JJFIVEOH Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 So it's no big secret that many people have left BFLO and relocated elsewhere for one reason or another. I currently live in SoFL and am looking to move out of here. I have a few areas in mind (Knoxville, Asheville, Denver, Portland OR, Greenville) but always open to other possibilities. How many people on here live outside of BFLO? Where do you live? What are the pros/cons of where you live? What attracted you to the area? Just curious what everybody thinks of their current residence.
MattPie Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 Philly. I moved here by way of Southern Maryland and Binghamton, all those moves predicated on a new job/transfer. Philly's not a bad town, you can live out in the sticks like I am but yet be in the city proper in an hour by car (at non-rush hour) or a little more by train. I'd consider it a baby-NYC. Most of the same stuff is available, just in a much more manageable size. Pros: plenty to do for food, bars, great local brewery scene, arts, and whatnot Cons: Compared to Buffalo, really expensive for housing. Compared to most places, above average but not that bad for housing. Traffic is kinda miserable, being a hilly are there aren't that many highways. Public transit is good for some things, but it's not comprehensive enough that it's easy to live without a car unless you stay in the city itself.
LastPommerFan Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 Move back. Worked for me! Me too!
chileanseabass Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 Currently in Charlotte. Have been here for a total of 10 years, but have also spent time in Greensboro and Tampa. Asheville is really nice. Greenville, SC has really improved over the past 10+ years since BMW came to town. I really enjoyed Greensboro and would love to move back.
frissonic Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 Living north of Salt Lake City and have for about 17 years. moved in October 1995, been back 3-4 times to visit. As far as pros go: Scenery. It simply can't be beat. PLENTY of outdoor summer fun to be had. Hiking, boating, water skiing, etc Proximity to Yellowstone and Vegas. Talk about your dichotomy split ... Folks for the most part are really friendly. With the exception of Utah County, traffic is pretty well managed up and down the I-15 corridor. Housing prices are pretty reasonable. A house with approximately 2000-3000 square feet and made within the last few decades out here would go for well over a million, if not more, in California. Not Utah. Average cost in that range would be about $150-300k. Property taxes--at least in my county--are extremely reasonable. Again, I come back to the scenery. It's just ... WOW. Cons: Drivers suck. Especially in the winter. I know, I know ... EVERYONE says that their area has the worst drivers. Generally speaking, it's limited to mostly the winter time, but that's when all the friggin' big-a$$ truck owners think that 4-wheel drive means "impervious to ice/snow/hydroplaning." Not the fastest gerbils on the wheel, if you get my drift. Meh. That's about it. Every other complaint is pretty germane to every other city (e.g. construction)
frisky Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 Well if you cant move back home...California dreamin. Pros - everything. Cons - High cost of living and ridiculous housing prices. Its summer everyday.
JJFIVEOH Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Posted February 21, 2012 Move back. Worked for me! Me too! Where did you live?
todzilla Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 Hey JJ, I live in Denver, moved from Buffalo in '95. Its a great place to live, although I consider moving back from time to time. There is tons to do in the outdoors. Skiing in the winter obviously and hiking, camping, fishing in the summer. And the scenery here might be even better than Utah!! The sports scene is great with 4 major teams and tons of bars and restaurants downtown. Housing is a bit high, but the area is predicted to rebound from the housing crisis a bit sooner than the national average, and property taxes are much lower than NYS. They say Colorado is the fittest state in the nation, although we are getting 12 Dunkin Donuts this year so we'll see how that lasts. Plus there is an IKEA here now. If you have any specific questions about the area, I'd be happy to answer.
Doohicksie Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 I live in Fort Worth now. It is part of the DFW metro area, but Fort Worth has a flavor distinct from Dallas. There is a clean and active downtown, a cultural district with several art museums and stuff (including the second largest modern art museum behind NYC), and a cowboy touristy area, the Stockyards. We've lived here almost 15 years this time around, over 18 years total, so it's pretty much home now. Sports-wise, there are the teams you love to hate (Cowboys, Stars), but at this point they are far enough removed from atrocities committed against Buffalo that I can't say I hate them. There are also teams you don't have to hate, and they are doing quite well these days- the Texas Rangers are AL champs and the Dallas Mavericks are the reigning NBA champs. People around here are starting to call the Rangers the Buffalo Bills of baseball since they've been to the World Series twice in a row now and lost both times. It's interesting to note that the Cowboys and Rangers both play in nearby Arlington, which is in the same county as Fort Worth and the stadiums are closer to Fort Worth than they are to Dallas. If you haven't noticed, there is a rivalry between Fort Worth and Dallas. Dallas is the larger city, but Fort Worth is growing fast and is projected to overtake Dallas within 10-20 years. One of the mottos of Fort Worth is "Where the West begins" and we like to tack on "which means Dallas is were the East peters out." :D Housing here is still affordable; you can get a decent starter home in the low 100s. The summers are hot, but it's shirtsleeve weather right now and we've barely had a winter this year. The mood of the city is that our best days are still ahead of us. It's a big city with big city conveniences but not the hassles. if you really want the hassles, Dallas isn't far. The economy here is pretty good and apparently getting better, since several people have left the company I work for to go to other jobs in the area in recent months.
JJFIVEOH Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Posted February 21, 2012 I guess it's only fair I add my 2¢ about SoFL. Pros: -Beautiful winters although this year has been unseasonably warm. AC shouldn't be running in the middle of night during winter (it was 88° here yesterday) -Unlimited things to do. Sports events, clubs, beaches, festivals all year round. -Wide variety of real estate -Extremely diverse (could be a pro or con depending on how you look at it) -Weather can be really spectacular if you're into that sort of thing. The most spectacular lightning and cloud formations you'll see anywhere. Cons: -I've been to many states and cities and SoFL has the most arrogant, high strung, superficial people I have seen -Terrible drivers (I think everybody claims that for their cities lol) -Unbearable summers, 6-7 months of 90°+ with very high humidity and rarely drops below 80°. -Almost daily downpours that rarely last more than 10 minutes, just enough to feel like a sauna. -Very monotonous, extremely flat and nothing but palm trees. Get's old after a while. You'll need to drive 3 hours before you're even 50 feet above sea level. There are many pros and cons about SoFL. The only problem is they are both very extreme. There is no in between when it comes to most aspects of SoFL.
beerme1 Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 JJFIVEOH are you on the Gulf Coast? I can tell you Knoxville is an awesome place to live. Most people wouldn't consider it but having lived just outside of Chattanooga I can tell you it also is a cool place to live. Much less going on than Knoxville though. Georgia has some very cool living as well depending on where you go. I've lived in Canada, a few places down south and WNY (current) I have had enough of the taxes and crap here and would love to be in Sarasota. Just cant seem to swing it though. Jobs suck in FL for pay which I'm sure you know. Also besides east coast or gulf coast why are you looking to leave?
billsrcursed Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 I absolutely love living between Orlando and Daytona. It's a great area. I'm more of a beach bum than I realized. I don't mind the summers at all and enjoy being able to golf during the winter. I have no complaints.
PromoTheRobot Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 I wound up in NH in 94 and stayed. Live just outside of Manchester. PROS: - no sales or income taxes - just an hour from Boston - nice small city with AHL hockey and EL baseball. - outstanding outdoor activities close by. Skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, lakes, mountains. Gorgeous historic town of Portsmouth close by, Portland ME too. CONS: - It doesn't get that warm. Winters can be brutal (though this year is incredibly mild) It can drop to the 40's at night even in July. I have one window AC unit that gets used 3-4 times a year max. - to make up for no sales or income tax, property taxes are high as are car registration fees. - politically bizarre with some real cranks getting elected into a 400 member house. One bill wants to make the state constitution the Magna friggin' Carta! -a--hole Pats and Bruins fans. PTR
JJFIVEOH Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Posted February 21, 2012 Hey JJ, I live in Denver, moved from Buffalo in '95. Its a great place to live, although I consider moving back from time to time. There is tons to do in the outdoors. Skiing in the winter obviously and hiking, camping, fishing in the summer. And the scenery here might be even better than Utah!! The sports scene is great with 4 major teams and tons of bars and restaurants downtown. Housing is a bit high, but the area is predicted to rebound from the housing crisis a bit sooner than the national average, and property taxes are much lower than NYS. They say Colorado is the fittest state in the nation, although we are getting 12 Dunkin Donuts this year so we'll see how that lasts. Plus there is an IKEA here now. If you have any specific questions about the area, I'd be happy to answer. Thanks! I'll keep you in mind. I've never been to Denver. If/when I move of course job is #1, but besides that I am looking for a city in the mountains. I'm not talking rolling hills, I want to be in or very near actual mountains. I've spent a lot of time in Appalchia which is why I've considered the 3 "Villes". Only negative I see with Denver is it seems as though it tends to be very dry and brown for a good part of the year. I like the rain and green. But, I also know that once you get into the mountains there some of the scenery is absolutely beautiful like you said which can almost make up for that. Thanks again! JJFIVEOH are you on the Gulf Coast? I can tell you Knoxville is an awesome place to live. Most people wouldn't consider it but having lived just outside of Chattanooga I can tell you it also is a cool place to live. Much less going on than Knoxville though. Georgia has some very cool living as well depending on where you go. I've lived in Canada, a few places down south and WNY (current) I have had enough of the taxes and crap here and would love to be in Sarasota. Just cant seem to swing it though. Jobs suck in FL for pay which I'm sure you know. Also besides east coast or gulf coast why are you looking to leave? I'm on the ocean side between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. I visited Knoxville this past October and was pleasantly surprised. I know Knoxville isn't the biggest city, but I was really impressed with how clean it was. I was amazed that you could walk around anywhere downtown and never have to fear getting mugged. Not that getting mugged is a decision maker, it's just presented itself as being very safe. I liked the selection of downtown lofts and their ongoing project of revitalizing downtown while keeping the original buildings is really cool. I didn't get to spend enough time there because I spent it all in west NC, but one thing I didn't like much is a limited selection of small homes. Greenville, Portland, Denver, and to some extent Asheville have a pretty good selection of renovated bungalow type homes. In Knoxville everything is BIG! lol. Not much of a selection for a single guy who might not want to live downtown. Not knocking Knoxville at all, just an observation when weighing the pros and cons of all the places I've considered so far. Oh yeah, drag racing is a big factor and I know Knoxville has 5 tracks within 2 hours. :flirt:
Jeanbe Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 I left BFLO in 88 and moved to LA and hated it. Way too big and people weren't friendly like back in BFLO. In 93 I moved to PHX for a job opportunity and am still here. I listen to WGR on the drive to work (via tune in radio app on my Droid) and have Center Ice and the Football package so I can watch the Sabres and Bills. PROS: Great Winters Friendly people low property tax decent housing costs CONS: lousy summers old boys network for politics (this happens with both parties) too spread out as a city lousy public transportation crappy drivers - rain or shine
sabresnutinphoenix Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 Phoenix here - moved in 2005.... - I miss Jerry Arena's Pizza/Subs in Batavia... - I also miss no traffic.... At least I have Ted's Hot Dogs here...
Jeanbe Posted February 22, 2012 Report Posted February 22, 2012 True. I should have added Ted's to my pro list as well. :)
JJFIVEOH Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Posted February 22, 2012 Phoenix here - moved in 2005.... - I miss Jerry Arena's Pizza/Subs in Batavia... - I also miss no traffic.... At least I have Ted's Hot Dogs here... Oh there is NO DOUBT that I miss BFLO food! The food down here sucks! Yeah there's some real nice fine dining places, and a lot of hidden small ethnic food joints; but if you want to go out for a quick dinner you're stuck with generic chain junk. Very few small chains or family restaurants around.
Jeanbe Posted February 22, 2012 Report Posted February 22, 2012 For those in Phoenix, Ron Wolfley has a sports bar at Desert Ridge called appropriately Wolfley's. Most authentic Beef on Weck in Phoenix IMO. It's a bit of a drive for me but when I'm in that area I stop by for a sandwich. You have to ask for the horseradish however.
Koomkie Posted February 22, 2012 Report Posted February 22, 2012 lived in buffalo forever. moved to so florida, now live in portland or. move here. pros - everything ...i mean it......everything. i can climb a glacier on a mountain, surf at the beach and go for a hike n the rain forest or desert all in the same freakin day. mega babes. great music and food. best drivers. killer weather. no mosquitoes, great person to person vibe. cons - sabres are far away - no thunderstorms. move to portland. if you don;t you are making a mistake. look it up.
Eleven Posted February 22, 2012 Report Posted February 22, 2012 lived in buffalo forever. moved to so florida, now live in portland or. move here. pros - everything ...i mean it......everything. i can climb a glacier on a mountain, surf at the beach and go for a hike n the rain forest or desert all in the same freakin day. mega babes. great music and food. best drivers. killer weather. no mosquitoes, great person to person vibe. cons - sabres are far away - no thunderstorms. move to portland. if you don;t you are making a mistake. look it up. Why? So he can get into gladiator bicycle contests and deal with women who don't shave? Plus, Portland's most famous Buffalo transplant (Greg Oden) isn't doin' so well.
87168 Posted February 22, 2012 Report Posted February 22, 2012 Yea I'm with eleven. Move back. Hahaha. Yanking your chain of course. Well I lived in California for 3 yrs when I was in undergrad. Once I got my diploma I left asap. I wouldn't suggest the northern part of California. At least from my experience. It isn't any place I would like to call home. Don't get me wrong it has a lot to offer, but for me I guess I'm just a western new yorker to the bone. My very best friend lives in Vallejo, a small city 30 minutes outside of Frisco and he has even commented on how warm the people of Buffalo are....and of course the food. Hahaha. He was chugging Loganberry all week when he was here.
JJFIVEOH Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Posted February 22, 2012 Koomkie's right about Portland. It's amazing the change of scenery by simply driving an hour east. There's something to be said about the hairy women though, lol. The only thing that turns me off about Portland is the 9 months of constant rain. Although it might be worth overlooking for what it has to offer.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.