With the pressing need to find a roof to have over their heads next semester, some students are ditching the usual University Heights scene for a more welcoming, dependable area: The Elmwood Village and Allentown.
Residents here feel assured that if their roof were to suddenly start leaking in the wet winter months, their landlord would be readily available to fix the problem. That's because many students living in the Elmwood area rent a floor or two of a house, which the landlord both owns and lives in, so there's never an extended period of time in which the landlord goes M.I.A.
Elmwood Avenue branches off into a number of quaint neighborhoods with tree-lined streets and concrete sidewalks. Some of the older homes date back to the 19th century, but many have been restored with updated amenities. There are also apartment complexes and condos available.
Prices vary, as well as the diversity of its residents.
"You can find an apartment for $750 a month and some for $300 a month for the same size place," said Mary Clare Fahey, the off-campus services and relations coordinator for Student Life. "It's really part of the eclectic nature of Elmwood and Allentown."
Fahey suggests that students looking for a place around Elmwood Avenue or Allen Street refer to the Homefinder section of the Saturday edition of the Buffalo News. The off-campus housing Web site run by Sub Board Inc. also has a search engine for rentals, where students can limit searches based on aspects like cost, location, and size.
The off-campus student services at UB aims to give students valuable information about signing leases, keeping homes safe, and what various locations offer in terms of student's wants and needs. Elmwood and Allen, Fahey said, have a reputation for being trendy and artistically inclined.
"(Elmwood and Allentown) are some the most diverse neighborhoods in Buffalo," Fahey said. "That's the biggest thing that draws people to the neighborhood."
Part of the appeal is the Elmwood strip, which is home to dozens of locally owned mom-and-pop shops as well as stylish boutiques and exotic restaurants. The Albright-Knox art gallery is just down the road and a number of music venues blast live shows each weekend night.
Jeremy Lambert, a graduate student from France studying aerospace engineering, recently moved to the Allen Street district after living in the University Heights for several months. He said his new neighborhood is close to bars, food, and entertainment similar to the Elmwood strip.
"I decided to move to the area because it's more lively, and less residential (than the Heights)," Lambert said. "It's more like a European downtown apartment in France, where you can walk everywhere."
Lambert and a roommate rent out the upper floor of an old home owned by a woman who has lived in the house for over 30 years. He said the rent, which is paid monthly, is even cheaper than what he was paying in the Heights, for an even larger space.
The house has been renovated and lets in light through giant windows. It's also across the street from the Kleinhans Music Hall, where Lambert enjoys the sounds of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
The art and music atmosphere isn't the only perk to calling Elmwood Village or Allentown home. Many say they get a feeling of small town camaraderie in these neighborhoods nestled in the enormous city of Buffalo.
Rachel Fix, a graduate student studying comparative education, has been living off of Elmwood for three years. Her favorite part is the small town feel that allows her to know the owners of the local businesses and restaurants on a first name basis.
Being able to walk to her favorite independent bookstore is a fair trade for the challenges of getting to and from school, Fix said. Public transportation is available but it can involve a number of stops and transfers, as well as a lot of time.
"The biggest difficulty is that you really need to have a car," Fix said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
