BUFFALO, N.Y. — The City of Buffalo has long been known as the 'City of Good Neighbors', but now it's known as one of the nicest.
Reader's Digest gave Buffalo the top honor for the 2023 Nicest Places in America title.
A panel of judges looks over stories of kindness, respect, and places where the community shines bright during tragedy and comes together.
The magazine cites Buffalo's handling of the May 14 mass shooting that took the lives of 10 Black people, people opening their businesses during the December 2022 blizzard, the community support for when Bills' Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during a game, and the loss of a beloved Buffalo Firefighter.
Hamlin wrote a heartfelt letter to the people of Buffalo. In it, Hamlin wrote, "Over the last few years, this city has seen so many hard times and so much pain... A shooting that horrified the world, taking lives and stealing dreams. An unimaginable blizzard that brought so much fear. A tragic fire that took young lives. Loss after loss, the challenges seemed to just keep coming. The people of Buffalo have experienced the kind of pain that could have broken them. But it hasn't. Today, when I'm at home in Buffalo, I meet people full of hope and determination. I see a Buffalo that has chosen to come together rather than fall apart. I see why Buffalo is known as the City of Good Neighbors."
"Nicest Places has long been a celebration of seeking out the good. Sometimes, that means finding those who are shining a light during their darkest hour like the people in Buffalo after facing such tragedy," said Jason Buhrmester, Chief Content Officer at Reader's Digest. "We believe that in sharing stories of kindness you can encourage more of it and we are honored to celebrate Buffalo this year and look forward to continuing to seek out the good."
The other finalist cities for Nicest Places included Providence, R.I.; Red Lodge, Mont.; Greenville, S.C.; and Colchester, Vt
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