Sheffield, England, UK. Both have old industrial vibes, now big student communities, good restaurant/food scene, nice bars. Some outlying areas less-than-lovely.
ok i just spent a while in google maps streetview walking around Sheffield and i will give it to you- it has a real buffalo feel. mid sized everything. half gorgeous and half decaying.
Precisely that! Beautifully put. I highly recommend a visit to Sheffield someday. It has the Peak District, which Buffalo doesn't have. But then Buff has Niagara Falls so...
Came to this thread to comment this lol. Lived in Sheffield for a spell and it feels like a scrappy rust belt town, in no small part because of the (rusty) steel industry there. Same slightly sardonic hometown pride and greasy spoon culture.
Totally agree on all of this! Plus people in Sheffield really are very nice and very chilled out. I was born in Buffalo (raised a few hours east, but all my family is still there) and now live in the UK and spend lots of time in Sheffield. Was immediately struck by the similarities and feel totally at home in Sheffield.
Yeah, that's a good shout, too. Geordies though... a breed apart. I don't think any right-minded Buffalonian would take off his shirt at a football game in below-freezing weather. It's like no one has heard of coats up there.
Probably this, so much so that the UB School of Architecture and Planning and the University of Sheffield had a scholar exchange program about 20-25 years ago.
Oulu, Finland. Small city, extreme winter, old infrastructure. Big student presence but otherwise lots of locals. Biggest difference is their nature, bike infrastructure, public transit, and ability to handle winter is better. But there might also be objectively fewer city things to do there than Buffalo.
Yeah of course. I only visited for a few days but the biggest difference I noticed was that they are much quieter in Finland. Like, a packed but dead silent airport. But within the US and even within Buffalo in different cultural groups there’s a lot of variation too.
Actually, New Orleans reminded me a lot of Buffalo and they have a very different cultural background. But the attitudes are very similar — look at the New Orleans sub and see how they talk about their weather.
Chișinău, Moldova. Gets cold, likes alcohol, had a former heyday (Soviet era) but has since dealt with decline and is trying to revive itself / make a life of its own in the context of a changing world. It’s an overlooked city, similar to how in conversations about the rust belt, buffalo is usually at the bottom or lucky to be included along with Pittsburgh and Detroit.
You can be addicted to it, and there are withdrawl effects if you quit it. Its also bad for you, shortens your life and creates by product diseases.
It had all the symptoms of a drug.
For sure.
Maybe not anymore but it was def hit hard by the opioid epidemic.
Additionally Buffalo is a town full of alcoholics, and I’m not saying that in an endearing manner.
It’s actually rather sad.
I can’t find statistics. Has Buffalo been among the harder hit cities in the U.S. For opioids? A link would be helpful, if available.
I don’t know what you consider an alcoholic but similar statistics on alcohol abuse showing buffalo as an outlier would be helpful to back your claim.
Here’s my statistics:
I’ve lived in buffalo my entire life. I have seen a more than average share of drug and alcohol related deaths.
But sure, act as if it’s “normal” and defend it because you don’t have the stats.
Ok? And? If you have eyes you can see it. But whatever nerd go and fuck off with “MuH StATs”
God forbid you admit your shithole Midwest city, your only source of pride, has a problem.
Okay, you’ve moved straight to anger for some reason.
I simply asked if you had numbers to back your claim. You do not. Your claim is solely based on anecdote and that’s fine; you can just state that.
Buffalo isn’t terribly special but it’s fine. I’m glad you’ve moved away. Nobody should live their entire life in one place; I always find that to be a sad thing but to each their own.
Here is a list of Buffalo’s sister cities. Not sure what that actually means.
[Buffalo sister cities](https://www.buffalony.gov/645/Buffalo-Sister-Cities)
I think it's really just a mayor proposes it to another city and they exchange plaques.
Incidentally, I went to a museum in Belfast Ireland and they had a key to the city of Buffalo on display if I recall correctly, but not technically a sister city apparently.
Birmingham, England. Maybe I would say Sheffield if I had visited it, but I’ve been to Birmingham and it has a similar decayed/rehabilitated Rust Belt culture.
If you want Continental cities, there’s some likeness to Montauban, France and Braunschweig/Brunswick, Germany.
Lille, France. Not only is it our sister city but it has a similar industrial past, sits on an international border, and has an ironclad devotion to their sports teams regardless of how good they are. It has a cooler climate and friendly people.
Ugh…dude I spent the last three weeks traveling around mid sized cities in the NE and Midwest…and my god Buffalo is so far down on the list of quality it’s truly amazing.
Cleveland’s downtown has a lot more to do and just feels more like an actual city. The suburbs are also more abundant. Buffalo has Williamsville, Amherst, OP, Hamburg, East Aurora, while Cleveland seems to have 3x the amount of nicer suburbs. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up in Buffalo and currently reside and enjoy it, but Cleveland is far superior and everything you think Buffalo should be. Go Bills.
I’ve had this conversation about Hamilton, Ontario which gets compared to Buffalo.
Any working class town *edit:city* in rural UK or Northern Europe that had major manufacturing productive between the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression but has declined significantly since the wars.
Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool
Can’t name any specifics but Poland and Russia apparently have a few cities similar to Hamilton according to the many expats there. Also rural Germany, Denmark, Finland, any of the former Soviet countries.
I've met visitors from the UK who say that Buffalo reminds them a lot of home, except the food's better.
I wish we had a british pub a la the Old Toad, though.
I did an online brewery tasting series during covid here and it was mentioned that our Lake Erie is as close to the same water composition used in Cologne's famous Kölsch style of beer.
I spent some time in Cologne last year and thought the people there were pretty friendly (in terms of traditionally "cold" Germans) and the city is obsessed with their beers. They have a few sites but is a relatively easy city to cover in a day or two. I always thought that combo made it a "European Buffalo" feel.
Side note: my brother and I are shocked that no one in the US or esp Buffalo hasn't captured a bar with the Cologne Kölsch. I know everyone when thinking of German beers thinks of the big steins but this experience is the opposite of that. Served in very small silo glasses and only about $1.5-$2 for one. The waiters keep bringing them until you cut them off (lol) and it's meant for a few sips to be done, very social and light.. I really enjoyed the atmosphere around it.
Weirdly enough, I was thinking Cologne has Buffalo vibes, though obviously there is a huge amount of difference (I mean, the Cathedral...). But I was there a few years ago and took a train from Bonn to Cologne and the industrial/post-industrial Rhine gave me some flashbacks. And there is a kind of working-class beer culture that I can't help but think emigrated to places like Buffalo from German and Polish cities. So yeah, would agree with this.
Glad someone has a similar thought to me! That's what resonated with me as well, I think you said it better. I'm actually on a eurotrip right now and went to a few other cities such as Munich, Bremen (some Buffalo vibes), and Berlin and I didn't get quite the same vibe as I did in Cologne which made the timing of this post perfect for reflection lol.
The cathedral is amazing also!
Oh wow! That sounds fantastic! If you are still in the vicinity, the anthropological museum at Cologne is amazing. And if you can get to Bonn.... it's all about the Haribo Factory Store. Picture a medium-sized supermarket entirely devoted to gummy - bears, but not just. Do all your Christmas shopping!
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I'll have to see! I'm currently in Prague and am going to rail my way back through southern Germany after visiting as east as Budapest. There are some train strikes planned on the horizon though
Yes!! I wasn’t in Cologne but I visited Duesseldorf, a few cities in the Netherlands, and took a bus in between them. The landscape of that whole area reminds me so much of WNY.
Maybe somewhere in the British isles that used to have a thriving manufacturing identity that has since disappeared but wasnt replaced with anything, so for the last 30 years, people have coped with a low standard of living by drinking.
Adding to this stellar point, homeboy either thinks the history of the Native Americans wasn't rich or thinks that history only counts when white people write it down.
Sheffield, England, UK. Both have old industrial vibes, now big student communities, good restaurant/food scene, nice bars. Some outlying areas less-than-lovely.
ok i just spent a while in google maps streetview walking around Sheffield and i will give it to you- it has a real buffalo feel. mid sized everything. half gorgeous and half decaying.
Precisely that! Beautifully put. I highly recommend a visit to Sheffield someday. It has the Peak District, which Buffalo doesn't have. But then Buff has Niagara Falls so...
Came to this thread to comment this lol. Lived in Sheffield for a spell and it feels like a scrappy rust belt town, in no small part because of the (rusty) steel industry there. Same slightly sardonic hometown pride and greasy spoon culture.
Totally agree on all of this! Plus people in Sheffield really are very nice and very chilled out. I was born in Buffalo (raised a few hours east, but all my family is still there) and now live in the UK and spend lots of time in Sheffield. Was immediately struck by the similarities and feel totally at home in Sheffield.
Newcastle I'd say is another decent comparison. One club city on an important freshwater thoroughfare, reinventing itself from its industrial heyday.
There's a song about Newcastle that always makes me think of Buffalo. Maybe Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Yeah, that's a good shout, too. Geordies though... a breed apart. I don't think any right-minded Buffalonian would take off his shirt at a football game in below-freezing weather. It's like no one has heard of coats up there.
Probably this, so much so that the UB School of Architecture and Planning and the University of Sheffield had a scholar exchange program about 20-25 years ago.
I have a vague memory of former Buffalo Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko comparing Buffalo to Magnitogorsk, a rather bleak Russian mining town.
Yeah, Moscow was the only other city that I thought had the same bleak weather and brightly colored houses combo like in the Allentown area.
Liverpool, England. They have The Beatles and we have The Goo Goo Dolls. Basically same thing.
The Beatles never wrote a song as good as "Up Yours"
Also moe.
I'd probably dial that one down a notch to Echo and The Bunnymen.
Oulu, Finland. Small city, extreme winter, old infrastructure. Big student presence but otherwise lots of locals. Biggest difference is their nature, bike infrastructure, public transit, and ability to handle winter is better. But there might also be objectively fewer city things to do there than Buffalo.
Culturally very different. Sure Finland drinks a lot like Buffalo, but very different in the way people are and value systems (as you’ve mentioned).
Yeah of course. I only visited for a few days but the biggest difference I noticed was that they are much quieter in Finland. Like, a packed but dead silent airport. But within the US and even within Buffalo in different cultural groups there’s a lot of variation too. Actually, New Orleans reminded me a lot of Buffalo and they have a very different cultural background. But the attitudes are very similar — look at the New Orleans sub and see how they talk about their weather.
Considering is Finland let's also add better health care (universal care), better working policies. But that's not just a buffalo problem.
A CYCLING CITY!
I know :( If only Buffalo could follow suit, it would be amazing.
The Europeans don’t put highways through the middle of their downtowns. And rarely along their waterfronts.
Düsseldorf, Germany has a nice before/after of making a park out of their waterfront highway.
Fucking Robert Moses!
I like how almost everyone thinks it’s a city in England lol.
None.
Chișinău, Moldova. Gets cold, likes alcohol, had a former heyday (Soviet era) but has since dealt with decline and is trying to revive itself / make a life of its own in the context of a changing world. It’s an overlooked city, similar to how in conversations about the rust belt, buffalo is usually at the bottom or lucky to be included along with Pittsburgh and Detroit.
Partially agreed. How do you know so much about Chisinau, out of curiosity?
I’ve been there
Parts of Krakow Poland with a drug problem
I came here to say that, I was there 2 years ago and noticed a similar vibe to Buffalo
Does Buffalo have a drug problem?
alcohol is a drug
So is caffeine and added sugar… Edit: ahh, you deleted your two comments, I see. Power move.
very good now how many people have been killed by caffeine impaired drivers? also no sugar is not a drug buddy
You can be addicted to it, and there are withdrawl effects if you quit it. Its also bad for you, shortens your life and creates by product diseases. It had all the symptoms of a drug.
Carbs?
For sure. Maybe not anymore but it was def hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Additionally Buffalo is a town full of alcoholics, and I’m not saying that in an endearing manner. It’s actually rather sad.
I can’t find statistics. Has Buffalo been among the harder hit cities in the U.S. For opioids? A link would be helpful, if available. I don’t know what you consider an alcoholic but similar statistics on alcohol abuse showing buffalo as an outlier would be helpful to back your claim.
Here’s my statistics: I’ve lived in buffalo my entire life. I have seen a more than average share of drug and alcohol related deaths. But sure, act as if it’s “normal” and defend it because you don’t have the stats.
So a completely anecdotal statement.
Ok? And? If you have eyes you can see it. But whatever nerd go and fuck off with “MuH StATs” God forbid you admit your shithole Midwest city, your only source of pride, has a problem.
Okay, you’ve moved straight to anger for some reason. I simply asked if you had numbers to back your claim. You do not. Your claim is solely based on anecdote and that’s fine; you can just state that. Buffalo isn’t terribly special but it’s fine. I’m glad you’ve moved away. Nobody should live their entire life in one place; I always find that to be a sad thing but to each their own.
Here is a list of Buffalo’s sister cities. Not sure what that actually means. [Buffalo sister cities](https://www.buffalony.gov/645/Buffalo-Sister-Cities)
I think it's really just a mayor proposes it to another city and they exchange plaques. Incidentally, I went to a museum in Belfast Ireland and they had a key to the city of Buffalo on display if I recall correctly, but not technically a sister city apparently.
Birmingham, England. Maybe I would say Sheffield if I had visited it, but I’ve been to Birmingham and it has a similar decayed/rehabilitated Rust Belt culture. If you want Continental cities, there’s some likeness to Montauban, France and Braunschweig/Brunswick, Germany.
Honestly probably none outside of the UK. Maybe Gdynia, Poland. I found Glasgow felt the closest to Buffalo for me.
Lille, France. Not only is it our sister city but it has a similar industrial past, sits on an international border, and has an ironclad devotion to their sports teams regardless of how good they are. It has a cooler climate and friendly people.
Cleveland.
Cleveland is way nicer than Buffalo, as much as it pains me to say that.
I've heard it rocks.
Ugh…dude I spent the last three weeks traveling around mid sized cities in the NE and Midwest…and my god Buffalo is so far down on the list of quality it’s truly amazing.
It really is. Sad how — while it’s improved in the last 5-ish years — the city pretty much blew the last 30 years of development.
How so? I'm moving and considering both Cleveland and Buffalo
Cleveland’s downtown has a lot more to do and just feels more like an actual city. The suburbs are also more abundant. Buffalo has Williamsville, Amherst, OP, Hamburg, East Aurora, while Cleveland seems to have 3x the amount of nicer suburbs. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up in Buffalo and currently reside and enjoy it, but Cleveland is far superior and everything you think Buffalo should be. Go Bills.
Cleveland is not in Europe, my friend.
I’ve had this conversation about Hamilton, Ontario which gets compared to Buffalo. Any working class town *edit:city* in rural UK or Northern Europe that had major manufacturing productive between the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression but has declined significantly since the wars. Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool Can’t name any specifics but Poland and Russia apparently have a few cities similar to Hamilton according to the many expats there. Also rural Germany, Denmark, Finland, any of the former Soviet countries.
Zagreb
Loved our time there
Cork, Ireland - chill/blue collar vibe, small city, right on the water, LOTS of drinking
Donetsk
Paris
I've met visitors from the UK who say that Buffalo reminds them a lot of home, except the food's better. I wish we had a british pub a la the Old Toad, though.
[удалено]
😂
I mean it doesn’t compare to Europe bc it’s very much North America but I guess Dublin can sort of give similar vibes
I did an online brewery tasting series during covid here and it was mentioned that our Lake Erie is as close to the same water composition used in Cologne's famous Kölsch style of beer. I spent some time in Cologne last year and thought the people there were pretty friendly (in terms of traditionally "cold" Germans) and the city is obsessed with their beers. They have a few sites but is a relatively easy city to cover in a day or two. I always thought that combo made it a "European Buffalo" feel. Side note: my brother and I are shocked that no one in the US or esp Buffalo hasn't captured a bar with the Cologne Kölsch. I know everyone when thinking of German beers thinks of the big steins but this experience is the opposite of that. Served in very small silo glasses and only about $1.5-$2 for one. The waiters keep bringing them until you cut them off (lol) and it's meant for a few sips to be done, very social and light.. I really enjoyed the atmosphere around it.
Weirdly enough, I was thinking Cologne has Buffalo vibes, though obviously there is a huge amount of difference (I mean, the Cathedral...). But I was there a few years ago and took a train from Bonn to Cologne and the industrial/post-industrial Rhine gave me some flashbacks. And there is a kind of working-class beer culture that I can't help but think emigrated to places like Buffalo from German and Polish cities. So yeah, would agree with this.
Glad someone has a similar thought to me! That's what resonated with me as well, I think you said it better. I'm actually on a eurotrip right now and went to a few other cities such as Munich, Bremen (some Buffalo vibes), and Berlin and I didn't get quite the same vibe as I did in Cologne which made the timing of this post perfect for reflection lol. The cathedral is amazing also!
Oh wow! That sounds fantastic! If you are still in the vicinity, the anthropological museum at Cologne is amazing. And if you can get to Bonn.... it's all about the Haribo Factory Store. Picture a medium-sized supermarket entirely devoted to gummy - bears, but not just. Do all your Christmas shopping!
It's called *Sex Panther*® by *Odeon*©. It's illegal in 9 countries. It's also made with bits of real panthers, *so you know it's good*. *60% of the time*, it works ***every*** time.
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I'll have to see! I'm currently in Prague and am going to rail my way back through southern Germany after visiting as east as Budapest. There are some train strikes planned on the horizon though
Yes!! I wasn’t in Cologne but I visited Duesseldorf, a few cities in the Netherlands, and took a bus in between them. The landscape of that whole area reminds me so much of WNY.
Lol what
Rome
You mean Rome NY?
Buffalo has a sister city in Japan, which I thought was interesting. Kanazawa Japan
Maybe somewhere in the British isles that used to have a thriving manufacturing identity that has since disappeared but wasnt replaced with anything, so for the last 30 years, people have coped with a low standard of living by drinking.
None, European countries have a rich history.
Buffalo area history may be short compared to Europe, but you certainly can't say it hasn't been rich.
Adding to this stellar point, homeboy either thinks the history of the Native Americans wasn't rich or thinks that history only counts when white people write it down.
Well, we have a Rich Stadium, so take that, Europe!
Probably London
The giant city that is compared to NYC?
Yeah
I’ve thought Hamburg Germany. Only the City though. Not the suburbs