Main Street in Buffalo, New York; East vs West

For as great of a place as Buffalo is to live, the area has a long history of segregation and discrimination that goes back to the founding of America.

For years, the differences between different neighborhoods in Buffalo have been pretty stark. For many years, Main Street has been almost a dividing line between the haves and have-nots in Buffalo, and while things have been improving over the last few years, conditions still have a long way to go.

The contrast between east of Main Street and West of Main Street is still pretty apparent, and it's recently been highlighted by a visitor to Western New York.

Harlem, New York-based TikTok Star DaveO has a few videos about his travels to Buffalo over the last few months and was quick to point out the differences between sides of the city.

You guys think segregation is over? This is Main Street and Buffalo, Buffalo's premier street. It's also Buffalo's premier redlining street...
-DaveO

The Attorney General of New York has recently highlighted some things that have contributed to the differences between the two sides of the city.

Owning a home is an essential part of achieving the American dream and building wealth to pass on to future generations... Unfortunately, unequal access to affordable credit is still pervasive across our state, reinforcing the legacy of segregation, leading to a disparity in homeownership, and fueling the racial wealth gap. This report makes it clear that our state must do more to provide better resources for homebuyers and strengthen housing laws to help empower more New Yorkers. My office remains committed to fighting housing discrimination in all forms, and I look forward to working with my partners in government to address this problem.
-Letitia James, New York State Attorney General

In the research released by the Office of the Attorney General, they found that New York's profound legacy of racism, redlining, and exclusion has harmed neighborhoods of color and that people of color have much lower rates of homeownership in New York. One only needs to look at the old Redlining Maps of Buffalo to see how some of these things have come to be.

Anyway, check it out for yourself and see what DaveO experienced when he bounced between Buffalo's two sides.