The following was sent in to me by Doug Janese of Lewiston NY, in response to a blog I posted last week about WHY BUFFALO. I think this is nicely stated.
“Our perceptions are often colored by just what we see at a quick glance. But typically seeing the real nature of things takes more careful look. We have all heard a great deal of negative things about the city of Buffalo, many times by people who have never spent more than an hour there. At that first glance it may appear that it is bit “rusty and dirty”. No one can dispute the fact that like many older American cities it has been on an economic decline and has suffered in appearance and infrastructure because of that fact. But alone that isn’t the honest measure of any city.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, Buffalo New York was one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. The Erie Canal and it’s access to the Great Lakes made the city a hub of commerce. Lake freighters and rail lines serviced the heavy industry there, transporting the grains and raw materials of the mid west to the industrial north east, and the durable goods of New England back to the heartlands. Large manufacturing businesses built new factories and European immigrants in search of a better life settled in the area by the thousands to serve that vast labor market.
Little of that commerce remains there today, but the legacy of that prosperity still remains in both the architecture and the cultural diversity of the community. We can all list dozens of marvelous structures that can rival those in any other American city. Others may point to areas of the city in need of rehabilitation or complete rebuilding. But cities arent just a grid work of streets and a collection of buildings. And any intelligent measure of a city cant be made by looking at brick, board or stone, but is more honestly and accurately characterized by
In that most crucial area, Buffalo New York absolutely shines. And for that reason alone it should be apparent to all but the most casual observer that there is no “ex city” to be found there.
What is found there is a community that may not be perfect in its appearance, but has a heart of gold. Many communities make that same claim in their real estate advertisements or with their Chamber of Commerce brochures, but it is an honest-to-god reality in Buffalo. The people there are warm, caring and hardworking. They will give their time and efforts to any good cause, readily donate money to others with a greater need even when their own pockets aren’t full, and stop to help a total stranger in the middle of a snow storm. Many work long, hard hours at lower wage jobs, yet they still find a smile or a laugh to easily share with others at the end of their day. They are the city of Buffalo, and that single resource alone convinces me of the potential of the town, and makes me hopeful for its future.
I may live some 30 miles to the north, but I actually have spent a great deal of time in Buffalo. I realize that the city’s true nature isn’t readily apparent at a glance, but perhaps cities are much like people. If we don’t look beyond their outer appearance, we will stay blind to what is actually there.”
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