Buffalo & Rochester Movers: Welcome to Upstate New York!
These 2 upstate New York cities rest near the Great Lakes and house some of the country’s finest architecture. There is no exact boundary for labeling cities as Upstate New York, but the general rule of thumb determines a city is Upstate is it if it north of the NYC region. (Check out a map, and, you’ll find, the cities of Buffalo and Rochester are NorthEast of the City of Lights.) Because they just about border on Canada and the Great Lakes, both cities have a unique culture distinct from the Big Apple.
Cost of Living: The cost of living in Buffalo or Rochester is incredibly low compared to the state median (which is so greatly influenced by New York City). The median cost of a home in Buffalo being $60,400 and being slightly more at $74,800 in Rochester.
Rochester was actually ranked the #1 Most Liveable City in 2007 by Places Rated Almanac, one of the top factors being the low cost of living.
Median income for residents both these cities is at about $30,000. So although home ownership may be cheaper than in the Big Apple, it’s more likely your income will be as well.
Schools: In 2010 Forbes dubbed Rochester (also known as “The Flower City”) as the third best city in America to raise a family. A very important reason for this is due to the highly ranked public school system. One of example of this wsa In 2007 when Rochester’s schools were rated as sixth best in the nation by Expansion Management magazine.
WIth regards to universities, each city hosts 4 year institutions such as The University of Rochester (deemed one of the “new Ivies” by Newsweek) and the University of Buffalo. Both cities offer community college options as well.
Population: Each of these cities has over 200,000 residents. There are about 260,000 people living in Buffalo and 210,500 residing in Rochester.
Ethnicity wise, the majority of folks are split evenly as either Caucasian or African-American in both cities. Rochester’s population is about 39% African-American, 38% Caucasian, 17% Hispanic and other races make up the rest of the percentages. In Buffalo, the breakdown as of 2014 is as follows: about 46% Caucasian, 36% African-American, 11% Hispanic and the rest of the population divided up amongst other ethnicities and mixed races.
Weather:- Rochester and Buffalo both have climates that are considered humid continental, meaning these aren’t like seasonless Southern California; there are 4 separate seasons. The summers are toasty. The autumns are full of changing leaves. The winters are bone chilling and filled with snow. The spring is full of blooming flowers, once the ice melts, of course. Precipitation and humidity are aspects to expect throughout the year.
Buffalo is more strongly influenced by water due to its proximity of the Great Lakes. Due to these maritime influences, Buffalo actually has sunnier and drier summers compared to Rochester and only moderate humidity.
Buffalo & Rochester's Top Employers and Upstate New York's Economy
A top influencer of moving to either of these cities will be job prospects. Let’s break each of these down by city.
Rochester’s economy is doing quite splendid. At one time, the top employers of this area were Eastman Kodak Co., Xerox Corp., and Bausch + Lomb Inc. as they employed about 20% of the population at one time. However, with Kodak shrinking each year, a new “Big Three” have conquered the area. The top employers are now the University of Rochester/Strong Health, Wegman’s Food Markets, Inc., and Rochester General Health System. This makes the top industries healthcare, education and grocery. The Big 3 in these industries employ about 44,000 people alone.
As for Buffalo, Forbes named this city #58 of their Best Places for Business and Careers list. With unemployment at 6.3% and job growth expected at 0.5% (in 2013), this opportunity here is promising. Some of the top private employers here include Tops Markets, Wegman’s Food Markets, Geico, Alcott HR, Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, Rich Products Corp., West-Herr Auto Group and Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel.
Upstate New York's Must See Attractions
Each city has a lot to offer and, with all the hype around NYC, attractions here often get missed. Let’s look at some of these places for each city.
Rochester:
- The Erie Canal Bike Trail - You can use this trail to cycle all the way to Buffalo or Albany. There is no traffic, only nice views and scenic towns to pass through.
- High Falls - This waterfall generated by the Genesee River is a surprise only slightly north of downtown Rochester.
- Old Toad - With a name like this, you know this restaurant will be interesting. The staff here are all British who are studying American food. Between the crossing of ethnic cuisines and accents, it is definitely worth checking out.
Buffalo:
- La Hacienda of New York Restaurant - NY has a reputation for this pizza, and this place has often been dubbed the best of the best pizzerias in Western New York. It’s about 19 miles from the heart of Buffalo, but said to be well worth the drive. Skeptical? You’ll have to try it for yourself!
- Do you rock at Rock Climbing? - Whether you do or not, this is the place to test it out. Buffalo houses the largest collection of concrete grain silos in the world and, due to the team at Silo City ROcks, a group of these have been made into the tallest rock climbing rock in the nation, nay, the world!
- Five Points Bakery - This place has been called the first “Toast Cafe”. It offers to most decadent forms of toast imaginable, with locally assorted toppings ranging from sweet to savory.
Need to Know Facts for Buffalo Movers and Rochester Movers
- The very first thermometers made in America were created in Rochester. No wonder healthcare is one of their top industries!
- This is the spot where Susan B. Anthony made history by being the first woman to vote in a presidential election...and be arrested for doing so. Cheers to one hell of a woman!
- For all those runners out there, you’ll love Buffalo’s famous race. It hosts the longest running foot race of all time in the U.S.
- At the start of the 19th century, this city had the most millionaires per capita of any city in America.