1. People In Buffalo Take Pride In Knowing the Difference Between Up State vs Western"
People from New York City love grouping everyone above Westchester County (and sometimes including Westchester County) into one massive, less-cultured blob. But the differences between, say, Poughkeepsie, and the Buffalo area, are massive. So is the distance—about a five and a half hour drive.
In areas ranging from speech to culture, the Buffalo area has more in common with parts of Canada and Ohio than it does with most of the Capital Region and the Hudson Valley.
2. Knowing The Pain Of Suffering For The Bills, But Never Giving Up
Even after the four consecutive Super Bowl losses, the Music City Miracle, and the JP Losman, Trent Edwards, and Ryan Fitzpatrick eras, Buffalonians still have a borderline unhealthy passion for their maligned football team.
In fact Bills fans are so dedicated they're willing to sit in outdoor high school-style bleacher seats in the dead of winter, in one of the coldest cities in America, downwind from a enormous lake. On top of that, they're forced to constantly deal with the fact that Toronto really wants to steal their football team.
All things considered, Bills fans scoff at other cities’ so-called "dedication."
3. Knowing That Hockey IS The Best Sport In The Country
With a view distorted by their cold climate, their proximity to Canada, and a professional hockey team that almost always sells out its games, you can forgive Buffalonians for honestly believing that hockey, and not baseball, is our national pastime.
The area’s dedication to the sport has churned out loads NHL-worthy talent, including all-star and Stanley Cup winner Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks.
4. Hating Toronto And The Rest Of New York But Still Being SUPER NICE
The people of Buffalo, which is a huge city with its own culture, would rather not considered a stopping point on the way to Toronto—a city constantly on the verge of stealing their football team and home to the hated Maple Leafs—or New York City, a place that's over six hours away and full of people that think they're the only part of the state that matters.
But that doesn't stop the people of Buffalo from being just about the most hospitable, generous people in the country. Visitors quickly realize that folks from Buffalo are so nice, it’s as if they’re are out to prove to outsiders that their digs don't hurt, they just make them better.
5. Powering Through With Life During "The Lake Effect"
Unless you live in Syracuse, Buffalonians considers your yearly snowfall numbers pathetic, and find your ability to drive in it laughable. The city's downwind position from Lake Erie makes it one of the country's snowiest places, good for over seven foot of snow yearly.
And if you happen to have lived in Buffalo in 1977, that means you saw drifts of 30-40 FEET during that year's blizzard; or, levels of snow that are usually reserved for movies set on a cold, dystopian planet.
Oh, Lake Effect is also the name of a pretty cool diner.
6. Being Polish By Proxy
If you're from Buffalo, chances are you know a good kielbasa, pierogi, paczki and other artery-annihilating, rib-sticking Eastern European foods when you see them.
Furthermore, you actually know that a paczki is deep-fried dough treat, is pronounced "pohnch-kee" and puts traditional American donuts to shame.
You also know Dyngus Day is the one day of the year everyone becomes a little Polish. And drunk. People generally get pretty drunk.
7. Arguing About Where And How, Exactly, The Hot Wing Started
First off, yes, for the people of Buffalo, they're "chicken wings" not "Buffalo wings." That would be like Arnold Palmer calling a drink that's one half iced tea and one half lemonade a "me."
And in the city that bears the hot wing's name, the origin of the region's most famous food fuels a famous debate. Some say the Super Bowl snackum has its origins at the Anchor Bar around 1964—although the specifics of this story vary. Others claim John Young popularized wings at his restaurant Wings ’n Things.
Like hot wing sauce on your tongue not quelled by bleu cheese, this delicious debate continues to sizzle.
8. The Joys Of Watching Canadian Television
Most people living in the Buffalo area get access to the CTV, CBC, and other Canadian stations. This means unchecked enthusiasm for Canada’s national sport in the form of “Hockey Night in Canada” and learning about global warming and other environmental concerns from the calming voice of David Suzuki on “The Nature of Things.”
Buffalonians can also boast about being early adopters of “Degrassi” before it was a household watching in the rest of the United States, and knowing its star Aubrey Graham—aka Drake—well before he conducted a worldwide takeover of popular music.
9. Everyone In Buffalo Has Climbed A Grain Elevator Or Two
How’s this for creative reclaiming? Faced with what to do with an enormous grain elevator left over from the city’s grain processing days, Buffalonians helped fund a $24,000 crowdsourcing campaign to turn the relic into Silo City: a one-of-a-kind indoor/outdoor rock climbing experience. Considering the grain elevator was invented in the area, what better, more fun way could there be to experience an important piece of Buffalo history?
There’s even a plan to use the grain elevators to host a theater festival, although the project was recently pushed back to 2015.
10. Having Several Native American Words In Your Arsenal
While folks in other parts of the country would fumble over the pronunciations of places like Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, Chautauqua, Salamanca, people from Buffalo rattle them off like it's second nature—because it is.
The Buffalo area is central to the Iroquois people, and in particular, the Seneca, whose culture has had a far-reaching impact on the area. Many towns in the area still bear their original Native American names.
11. Not Letting Anyone Talk Smack About Buffalo
While Buffalonians are allowed to lament the city’s occasionally dreary weather, status as a Rust Belt city, and somewhat remote location, if you’re not from the area you better keep your criticisms in check, or be prepared for an onslaught of Buffalo pride.
Ever heard of Niagara Falls? Frank Lloyd Wright? Did you know that Forbes called Buffalo one of the ten best cities to raise a family in America? Have you hung out with friendly folks at a local bar and taken your last call at 4 a.m.? Have you ever even visited Elmwood Village?
When it comes to dealing with outsiders, Buffalonians talk proud.
Did we miss anything? Tell us what you think is unique about Buffalo in the comments below!
