It’s one thing to read The City of Good Neighbors on a billboard or t-shirt. It’s another to hear from the people living it every day.
Buffalo is dubbed the City of Good Neighbors. If you’ve spent more than a few hours here, you know it’s a mantra earned, not lightly given. We smile on the street, open the door for each other, and use Go Bills as hello/goodbye/I love you/and more.
It’s one thing to read The City of Good Neighbors on a billboard or t-shirt. It’s another to hear from the people living it every day. So, we asked a few newcomers to Buffalo for their “good neighbor” story. We wanted to know when they knew the reputation was real.
Travis Estes
VP of Marketing & Communications | Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra From St. Louis, MO Now in Hamlin Park
"I moved here from St. Louis and bought a house in the beautiful Hamlin Park neighborhood to become the VP of Marketing & Communications for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. I realized Buffalo's 'Good Neighbors' reputation was real when I saw how naturally Buffalonians show up for each other. In my work with the BPO, people are constantly offering connections, support, ideas, and encouragement. Not in a performative way, but because they genuinely feel invested in the community. People in Buffalo don't just offer sympathy or encouragement. They offer names, numbers, introductions, and actual help.
But one moment that really crystallized it for me was the Sabres playoff game when Cami Clune's microphone cut out during 'O Canada.' At the BPO, we open our season by playing both the Canadian and U.S. national anthems. When I first moved here, I thought that was unusual, but also kind of lovely. Then that Sabres moment happened, and an entire arena of Buffalo fans picked up where the microphone left off and sang the Canadian anthem together.
People around the world saw it and asked, 'Why are they singing the Canadian national anthem when there are no Canadian teams playing? And how does the whole arena know the words?' But in Buffalo, the answer felt obvious. Canada is our neighbor. Canadians are part of our community, our audience, our fan base, our daily life. That moment was magical because it was completely organic. It was Buffalo being Buffalo. And to me, it was proof that the City of Good Neighbors is not just a slogan. It's something people here practice."
Natascha Thomas
Sparq From Mobile, AL now in West Seneca
"I moved from Mobile, Alabama, and I currently live in West Seneca. I still work at Sparq. When we moved to West Seneca in the spring of 2022, we quickly noticed how much pride our new neighbors took in their homes and lawns, and we wanted to do the same. But that first summer, disaster struck. I caught COVID on a work trip, came home, and immediately passed it to my husband.
We were completely wiped out. Worried that our new neighbors would think we were already letting the property go, I sent a quick text to the house next door to apologize that our grass was getting a bit high while we recovered.
The response blew us away. Not only did they tell us to just focus on resting, but they also left homemade chicken noodle soup, cheesecake, and soda on our doorstep. To top it all off, they had their daughter mow our entire front and back lawn! I was in total disbelief at how incredibly kind they were.
Now, four years later, we still fiercely look out for one another. I've even had the joy of watching that same daughter graduate from high school and head off to college. If anyone ever wonders why Buffalo is called the 'City of Good Neighbors,' our neighborhood is living proof."
From College Station, TX now in downtown Buffalo
"We moved from College Station, Texas after graduating from Texas A&M (go Aggies!). Since moving to Buffalo, we’ve gotten involved in Muay Thai. A few months ago, we moved into our second apartment here in Buffalo. And just a few weeks later Janie had a scheduled fight. W
e didn't even officially meet our neighbors yet. Two days after the fight, we saw our neighbor in passing and he said, 'I saw an advertisement for your fight and noticed it was you, so I went. I had so much fun!' He came out to support a neighbor without even officially meeting us yet. I thought that was very cool and very Buffalo."
