OT- More WNY Love - Rochester/Buffalo both ranked top 6 in most affordable cities in the world

[Goldseatsaud]

I was married to a teacher my ex father in law taught at Springville. My step daughters are special Ed teachers. I laugh their out enjoying their summers and laughing how much their making.

[LGR4GM]

6 minutes ago, Goldseatsaud said:

Western ny

 

3 minutes ago, Goldseatsaud said:

Great my taxes are 6000 less in the south than WNY. I tired of paying teachers 100k. We split

 

1 minute ago, Goldseatsaud said:

I was married to a teacher my ex father in law taught at Springville. My step daughters are special Ed teachers. I laugh their out enjoying their summers and laughing how much their making.

We don't agree. 

[Goldseatsaud]

My neighbors all teachers making 100k on my taxes while 

I’ve been around teachers my whole life. They make a ton

I’ve lived all over the country have you?

[LGR4GM]

5 minutes ago, Goldseatsaud said:

My neighbors all teachers making 100k on my taxes while 

I’ve been around teachers my whole life. They make a ton

I’ve lived all over the country have you?

I am going to make some guesses. You are over 55, my guess is over 65 but at least 55 so all the teachers you know are probably 20 or more years in the profession so I wouldn't be surprised if they made around 100k. 

I've lived a couple of different places including outside of NY for a time. Specifically in the southeast and teachers and educators didn't make a lot, unless again they had years on years in the system where they could get up to those higher levels of pay. 

I know quite a few teachers, none of them make anywhere close to 100k, most are in the 55-65k market. 

Edited June 17 by LGR4GM

[Goldseatsaud]

Yep, wasn’t affordable anymore! Taxes at 8,000 on a house built in 1976 and we have a new house similar size with a tax bill of 2200

Edited June 17 by Goldseatsaud

[mjd1001]

1 hour ago, JoeSchmoe said:

You can't change someone's vote by shouting at them. 

I know a guy who's a right wing conspiracy theorist and is always shouting at everyone. I tell him it's people like you that will turn common sense middle of the road people back into being Trudeau voters... The exact opposite of what he wants.

No you don't, but apparently it makes you feel better when you shout at them because you are 'owning them'.  I shouldn't be surprised as it seems to be a condition of many humans, but I swear when it comes to politics people will convince themselves to follow a policy they initially didn't agree with because "their side" supports that issue and it is more important to cheer and scream for 'your team' than it is to do what is actually good for you (and this applies to both sides.). 

The worst part is, and I think we are all seeing this more and more..is when people shout at you, people make jokes, people cause confrontations NOT based on an issue they truly believe in, but rather they want to support an issue simply because it makes 'the other side' mad.  They would rather hurt or anger people who don't agree with them over doing what actually is good for themselves.

[LGR4GM]

If anyone wants to look at the tax stuff: https://www3.erie.gov/ecrpts/sites/www3.erie.gov.ecrpts/files/2023-01/erie_22-23_tax_comparison.pdf

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

Yeah, no.

Only a handful of homes in Texas are damaged by tornadoes in any given year.  The closest I've ever been to a tornado was when I lived in Detroit and one rolled through in 1997 a few miles from my house. I've lived in Texas 30 years and never had tornado damage to my home.  I had one roof replaced due to hail damage.

Wow look at all the political content. It puts WNY Dems and libs in a bad light, so we're good to go.

nfreeman, this is the problem many posters have with your moderation.

[matter2003]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

Yeah, no.

Only a handful of homes in Texas are damaged by tornadoes in any given year.  The closest I've ever been to a tornado was when I lived in Detroit and one rolled through in 1997 a few miles from my house. I've lived in Texas 30 years and never had tornado damage to my home.  I had one roof replaced due to hail damage.

Depends on where you live...the areas south of Oklahoma are part of tornado alley and typically see tornadoes regularly. Wichita Falls was leveled by one in 1979.  Basically if you live in those areas you are playing Russian Roulette and while there might be a thousand chambers in the gun and only one bullet, one day their luck is going to run out.  Especially considering most of those places have no basements and newer homes have no storm cellars either so there is nowhere to go when one comes through. Not sure who thought it was a smart idea to stop building storm shelters in those areas so people now have nowhere to go if they are caught in one.

And the weak ass F1 and F2 at best tornados that WNY might see are nothing compared to the F4 and F5 1.5-2+ mile wide monsters that they get out there.

Edited June 17 by matter2003

[PromoTheRobot]

21 hours ago, Night Train said:

It's easy to live in WNY in my opinion.

 I traveled a lot in the military during my younger days. Didn't like the south at all. Worked in San Diego for a few years and  that was expensive.  Upon returning, bought a nice house. Paid it off 25 years ago. Get a VA discount on taxes. Get a bad storm every 10 years. Most of my winters are mild now, compared to youth. Summers here are outstanding. Perfect temp. Lots to do for my lifestyle. To each their own. We all have different lives. 

Just wish it wasn't so cloudy most of the year. That gets to me.

[PromoTheRobot]

18 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Affordable correlates with less desirable though. That's why prices are lower. I'm seeing Edmonton on that list, and it is definitely "affordable" compared to other Canadian cities but there are reasons for that. Edmonton is a sh#thole. And it hits around -40 at times in the winter. I don't know much about Buffalo in the last 30 years but there has to be reasons why it's "affordable". 

Weather isn't the best, but not -40. More poor people. Not as much to do as a larger city. But for 1.2 million people there's plenty going on. Pro athletes that are more family focused than nightlife driven love it. Schools are pretty good in the suburbs. The nice parts are really nice.

[PromoTheRobot]

51 minutes ago, Goldseatsaud said:

Great my taxes are 6000 less in the south than WNY. I tired of paying teachers 100k. We split

I'd be curious how the schools rate in your state.

[Night Train]

The problem with NY State isn't teachers salaries. It's welfare and all the giveaway programs. I deal with it but that's what needs to be addressed. Productive workers. 

[JoeSchmoe]

3 hours ago, Doohickie said:

Detroit suburbs are fine.  The city never really recovered from the race riots of the 1960s.

I've been a couple suburbs... maybe not the high end ones though. I've been to Ann Arbor for hockey and if East Lansing for football too.

In general, I've just found other states to be friendlier. 

[LGR4GM]

6 minutes ago, Night Train said:

The problem with NY State isn't teachers salaries. It's welfare and all the giveaway programs. I deal with it but that's what needs to be addressed. Productive workers. 

Workers are more productive now than at any other point in history. 

https://images.app.goo.gl/Dh57mEaQWDdm32JU6

 

Edited June 17 by LGR4GM

[Night Train]

 

 

NY State Programs

 

Adults and children receiving welfare (TANF):182,032

Children receiving food stamps (SNAP):1,006,000

EITC recipients:1,600,000

Families receiving child care subsidies:52,700

Households receiving federal rental assistance:585,000

Households receiving LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program):1,053,204

Number of children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP:2,520,415

Number of women and children receiving WIC (Women, Infants and Children supplemental nutrition program):362,993

Participants in all Head Start programs:48,090

[North Buffalo]

19 minutes ago, Night Train said:

The problem with NY State isn't teachers salaries. It's welfare and all the giveaway programs. I deal with it but that's what needs to be addressed. Productive workers. 

Giveaways to the military industrial complex and the Beltway Bandits make up over 65% of fed budget, 20% for Medicare that leaves 15% for the rest... in NY the big suckking sound goes to the bottomless pit of the MTA... I dont begrudge teacher salaries when we have wall street leaches make billions but not really providing any societal benefit... sorry for the rant against the crabs in the pot pulling each other down when others are boiling the water... 

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Weather isn't the best, but not -40. More poor people. Not as much to do as a larger city. But for 1.2 million people there's plenty going on. Pro athletes that are more family focused than nightlife driven love it. Schools are pretty good in the suburbs. The nice parts are really nice.

I think in many ways it probably is comparable to Edmonton. About the same size and winter sucks (they have more cold, you have more snow and I would guess wind chill and that lake induced dampness that makes it feel colder than it is). There are bad areas and run down parts but also nice areas and some high end burbs. Both cities a little lacking in culture and entertainment compared to some places. 

In no way am I shitting on Buffalo, just saying "affordability" is a double edged sword. Understandable as a settle for this could be worse kind of choice if you can't afford the better one, but in no way does it make it desirable. 

[matter2003]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Workers are more productive now than at any other point in history. 

https://images.app.goo.gl/Dh57mEaQWDdm32JU6

 

Just wait til Gen Z takes over the workforce and those numbers will plummet. 

Working hard to them means having to get off their phones for 15 minutes an hour and actually do what they are being paid to do. 

[JoeSchmoe]

3 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I think in many ways it probably is comparable to Edmonton. About the same size and winter sucks (they have more cold, you have more snow and I would guess wind chill and that lake induced dampness that makes it feel colder than it is). There are bad areas and run down parts but also nice areas and some high end burbs. Both cities a little lacking in culture and entertainment compared to some places. 

In no way am I shitting on Buffalo, just saying "affordability" is a double edged sword. Understandable as a settle for this could be worse kind of choice if you can't afford the better one, but in no way does it make it desirable. 

Man, Buffalo is not lacking in culture. It has it in spades. It might not have the pretentious kind of culture some people some people are into (not my type of people), but there is nothing in Vancouver remotely comparable as a cultural experience to a Bills tailgate.

Then there's the chicken wing. Maybe it's not fine dining, but it's one of the the most beloved foods in North America... A cultural institution. 

If you want to get your nose up, the Albright Knox and the Buffalo Philharmonic both punch way above their weight... Not to mention the history with Frank Lloyd Wright, McKinley Assassination, etc. 

My take on it is that Buffalo doesn't try to be anything but Buffalo. It knows what it likes, and doesn't care what anyone else thinks. From this comes culture.

On the other side of me is Toronto. They are the try-hards of world cities and as a result have very little to call their own on a world stage. CN Tower... Maybe. Hockey... Maybe, but I'm taking Montreal as a hockey city.

Montreal is another city that like Buffalo doesn't try to be anything but itself. As a result, you get a much cooler city... Better parties/festivals, more culinary contributions (bagels, smoked meat, poutine, etc), better hockey culture, etc.

[Doohicksie]

9 hours ago, matter2003 said:

Yeah NYS requires special ed teachers, IEP Reports, inclusion classrooms and a wide variety of other things designed to help lower level kids that are virtually unheard of in some of these other states.

Actually IEPs and special ed services are federally mandated; some states are more enthusiastic than others.  To be honest we got better services for my son in Texas than we did in Michigan.

[Doohicksie]

8 hours ago, Goldseatsaud said:

My neighbors all teachers making 100k on my taxes while 

I’ve been around teachers my whole life. They make a ton

I’ve lived all over the country have you?

You're full of sh!t.  Don't lie about stuff that's easily disproved.

 

[Doohicksie]

8 hours ago, matter2003 said:

Depends on where you live

I live in Tornado Alley.  Again, it's literally like one-in-a-million chance to get hit by a tornado, even in Tornado Alley.

[Doohicksie]

8 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Just wish it wasn't so cloudy most of the year. That gets to me.

If you had 6 months of 90+ blast furnace sun, you wouldn't mind the clouds so much.

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Man, Buffalo is not lacking in culture. It has it in spades. It might not have the pretentious kind of culture some people some people are into (not my type of people), but there is nothing in Vancouver remotely comparable as a cultural experience to a Bills tailgate.

Then there's the chicken wing. Maybe it's not fine dining, but it's one of the the most beloved foods in North America... A cultural institution. 

If you want to get your nose up, the Albright Knox and the Buffalo Philharmonic both punch way above their weight... Not to mention the history with Frank Lloyd Wright, McKinley Assassination, etc. 

My take on it is that Buffalo doesn't try to be anything but Buffalo. It knows what it likes, and doesn't care what anyone else thinks. From this comes culture.

On the other side of me is Toronto. They are the try-hards of world cities and as a result have very little to call their own on a world stage. CN Tower... Maybe. Hockey... Maybe, but I'm taking Montreal as a hockey city.

Montreal is another city that like Buffalo doesn't try to be anything but itself. As a result, you get a much cooler city... Better parties/festivals, more culinary contributions (bagels, smoked meat, poutine, etc), better hockey culture, etc.

Well Montreal is French culture and it stands apart. It's basically more European. No comparison. 

Buffalo is what it is, I get that. I grew up in Hamilton and it's the same. Disdain for Toronto as a result and no pretentiousness, but that doesn't mean it has culture. If you are lauding tailgating and chicken wings as "culture" I really don't know what to say to you except, enjoy.