Apparently, Buffalo Is One Of The Worst Cities In The US For This

This summer in Buffalo is on track to be one of the hottest we’ve ever had. If you’re lucky enough to have a pool in your backyard, you’re probably jumping in a lot this summer to stay cool and refreshed during this hot and sticky season. 

Even if you don’t own a pool, hopefully you’ve got a good friend or family member (or an understanding neighbor who doesn’t mind if you hop the fence once in a while) to take a quick dip.

There’s even tons of pools in the area that you can rent for a few hours for the perfect Buffalo “staycation.”

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But is Buffalo, New York really the most ideal place to own a pool? One company who recently ranked the best cities in the US to own a pool sure doesn’t think so.

Buffalo, New York Is The 2nd Worst City In The US To Own A Pool

Oof. The landscaping company LawnStarter has officially ranked Buffalo the second worst overall city to own a swimming pool.

How on earth did they come to this conclusion? Well, LawnStarter dove in (get it) to approximately 200 of the largest cities in the US, and compared them on climate, yard size, access to pool installation, and maintenance. 

They also checked out the average cost to own a pool in those cities, and looked at the share of homes in their real estate market to, in their words, “gauge how well the city embraces pool culture.”

Through their findings, they’ve ranked Buffalo out of 194 cities:

• 193rd in Overall Best Cities To Own A Pool
• 190th in Average Minimum Pool Installation Cost
• 183rd in Historical Average Monthly Percentage of Sunshine
• 171st in Average Per-Visit Pool Cleaning Cost
• 169th in Average Yard Square Footage 

When you look at this data a little more closely, it seems like this is yet another report that judges Buffalo based on our weather. In fact, three of their top 20 worst cities to own a pool are right here in Upstate New York (Syracuse came in just before Buffalo at #192, and Rochester was listed at #189). 

Now, are we going to come in as high as LawnStarter’s top-ranking city, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida? Of course not. But cut us some slack - we get just as hot and sweaty here in Buffalo as anyone in the US would get on a stifling 90-degree day. And yes, we DO love to jump in a cool pool on a hot summer day as much as everyone else. 

Here are the best and worst cities to own a pool, according to LawnStarter. 

5 Best Cities In The US To Own A Pool:

1. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2. Scottsdale, Arizona
3. Cape Coral, Florida
4. Plano, Texas
5. Frisco, Texas

5 Worst Cities In The To Own A Pool:

1. Cleveland, Ohio
2. Buffalo, New York
3. Syracuse, New York
4. Detroit, Michigan
5. Newark, New Jersey

You can check out all of their rankings on the best and worst cities to own a pool here.