I’m thinking of applying for a job there, but I’m pretty sure I would hate it. I prefer tempatures over 80F, though I’m starting to adjust to the weather in NYC. I get depressed when the weather’s gloomy and the days are short. I’m also pretty happy with the pace in Manhattan. Is there any way I would not be miserable in Buffalo?
Buffalo is very near to Canada. And it has Tim Horton’s. It’s dirty and old, though, only the parts I’ve seen. It’s gotta be cheaper than living in Manhattan. I’ve only been through the one time, though.
Three words: lake effect snow.
I went there once. I thought it smelled like Cheerios.
If you like the pace of Manhattan, I would advise against it.
I lived there for two years going to grad school and pretty much hated it. Not the weather - snow doesn’t bother me and it was nice to finally be back in an area where the majority of drivers actually know how to drive in the stuff, but it was the feel. Very small town for such a large area. For me the epitomy was one Thanksgiving or Xmas eve, needing to go in to work a night shift and being UTTERLY unable to find anyplace open after 8PM to get something to eat. I would have taken a 7-11 I was so hungry, but no, could not find anything.
Of course, this was the early 90’s so it may have changed.
Excerpts from a photocopied list sent to me.
COLD IS RELATIVE
50 degrees - New Yorkers turn on the heat. People in Buffalo plant gardens.
35 degrees - Italian cars won’t start. People in Buffalo drive with the windows down.
32 degrees - Distilled water freezes. Buffalo water gets thicker.
20 degrees - Floridians wear coats, gloves and wool hats. People in Buffalo throw on a t-shirt.
15 degrees - Californians begin to evacuate the state. People in Buffalo go swimming.
Zero degrees - New York landlords finally turn up the heat. People in Buffalo have the last cookout before it gets cold.
10 below - People in Miami cease to exist. People in Bufalo lick flagpoles.
40 below - Hollywood disintegrates. People in Buffalo rent videos.
80 below - Polar bears evacuate the Arctic. Buffalo Boy Scouts postpone “Winter Survival” classes until it gets cold enough.
100 below - Santa abandons the North Pole. People in Buffalo pull down their ear flaps.
250 below - Microbial life disappears. Cows near Buffalo complain of farmers with cold hands.
460 below - ALL atomic motion stops. People in Buffalo stop saying “Cold eough for ya?”
560 below - Hell freezes over. Buffalo wins the Stanley Cup or the Super Bowl, your choice.
I lived in nearby Rochester for years and hated it. The snow was part of it – perpetual lake-effect snow that came in copious amounts and refused to leave. Worse was the attitude towards it – the Rochester city government semed to believe in salting more than plowing, to the point where folks who could afford it owned a “rust rat” that they drove around all winter as an intentional sacrifice to the gods of Rust, while their good car stayed sage in the garage. I can’t prove it, but I suspect Buffalo is similar.
You’d think a town like that would have a close and active city life to offset the winter gloom, but Rochester rolled up its sidewalks at 5 PM, and didn’t have much to begin with. Buffalo struck me the same way, and seemed to have an even smaller downtown.
This was some time ago. Things may well have changed. But there’s no way I’m ever moving back to upstate NY.
Well, one good thing… its only a 2 hour drive from Toronto. 
As a former, semi-frequent visitor I think it’s safe to say that you’d hate it if you hate cold, gloomy, snowy days. The nightlife is limited and the economy isn’t exactly what you’d call booming.
On plus side, the wings are awesome, the Bills have great tailgate parties, there’re plenty of reasonably priced ski resorts in the surrounding areas and, most importantly, it’s not Niagara Falls, NY.
The big redeeming feature – I loved the chicken with hot sauce in Rochester.
As for skiing, too much of it was too far to drive and too little for the effort. But then, I left Rochester for Utah, so I got spoiled.
let it snow, let it snow,le…you get the idea. It snows (and is colder ) there than it does here (Ketchikan,AK) Like the cold & snow?
The thing that gets me are the headlines and news stories I see about Rochester, now that I’ve left it. I don’t have to make up bad things to say about the place, they do it themselves.
For instance, I saw, smack in the middle of the front page of the Salt Lake TRibune: Dull Folks Honor Dangerfield. It turns out that the International Society of Dull Folks gave an award to Rodney Dangerfield. They are located in Rochester, N.Y., which is where the article was datelined. Somehow, I knew, before I even saw it.
Or the article about DENSA. You’re aware of MENSA? Well, DENSA is the equivalent, parody organization for people not in the self-congratulating top 2%. Guess where it’s headquartered?
I’m from Buffalo, and I live in NYC currently. No, it doesn’t suck.
What do you like/dislike about Manhattan? It’s hard to say if someone would like Buffalo without knowing what they like.
Here are some pros:
– extremely affordable housing
– good food
– great summers, Lake Erie and the Niagara River are excellent for summer recreation, the lake is clean now, fyi.
– small but high-quality cultural institutions
– unexpectedly decent selection of live theater and music, much more affordable than NYC
Here are some cons:
– high taxes
– cold weather and snow (but plenty of sunny winter days)
– “small town” mentality sometimes infuriating
– questionable sense of “downtown” – after years of urban blight, some pockets of activity have emmerged but it’s still not a uniformly vibrant downtown scene
– still suffers from bleed to the suburbs
– requires a car, public transportation is useless
– very different atmosphere from neighborhood to neighborhood, some are just terrible
To me, the best thing about Buffalo is that it’s small enough that a person can participate in almost any available activity without a lot of work. Theaters are full but seldom sell-out, you can go to a movie, play, or concert on a whim. Restaurants are open fairly late (not NYC late, but moreso than other parts of the country), and usually don’t require reservations. I think it’s a very good place for people who like to seek out fun and interesting things to do. It’s not so great for people who tend to wait until fun and interesting things happen, unlike NYC, where all the fun and interesting stuff is in your face 24-7. In Buffalo, it’s easy to retreat into your house all winter, so it helps to have the kind of personality that keeps pushing you out.
Well, thank God Buffalo is not like Manhattan which I consider noisy, dirty and totally impersonal and hostile to human life. Its just concrete and buildings. Talk about gloomy! We may not always have sun here but at least I can see a tree and some green space almost anywhere I look
Pace! If you like the pace of life there, why not become an ant!!
Ah…that felt good. But I digress. Yes, you would be bored here! And yes, there is alot of negative sides to Buffalo especially if you’re a young adult. There is definitely a small town mentality here, geared toward the less mobile and family orientated which is great if that’s what you want, and horrible if not. But as a small town it’s great. We have major cultural resources such as our Philharmonic, theaters (not as great as Toronto, but affordable),
Pro hockey & football, cheap housing, good schools (3 of our districts place within the top 10 statewide), a major university in the University of Buffalo. Within 30 mins. to an hour you have corn festivals, skiing, a major theme park, a great State park call Letchworth. And snow. This is the North! Live with it! After all Syracuse gets 20% more then we do a year and they live! And cold - bull! We may get into the teens for a total of a week over the winter but generally its mild enough to be outside and be comfortable with just minimal clothing.
And besides, if New York City and Albany haven’t been sucking up all the tax money for decades, maybe we could have a better city!!
Thanks for saving me the trouble of putting together an application. It sounds close to hell on earth in my book. If a place’s biggest selling point is it’s proximity to Canada, that’s pretty sad. 
I don’t even know what 20 degrees feels like, and I put on a sweater when it gets below 75. “Mild enough to be outside and be comfortable with just minimal clothing” - that would be 80, right? I don’t even know how to walk in snow, much less drive in it. And I’ve been complaining lately that the nightlife in NYC seems to have died down a bit this year - I can’t imagine life in a small town. Do you actually run into people you know when you leave the house? Weird.
And yet it’s south of Southern Ontario!
I lived near Rochester for 15 years (hey that’s a lot for a 20 yr old), and I miss it! Then again, between Buffalo and Rochester you get more snow than anywhere else in the country - seriously!
It really is beautiful though - much better than Louisiana. God I hate it here. Sweat doesn’t even evaporate in the summer (or any other season for that matter) so you just get hotter! Think about it, there’s no humidity in Buffalo, very few insects, no cockroaches, etc… My favorite part is that (unlike here) there are four full seasons!!!
The Tim Horton’s in Buffalo SUCKS. At least the one on Bailey does. Every time I’ve been there, the donuts taste stale. And I’ve been there at all times of day and night, so I don’t think I’ve gotten a bad batch. Maybe they just make them different there.
I’ve NEVER had this problem at a Tim’s in Ontario, Quebec, or New Brunswick.
What’s Tim Horton’s? A Canadian thing?
Yes. A donut shop with properly-prepared non-squishy donuts.