Buffalo: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

To start off I'd like to introduce myself. I'm born and raised in Buffalo and currently go to school in Albany. I plan and have always planned to move back to Buffalo upon graduation. During my time in Albany I have met a lot of great people from all over the state, country as well as some international students. Along with these people, I have met their friends and families. Many of the friends of friends that I have met, are currently attending UB or have attended UB (many of them are from the NYC area). Surprisingly the general reaction when we get to talking about Buffalo is "Wow, I never would have though I would enjoy myself so much in Buffalo." Being a Buffalo native I tend to smirk and say "Yeah it truly is a great place to live." Recently a friend of mine transferred to UB and as a result moved to Buffalo. When I talk to her (typically once or twice a week) she remarks about how nice everyone is, how great the city is and all the new things she has discovered since the last time we spoke. She even mentioned the possibility of moving to Buffalo after graduation because of her experiences so far. My point for writing this is, that Buffalo is a great city and college students and young professionals are beginning to see how it can shine. No matter what, there will always be the doubters and haters but realistically, the grass is never greener on the other side. I think the part that makes Buffalo so lovable for the college students is the sense of place that Buffalo offers. Is it Chicago? No. Is it NYC? No. Is it LA? No. Nor can it be defined as any of these. Buffalo is a unique place with a sense of pride that nobody can take away. The ReUse projects that I have seen look great so far and as long as these continue and there begins to be clean, livable housing in the city proper, people will once again believe in Buffalo.

Well, that would be a HUGE loss for Bflo, if you were to leave, Bernice-you are so incredibly committed, engaged and driven. However, no one would begrudge you for making a decision to leave (I feel young adults SHOULD leave, and come back, if possible).

Also, I'd suggest that we all think more outside the box-maybe there are ways to split time between the cities (Bflo is only 45 minutes by plane). This is why we should all be pushing for high-speed rail, too-that would have a HUGE impact on Bflo.

No.

Go.

And then come back.

I'm biased, having done it, but I think the MOST VALUABLE thing you can do if you're interested in really helping your home town is to leave for a year or more. You need to get the perspective. You appreciate it more, but you can more readily identify the problems and you don't just get defensive without understanding how or why.

Get out and come back. You'll never regret it.

Thank you Bernice, you already making a difference and I expect great thing will come from your decision to stay. Buffalo is on the verge of breaking through the economic doldrums and the green industries are a major contributing factor.

Ive have said for far too long Buffalos greatest export was our people but I'll never use that phrase again.

What did Jack Quinn say?

I can't wait til the day I can say "hello mayor Bernice"

Thank you for the nice comments!!!

I should let everyone know that I have already left once.. I thought I would NEVER return to WNY and that California was the answer.. I learned quickly that I loved Buffalo and wanted a walkable, livable city... so I moved back two years later. :)

www.berniceradle.com

Jobs. Well paying, career oriented jobs. I left Buffalo for undergrad and wanted to come back after I graduated. I tried to; I looked for a job in my field for 3 months and I didn't hear back from 1 application. In one week of job searching in Chicago I was invited to an interview at one of the best schools in that area. So I moved to Chicago and took the job.

Right now, it's hard for any graduate to turn down a job. If you have opportunities for grads they will stay. It's as simple as that.

Bernice, what did you study in school? I'm interested to see what major has led to someone having "many opportunities knocking every day". That's rare these days.

Leave, Learn, Relate, Return.

Leaving home is healthy; in doing so, one learns about the world beyond their comfort zone, and in turn, a lot about who they really are and what they want in life.

For those like Bernice, who leave here and/or are presented with tempting opportunities to so do yet want to contribute to a better Buffalo, there is much merit to relating practices in other places with how they can be applied here.

Go get your fill, and when you're ready to settle, bring it back home!

Glad you're staying.

Bernice-

That's something I contemplated while in school too.. but then I realized this place is just like any other, good, bad and beautiful. Stay because it's only the beginning of the revival (something you know already) Check out the art I created because I stayed. If this place can inspire me and countless other Buffalo artists, it can inspire you, too.

http://michaeltharmon.com/exhibitions/inkorporated/

GO BUFFY GO!

This is ironic timing. I'm in the same boat, getting offers out of NYC (my other home), I find out this weekend what the offer is. Then I have to choose, move? or stay in Buffalo? The only way I would move away is if the pay was great! It is a very tough choice since I do luv this place, but to be real, if I had a better job offer, why not? Can always come back if it does'nt work out.

you could go and be one of the many Buffalonians that convince their company to open a plant or an office here in Buffalo.

or build your resume so that you can come back...

ultimately its a personal decision.

Buffalo has been shrinking for years and the core of the city and suburbs is well...people know each other...and are close to one another in ways difficult to find in other cities...

More self promotion

this crap is so boring to read. The idea is to make people write stories about you, not to write stories about yourself.

Jersey and Platt4 - This isn't simply about Bernice. It is about Buffalo, about a young person's dilemma, choices, decisions, future. Of course I expect negative comments about everything on Buffalo Rising so I'm not surprised.

So many young people leave Buffalo. If you were to believe what you sometimes read, every young person leaves Buffalo.

Maybe Bernice's writing about her decision can help another young person to stay or at least consider staying.

I had such choices when I was younger; an offer in
Toronto and an offer in New York - my home town. I have never regretted staying in Buffalo, though some people may want me to leave!

Thank you, Bernice.

the question seems to be more of whether or not your dream job could be out of the area. if your dream job is not a possibility in buffalo, then why would you allow your love of a specific community and location to prevent you from pursuing your dream job?

if you can't fathom the possibility of leaving the area, however, then the job must not actually be your dream job, just a representation of what your dream job could entail. in other words, your dream job is more comprehensive than a specific position within a specific company/firm. your dream job encompasses the desire to perform certain tasks on a level that satisfies you in an area where you are familiar and comfortable.

perhaps, if you feel that your bond with the area is too strong, your dream job is unattainable. that's okay, though, because most dreams are unattainable. just beware that the aforementioned realization is a stereotype, even a necessity, (as i'm sure you are aware) for those who live in western new york.

Thanks for the article. Like or not most people have a much easier choice to stay and work a sub-standard service job or work a job within your career somewhere else. I hope this will change for Buffalo. Buffalo is a great place but the lack of solid jobs holds as back as a region.

Bernice,

I faced the same conundrum 5 years ago, and... took the NYC route. Although enduring many nights of wanting to leave and come back, after the initial separation I have been soo happy I made this decision! I am getting experiences and offers that I would have never dreamed of had I stayed.

Ill sum it up like I explained to my father tonight: choosing a place to work is like a football player wanting to go play on a team. They choose teams because either 1. they get paid a lot 2. The weather/area is great 3. They want to be part of a winning team. If the Bills (and by association the city of Buffalo) wants great players/employees it needs to: 1. pay people more 2. get better weather 3. show the world it is a winning team. Since we all know 1 & 2 will never happen, its going to have to prove to the world that it is a winning team so people WANT to play here.

Just my two cents...

Weather, really? Not schools, home prices, recreation, neighborhoods? Who has better weather by the way Buffalo or Chicago? Buffalo or Phoenix, Miami. As people mature the materialistic concerns fade and lifestyle and happiness become very important.

Good for Bernice--much applause to her.
A few things:
1. This conundrum, we should remember, faces young people in most cities, not just Buffalo. There is a handful of mega-cities that get mythical status as the place to be. But most everywhere in America faces this grass-is-greener syndrome. Too often the discussion on BRO paints Buffalo as one place and the rest of country as another. That's false.

2. You don't need to leave Buffalo or any city in order to have a rich, meaningful life. The stale advice to "go and then come back," and then share all your worldly wisdom and cleverness with the old hometown is immature condescension. The country is now so homogenized and over-connected through technology that people, their dreams, and their conversations are pretty much the same everywhere. The scenery changes, the props change, but really....people are having the same chats over coffee all over the country. Jobs remain an important factor, but people are pretty much the same.

3. I had to leave and return to understand the depth and charm of life in Buffalo. But I was not very bright; I don't think living in five other cities and three countries did much that I could not have achieved by traveling. Some people need to leave because they may be sensitive to weather, scenery or types of job that certain places have versus others. Some people are wanderers, and they should roam. But let's retire the platitude that you MUST leave and then come back in order to have a meaningful life. People all over the world stay in their tiny villages, their towns, their cities and countries---their lives are not compromised by this. Patina comes to all things over time.

Agree, I have only lived in one other place but I have visited many cities and places of interest throughout the country. I would add that travel can be just as limiting as staying in one place if a person sticks to the interstate or generic sprawl communities. I have seen and learned more on foot, by canoe, or by rail than by flying to some tourist destination and following the itinerary. My wife and I just returned from a trip to a midwestern city where we explored the neighborhoods and engaged with the locals. As usual we found the most interesting places were found by simply roaming around and talking to people. So many "well traveled" folks tend to stay in the safe zone and rarely experience the unique sense of place that each community offers.

Have fun, make some money. . .you'll be back.

I've lived, traveled or worked in nearly every State in the Union and 33 countries. I could live anywhere I like. I choose Buffalo.