This afternoon my Facebook timeline exploded with friends sharing a piece from Gothamist called Millennials Are Moving To Buffalo & Living Like Kings. Please take a moment to read the piece and know that I share the following commentary as someone who has been in Buffalo for less than a year.

As one of the millennials featured in the piece alongside my husband, some new friends, and a group of Buffalonians I have yet to meet, I was pleased to see how author Jordan Teicher chose to focus the story.

I’m not from Buffalo, and I’ve never lived here before 2014, so when I decided to leave New York City last year it was a combination of positive press and real-life stories shared by friends that convinced me that Buffalo was the right place. Teicher’s piece in Gothamist had the same effect; it highlighted the reasons why the city’s resurgence is so enticing for young people without ignoring the realities of why it desperately needed a resurgence in the first place.

As someone who chose to do something risky (leave a good job in NYC for a better quality of life in Buffalo) I will always have a little chip on my shoulder about convincing my Big Apple buddies that I made a good move. Honestly, I will never get tired of sharing stories from Gothamist or New York magazine that sing the praises of the Queen City.

On the flip side, the longer I live here the more I learn about the hardships facing Buffalo natives and long-time residents who are still wary to believe the city’s on its way to becoming some type of urban utopia.

I may “live like a king” according to New York City standards, but I really feel like I’m just living a nice life. I have more space now and my cost of living is far less, but my need to hustle hasn’t gone away; it has just changed its form. NYC hustle is cut-throat. Buffalo hustle is collaborative.

Perhaps I’m less of a king here and more of a soldier marching forward with everyone else.

Read the story from Gothamist: Millennials Are Moving To Buffalo & Living Like Kings

Pat Sandora-Nastyn is a writer and video producer. You can find him talking about pop culture and relationships with his husband, Billy, on their super creatively titled YouTube channel Billy & Pat.