It is not gonna happen in our lifetime - 5.5 million people in Phoenix - they all have pools in their backyard - never heard of anyone in Phoenix or Vegas complain that they don't have enough water. They funnel it right in from the Colorado river.

The great lakes are nice, however polluted and under developed. In my view, the climate here is the biggest deterrent. Too many alernatives out there in the sun belt. Carolinas are boomin.

Most people do not want to live in perpetual rain and darkness, which is what we have on the great lakes.

I think Chicago Might have something to say about Toronto leading the Great Lake region.

The lakes may have a quarter of the world's fresh water. But that does not mean it is all there for the using. The ecologically usable portion of water is much much less. Look at the depth of the water at Niagara Falls. It is relatively shallow. Reduce the water flowing by just 5 feet and the Falls dry up. Speaking of drying up. Who is to say that global warming won't dry up the Lakes.

As for water in the south west. You can be damn sure that all that new political and financial clout will come in handy when it comes to using your federal tax dollars to subsidize new desalinization plants for Phoenix and other such cities . Think that is crazy? Who do you think paid for all the dams that provide water for this area already

The problem with the Great Lakes is the cost of living. How shall I put this....at one time the top 10 most populated cities were all in the Northeast and Great Lakes. Well now none of the Great Lakes cities are in the top 10 most populated BUT our governments and our unions and our buracracy are all financed as though we are still the engines of the nation. Want proof? Explain why Pheonix has lower prices for water and sewar than any Great Lakes City?

Hey in 100 years the south and the west will be just as burocratic and ossified and out of date and polluted as the Northeast and Great Lakes region so they should not be smug, especially since it was the federal taxes from the Northeast and Great Lakes that built the infrastructure in the rest of the country.

Buffalo should have never stopped growing. It has always been conduit for trade between Boston/NYC/Philly and Chicago.....and now Buffalo is an International north south trade corridor between the US and Canada. We should be in much better shape economically than we are.....the fact we are NOT says more about local leadership and Albany than it does about Buffalos natural abilities. Buffalo has so many natural geographic advantages that the world new but forgot because our leadership and our state buracracy just made it to difficult and to costly to take advantage. its only a matter of time before they are rediscovered....the question again is not when or whether they will be rediscovered by the rest of the nation and the world BUT whether our local buracracy and the Albany buracracy will finally get out of the way!

gaustad - perpetual rain and darkness? WTF are you talking about? The whining about mythical "bad weather" is kinda lame. Especially during our typical summer of mostly sunny days and, especially lately, very little rain. And if it ever really came down to Jobs and Survival, the luxury of year-round tropical weather is meaningless. The problems with the rustbelt have very little to do with weather, and people need to start realizing this fact.

Shibley overstated or the Star misquoted our population peak. It was 550,000 in 1950.

If those articles are in fact true, I am surprised BR would post such content, especially in light of their efforts to promote the positives in our city.

However, I'm not going to boycott the site or anything because of a few links on dig. These guys put out a good product, cover positive stories, and are good part of the city's future.

Buffalo is better off with BR. Period.

We're not losing water. I thought that when the ice caps melt, we will have more water to drink? We can desalinate can't we?

chris69 - Explanation: Sewer and water is cheaper in Arizona because their water system is newer than ours. Imagine all of the pipes, corroded and broken, in Buffalo and how long they have been there. Now think of a brand new development right nead a brand new highway with brand new water pipes.

And I think weather IS a factor in where people live and that it does matter in the Northeast. But it matters that we have harsh winters and that many springs and falls feel like "perpetual rain and darkness" sometimes. One reason people are moving to CA, AZ, NM, SC, TX, FL is due to the consistently warm weather. Hey, its not perfect weather to me, but a hot dry day is heaven to many people compared with a wet, wintery day.

this article is ridiculous. shibley is ridiculous. basically...let's get the gov't to give us free money because we're near a big lake. How about we find some decent leadership and cut waste at the local, county, and state level to make the money we do get more effective before we cry for more to waste. Aren't there more pressing issues to consider for our local urban planning "experts"?

Whether you feel it is human impact or not the Earth is changing and going to continue to change for a long time, just as it always has and humans need to learn to live a more sustainable life if we are to continue and improve our quality of life. That is one of the most important aspects of what Mr. Shibley said, in order to live the way we want to live we have to learn to be sustainable. We can't expect to add 1 billion people every 50 years to the planet and just assume that it can support it.

I totally agree with Mr. Shibley and others that feel Buffalo has the potential to grow in the wake or this change but unsustainable growth doesn't do anyone any good. City dwellers have a smaller carbon footprint than those in suburbs or rural regions (unless you grow and produce your own goods) To think that you are living a greener lifestyle with your acre of lawn is a myth and one of the most wasteful practices we could possible use the land for.

My only fear is that with growth and continuing strain on energy and water the market pushes back gradually and not snaps. Yes people in phoenix and las vegas have water for their pools, for now, but their aquifers are not going to last forever. They are already digging deeper to find water and some say with their current growth could run out of water in 20-50 years. That is if they dont start some sort or conservation efforts.

The Colorado River is already tapped to its peak. There isn't enough flow left in it for it to reach the ocean. Water is going to be in our lifetimes as serious issue. Just check any world science journal and you can't help but read about droughts here water shortages there... Australia is getting hit the hardest first by climate change, they have had forced water conservation for a couple years now, no more lawns, pools or washing your car....

300 miles - are you out of your mind - have you ever lived in a warm climate ?

It is common knowledge that more than half of the people who leave this area because of the climate. 2nd to that is - " oh and by the way I am making more money"

The weather here BLOWS! Period!

IT SNOWED HERE LAST YEAR OCT 11 th - all our beautiful trees were split in half and now are being torn down.

we did not get to see the sun again until May - YOU DON'T THINK THAT IS A PROBLEM? People don't leave there house for months on end. No exercise, obesity, negativity - all becuase of the weather.

DON'T TELL ME THE WEATHER HERE IS NOT A FACTOR - IT IS!

I think that (if you can get around the grammar and the spelling errors) Chris has a point. In May, my electric bill was about $105.00 and all my appliances (save the refrigerator) are gas. My sister who lives between Ft. Meyers and Naples where there is no hydro power (or wind power, for that matter) had her air conditioning running every night for the preceding month, has all electric appliances and had an electric bill of around $80:00. What is wrong with this picture ?

I've lived in Vegas for over 40 years and can tell you what it's like when water gets scarce. We've been under a drought alert for years, currently our primary source of water-Lake Mead-is at it's lowest since 1964, down 70 feet and expected to fall to over 100 feet from its normal level. The local water district has "water police" cruising around the valley looking for water wasters, and will ticket and fine anyone found watering outside the allowed time limits and days or for allowing water to runoff into the street. They are using infrared imagery to target homes with too much yard covered with lawns. Las Vegas has temporary measures in effect to ensure enough water for the short term, including borrowing some of Arizona's Colorado River allotment. Long term solutions of piping in water from Northern Nevada are being met with stiff opposition from rural northern Nevada ranchers.

The visible effects of the drought are more startling. Mature trees are showing signs of heat stress and many are dying as the water table continues to drop. I receive my domestic water from a well, I have had to drill three new wells over the past 20 years-all due to ground subsidence and faults from a dropping water table. I often see the water well drillers in my area; living off a neighbor's garden hose for a month (the time it takes to get a new well dug as all the well drillers are so booked) gives you a new appreciation for precious water.

As for power, our rates have gone up 50% in the past few years, now a typical 1600 square foot home pays over $300 per month in the summer; one of my co-workers lives in a two story 2200 square foot new home and just had a $460 power bill. And here, "summer" runs from May to October. During a recent heat spell with daily highs of 117 degrees we experienced rolling blackouts as the grid couldn't keep up with demand. Well, I didn't personally experience it, during that week I was back home enjoying Buffalo Old Home Week and temps in the 70's.

Goustad - If the economies of the rustbelt had not declined miserably for decades, most people would have never moved South/West. The economy and jobs are the PRIMARY reason for relocation, NOT WEATHER. Sure you want to liver where it's warmer, but most people wouldn't even start looking to move in the first place if the job growth had kept improving here.

That's why other "cold" cities haven't emptied out: because they retained their economic engines and job growth. Buffalo is not colder that Toronto or Chicago or Madison or Ann Arbor.

People don't flee cities because of weather. They leave because of economics.

Point taken 300 miles - but there are plenty of people that left here only becuaes of the weather - I am one of them - I actually made more money Buffalo - !

I have several friends that made more money in Buffalo that hve moved to Phoenix and Vegas - there are many people who realize that the quality of their lives might be better in Buffalo because of their contacts, but sacrifice to stay out of the cold.

Perhaps it doesn't bother you

I said it before and will continue to say it until every last reader agrees: Buffalo will never be great as long as there are corrupt politicians and unions. It is impossible. Taxes and unions are killing this region from the inside out. Its purely economics. The only politician that seems to remotely care about the well being of Buffalo is Higgins, and he can't do it alone. Lets face it: as long as there are these two things Buffalo will never grow. Eventually your job will be replaced and your family will move. I hope for the best but except the worse. Best of luck Buffalo