The community in Buffalo takes pride in hard work and even harder play. From great arts and culture to awesome eating and sports, it’s hard not to love the atmosphere in this great American city.
Cost of Living
The cost of living in Buffalo is outstanding, with a cost of living index of 81 against a national standard of 100 and a New York state index of 122. This makes living in Buffalo almost 20 percent less expensive than in other places across the nation.
The city is solidly middle class in population, with owner-occupied households make a median of around $50,704. Although Buffalo suffered an economic decline due to the loss of manufacturing jobs, the city is now experiencing an upswing in job growth.
Housing
The median home price in Buffalo is low, sitting at just under $67,000, adding to the affordability of the area. This is almost 78 percent lower than the greater New York State housing cost and nearly 25 percent less than nationwide.
Median rent is low as well, at around $675 per month. With 17 percent of properties vacant and four percent of those for sale only, there are options for potential home buyers, though the market is a bit tricky.
Weather
Buffalo generally experiences with hot, sunny summers and cold, snowy winters due to its proximity to the Great Lakes.
The highest average temperature of around 70 degrees occurs in July. The coldest month of the year is February, at an average temperature around 25 degrees.
There’s only one day per year with poor air quality for those who have allergies or sensitivities.
Education
Buffalo has a wealth of education options for residents, with 106 public schools and 42 private schools. Thirteen post-secondary institutes make Buffalo their home. Almost 25 percent of the population holds at least a four-year college degree.
Located in Erie County, Buffalo Public Schools services 47,000 students and operates almost 70 schools. For those looking to get a college degree, SUNY at Buffalo is the largest institute of higher learning in the city.
Outdoor Recreation
Of course residents of Buffalo enjoy taking excursions to the New York side of Niagara Falls, and the Niagara Gorge is one of the most popular parks in the city. In addition to the falls, however, there are many opportunities for outdoor recreation.
Buffalo is home to some of the best skiing, fishing, boating, and golfing in the entire Northeast region of the U.S., and includes amazing parks such as Olmstead, Chestnut Ridge, and Zoar Valley.
Arts and Culture
Buffalo has amazing opportunities for arts and culture, including big museums and small galleries run by artists. Among the most popular of these are the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, which includes work by iconic artists such as van Gogh and Warhol.
Other popular attractions are the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo Arts Studio, the Buffalo Museum of Science, the Museum of Play, and the Buffalo History Museum.
Restaurants
Of course, if you live in Buffalo, it’s almost requisite to eat at the world-famous Anchor Bar, where the chicken wing was invented. However, there are over 400 independently-operated restaurants in the city.
With many options like the Buffalo Chophouse, Left Bank, Seabar, Tempo, or Betty’s, residents can find everything from comfort food to sushi or fine dining in this culinary wonder of a city.
Sports
Buffalo is in just about every way a sports town. Every Sunday during football season fans pack the Ralph Wilson Stadium to watch the Buffalo Bills play. Hockey is also wildly popular in the city and fans love to cheer on the Buffalo Sabres as they take on division rivals.
For those who want to enjoy sports on their own, the city is ripe with excellent hunting opportunities, golf courses, and fields for play of all kinds.
Featured image source: Flickr user seanosh
Know Buffalo? Tell us what you like about living there in the comments below!
