a politician. We drink Labatt Blue and love it. Mighty

 

Taco always has preference over Taco Bell. Pop, not soda and Pepsi, not Coke.

 

They are sneakers not tennis shoes. It's a sucker, not a lollipop. Bison

 

Chip Dip, La Nova Pizzeria, Aunt Rosie's Loganberry, Chiavettas Chicken,

 

Peter K's Potato Pancakes and Ted's Hot Dogs are all too familiar... not

 

to forget Taffy's Shakes and Charlie the Butcher.

 

A fake ID is unnecessary, there is always Canada. But we have them

 

anyway. Our bars don't close until 4 AM, and we DO sell beer in a grocery store

 

(Tops or Wegmans), which always makes for early starts and late nights.

 

Jim's Steak Out at 4 in the morning is calling it an early night.

 

We never cuss, but we swear entirely too much. We know that a 65 mph

 

speed limit really means 80. We will cut you off, swear, and give you the

 

finger if you are not keeping up AND do it all in the snow, while expecting

 

nothing less in return. Driving in the snow not only comes naturally, it is fun.

 

We know what ArtVoice and Nightlife are and we either love them or try

 

to burn every copy we see. We start the weekends off right at Thursdays in

 

the Square enjoying beer, free music, and an interesting crowd.

 

We lived through Wide Right, The Forward Lateral, and No Goal. Dubbed by

 

Dan Marino as "the meanest fans because no-one actually wants to live here."

 

We all know he wouldn't stand one winter up here. We love the Bills (no

 

matter what) and accept that it takes 2 - 4 hours to get home from a game.

 

Nothing closes in 3 feet of snow or -20 windchills. In fact, that's how

 

We prefer to tailgate. The 2001 Christmas Storm that dumped nearly 7ft of

 

Lake effect snow, we still think it's a mere 2nd to The Blizzard of '77.

 

We can correctly pronounce, spell, and identify Chippewa, Scajaquada,

 

Lackawanna, Cheektowaga, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Olean, Tonawanda and

 

Gowanda without hesitation. When giving direction it's not " take I-90

 

to Route 33 east" it's "take the 90 to the 33 east"..."the" is not

 

an option.

 

We are less than 30 minutes from another country, one of the seven

 

Wonders of the world, and even a few beaches. It's the second largest city in

 

New York.

 

I AM FROM BUFFALO, a drinking town with a sports problem, and damn

 

proud!

[Cookiemonster]

I'm from Buffalo!. We eat chicken wings, not buffalo wings. Jack Kemp is

 

a quarterback, not a politician. We drink Labatt Blue and love it. Mighty

 

Taco always has preference over Taco Bell. Pop, not soda and Pepsi, not Coke.

 

They are sneakers not tennis shoes. It's a sucker, not a lollipop. Bison

 

Chip Dip, La Nova Pizzeria, Aunt Rosie's Loganberry, Chiavettas Chicken,

 

Peter K's Potato Pancakes and Ted's Hot Dogs are all too familiar... not

 

to forget Taffy's Shakes and Charlie the Butcher.

 

A fake ID is unnecessary, there is always Canada. But we have them

 

anyway. Our bars don't close until 4 AM, and we DO sell beer in a grocery store

 

(Tops or Wegmans), which always makes for early starts and late nights.

 

Jim's Steak Out at 4 in the morning is calling it an early night.

 

We never cuss, but we swear entirely too much. We know that a 65 mph

 

speed limit really means 80. We will cut you off, swear, and give you the

 

finger if you are not keeping up AND do it all in the snow, while expecting

 

nothing less in return. Driving in the snow not only comes naturally, it is fun.

 

We know what ArtVoice and Nightlife are and we either love them or try

 

to burn every copy we see. We start the weekends off right at Thursdays in

 

the Square enjoying beer, free music, and an interesting crowd.

 

We lived through Wide Right, The Forward Lateral, and No Goal. Dubbed by

 

Dan Marino as "the meanest fans because no-one actually wants to live here."

 

We all know he wouldn't stand one winter up here. We love the Bills (no

 

matter what) and accept that it takes 2 - 4 hours to get home from a game.

 

Nothing closes in 3 feet of snow or -20 windchills. In fact, that's how

 

We prefer to tailgate. The 2001 Christmas Storm that dumped nearly 7ft of

 

Lake effect snow, we still think it's a mere 2nd to The Blizzard of '77.

 

We can correctly pronounce, spell, and identify Chippewa, Scajaquada,

 

Lackawanna, Cheektowaga, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Olean, Tonawanda and

 

Gowanda without hesitation. When giving direction it's not " take I-90

 

to Route 33 east" it's "take the 90 to the 33 east"..."the" is not

 

an option.

 

We are less than 30 minutes from another country, one of the seven

 

Wonders of the world, and even a few beaches. It's the second largest city in

 

New York.

 

I AM FROM BUFFALO, a drinking town with a sports problem, and damn

 

proud!

[The Senator]

Buffalo is an outstanding, great, great town.

 

Sadly, weather and dearth of jobs keep most away. If you are not a university professor...

 

I have never understood where the economic engine in Buffalo is.

 

But in terms of people, and natural beauty, Buffalo is unparreleled in the USA.

Wish I could live there again.

 

Gone since 1986, back every year for a couple days, very sentimental.

Huh? In terms of "natural beauty", Buffalo is unparalleled in the USA?

 

Um, OK - unless you compare it to Boston, Newport, DC, Chicago, Charleston, Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Naples, San Francisco, Santa Barabra, San Diego, and dozens of other cities.

 

Buffalo has (or once had) its great aspects, but 'unparalleled in natural beauty'? Hardly.

[RayFinkle]

Huh? In terms of "natural beauty", Buffalo is unparalleled in the USA?

 

Um, OK - unless you compare it to Boston, Newport, DC, Chicago, Charleston, Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Naples, San Francisco, Santa Barabra, San Diego, and dozens of other cities.

 

Buffalo has (or once had) its great aspects, but 'unparalleled in natural beauty'? Hardly.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder...

[The Senator]

Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder...

Maybe so, but man...it'd take a heck of a lotta beer....