CNBC has ranked Buffalo/Niagara-Falls as one of the 'best cities to relocate to in America' (see here). The buzz throughout the city's social media community is skyrocketing, as the news begins to spread. The news site links to Sperling's Best Places, as reference for the designation. It's another great boost for Buffalo, especially when you see the short blurb next to the image - a blurb that mentions all of the positives in a number of topics ranging from arts to cost of living. Check it out:
Buffalo is an older, industrial city that has "gone through a sort of gut-wrenching transition into the 21st Century," Sperling says. And now that it's gotten over the bumps, it's a great place to live.
The Buffalo-Niagara Falls area has a growing arts scene and it's affordable: The cost of living is 14.4 percent below the national average, and the average home price is $119,700, well below the national average of $171,700.
There are more than 20 parks in Buffalo, earning it the nickname, "City of Trees," and for all you sports fans, it's home of the Buffalo Bills football team and Buffalo Sabres hockey team.
The unemployment rate in the region is 8.3 percent, below the national average. Health care and education are the fastest growing industries here.
View image
Buffalo is an older, industrial city that has "gone through a sort of gut-wrenching transition into the 21st Century," Sperling says. And now that it's gotten over the bumps, it's a great place to live.
The Buffalo-Niagara Falls area has a growing arts scene and it's affordable: The cost of living is 14.4 percent below the national average, and the average home price is $119,700, well below the national average of $171,700.
There are more than 20 parks in Buffalo, earning it the nickname, "City of Trees," and for all you sports fans, it's home of the Buffalo Bills football team and Buffalo Sabres hockey team.
The unemployment rate in the region is 8.3 percent, below the national average. Health care and education are the fastest growing industries here.
I would have been impressed by this, if not for the fact that we came in #2 to Pittsburgh. Any list of liveable places that would rank a hole like that at the top has obviously used some questionable means to determine their ranking.
Pittsburgh is a pretty interesting city. What is it you don't like about that city?
Interesting, yes. Has potential, yes. But the two years I lived there was like being in downtown Hicksville, Appalachia. Except for the college kids, nobody seemed to have any sense that the rest of the world existed. Even in the older folks, the prevalent attitude was that just because the grass and sky are no longer brown, they've turned into Paris or something. Traffic and transit were awful. Less snow, but colder and more ice (on steep hills, no less). Mine fires and sinkholes randomly pop up everywhere. Three potentially great rivers that you can look at from afar, but never get to, use or enjoy. Questionable food at best (ketchup on salads?). The hills are nice to look at, but every flat piece of land has a strip mall on it, so travel is difficult and sprawl is out of control. I enjoyed the first couple weeks, saw the museums, etc. But actually living there was just depressing...
Hmm, lot of irony there considering a lot of the junk you just spewed is the same junk that some ignorant downstaters say about buffalo. Also, a lot of blatant falsehoods - temperature is something that's easily calculated, so I'm not sure why you'd try and lie about that. The people are both uneducated backwater AND think they live in Paris? Yeah, right. I'd agree their streets are a pain to navigate because it's so easy to get lost, but that's not because the city is full of strip malls and ice.
I grew up in the backwoods, pittsburgh is full of hicks, sorry, its true. Never thought id see a city that had more backwards fools than that place. Its not blind hatred, just the truth
You don't think it's ironic that buffalonians are knocking a city by hating on the weather, the education level of the population, and sprawl...come on!
I thought it was interesting that the pitts actually does get alot more ice than western ny, never would have thought so. Combine that ice with mountain roads and basically no plowing and you have great conditions for winter driving, haha
I moved to Pittsburgh back in '03 and have to say that the guy ripping on it is way off base. It's hard at first to move to a new city but the people here were and are friendly. That and the fact that the city has so much to offer made it easier to adjust (I particularly love kayaking on the rivers and hiking in the many parks within city limits). I have to admit my surprise at how beautiful and vibrant the city is. Another poster talked of how proud the people of Pittsburgh are of their city and that's absolutely correct. It would be nice if more of us felt that kind of passion as well. Even though I've grown to love Pittsburgh and actually enjoy living here, I'll always be a Buffalonian at heart. This is great for Buffalo and great advertising.
Its a pretty crappy place to live. Interesting? Maybe, but buffalo is nicer, and im not saying that bc im from buffalo, bc i am not, im originally from closer to erie, pa and have lived or worked in both buffalo and shittsburgh. I dont see a single redeaming quality in that place.
Pittsburgh is a phenomenal city.
Really? I hope you are kidding! I lived there for 2 years and honestly the city sucks. I had a good job and lived on mt washington, easily one of the worst places i have lived. Transportation is awful, there is basically no neighborhood commercial within the city, no way can you live in the majority of areas within the city boundaries and walk or even ride a bike to a store, not even a mini mart or corner store. The city looks nice, at least the well traveled areas, but its not. Its actually quite dirty. The air is filthy, our walls would be covered in gray dust on a DAILY basis. The streets are terrible, people park on the sidewalks so if you do decide to go for a walk, you must do so on the very small mountain roads. The people are not friendly and there is no more to do there than anywhere else. I listened to these types of rankings when choosing to relocate there and must say that they are worthless. Pittsburgh is a dirty hole.
"Really? I hope you are kidding! I lived there for 2 years and honestly the city sucks....there is basically no neighborhood commercial within the city, no way can you live in the majority of areas within the city boundaries and walk or even ride a bike to a store...."
You lived in Pittsburgh two years and you never visited Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Central Oakland or the South Side? All of these areas (and many more) have walkable and bike-friendly commercial strips with many viable and safe residential areas surrounding. The city also ranks as one of the safest of its size in the US.
Yeah, i visited them, not impressed. I looked at houses in those areas and again, not impressed. As for crime, i lived in a nice area and it isnt all that safe of a city. Murders, robberies, etc, every day, in the nice areas. Ive lived in othrr cities, never had similar concerns.
Btw, you mention 4 areas that have SOME NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL. Those 4 places make up a very small part of the city. Try getting to those commercial areas from another part of town. Its a nightmare, especially considering that other than southside, they really dont offer that much. Four neighborhoods dont make up a whole city.
I can't say that I lived there, but my sister lived in Squirrel Hill for several years, so I had the chance to visit often. I loved it. Her neighborhood certainly had quite a bit of urban commercial development, nice streetscapes. Frick Park was a few block walk away. Phipps is an amazing conservatory. The topography adds immensely to the character of the city. We ate at restaurants that overlooked downtown. I also really liked the Oakland neighborhood. Pittsburgh also has a tremendous housing stock from the steel money days, really preserved because so much is brick construction. If I was looking to relocate, its certainly a city that I would consider.
Thats what i thought prior to moving there. Like you now, i was dead wrong.
You are 100% correct my friend. I had the misfortune of attending college there for 4 years. Very backwards, very icy, verry cloudy. According to the weater service Pittsburgh has the cloudiest summers east of the Mississippi. In fact Buffalo's summers average 30% more sunshine than Pittsburgh's