I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. How lucky we are to live in such close proximity to Toronto – the city that just won the 2014 Most Youthful City of the Year award (see here).
Whenever I talk to someone who is considering relocating to Buffalo, I try to impress upon him or her that Toronto is on our doorstep, and getting there and back is a relative breeze if you know how to avoid the traffic. Heading up on a Saturday morning for breakfast and then staying the day has been an off and on routine for me for as long as I can remember.
These days I don’t make the daytrip as much, due to being overly busy in Buffalo, but just knowing that I can walk out my door right now and be there in an hour and half (not much traffic right now) is pretty incredible to consider. On the way back I could even stop by Hamilton for some stellar Ethiopian food (even though there are a few Ethiopian restaurants in Buffalo now).
TorBuffChesterTon Falls… that’s our mega-region (updated a bit since Richard Florida came up with TorBuffChester). I added Hamilton and Niagara Falls for obvious reasons.
Heck, being in the same state as the 3rd place winner isn’t too shabby either. A quick flight to NYC and you’re immersed in yet another thriving metropolis.
Our quality of life in Buffalo, enhanced by our proximity to places such as Toronto and NYC, is a nice perk when you stop to think about it. No, we don’t have a China Town… but then again we do, and it’s right around the corner by car or by plane (a commute time in a major city). Just about anything else you desire is within close reach, if, for some reason, it’s not available in Buffalo.
Thankfully it works the other way around too. We’re seeing more and more Torontonians visiting Buffalo, to see a Rust Belt revolution underway firsthand. We’re starting to get the reputation of being a charming city, when one wants to get far away from the maddening crowds… or in this case, relatively close. I’ll take the reputation of being charming. After all, that wasn’t the case just a few short years ago.