Why Buffalo Should Be Considered A Midwestern City

I've been thinking about this for a good minute, and it re-entered my mind when I had to go to Cleveland recently. When categorizing cities, where does Buffalo fit? Are we a New England city? What about an East Coast city? A North East city? 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 an 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 4 Midwestern cities Than It Is To New York City

- 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

Google Maps

Is Pittsburgh a midwestern city? It seems there is a debate about whether Pittsburgh is a midwestern city, also. In this case, I'm siding with the argument that Pittsburgh is more similar to midwestern cities than to 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
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.

Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash

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.