Your Guide to Buying a Home in Buffalo, NY

Buying a Home in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is located in Erie County

Buffalo has often been called the '20-minute city' because everything is conveniently located and easily accessible.  The shops, the sights, the meeting centers are all within a short commute of one another.  And now getting around is even easier because of the services available at the Buffalo Visitor Center, located in the heart of the Theatre District in downtown Buffalo.

Operated by the Greater Buffalo Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Visitor Center can provide:

Maps and directions Informative brochures Schedules for upcoming events Buffalo merchandise Fax and e-mail service Buffalo Music Hall of Fame - an impressive display of memorabilia from musicians native to the area Star Theatre - a free video on the rich history of Buffalo Roam Buffalo - guided walking tours of downtown

Fact Sheet

• Greater Buffalo, which encompasses all of Erie County, NY (population 968,000) was selected as an All America City and Community in 1996, at the All-America City Awards competition held in Fort Worth, Texas.
• The All-America City Award is a program of the National Civic League which promotes the active involvement of citizens in the governance of their communities. Based in Denver, Colorado, the National Civic League celebrated its l00th anniversary in 1994.  The AllAmerica City Award program is funded by the Allstate Insurance Company.
• The Greater Buffalo All-America City Committee Honorary Chair is Louis Billittier.  Chairperson is Philip L. Haberstro and Co-chair is JoAnne Hudecki.  The Committee is in its 6th year of operation and is housed in the non-profit Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo and WNY Inc.  (Phone - (716) 851-4052 Fax - (716) 851-4309 E-mail wellness@ci.buffalo.ny.us)
• All-America City Award applicants are judged on an 11-page application which profiles three community improvement projects that reflect a spirit of cooperation, collaboration and creativity in solving community challenges and on their verbal presentation to a jury of civic experts at the National finals competition.
• Greater Buffalo's 1996 application profiled the following projects
  1. Kids Escaping Drugs Campaign (Contact - JoAnne Hudecki - 884-9534)
  2. Skating Association for the Blind & Handicapped (Contact - Elizabeth O'Donnell883-9728)
  3. Forever Elmwood (Contact - Michael Attardo - 885-6214)
• Ten communities receive All-America City designation annually.  The designation is for a lifetime.
• Greater Buffalo reached finalist status in 1994 and 1995.  Annually, 30 communities are chosen as finalists.  There were over 100 communities applying in each of the three years that Greater Buffalo applied for the All-America City Award.
• For the past four years the Greater Buffalo All-America City committee has emulated the national competition both in spirit and structure by honoring ten local citizen driven community projects through the Civic Empowerment Awards program.  1999 Civic Empowerment Award applications are available by calling (716) 851-4052 or faxing a request to (716) 851-4309.
• Previous Civic Empowerment Award winners include: Baker Victory Services - Dorothy Miller Teen Mother and Child Residence; Children's Hospital West Side Women's and Children's Health Center; Forever Elmwood; Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy #76; Kids Escaping Drugs Campaign; King Urban Life Center; Massachusetts Avenue Project; Skating Association for the Blind and Handicapped; Vision for Tomorrow; Western New York Veteran's Housing Coalition.
• Commemorative Greater Buffalo All-America City banners are available to corporate sponsors through the 'Greater Buffalo Goes Banners' campaign.  Call (716) 851-4052 for details.
• The Committee has established these goals for 1999-2000:
• Strengthen Greater Buffalo's national public image.
• Promote civic pride through our Civic Empowerment Awards Program.
• Promote the practice of 'civic journalism' by the local media.
• Develop resources to sustain civic engagement activities and increase 'Social Capital' in our community