Upstate New York cities

Back in business

Hope grows in two cities more accustomed to disappointment

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I have fond memories of Buffalo. I left Buffalo 25 years ago to SoCal. Now we live in Dallas. For 25 years we make the trip back each year to catch up with family and friends. It is a comfortable place to live and I am encouraged to see signs of progress. I am buying a house south of Hamburg on Lake Erie as a summer home to enjoy the local culture and beat the heat


Missing from this article is the exceptional natural beauty of the region. The Finger Lakes are gorgeous & relatively affordable as lakefront property goes. Each of the lakes support charming wineries with award winning wine, especially dry Rieslings. Lake Ontario is ringed by lush orchards and farms due to exceptionally fertile soil left during the glacial era. Ever hear of Cornell? Yes, it's nearby too, collecting research grants and snaring top students from around the world to the Ivy League campus. Because of the past glories of Rochester & Buffalo, the tremendous cultural legacies of the founders remain in the form of theaters, museums and attractions few cities that size can offer. It is a wonderful place to raise a family and there is a friendliness there that few areas exhibit.


It always surprises me how little Americans actually know about Canada. The Greater Toronto Area has over 7 million people (If it were a US city it would be the 2nd largest in the Northeast only after NYC), is booming and is less than 1.5 hrs from Buffalo. Instead of closing its borders to the world and focusing more on who to keep out, the US would do better to focus on attracting the right kind of people to come in. Buffalo has a lot to offer the GTA, especially in terms of healthcare, relatively cheap entertainment, affordable universities (UB), airports, low cost living, etc. There is no reason why it cannot become a healthy and growing exurb or the GTA.

Canada is not Mexico and I think we can all agree the Post 9/11 reactions have been a little over the top. A change in US border policy is more than needed and would directly benefit those states in the US most in need (Upstate NY, Ohio, and Michigan come to mind). Beyond Borders is a good start but not enough.

While Buffalo and Rochester will never return to their former selves, they are far from being lost causes.


As a graduate of the SUNY Buffalo school of architecture, I am thrilled to read that Buffalo and Rochester may be turning a corner. Perhaps those cities can take a que from Syracuse which is going through some very impressive changes that are transforming it from a heavy manufacturing to a green sustainable economy based on meds/eds/tech./and tourism. It was recently reported that there is approximately $1.4 billion in new construction within the City of Syracuse itself which is unheard of in many cities of its size, particularly in upstate new york or the northeast. To illustrate the point that the Economist article noted, WCNY is relocating to the urban center by building a state of the art Broadcast and Education Center in the Near West Side area of downtown that will be a hub of television programming for ALL of NYS's nine PBS stations, including NYC and Long Island, Marriott is building a 180 room Inns at Armory Square, the recently completed Creekwalk that connects the energy of Armory Square (downtown) to Onondaga Lake is a big hit with locals a visitors alike, the Connective Corridor is bridging the divide between downtown and the university hill area with culture, art, businesses, etc., its success is illustrated by an increase in ridership on its shuttle. Infrastructure improvements will make it pedestrian friendly and reverse the decades long car friendly mentality that destroyed downtown. The downtown urban core has a 99% occupancy rate downtown, developers cannot convert build stock into residential units fast enough and are beginning to build new, i.e Jefferson Commons in Armory Square, and recently a new develoment within the inner-harbor area called Franklin View. Remaining to be seen is COR's inner-harbor development that will include a satellite Onondaga Community College campus, hotel, retail, commercial, residential (market and senior). Loguen Crossing promises to bring biotech research to the Near East Side along E. Genessee Street, there is the Hotel Skyler on Crouse Ave that is one of only three LEED certified hotels in the COUNTRY! Unlike Buffalo and Rochester, Syracuse is fortunate to have four major universities within its City limits, three of which contiguous to its downtown. The Brookings Institute is working with local Syracuse officials, I hope an article can be published this cities success as an example for others.

WNY gov't commonly give the latest fad in business tax breaks for 10 years or so to relocate. After which, the business creates no permanent local jobs and ups to a new tax free location. Local politicians see this as reason to give no tax breaks at all, when in reality they should apply tax breaks to the overtaxed small businesses who have remained over the decades rather than to the latest fad that pushes out local business and ups their chance of reelection.

guest-isnjeij in reply to urbanplanner

There's just one problem, Syracuse has about 40% of the population (MSA) of either Rochester or Buffalo. IMO you really can't compare Syracuse to either Buffalo or Rochester - no offense, but the universities can't compare either - the U of R is a research powerhouse, receiving more NIH funding, for example, that the ENTIRE SUNY system combined. I hate to burst your bubble over there. You sound a bit like a Syracuse (Utica maybe?) lifer with an inferiority complex. By the way, the correct spelling is "Genesee".


As a 4-year Buffalo resident and graduate of UB (Class of '89), I still have great respect for the City of No Illusions and philnathropically support several of its cultural institutions. Sadly, graduating into the first Bush recession, I was unable to find suitable employment in Buffalo. But if an opportunity there were to present itself; I'd take it in a Western New York Minute!

Ralph Brooks

I wish this was glowing reports about manufacturing and tech, not higher education and healthcare, which are earmarks of socialized economies.


There are many wonderful things about Buffalo. I lived there for 17 years in my middle age, working as a physician at SUNYAB. BUT: Any major decision Buffalo and/or the Niagara Frontier made was the wrong one and I can only hope that the choices are getting better and that the residua from many years of bad decisions can be overcome. However, as a physician, I will tell you that, overall, the quality of the healthcare is NOT state of the art and, at that, hard to come by. (A sick variation on stating that the restaurant has horrible food and then complaining that the portions are so small.) Worse, the local insurance companies thwart patients from learning about more appropriate and up-to-date treatment choices. The classic physician in Buffalo went to Canisius HS, Canisius College, UB Med School, did his/her residency in the Buf, and then went into practice with his/her uncle. A bad combination of incestuous and insular. Not good for patient care.

SpeaksTheTruth in reply to LissaJeri

Your references to past major decisions aren't wholly inaccurate but times have changed, and great decisions have been and are being made now. The important thing is that past mistakes are something to be learned from and the key word here is 'past.'

Moving ahead, whether it's the incredibly exciting accomplishments (finally) and ongoing development as well as future plans for the city's jewel of a waterfront, or the influx of thousands of residents to the urban core (to newly developed loft style apartments and condos in lovely, historic buildings, as well as to affordable, beautiful, historic housing stock that's built to last), great things are happening and it is an exciting time to be a part of a great city's renaissance.

While those who "used to live here" are certainly welcome to comment,they should not make the mistake of assuming that the city they left "X" years ago is somehow a static version of (fill in the year). It is constantly changing in an organic way. As a resident who is paying attention,I can assure you it is change for the good.

While this may not apply to directly, almost anyone who makes a decision to make a personal or professional move will look for ways to affirm their decision by finding something wrong with the place they left. It is human nature to assure oneself, but doesn't mean that there is anything "wrong" with their former city.

Your last sentence is certainly a generalization, and not wholly true of course, but nevertheless, could also be said of many cities, Boston, in particular.


Back in the 90s, comedian George Carlin used to say that committing suicide in Buffalo is redundant. That was then, this is now. The new census data came out recently showed that for the first time in 100 years, cities in the US are again growing faster than their surrounding suburbs. Although most of the growth data was for large urban centers like NYC, SF, Austin or Portland(OR), it only makes sense that the effect trickles down to mid-size cities such as Buffalo, which provides the urban convenience but at a lower cost.

Young adults are now shunning the suburb for cities in large numbers primarily due to economic reasons. Many are unemployed or underemployed with menial clerical/service jobs that are much more abundant in cities than suburbs. Many are also shunning the long commute lifestyle common among their parents. Another study also shows that due to the economy, fewer people are moving long distances or across state lines. Most young college grads now opt to stay put, either near their college town or home town.

It is definitely a good time to revive a city such as Buffalo, which still has a cost advantage over large cities. However to do so requires not just financial resources, but also vision and strategy, i.e. smart planning. The $1B pledged should be wisely used to expand infrastructure like in Denver, i.e. build a vibrant downtown "restaurant row" with wide sidewalks for alfresco dining in the summer, smart delis and specialty stores, water parks with fountains, green parks, lots of sidewalk, bike lanes everywhere, and a good public transport system of light rails or subway. In a city with cold winters like Buffalo, covered walkways throughout the city, either above or below ground, difinitely helps. Private builders could be invited in to build smart office buildings for rent at a low cost. These could be used to draw in startups as well as professionals working as independent consultants, which is a growing trend due to all the layoffs.

With nearby Niagra Falls as an attraction, there's a lot Buffalo can do to make a comeback. I hope it seizes the opportunity.


As a Rochester native living in New York City, I'm really pleased to see my hometown getting coverage in a multinational publication like The Economist. As the article aptly pointed out, the bankruptcy of Kodak didn't seem to have much affect on our fair "Flower City"- the jobs it provided largely left long ago. Higher Education is the City's driver now. With RIT and U of R (among other institutions) churning out graduates from all over the world equipped with highly-sought hard technical skills, I see the City's challenges as largely external. The cost of living there is extremely low, especially real estate- we need to capture highly-educated post-graduates who are ready to settle down and start having families. To do that, we need:

1) An overhauled tax policy that stops crushing homeowners and businesses with punishingly high tax rates, and let that low cost of living show through.

2) An overhauled immigration policy that would allow us to capture all those highly-intelligent people from other countries who would help our City thrive, were it not for restrictive visa sponsorship requirements.

Encouraging those recent grads and expatriates to stay would also result in an influx of new ideas- an exchange that would help combat the small-town managerial myopia mentioned in The Economist's earlier article about Kodak's bankruptcy.

Just my two cents.


I left WNY at the first opportunity I had. It's a great place to grow up and it's a great place to die, but I have no idea why one would spend the middle years there. There's close to a 10% sales tax, very high income taxes and property taxes that can exceed 5% of value every year. Good ridden.


What you forgot to consider in your comment is that if Buffalo is a great place to grow up (as you correctly assert), it is therefore also a great place to raise kids. Duh.

To correct your statement, my taxes in the city are a pittance for a beautiful and affordable historic home in a vibrant, walkable neighborhood that brims with cultural amenities, social tolerance, and wonderful places to seek entertainment, whether shops, restaurants, clubs,live theater, music, etc.

The entire region has a diverse offering of recreational opportunities, due to its geographical features. All manner of water recreation abounds for 5 to 6 months of the year; nearby skiing and a plethora of county and state parks provide winter enjoyment, as well as the many quaint towns and villages which offer a nearby country getaway when desired.

Quality of life is key to happiness, and here you have it.

That's why people stay during their "middle years."

Also, sales tax is 8.75%, not 10%. Income taxes are similar to other worth-living-in states that tax income.

Last, the term is good riddance, not good ridden.
To that, I can only say the the region really doesn't mind losing its dumber members. Hope your new place knows the difference.


As a Rochester native, I graduated just last year from a school in Washington DC, and was offered several jobs there. I took one outside Rochester with a college placement agency that actually pays better than the DC offers I got. One year later, I am very glad I moved back. A highly-educated populace and low cost of living means we can offer services comparable to competitors in larger metros, and yet at a fraction of the cost. The city is by no means a mecca for college graduates, but I have noticed some neighborhoods slowly gentrifying with college students. I've also noticed some smaller firms here are creating good-quality jobs. I have the sense that life is returning to the city after decades of misery.

dear dying city


Until you learn how to spell and put together a complete sentence, you should refrain from commenting on anything at all. Rants and raves that lack punctuation and correct spelling are mind-numbing, and render the your post completely incomprehensible.
Please pick up a grammar book or go back to high school.
Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.


I am from across the pond and I am wondering why cities like Buffalo and Rochester are not benefiting from nearby Niagara Falls: cheap hydro-electricity.

Cheap hydro-electricity is not only great for all kinds of industrial activities, but is also great for data centers. Attracting more data centers to western New York could boost the IT sector in the region.

3LxtuwuhCB in reply to 2C

I believe we do get a significant portion of electricity from Niagara Falls. I am not aware of data centers here, but we also have very cold winters, which would save on air conditioning costs. That being said, data centers don't create nearly as many jobs as would be needed.

dave of the coonties

To put Buffalo and Rochester into a bit of perspective, the supposedly booming cities of Florida have the same sort of flight from older neighborhoods and plenty of poverty, as this fresh, horrifying Miami Herald story on health care insurance indicates.

A series of stories in the Daytona Beach News-Journal asks why their central beach neighborhood, which could be fashionable, is an impoverished slum.

Dan Asta

I'm a transplant and I really like the city, it's beautiful. On the other hand, you can see how myopic the leadership is when they are discussing current projects. From the Peace Bridge to the harbor, they seem to be making the same type of ridiculous decisions that saw a highway built through an Olmsted Park and an elevated thruway over the harbor, great architectural buildings like the Larkin destroyed, and a half-hearted effort at a subway that really leads nowhere. For Buffalo, any public works project is a good project, because the city is poor. Unfortunately, after the project is done, we see scars left behind fester into wounds that never heal.

The city needs to invest its money in nurturing start-ups and cultural enterprises.


I feel obliged to reference Edward Glaeser's 2007 essay "Can Buffalo Ever Come Back?"

I tend to agree with Professor Glaeser's analysis, but I will keep an open mind regarding the revival of Upstate New York.

Dan Asta in reply to robert.t.foley


Glaeser is mistaken. There have been studies that show the populace in Buffalo is very well educated. I'm not sure why he makes this natural assumption. The public school system is in bad shape, but the suburbs (1.1 million people) have a very high number of educated people. For a region of 1.1 million people, there are 60,000 students at the 6 biggest colleges (not counting community colleges).

Measure twice and cut once

With close friends who lived across the Niagara Rver in Queenston, Ontario, I got to know Buffalo quite well.

It is a good city, and unlike many world cities with earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and so on, Buffalo just has some "snow days". Let it also be noted that snow removal along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and on the Niagara Frontier is very, very organized and very effective.

The big thing to remember is that "the tide goes out, but the tide also comes in again" and western New York is now coming back into style.

Proximity to Toronto, the economic capital of a G8 nation, as well as the revival of the American economy are helping Buffalo and Rochester. Further, the commemoration of the war of 1812 underlines the similarities between Canada and the USA!

Recently, the Buffalo retail and tourism sector goit a shot in the arm. The Government of Canada increased the duty-free allowance for returnign resdients and citizens with 24-hour absences to C$200 from C$50 and for short (48 hours+)absences from C$400 to C$800. Canadian "cross-border shopping" is creating jobs in Buffalo and demand for American goods and services.

I wish both Buffalo and Rochester success!!


While it is refreshing to hear some optimism about my hometown, the problems that face Western New York require quite a bit more than some financial investment. Buffalo tends to be an insular community and those who can leave do. Any serious discussion of revitalizing Buffalo needs to address the serious brain drain that plagues Western New York.

djcoolhaus in reply to Tyui30

I had the chance to leave Buffalo, and did, and I learned quickly that other cities have problems just as bad if not worse than Buffalo's. So I moved back, and couldn't be happier! I was able to buy a Victorian brick mansion, have a short, quick commute to work, same pay as in other more expensive cities, with more cultural amenities and parks, all while being closer to family. With global warming the snow is virtually a non-isse any more. And, better yet, it melts into plentiful water. These cities aren't dead, rather their revivial is underway and I am living and contributing to it!

guest-isoaajj in reply to Tyui30

You sound like someone who listens to the local talk radio too much. Among my friends in their 20s many are not leaving the area but rather have moved downtown from the suburbs. I recently graduated from UB med school and have a residency to complete in ohio but am already keeping an eye on cool places to live in the city when I can come back in a couple years.


There are so many architectural gems in Buffalo. The city should be drawign start-ups with cheap rent for cool offices, and even cheaper rent for brownstones, and in time, incredible lofts. The city needs to develop more residential in formerly industrial areas. Manahttan fought this, and it did nothing to protect industrial jobs, but did a lot to drive up housing costs. Chicago's mass of inexpensive loft conversions would be a great model for both inexpensive yet cool housing as well as great office space for start-ups.

rusholmeruffian in reply to Skip27

NYC has fought industrial-to-residential conversions in Manhattan and Brooklyn because the loft buildings there were actually still being used by what were in many cases highly profitable small manufacturers--particularly in the fashion and musical equipment industries. The difficulty of goods movement within NYC means that these clients can't just find new sources out in the suburbs.

Chicago has been a different story: manufacturing there has always been on a national scale, and the city doesn't have a lot of hyper-specialized sectors. Losing some lofts that have been vacant for 50+ years anyway isn't going to hurt anyone, especially considering how much less challenging its geography is for goods movement.

A city like Buffalo isn't going to lose much from encouraging adaptive reuse of industrial properties. It has zero congestion, and there aren't many specialized firms in its downtown that need to have suppliers within a 5-minute drive.

Ah Beng

Wegmans >> Any other supermarket chain in NY

I just wish they'd have the guts to expand past the Catskills. Ever since I moved to the city I've been dying here.

rusholmeruffian in reply to Ah Beng

IIRC Wegmans is non-union. They've kept their workers from organizing by having the best pay and benefits in the industry, but organized labor in greater NYC--which is insanely aggressive and still walking tall after beating back Wal-Mart for years--isn't going to be satisfied with that. They could try what Costco does and have a mix of union and non-union stores, but they're much too small a company to deal with the administrative hassles that entails.

Plus, logistics in greater NYC is a nightmare. Long Island alone would require its own distribution center due to its inaccessibility from the existing DCs Upstate.

Ah Beng in reply to rusholmeruffian

Too bad. I double checked on your comment on Wal-Mart, and sure enough, the only stores in the greater NY area are the one in White Plains and a few scattered on Long Island. The others are in Jersey.



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