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Some Canadians apparently do not agree with you, as I see Ontario plates wherever I go. The airport parking lots are full of them, as are the large mall parking lots in the area. Anytime there is a concert in town there is always a large group of Canadians there to hear it. Bills and Sabres season ticket holders include many Canadians, and many Blue Jay fans from Canada attend the Bisons games. Heck, even my local Wegmans has several cars with Ontario plates in the parking lot whenever I visit.
In 2017 (last year I found data) over 4,000,000 cars, 1,200,000 trucks and 24,000 buses crossed the Peace Bridge between Canada and Buffalo. If you add up all of the Niagara River border crossings, it totals over 11,000,000 vehicle crossings per year.
Visit Buffalo-Niagara estimates that 3 million tourists in the area are from Canada.
Yeah, I don’t know how anyone who lives or lived within say 100 miles of a Canadian border can say that Canadians do not come to cities/areas in NY nearby, let alone Buffalo. You see plenty of Ontario and even some Quebec plates in Syracuse many weekends, as many come to shop or for other events and the city is 100 miles from the border via I-81. Even in terms of media, many nearby parts of NY carry Canadian TV stations on their cable systems(CKWS-11 from Kingston ON is one that is in parts of the Syracuse area) and vice versa(I believe that SW Ontario gets Detroit TV stations). So, maybe people just overlook these things or aren’t familiar with this dynamic.
Yeah, I don’t know how anyone who lives or lived within say 100 miles of a Canadian border can say that Canadians do not come to cities/areas in NY nearby, let alone Buffalo. You see plenty of Ontario and even some Quebec plates in Syracuse many weekends, as many come to shop or for other events and the city is 100 miles from the border via I-81. Even in terms of media, many nearby parts of NY carry Canadian TV stations on their cable systems(CKWS-11 from Kingston ON is one that is in parts of the Syracuse area) and vice versa(I believe that SW Ontario gets Detroit TV stations). So, maybe people just overlook these things or aren’t familiar with this dynamic.
Exactly. Folks sometimes have their judgments clouded with negativity.
We see an article mentioning Buffalo homes selling for $400k...and some folks respond “high taxes are chasing away people”.
We say Buffalo has received billions of dollars in recent state investment...and some folks respond “without the state Buffalo would be dying”.
We say that Buffalo benefits from visitors from Southern Ontario...and some folks respond “no it’s not possible they all go to Toronto now”.
We say the population of the Buffalo metro area as a whole has barely changed since it’s peak, and it’s now starting to grow again...and some folks respond “people are fleeing Buffalo like rats from a sinking ship”.
We say Buffalo still has 2 pro sports teams, Austin has never had any, and Green Bay Wisconsin still has one...and some folks respond “the Bills will leave soon and that will kill the city”.
We mention the recovery of cities like Dresden Germany and New Orleans that were ravaged by bombs or hurricanes...and some folks respond “Buffalo is in a death spiral”.
Exactly. Folks sometimes have their judgments clouded with negativity.
[list][*]We see an article mentioning Buffalo homes selling for $400k...and some folks respond “high taxes are chasing away people”.[*]We say Buffalo has received billions of dollars in recent state investment...and some folks respond “without the state Buffalo would be dying”.[*]We say that Buffalo benefits from visitors from Southern Ontario...and some folks respond “no it’s not possible they all go to Toronto now”.[*]We say the population of the Buffalo metro area as a whole has barely changed since it’s peak, and it’s now starting to grow again...and some folks respond “people are fleeing Buffalo like rats from a sinking ship”.[*]We say Buffalo still has 2 pro sports teams, Austin has never had any, and Green Bay Wisconsin still has one...and some folks respond “the Bills will leave soon and that will kill the city”.[*]We mention the recovery of cities like Dresden Germany and New Orleans that were ravaged by bombs or hurricanes...and some folks respond “Buffalo is in a death spiral”.[list]
You don't tell the whole story . population is back to what it was in the early 1900's and to get back to that level Buffalo has already lost half its population and has been losing population every single year in row for the last 50 years and the other 90% of houses in Buffalo you can buy for $1, yes one dollar and re sports teams, BILLS are playing in a 50 year old outdated stadium , oldest stadium in the NFL and the Sabre's arena is falling apart , Its the simple game of Seasme Street , which one is not like the others Today Buffalo wouldn't even be on the long list to get a professional sports team but Austin is on the short list for Professional teams PS want to guess what yearly property taxes are on a $450k house in Buffalo are $20,000 a year and next year they'll be $ 22,000 a year. But house are so affordable in Buffalo lol
Last edited by Niagarapurple; 08-13-2019 at 08:56 AM..
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RocketSci
Some Canadians apparently do not agree with you, as I see Ontario plates wherever I go. The airport parking lots are full of them, as are the large mall parking lots in the area. Anytime there is a concert in town there is always a large group of Canadians there to hear it. Bills and Sabres season ticket holders include many Canadians, and many Blue Jay fans from Canada attend the Bisons games. Heck, even my local Wegmans has several cars with Ontario plates in the parking lot whenever I visit.
In 2017 (last year I found data) over 4,000,000 cars, 1,200,000 trucks and 24,000 buses crossed the Peace Bridge between Canada and Buffalo. If you add up all of the Niagara River border crossings, it totals over 11,000,000 vehicle crossings per year.
Visit Buffalo-Niagara estimates that 3 million tourists in the area are from Canada.
And again when you look at the postings on the Canadian/Toronto boards you don't see a fixation with the USA or Buffalo for that matter mentioned in their posting the way you do on the Buffalo board. Its simply a comment on what their posting on a social media site. For the record the Peace Bridge is the second largest crossing point into the USA so I would assume that the usage numbers would be high.
Buffalo use to have over 12 malls, more restaurants , more grocery stores, more stores, more enterainment opinions and now Buffalo's down to just 1 mall and its having crime problems, with almost daily gang fights, the other 3 remaining malls are in bankruptcy/sold and future plans to tear them down someday are over 1/2 empty and the marjority of remaing stores are dollar stores thrift stores or anything they can get to fill space, not worth the trip to Buffalo for Candians anymore, alot of the Candian traffic crossing the Peace Bridge are just going threw Buffalo on their way to other destinations or to use the airport
Last edited by Niagarapurple; 08-13-2019 at 09:29 AM..
You don't tell the whole story . population is back to what it was in the early 1900's and to get back to that level Buffalo has already lost half its population and has been losing population every single year in row for the last 50 years and the other 90% of houses in Buffalo you can buy for $1, yes one dollar and re sports teams, BILLS are playing in a 50 year old outdated stadium , oldest stadium in the NFL and the Sabre's arena is falling apart , Its the simple game of Seasme Street , which one is not like the others Today Buffalo wouldn't even be on the long list to get a professional sports team but Austin is on the short list for Professional teams PS want to guess what yearly property taxes are on a $450k house in Buffalo are $20,000 a year and next year they'll be $ 22,000 a year. But house are so affordable in Buffalo lol
Some easy myths to dispel...
Population?
The city of Chicago (excluding suburbs) has lost a whopping 25% of its population since its peak. Is anyone howling that Chicago is in a “death spiral”? Most old cities have lost populations to their suburbs for half a century. (That trend has reversed in the past decade, though). And like other cities, the population of the Buffalo area has been growing again in recent years.
When we discount migration city to suburbs, we see the population of the overall Buffalo metro area hasn’t changed significantly. At its peak in 1970, the Buffalo metro area was 1.35 million people. Today, it’s 1.14 million. That’s only a 15% decline from its peak.
In comparison, both the Cleveland and the New Orleans metro areas have lost 11% of their populations since their peaks. Is anyone howling that Cleveland and New Orleans are in “death spirals”?
Home prices?
I just checked a major realtor site that showed the median sales price of a home in Buffalo this year at over $115,000.
I searched several major realtor engines and couldn’t find any houses in Buffalo for sale for a dollar. Aside from a few tear-downs and foreclosures under $40,000 or so, most homes appeared to be around $100,000, with many going as high as $400,000.
Low home prices are a good thing. Let’s not forget that. See the numerous lists of Most Affordable Cities in the media (where Buffalo usually ranks very highly).
Most folks don’t even have the option to live in a city like New York City or San Francisco - it’s simply too expensive. Most huge cities are playgrounds for the rich. And the amount of home you get for the money bought there is pathetic compared to in Buffalo.
Pro sports teams?
Is Green Bay Wisconsin in a “death spiral”? They still have a team.
We looked at Cleveland, New Orleans, and Chicago with declining populations. Are they panicking that they’ll lose their teams and the hopes of their cities with them? In fact, Cleveland did lose the Browns back in the 1990s...and gained it back. Houston lost the Oilers...and gained back the Texans.
Austin has boomed for decades and decades, and they’ve never had a single pro team. They’re “about to get a team”? Yawn. And that will affect their trajectory as a city?
Many economists believe that a pro team doesn’t even help the economy of a city much. A city would be better off with a great college team, because at least it pumps money into a large local employer and school, rather than into the private pockets of some billionaire.
The city of Chicago (excluding suburbs) has lost a whopping 25% of its population since its peak. Is anyone howling that Chicago is in a “death spiral”? Most old cities have lost populations to their suburbs for half a century. (That trend has reversed in the past decade, though). And like other cities, the population of the Buffalo area has been growing again in recent years.
When we discount migration city to suburbs, we see the population of the overall Buffalo metro area hasn’t changed significantly. At its peak in 1970, the Buffalo metro area was 1.35 million people. Today, it’s 1.14 million. That’s only a 15% decline from its peak.
In comparison, both the Cleveland and the New Orleans metro areas have lost 11% of their populations since their peaks. Is anyone howling that Cleveland and New Orleans are in “death spirals”?
Home prices?
I just checked a major realtor site that showed the median sales price of a home in Buffalo this year at over $115,000.
I searched several major realtor engines and couldn’t find any houses in Buffalo for sale for a dollar. Aside from a few tear-downs and foreclosures under $40,000 or so, most homes appeared to be around $100,000, with many going as high as $400,000.
Low home prices are a good thing. Let’s not forget that. See the numerous lists of Most Affordable Cities in the media (where Buffalo usually ranks very highly).
Most folks don’t even have the option to live in a city like New York City or San Francisco - it’s simply too expensive. Most huge cities are playgrounds for the rich. And the amount of home you get for the money bought there is pathetic compared to in Buffalo.
Pro sports teams?
Is Green Bay Wisconsin in a “death spiral”? They still have a team.
We looked at Cleveland, New Orleans, and Chicago with declining populations. Are they panicking that they’ll lose their teams and the hopes of their cities with them? In fact, Cleveland did lose the Browns back in the 1990s...and gained it back. Houston lost the Oilers...and gained back the Texans.
Austin has boomed for decades and decades, and they’ve never had a single pro team. They’re “about to get a team”? Yawn. And that will affect their trajectory as a city?
Many economists believe that a pro team doesn’t even help the economy of a city much. A city would be better off with a great college team, because at least it pumps money into a large local employer and school, rather than into the private pockets of some billionaire.
Buffalo already lost their NBA team Buffalo Braves and the Bills got 2 arms & a leg out the door already and back in the late 80's Buffalo was in the running for MLB expansion team but not any more with 3 decades of heavy loses and the economy tanking
The last Republican Buffalo Mayor was Chester Kowal 1962-1965. Do you think Buffalo has been served by having single party rule for over 50 years? I met Mayor Brown twice, once on a tour of our magnificent City Hall (a fabulous building) and once in the Galleria. I said hello both times.
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