Hear me out. I've been thinking about this for a while. When categorizing cities, where does Buffalo fit? Are we a New England city? What about an East Coast city? A North East city? Having lived in Tallahassee, Florida, I've been here before. Tallahassee is basically considered South Georgia, even though it's in Florida. It is so different geographically and even culturally from Miami. They remind me of Buffalo and New York City. The comparison isn't exactly the same, but there are similarities. Let me break down why Buffalo should be a part of the midwest (which ironically is not in the middle of America, nor is it located in the western half of the country).

1. Buffalo Is Not A New England city

According to Wikipedia, New York isn't considered one of the states in the New England region,

New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

2. Buffalo Isn't Really East Coast City Either

While New York is considered an East Coast state, Buffalo isn't listed among the prominent cities on the Wikipedia page for the East Coast. The page really kind of curved us, I mean, Raleigh, Charlotte, and Atlanta made the list, but Buffalo didn't.

3. Buffalo Is Actually Closer in Proximity To 3, Possibly 4 Mid-Western Cities Than It Is To New York City

Google Maps
Google Maps
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Check out the driving distances to these key midwestern cities from Buffalo.

- Buffalo to New York City, NY - 6.5 hours

- Buffalo to Cleveland, OH - 3 hours
- Buffalo to Columbus, OH - 5 hours
- Buffalo to Detroit, MI - 4 hours (through Canada), 6 hours otherwise
- Buffalo to Pittsburgh, PA - 3.5 hours

Is Pittsburgh a midwestern city? It seems there is a debate about whether Pittsburgh is a midwestern city also. In this case, I'm going with the side that says Pittsburgh is also more like midwestern cities than East Coast cities.

4. Midwestern Cities Border The Majority Of The Great Lakes

Outside of Lake Ontario, the other Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie - are located in the midwestern region of the United States.

5. Buffalo's Top Industries Are More In Line With Many Midwestern Cities

Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash
Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash
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According to Investopedia, New York City is very different than Buffalo when it comes to the top industries,

The leading industries in New York include financial services, healthcare, professional and business services, retail trade, manufacturing, and education.

Buffalo, like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, had a long history of manufacturing. Currently,

The Buffalo area economy consists of a mix of industrial, light manufacturing, high technology, and service-oriented private sector companies.

Buffalo is considered a 'Rust Belt' city, along with several others in the midwest region, including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown, and Pittsburg. In the 20th century, Buffalo was considered to be a 'factory belt' city. Midwest cities dominated the factory belt.

Factory Belt with its manufacturing cities: Chicago, Buffalo, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Toledo, Cleveland, St. Louis, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh, among other.

 

6. The Pace Of Life In Buffalo Is Closer To Midwestern Cities Than Big East Coast Cities

Don't get me wrong, Buffalo definitely has hustle and bustle, but having lived in New York City, it is definitely not the same. I think the people in Buffalo live a more similar working-class lifestyle to people in Cleveland, Detroit, or Pittsburgh rather than those in NYC, D.C., or Philly.

Let me know if you agree or disagree!

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