America’s fastest dying city?

This can’t be all bad, right?

I hate these Forbes lists, though usually at least they’re positive: greenest cities, best cities to work in, cities with the highest population of under-25 carwash heiresses, etc. — I find myself looking at them even though they’re chock full of random statistics and seem to just be plucked out of a hat for marketing purposes.

Recently here in Buffalo there’s been some ruffled feathers over being included on this list: America’s fastest-dying cities. That’s right: along with Detroit, Flint, Cleveland, and other rust-belt stalwarts, we’re on the list “with a bullet,” so to speak. Question: what does “fastest-dying” even mean? Are we on life support now? Should we plan a funeral?

The irony is that Buffalo also appears in a more positive light in “Great Places in America,” a list of the country’s best neighborhoods compiled by the American Planning Association. Elmwood Village is where we live — sort of — and I can testify, having lived in two of the other cities on this list, that it’s deservedly included here.

Even in the pages of Forbes, Buffalo comes off well on a number of other lists. It’s 15 on the “best cities for couples” (Detroit is 21!), and it’s numero uno on “best cities for commuters” (there’s a good side to population decline, I guess). I’m surprised it doesn’t crack the top fifteen on this list.

The bottom line: Buffalo is a city with lots of problems. High crime rates and poverty still plague many areas. But the people are friendly, and there’s a stubborn sort of pride that’s resulted in the amazing turnaround of this neighborhood (read the whole entry on Elmwood, above, for that story). Also, we have this.