Knowing the types and prices of real estate in a city is an excellent first step toward relocation, but as you know, there's more to life than owning a home. Before you commit to leaving your Bracebridge catering job, you want to know that your kids will have access to good schools, that the hospitals in your new city will be capable of looking after you when you get hurt, and that there will be plenty of parks and attractions to keep you occupied in your spare time. For those of you who are considering a move to Buffalo, New York, here's the lowdown on what it has to offer.

Schools

If you choose Buffalo, your children will have access to a newly rebuilt public school system that features a number of magnet schools with special programs in technology, performing arts, languages, and cultures that can help train your kid for a career as a lawyer or sculptor of wrought iron furniture. Torontonians used to having Catholic school as an option will be pleased to know that most of the 47 private schools adhere to that faith.

Health Care

Thanks to the University of Buffalo's medical program, Buffalo has more health care variety than even Edmonton. Cosmetic surgery, substance abuse treatment, cancer care, multi-organ transplant, and cardiac rehabilitation are just a few of the specialty programs on offer at Buffalo's nine teaching hospitals.

Parks and Recreation

With a nickname like the City of Trees, it's to be expected that Buffalo would have an extensive system of parks. There are more than twenty parks spanning thousands of acres of grassland and waterfront which feature trails, landscaping, botanical gardens, sculptures, and sporting fields. A visit to one can be exciting or it can be as relaxing as a trip to the day spa. Vancouver was not the influence for designer Frederick Law Olmstead when he designed these parks in the late 1800s, rather, he drew his inspiration from Paris' public spaces.

Entertainment

When they're not working, taking the kids to school, or bringing the car in for some collision repair, Saskatoon's former residents who have moved to Buffalo still enjoy their favorite sport: hockey. Buffalo has an NHL team, a NFL team, dozens of art museums and galleries, hundreds of historic structures designed by famous architects, a last call at 4 am, and the third oldest zoo in the country. That should be enough to keep anyone busy, regardless of their hobbies.