Sky-high rents and prohibitively expensive livings costs are forcing many Bangladeshi immigrants to move out of New York City to run-down areas of Buffalo in the hope of achieving their version of the “American Dream”.
In Buffalo, not only can they buy a house of their own, they can live a better life for a fraction of the cost in New York, says Atiqur Rahman, a Bangladeshi-American who was among the first ones to have moved from New York’s Bronx area in 2006.
Mr Rahman, now actively involved in helping others make this move, was awarded the Outstanding Citizen award for his work by the City of Buffalo this month.
He claims to have helped hundreds of Bangladeshis and other Muslims settle down in Buffalo, advising them on buying and selling homes, helping them with the laws and tax requirements of City of Buffalo, helping them contact officials, and most of it for free.
“I don’t think I deserved an award for this. I am just doing my duty towards the community,” he told the Bangla Tribune.
Buffalo, a major manufacturing hub in the last century, suffered massive post-industrial decline with thousands of job losses. A study found 92,000 to 180,000 job losses from 1969 to 2003 and it pushed people out of the city.
The exodus seems to have been checked but very few are moving in and the Bangladeshi community has seen it as a major opportunity.
“People have bought houses for a token amount of one dollar from the city and by spending another 50,000 dollars they are home owners now,” says Mr Rahman.
“This is the quickest way to achieve our American dream. Even in some rural parts of Bangladesh you can’t own a home for this price,” he adds.
While the city doesn’t have the same job opportunities as New York City, the low cost of living makes it easier. Many of those who have moved used to drive taxis in New York but with competition from App based services like Uber and Lyft rising and cutting down their earnings, this seems like a good bargain.
Some have started their own business, work in the factories where they can drive to in 20-30 minutes and also drive taxis as and when there’s a demand.
Mr Rahman, an accountant by profession, bought a big library building that was shuttered, and turned it into a hardware shop.
A lot of Bangladeshis are buying houses that need a lot of work and that means a lot of business for places like Home Depot, a chain that supplies construction material and home goods.
“I want to give Home Depot some competition because this neighborhood doesn’t have a full-service hardware store,” he says, adding, “Not a day goes by when 10-15 people do not turn up to seek advice on launching a new business.”
There are some who buy two to three run-down houses for cheap, fix it and then sell it for profit.
This is not the first time Bangladeshi immigrants have moved from New York City in search of a cheaper and better lifestyle. Hamtramck in Michigan is now home to one of the largest Bangladeshi communities in the US and even has a mural dedicated to Bangladesh.
Comparing Hamtramck with Buffalo, Mr Rahman says: “Buffalo is for beginners. If you have nothing in your pocket, you can still make a start here.”
He hopes that in the next five years, the area will see a major transformation. A lot of Bangladeshis have bought the abandoned commercial buildings and are planning garment stores, professional services, retail shops and as their numbers grow it will only add to the business.