Buffalo Isn’t The Most Neighborly

Here in Buffalo, we love to hang our hat on our nickname of being the “City of Good Neighbors.” It’s one of the many things that local residents take an extreme amount of pride in. 

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So why the heck is Buffalo, New York not included on this list of neighborly cities?

Neighbor.com compiled a list of the Most Neighborly Cities In America, using factors like charitable giving, generosity, and overall happiness of a city’s residents. Based on those qualifications, Buffalo should absolutely be on this list, right?

Consider the amount of money raised for charity by Bills Mafia. Or the help our residents gave to our neighbors during last winter’s massive blizzard. What about how much Buffalo locals genuinely love our city?

Apparently, all of that wasn’t enough to make Neighbor.com’s list. They concluded that another city in New York State deserves the title of the “most neighborly.” So, which city beat us out?

Rochester, New York Named The Most Neighborly City In America

According to Neighbor.com, Rochester is the most neighborly city in the country. In their survey, Rochester ranked high in neighborly acts (third) volunteering (fourth), and high marks in charitable giving and happiness.

Other cities in New York state that made the list were Poughkeepsie, New York at #8, and Albany, New York at #23. 

Buffalo, New York Didn’t Even Make The List Of Neighborly Cities

Our hometown of Buffalo, “The City Of Good Neighbors” itself, couldn’t make the cut. 

Our glaring absence from the “Most Neighborly Cities in the United States” becomes even more bizarre when you read Neighbor.com’s explanation of why Rochester was ranked #1.

In their synopsis of Rochester, Neighbor.com describes it as being

“home to Art Park, the only state park in the U.S. that’s dedicated to visual and performing arts.”

Wait. What?

ARTPARK, one of the most popular music venues in the area, is located in Lewiston, New York - which is part of the BUFFALO metro area. Not Rochester. 

For shame.

We definitely have a right to feel robbed for not making this list.

Here’s the complete list of Neighbor.com’s roundup of the top 25 most neighborly cities in the US, which (surprisingly) doesn’t include Buffalo. 

Here Are The Most Neighborly Cities In The US

1. Rochester, New York
2. Madison, Wisconsin
3. Provo, Utah
4. Oxnard, California
5. Grand Rapids, Michigan
6. Raleigh, North Carolina
7. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
8. Poughkeepsie, New York
9. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
10. Des Moines, Iowa
11. San Jose, California
12. Colorado Springs, Colorado
13. Minneapolis, Minnesota
14. Ogden, Utah
15. Seattle, Washington
16. Salt Lake City, Utah
17. New Haven, Connecticut
18. Portland, Oregon
19. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
20. Honolulu, Hawaii
21. Toledo, Ohio
22. Springfield, Massachusetts
23. Albany, New York
24. Allentown, Pennsylvania
25. Spokane, Washington