Buffalo

Buffalo Guide

Buffalo at a Glance

Neighborhoods and homes

Buffalo is a city of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own main street. The Elmwood Village is the best-known: a walkable, mixed-use district with hundreds of small, locally owned shops, restaurants and cafes along Elmwood Avenue. Next door, Allentown is a historic district of brightly painted Victorian, Italianate and Queen Anne homes and the home of the Allentown Art Festival.

North Buffalo, centered on Hertel Avenue, mixes historic single-family homes with smaller multi-family houses. Parkside, wrapped around Delaware Park, is known for its 19th- and early 20th-century architecture – including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House.

Across the city you will find the classic Buffalo double: a two-family house with one apartment stacked above the other. Doubles are popular with owner-occupants who live in one unit and rent the other, and with investors looking for steady rental income.

Parks and the waterfront

Buffalo has the largest park system Frederick Law Olmsted designed for any city, with parks linked by tree-lined parkways. Delaware Park is the centerpiece – roughly 350 acres with a two-mile loop past the lake, gardens and meadows.

Downtown, Canalside on the waterfront hosts concerts, festivals and skating through the year, and the Outer Harbor adds trails and open space along Lake Erie.

Culture and things to do

The Buffalo AKG Art Museum sits on the western edge of Delaware Park; its contemporary Gundlach Building opened in 2023 beside the original 1905 Albright Art Gallery. The Darwin D. Martin House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright between 1903 and 1905, is considered one of his most significant works and is open for tours.

Shea’s Performing Arts Center brings touring Broadway shows to downtown, and Sundays in the fall belong to the Bills.

Buying here: what to know

Many Buffalo homes are a century old or more. That is the charm – and the reason a thorough inspection matters. Ask about the roof, chimney, electrical updates, the heating system and the sewer line from the house to the street.

If you are buying a double, ask your lender about owner-occupied two-unit financing, and ask for current leases and rent rolls before you make an offer. Check the address on the City of Buffalo assessment roll for the current property tax picture.