Well at least it isn't something bad.
It is victories like the one mentioned above that enabled the Elmwood Village Association to be included in the roster of neighborhoods that made the 2007 list of Great Places in America. It's a big deal for Buffalo, and the award will act as a lure to draw more businesses and people to the district. 
I am sure this will really boost the city moral just like being an All America City did.
Here is the whole write up about the "Elmwood Village." Read it, it is actually nice
I am going to go ahead and say that I don't see this award as such an a big deal for the City but a recognition that when a neighborhood costs somewhere around $200,000 to live in that it becomes a "good neighborhood". Everyone knows that. It is just becoming more upper middle class suburdban style. It is reflected in the comment on buffalo Rising yesterday when someone asked if the good news was if the "Gays and Hippies" were leaving the village.
Today, Elmwood Avenue is one of Buffalo's busiest commercial districts with some 200 boutiques, restaurants, and taverns.
Does that count all the ones that have closed or are closing?
The thing this award certainly does not do - is solve any of the tax issues or shortage of skilled labor that really is affecting Buffalo. I saw ont he news only a couple weeks ago that Buffalo was rated the wrost city to open a business besides dDetroit and two other cities. It was 47/50. ya 47/50.
If they are talking about tourists being the saving grace, I think it would take a lot of tourists to attract business and why would anyone choose here over anywhere else t tour.
Now to live here is another matter, I would choose over just about any city I have lived in, but to tour. Come on , no one besides friends , relatives and exchange students come to tour Buffalo, do they?
I mean does anyone put the Elmwood Village on there vacation plans. What so they can go to a bunch of trendy boutique and clothing stores. There isn't even a real grocery store/ music store anymore. Name one thing the Elmwood Village offers a tourist that they just can't find somewhere else.
So yeah - just like St. James - all of the Elmwood village is a better palce to live. Good for the freakin elmwood Village.
Now it can get even more overpriced for the same old shit.
It is basically saying that a section of the city priced way beyond the reality of Buffalo city household budgets is a great place to live.
On a side note from the article:
To encourage an economic and cultural renaissance, the nonprofit Elmwood Village Association was formed in 1994.
Is that true? I could swear there was Forever Elmwood but I didn't hear any of this talk abut an Elmwood Village until only a few years back. Its not like I just don't rememebr either because I have live one block form Elmwood just about my entire life until I moved on down to Linwood. Remember, it used to be called the Elmwood Strip.
Soon we are going to have Village history books about when the foudning father created the Elmwood Village after the Indians gave it to them for Christmas their first winter in 1784. I really don't think the Elmwood Village is really a village. It is just a section of the city. I grew up in kenmore, which is a village and it is very different. the idea being that in a village everything is kind of isolated and self contained. Self governance, etc. I am not saying I am a fan of it, but seriously, is the Elmwood Strip really a village now? Are the village going to succeed from the City of Buffalo.
Paul I have to say your journal really does crack me up sometimes. I find the melting stuff to be inexplicable. Who leaves stuff like that?
between Medina deli, Room, and HSBC arena business' must get slammed into by cars on a regular basis.