Buffalo's Elmwood Village - One of America's 10 Great Neighborhoods

[sabredan17]

In a press event today, the Elmwood Village, on the West Side of Buffalo, has been named one of the 10 Great Neighborhoods in America. This is a major accolade given out by the national American Planning Association, the authority on development, planning, and communities. Also very interesting in light of the recent ridiculously uninformed and closed minded "Buffalo 2nd Poorest City" discussion that took place on these boards. It doesn't mean that Buffalo doesn't have problems, but its certainly not the awful place that some people seem to claim, and parts of it are actually pretty spectacular.

http://planning.org/greatplaces/neighborhoods/elmwoodvillage.htm

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/175368.html

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2007/10/01/daily17.html?jst=b_ln_hl

http://blockclubonline.com/index.php/site/comments/elmwood_village_named_one_of_americas_10_greatest_ neighborhoods/

[dasaybz]

Elmwood is really nice. I still prefer to go more towards allentown.

Buffalo gets such a bad rap for such a nice city.

[shotgun]

i love the elmwood strip allen town is great also the artatech of the house and buildings are unreal.

[35Pete]

In a press event today, the Elmwood Village, on the West Side of Buffalo, has been named one of the 10 Great Neighborhoods in America. This is a major accolade given out by the national American Planning Association, the authority on development, planning, and communities. Also very interesting in light of the recent ridiculously uninformed and closed minded "Buffalo 2nd Poorest City" discussion that took place on these boards. It doesn't mean that Buffalo doesn't have problems, but its certainly not the awful place that some people seem to claim, and parts of it are actually pretty spectacular.

http://planning.org/greatplaces/neighborhoods/elmwoodvillage.htm

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/175368.html

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2007/10/01/daily17.html?jst=b_ln_hl

http://blockclubonline.com/index.php/site/comments/elmwood_village_named_one_of_americas_10_greatest_ neighborhoods/

Yeah Elmwood's nice.

But accentuating the positive and sticking your head in the sand over the negative is not going to improve the region.

Get mad. Get angry. Demand change. Demand it.

Accentuating the positive is good. But do it while going after the BS that's rotting the city like a metastatic tumor.

[GilPerreault]

I used to live on Elmwood in the Village area and it was great. I used to tell friends it was like a festival on Spring and Summer days there. There is so much activity and it is very eclectic. The way that neighborhood has been built should be the framework and example that other urban neighborhoods in Buffalo mirror themselves after.

[sabredan17]

Who is sticking their heads in the sand? I acknowledge over and over that we have problems. But the good things here FAR outweigh the bad. I lived in Atlanta for 2 years, it was the most miserable place I've ever been - and they have one of the best economies in the United States.

I'm not only demanding change, I'm making it. Admittedly, I work for the Elmwood Village Association. I'm involved in local planning, currently involved in a major effort to come up with an ideal plan for the waterfront. You can read a plan I constructed for our inner harbor here....

http://buffalorising.com/story/the_inner_harbor_in_need_of_vi

I just get so friggen tired of hearing people constantly bitch about Buffalo, especially those who do not live in the city or even in the region and are COMPLETELY uninformed about what is going on, other than the "Leading Bleeding" stories in the news. I live this city, inside and out. I, along with many others, are making great changes, moving this place in great new directions. Buffalo is not the same place it was even 10 years ago. If I took you on a tour, you would be amazed at the amount of new development and good investment that is going on here. Are we building 50 story skyscrapers every other week, no, but honestly, the development we are seeing right now is more than just jobs, its the new foundation that this city is going to be built upon.

I realize how stubborn the detractors are, they refuse to look further into anything, and just claim that anyone saying otherwise is "in denial." Couldn't be any further from the truth, there are so many people here looking at our problems straight in the eye and taking them out.

I'm sorry that I live in Buffalo and am not completely miserable....

[dasaybz]

Who is sticking their heads in the sand? I acknowledge over and over that we have problems. But the good things here FAR outweigh the bad. I lived in Atlanta for 2 years, it was the most miserable place I've ever been - and they have one of the best economies in the United States.

I'm not only demanding change, I'm making it. Admittedly, I work for the Elmwood Village Association. I'm involved in local planning, currently involved in a major effort to come up with an ideal plan for the waterfront. You can read a plan I constructed for our inner harbor here....

http://buffalorising.com/story/the_inner_harbor_in_need_of_vi

I just get so friggen tired of hearing people constantly bitch about Buffalo, especially those who do not live in the city or even in the region and are COMPLETELY uninformed about what is going on, other than the "Leading Bleeding" stories in the news. I live this city, inside and out. I, along with many others, are making great changes, moving this place in great new directions. Buffalo is not the same place it was even 10 years ago. If I took you on a tour, you would be amazed at the amount of new development and good investment that is going on here. Are we building 50 story skyscrapers every other week, no, but honestly, the development we are seeing right now is more than just jobs, its the new foundation that this city is going to be built upon.

I realize how stubborn the detractors are, they refuse to look further into anything, and just claim that anyone saying otherwise is "in denial." Couldn't be any further from the truth, there are so many people here looking at our problems straight in the eye and taking them out.

I'm sorry that I live in Buffalo and am not completely miserable....

Fantastic post man.

I hope that the foundation that is being layed for Buffalo right now can catapult us into greater things in the future.

[emo]

peopel that have left, like pete, can't see the changes because they aren't here. the area around roswell is growing really quickly. quietly bufflo is becoming a biomedical center. Just over the summer one biomedical research company moved it's headquarters here. Finally, buffalo is starting to use roswell to it's advantage. Slowly, things are looking up for buffalo. Incredibly slowly

[Wally]

Look at the fact too that major big business goes on everyday financially in and around Buffalo. Buffalo is the debt collection capital of the world. In Buffalo alone we collect on all of the top 10 lenders every week and I shake hands with heads of the largest financial company heads on an almost weekly basis.

I know for a fact that 2 larger companies are looking to setup big operations in downtown Buffalo in the very near future.

[JMNY83]

I love Buffalo and I miss it dearly but I don't think I will move out of Texas now. Texas has a great job market and high salary paying jobs with a low cost of living and no state taxes. I hated Texas when I moved here 5 years ago but I've grown to like it. Now I'm making plans to move to Austin. I hear it was rated one of the nations top ten cities for salaries and cost of living. I'm hoping Buffalo becomes a better city through out the years so I can get a second house there later in life.

[slowpokemcgee]

I know for a fact that 2 larger companies are looking to setup big operations in downtown Buffalo in the very near future.

Who?