Bellevue - Cheektowaga, NY

After Europeans claimed the land in the early 19th century, the region became an important farming community. It remained as such until the end of WWII, when Buffalo experienced rapid population and industrial growth. As a result, Bellevue became highly developed and began to attract middle-class suburbanites. Families and young professionals currently make up the majority of Bellevue's population, which gives the neighborhood its motivated attitude. The Cheektowaga Historical Museum located just a few minutes north of Bellevue details the history of the area. The city holds a small art scene, though most of Buffalo's most talented artists reside elsewhere in the city. Despite this, the residents of Bellevue feel great pride in their community and put on numerous annual events. Of particular note is the summertime Free Gazebo Concert series. This event showcases local musicians, artists and businesses.

Bellevue offers a diverse array of restaurants, mostly clustered along Highway 20/Transit Road. Teton Kitchen serves up authentic Thai and Japanese dishes, specializing in offerings such as Miso soup, sushi rolls, and Pad Thai. Locals often also recommend a relaxing cup of Teton's Thai Tea. Another one of Bellevue's best restaurants is the French Pub & Restaurant. This establishment serves both European and American classics such as French onion soup, prime rib and burgers. The French Pub & Restaurant features nightly specials, including the very popular weekend chicken wing buffet and the Wednesday night "all the beef you can eat" event.

For breakfast, the residents of Bellevue frequently turn to The Poked Yolk. The cooks at The Poked Yolk emphasize simplicity in each recipe. For this reason, most patrons order dishes as simple as eggs, sausage, toast and hash browns. Compared to many other breakfast joints, The Poked Yolk uses significantly less grease and salt in its cooking, making this restaurant perfect for health-conscious diners who still want a great tasting meal. The Bellevue Hotel is undoubtedly the neighborhood's most popular restaurant. Since opening its doors in the early 1800s, the restaurant-bar has played a critical role in the development of the community. Attending the restaurant's weekly fish fry has become something of a tradition among Bellevue's citizens. The restaurant also serves chicken wings and a delectable French onion soup.

Bellevue features relatively few dedicated bar and nightlife venues, and most locals travel downtown or to other neighborhoods for nights out. However, there are a handful of restaurants with bar service in the neighborhood, such as The Pub. This charming establishment serves inexpensive beer and succulent chicken wings and draws moderately sized crowds on weekends.

Driving is undoubtedly the easiest method by which to travel through Bellevue. I-90 and I-190 service the neighborhood, as well as Highway 20 (called Transit Road). Public parking can be found freely on the side of many of Bellevue's streets. Hailing in taxi in Bellevue can be a challenge, but you can occasionally find taxis around Como Park Boulevard near the hospital. Uber does not yet serve Bellevue, but a similar ride-sharing app, Lyft, does. Because of the low traffic levels on most streets, walkers and bicyclists should feel safe in Bellevue. Furthermore, several of Bellevue's larger streets contain dedicated bike lanes. While Buffalo's public transportation system, the NFTA, does cater to Bellevue, only route 69 to Alden comes close to the neighborhood.

While Bellevue contains several smaller parks perfect for spending the afternoon in, and the most popular park would undoubtedly be Stiglmeier Park. This large park sits in the center Bellevue along the beautiful Cayuga Creek and features numerous amenities, including volleyball courts, tennis courts, a horseshoe pit, basketball courts, a pond, a recreation center, baseball fields and softball fields. Clearly, this park emphasizes sports and exercise, and numerous exercise-centric events happen on a regular basis at Stiglmeier Park. The park also features two children's play areas, hiking trails and large grassy areas for dogs to run around in. Remember to bring a leash. Cheektowaga's Town Park features both an ice rink and a swimming pool for year-round activity, The park also features the cultural center which presents art and musical performances throughout the year. All parks open at dawn and close at dusk.

Cost of living in Bellevue sits marginally lower than Buffalo's city average. For instance, a one-bedroom residence may cost roughly $750, while a pint at the local pub runs customers just $3. Transportation between Buffalo's city center and Belleveue costs $2, which thankfully spares Bellevue's citizen from paying for gas at a price nearly 25 percent higher than the national average.

Several locally owned shops operate within Bellevue's borders; these businesses typically offer high-value deals. For example, the neighborhood proudly holds Dave's Christmas Wonderland. This unique boutique deals in holiday-themed decorations and accessories during the winter months and outdoor gear in the warmer parts of the year. Throughout the year, the staff dedicates themselves to providing friendly service and establishing genuine relationships with the community.

Just a few minutes east of Bellevue sits one of Buffalo's most interesting stores, the Buffalo Drum Outlet. This locally owned music boutique prides itself on low prices and does its absolute best to offer lower prices than any other music store. As the name implies, this store deals primarily in drums and drum accessories, though it does occasionally stock and sell other instruments and accessories.

North of Bellevue sits Walden Galleria Mall, a high-end shopping center. Though nearly all of the stores in this mall are multinational chains, the area plays a critical role in Bellevue's economic activities. This area holds several of Bellevue's grocery stores, including Sam's Club, Tops Friendly Market, Wal-Mart and Aldi. The Lancaster Farmers Market, located 5 minutes east of Bellevue, also fills the community's need for fresh food and produce.